Childminder in Derbyshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/03/2014 16/02/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 develop confidence, feel safe and form positive relationships.  The children are safeguarded appropriately because the childminder understands her responsibility to protect children and keep them free from harm.  The childminder provides children with some appropriate activities and resources which promote personal, social and emotional development, physical skills, and communication and language.

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It is not yet good because

 Observations and assessments are not consistently used to plan challenging adult-led and child-initiated activities for the children.  The childminder is not effective in identifying all areas of the provision which require improvement.  Details of children's hours of daily attendance are not accurately maintained.  There is room to strengthen the partnerships with parents further so that they have greater opportunities to share more information about their children's learning and development at home.  The required progress check at age two is not in place to identify children's strengths and where their progress is less than expected.

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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

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including children's records and suitability checks for adults in the home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder about children's engagement in activities, and their development and progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed practice and the interactions between the childminder and children during play and care routines.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the process of self-evaluation and how the childminder obtains the views of all the users.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1995. She lives with her husband and two adult children in a village near Chesterfield. The whole of the childminder's home is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outside play. The home is accessed from the street via nine steps. The family has a dog. The childminder attends a toddler group and visits the shops and park on a regular basis. The childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

The childminder frequently works with another childminder. There are currently 11 children on roll, of whom four are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 use routine assessment, such as the progress check at age two, to identify children's strengths and where their progress is less than expected. Provide parents with a short written summary of their development in the prime areas of learning

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must:

 improve documentation by keeping a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance

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must:

 improve the way information gained from observations and assessments is used to plan learning opportunities for children, so that practice is accurately tailored to children's needs and interests and promotes good levels of progress.

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

 extend the partnerships with parents so that they have greater opportunities to share more information about what their child is learning at home

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

 develop the system for monitoring the effectiveness of the provision by ensuring that self-evaluation provides an overview of the provision's strengths and weaknesses. In particular, the monitoring should ensure that the planning and assessment in relation to learning and development is precise and provides an accurate understanding of all children's skills.

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who attend

The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of the seven areas of learning and focuses her teaching on supporting young children in the prime areas of development. She is considerate of the children's needs and takes reasonable steps to provide activities which address their unique interests. The childminder understands how children learn through play and is familiar with the general patterns of child development. However, the childminder has only recently become aware of the requirement to complete the progress check at age two. Likewise, the childminder does not use the information gained from observations and assessments to plan challenging adult led and child initiated activities so children make good rather than satisfactory progress.

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who attend

The childminder interacts with the children in a positive manner. This helps to promote speaking and listening skills. For example, she constantly talks with the children about what she is doing and inspires an exchange of ideas as she plays alongside them with a range of role-play equipment. In addition, the children listen with enthusiasm to familiar stories which develop their vocabulary and support the acquisition of literacy and reading skills. The children are introduced to mathematics from a young age because they hear numbers and take part in everyday activities, such as counting grapes at snack time. Similarly, the children also have opportunities to explore shape, space and measure through using rulers to compare the growth of the seeds and carrot tops they have planted. The childminder ensures that the children's fine motor skills and physical development is nurtured. For example the children demonstrate sustained concentration

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who attend

and perseverance as they thread bobbins, make marks and feed themselves. The children are also consistently encouraged to learn from each other and build constructive relationships as part of the childminder's goal for children to develop skills which enable them to follow rules and work as part of a group. The childminder ensures that children are frequently taken to places of interest, such as, the local park, duck pond and stables. This means that children have many opportunities to broaden their experiences and find out more about the world around them. In addition, the childminder teaches the children about other cultures and religions through activities, stories and resources which provide positive images of children from a range of cultural backgrounds. Overall, the children are developing confidence and skills in the prime areas in order to help them to become ready for school.

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who attend

The childminder talks to parents at the start of a placement in order to gain information about the children's interests. However, there are fewer opportunities for parents to share what they know their child can do at home in order for the childminder to use this information to contribute to the day to day planning to further support the next steps in children's learning.

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

The children are happy, settled and clearly enjoy the company of the childminder who speaks about the children and families with fondness. The childminder prides herself on maintaining supportive relationships. For example, at the start of a placement she ensures that she knows and understands the children's care routines and preferences in order to ease the transition from home. This has a positive impact on the children who feel emotionally secure in her care.

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

The childminder manages children's behaviour well. They are encouraged to develop respectful relationships with their peers and know what is expected of them as a result of consistent boundaries. The childminder consistently tells the children they have done well and celebrates their achievements. This means children have high self-esteem and confidence in their own abilities as they begin school or nursery.

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

The children are developing a good understanding about ways in which they can keep themselves physically safe. For example, the childminder organises her home and resources to enable children to make some safe and independent choices. She involves them in fire evacuation practices and they routinely learn about environmental dangers, such as the potential hazards on roads. The children have opportunities to play outdoors and to engage in physical activity each day through their visits to the local parks and play areas. They also develop a secure understanding of hygiene practices along with healthy eating. For example, the children are encouraged to wash their hands, drinking water is readily available and snacks consist of nutritious food types, such as tomatoes and various fruits. This all helps the children to develop a good understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

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provision

Safeguarding procedures are effective overall. The childminder has a sound knowledge of the signs and indicators of child abuse and knows how to take swift and effective action to report any concerns about the children to the relevant authority. In addition, she has taken positive steps to ensure the suitability of adults who have contact with the children. For example, all adult members of the household are vetted and children are never left in the charge of anyone except herself or her registered co-childminder. There are suitable risk assessments in place, and following any accidents, the childminder reviews her practice and ensures that preventative action is taken to safeguard the children and avoid recurrence. The childminder's attention to detail helps to ensure that children are cared for in a safe, secure and welcoming environment. The children's personal details, emergency contact details and range of written parental consents are appropriately maintained.

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provision

However, the daily register does not meet regulatory requirements as they lack some clarity, in relation to recording children's actual hours of attendance.

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provision

The childminder effectively manages and reflects on the care elements of her practice and as a result the organisation of the daily routine is in-tune with the care and emotional well-being of the children. She demonstrates a capacity to improve since she has appropriately addressed most of the points for improvement raised at the last inspection. However, the improvement relating to learning and development has not been so rapid. For example, while the childminder has recently started to improve planning for individual children and now understands the need to undertake the progress check at age two. This has not been routinely completed for eligible children because self-evaluation and monitoring of the educational programme is not sufficiently rigorous to ensure children make good rather than satisfactory progress. The childminder has not completed any recent training with the exception of first aid training, which ensures that she can react

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provision

appropriately in the event of an accident.

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provision

The childminder is developing some secure relationships with the other settings children attend. For example, the 'transition book' helps all adults involved in the care of the children to communicate and plan to meet children's needs. However, as yet parents are not fully involved in supporting and sharing information about their children's learning and development at home.

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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 208078 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 818078 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 11

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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

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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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