Childminder in Tameside

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/01/2014 07/01/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder provides a welcoming environment where children are confident and demonstrate that they feel secure. She has an understanding of how to manage any concerns about children's welfare.  The childminder provides rules and boundaries to support children in learning how to manage their feelings and behaviour and makes use of suitable behaviour management strategies for young children.  The activities, outings and resources provided are age-appropriate and make a contribution to children's learning and development, so that children make steady progress.

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It is not yet good because

 Planning, observation and assessment of individual children's learning lack sufficient precision to optimise children's progress and the childminder does not demonstrate a robust knowledge of these areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The opportunities for children and babies to explore resources that can be used flexibly to inspire their imaginations and creativity, as well as supporting development of their communication skills are limited.  The ways in which the childminder monitors and evaluates her provision, such as regarding the ongoing use of the television in the learning environment and the quality and breadth of observations, planning and assessment, are not robust.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 A range of information was reviewed by the inspector, in order to prepare for the inspection.  The inspector viewed the areas of the premises that are used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 Evidence of suitability of adults living on the premises and the childminder's qualifications were checked.

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Inspection activities

 Samples of documentation were examined which the childminder uses when caring for children, regarding welfare and learning.

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Inspection activities

 The childminder was interviewed to ascertain her knowledge of areas, such as safeguarding, how to support children's learning and the ways in which she evaluates her practice.

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Inspection activities

 The childminder was observed while working with children and the inspector asked her about how this supported children's care and learning.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2001 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged five- and nearly two-years-old in the Ashton-under-Lyne area of Tameside. The whole ground floor of the house is used for childminding and bathroom facilities are situated on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The family has a pet dog.

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Information about the setting

Care is provided from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, apart from bank holidays and family holidays. There are five children on roll, of whom three are in the early years age range. The childminder is qualified to level 3 in childcare and receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 improve knowledge of the prime and specific areas of learning, in order to effectively support children's learning and development in all of these through observations

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must:

 improve understanding of the assessment requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, in order to develop precise knowledge of children's progress and offer educational programmes that are challenging for them.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 develop the ongoing provision for children's imaginative play and babies' exploration by introducing resources that can be used flexibly in all environments, such as, fabrics, large cardboard boxes and textured objects made from natural and synthetic materials

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 review how to better support children's communication development by considering when the background noise from equipment, such as televisions, may be interfering with children learning to listen and concentrate

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 develop the ways in which the childminding provision is reflected on and act on the evaluations, in order to bring about continuous improvement in practice.

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who attend

The childminder demonstrates some knowledge and understanding of the learning and assessment requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, but has not thoroughly assimilated the changes made in 2012 into her practice. As a result, she does not have a good understanding of this, in order to robustly support children's learning. Observations are made, which are mainly regarding children's interests and responses as a result of activities the childminder has offered, for example, a woodland walk. The childminder also uses initial observations to build up a picture of what a child can do when joining her care. The range of activities and outings provided for children as educational programmes are age-appropriate, but are observed to lack challenge and purposeful planning. The childminder also does not make use of age-expected developmental norms, in order to assess if children are making age-appropriate progress. This limits the effectiveness of any

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who attend

subsequent activities planned, as it is unclear what the objective of the planning is, in terms of children's learning and also if it is suitably challenging. The childminder does not demonstrate a clear understanding of how to monitor observations, planning and assessment and why this is important when pinpointing what best helps children to learn. There are breaches of the learning, development and assessment requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which lead to inconsistency in the quality of teaching. As a result, children making steady rather than optimal progress towards their next steps in learning.

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who attend

Children enjoy playing with construction resources, such as interlocking bricks. They competently build towers and name the colours of bricks when the childminder asks about this. The childminder talks to children about whether the tower may break or not if they move it, supporting some critical thinking. Babies are able to explore toys safely that are age-appropriate, using their hands and mouths. For example, they move large beads on bead labyrinths, which develop their fine manipulative skills. The childminder provides paper and crayons and models how to make marks for babies, developing their understanding of how actions can bring about a change. She also uses the opportunity to say colour names for babies, to develop their understanding of words. Babies also enjoy the experience of being able to crawl in and out of a pop-up tent provided by the childminder and this helps to develop their whole body coordination. Children engage in

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who attend

imaginative play based on the construction resources when they find a toy hammer. They pretend to 'fix' towers of bricks when they break, talking about what they are doing and in doing so, developing their communication skills. Although, the childminder provides a range of toys with a clear purpose, such as, cause and effect, construction or play with small world figures, she does not offer effective opportunities for children's exploratory play. For example, with resources that can be used flexibly by children, such as, fabric or cardboard boxes for imaginative play or hand-held objects for babies to explore that have a variety of textures, sounds and natural or synthetic origins. Children's and babies' creative and communication skills are, therefore, not well supported by the use of exploration and discussion of resources such as these. Development of children's listening skills is supported adequately as the childminder talks to children and generally engages

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who attend

their attention. However, the ongoing sound from the television does not promote the development of good listening and attention skills, due to constant background distraction. This means that opportunities for this aspect of development are not maximised.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The childminder sets clear rules and boundaries that are suitable for supporting the behaviour of the ages and stages of children attending. As a result, children show steady progress in managing their feelings and behaviour. Parents are informed about their child's well-being, learning and activities on a daily basis, to promote continuity between home and the childminder's care. This also supports partnership with parents. Children are observed to be confident, happy and secure in the childminder's care. For example, they explore the space and resources fully and talk or vocalise confidently due to their attachment to the childminder. The childminder provides plenty of cuddles and affection when babies need reassurance, in order to maintain their emotional well-being.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Resources are accessible to children as appropriate to their age and stage, including a selection of small world toys. This helps children and babies to make their own choices about what to play with and supports their development of independence. The childminder provides daily opportunities for physical play and exercise as children are taken to local parks and play centres to run and play games. This means that children have opportunities to take reasonable risk in play, combined with careful supervision. The house is very clean and well-maintained, with hygienic measures to help prevent illness due to the spread of any germs, such as when preparing food or changing nappies. Suitable safety measures have been put in place, such as stair gates and keeping radiators at a temperature that is low enough not to be hazardous to children. The childminder provides healthy meals and snacks for children to support a balanced diet and an understanding of

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

the foods that form this. Children are offered frequent drinks, in order to ensure that they do not become thirsty. Her knowledge of children and families for whom she provides a childminding service enables the childminder to support the care and emotional needs of children well. She seeks suitable information regarding children from their parents prior to them joining. This is observed to help children to settle rapidly as the childminder has sufficient knowledge about their routines and preferences, as well as any health-related issues to support this. The childminder is flexible with regard to starting arrangements for children when they join her setting, in order to support their emotional well-being and this is planned on an individual basis for each child.

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provision

Risk assessments and safety checks are in place to protect children's safety and regularly reviewed to maintain this. As a result, children can play safely and freely on the premises and access local outings. The childminder demonstrates a satisfactory knowledge of safeguarding procedures, in order to manage any concerns she may have about a child's welfare. She undertakes training in safeguarding and also has a policy to share with parents regarding her safeguarding practice, in order to maintain partnership with them in this respect. The childminder has a procedure to follow in the event of an allegation being made against herself or a member of her family, as part of her safeguarding practice to protect children's welfare. Suitability of adults living on the premises is checked through vetting and barring disclosures, in order to protect children. The childminder's practice is supported by other policies and procedures that underpin children's welfare and learning.

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provision

For example, she has policies regarding the use of medicines and alcohol, as well as for no smoking on the premises, in order to ensure that children are cared for in a suitable environment. Other documents required to support the safe running of the childminding provision are in place, such as the daily record of children's names and the times they are on the premises. Ofsted previously visited the childminder to investigate safeguarding concerns. As a result, the childminder was issued with a warning letter for failing to notify Ofsted of a significant event. The inspection found that the childminder now has a greater knowledge of events and changes that must be notified to Ofsted, to ensure that the provision complies with statutory requirements.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a basic knowledge and understanding of how children learn, along with the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, the support for children's learning needs improvement. Children make steady progress, but a lack of understanding of how and why planning, observations and assessment should be monitored reduces the effectiveness of these. This is because the childminder does not check that she makes observations across all areas of learning for each child and then makes precise assessments of their learning to further inform her planning. The childminder obtains parents' views about her provision through verbal means and also makes some use of questionnaires, so that they have opportunities to contribute to the evaluation of the childminding provision. However, the childminder has not implemented robust ways to update and evaluate her practice, in order to ensure

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provision

that she identifies priorities for improvement to provide children with good quality learning experiences. The childminder demonstrates an awareness of the importance of working with other professionals or settings to support continuity of children's care and learning, when needed.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 312034 Local authority Tameside Inspection number 948964 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 5

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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