Ashworth, Kate

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/03/2014 14/05/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children play safely and happily in a friendly and secure environment. The childminder has a good knowledge of how to safeguard children's welfare and meet their individual needs.  The childminder develops a thorough knowledge of individual children's learning needs through regular observation and assessment. She plans learning experiences that challenge them and children therefore make good progress.  The childminder demonstrates renewed commitment to continuous improvement of her provision and makes comprehensive evaluations of her practice to support this through working effectively in partnership with others.  The childminder has used her established links with other settings attended by children to exchange information in order to support children's care and progress in learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope for the childminder to involve parents more directly in their children's learning in the provision.  The childminder does not always consider when it may be more effective to turn off background music in order to enhance her interactions with children and help them to tune into other sounds more rapidly.

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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 tour of the areas of the premises used for childminding was made.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the qualifications of the childminder, along with evidence of the suitability of adults living on the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The childminder's knowledge of areas, such as safeguarding and individual children's learning was ascertained by discussion, along with how the childminder evaluates her practice.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector asked the childminder about the learning that children received during the inspection and how she intended to build on this.

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Inspection activities

 Samples of documentation related to children's welfare and learning were examined by the inspector.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and two children aged 10 and six years in the Little Lever area of Bolton. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding, along with the upstairs bathroom. There is a fully enclosed rear garden for outdoor play. The family has two parrots as pets. The childminder visits local toddler groups, parks, shops and soft play centres. She provides care from 7am to 6pm, Mondays to Fridays, apart from family holidays and bank holidays. She also offers some care periods at weekends. The childminder is available to collect children from primary schools and nurseries in the area. There are eight children on roll attending for a variety of sessions, of whom three are in the early years age range. The childminder has a relevant level 2 qualification and receives support from the local authority. She is working

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Information about the setting

towards a childcare qualification at level 3.

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

 extend the ways for parents to make direct contributions to children's learning in order to further personalise the planning for their future progress

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

 evaluate when background music could be turned off, in order to enhance children's and babies' ability to tune into sounds more effectively as part of supporting their communication and language development.

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who attend

The childminder has detailed records to track children's progress in all areas of learning, and uses her own observations, along with information from parents, to assess children's starting points in learning. Parents contribute to the planning process by providing information about their child's interests and development when children join the childminding setting. However, there is scope for the childminder to extend the ways parents engage with children's learning, in addition to sharing learning journey records and photographs with them, in order to broaden the information available to support planning for individual children. The childminder monitors the breadth of the planning using the tracking record for each child, so that she provides a balance of activities that covers all areas of learning for each child. Children and babies are offered a balance of both freely chosen play and organised activities across the day. This means that they can

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who attend

learn how to choose their own activities as well as having opportunities to sustain concentration on ones led by the childminder. The quality of teaching is good as the childminder asks children questions that encourage thought and response appropriate to their age and stage. She verbally labels objects and repeats this to help older babies learn new words and enjoy copying them. As a result, their communication and language development is well supported. Outings locally and further afield are regularly used to enrich children's learning experiences. For example, as well as using local toddler groups and soft play centres, the childminder takes children to aquariums, museums and interactive technology centres. As a result, outings are used effectively to support many areas of learning.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of the importance of providing resources that can be used flexibly, such as very large cardboard boxes to support children's imaginative play. She encourages children to use their own ideas for how to play with these and decorate them, such as to make houses. She makes sure that babies have opportunities to become involved in this play and uses her knowledge of their repetitive play to help them take part and learn. For example, she suggests that the 'house' should have a letterbox, so that babies can use this to post objects through, then look for, as they explore the concept of 'object permanence'. The childminder observes carefully for interests such as this in very young children and provides resources to support them, such as toys that spin, when children become fascinated by wheels. She supports children to develop hand-eye control by showing them how to build towers using large blocks and how to select the

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who attend

correct shape when playing with a shape sorter. The childminder counts as she builds towers, modelling this language for children, so that they become familiar with it and learn number names. The childminder encourages children to show her their learning, such as when she asks children to show her how to make part of a toy tree-house rotate. They respond by putting a small world figure on the toy and pressing a button to make it spin. This also helps the childminder to check how well children understand instructions, enabling her to assess this and make plans as a result.

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who attend

The childminder provides opportunities for children to make marks with a variety of resources, such as paint and crayons. This enables children and babies to explore the effects they can make as part of their creative play and learning. It also provides the basis on which children develop early writing skills to support their development in literacy. The childminder ensures that she provides a range of age-appropriate books for the children present, that are accessible. She sits with children to look at these and reads to them, helping them to develop an enjoyment of listening to stories as part of their early experiences of literacy. Children are provided with opportunities to learn about festivals and events in cultures other than their own through outings, food and creative activities. For example, the childminder took children to a Chinese restaurant at Chinese New Year with another childminder and her children so that they could see the decorations and try a

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who attend

range of foods. This helps young children to learn about diversity in the wider community.

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

The childminder uses simple rules to help children learn how to manage their feelings and behaviour, and displays these for both children and parents to see. This helps to build partnerships with parents by promoting continuity of approach. Artwork created by children is displayed in order to enhance their self-confidence and promote their sense of belonging in the setting. Parents are well informed about their child's care, learning and activities, to promote continuity between home and the childminder's care, using daily verbal feedback and regular text messages. This is as a result of asking parents for their views and acting on their preferences.

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

The range of resources on the premises is comprehensive, to develop children's early learning in all areas. Resources are highly accessible to children and this helps children to make their own choices about what to play with, extending their independence. For example, the resources for babies and the youngest children are situated at floor level so they can easily reach them. Children are regularly taken to local country parks and playgrounds to run and play games, as well having access to to the rear yard where the childminder has a range of play equipment, such as a slide and a trampoline. This means that children have regular opportunities to learn about taking reasonable risk in physical play, with careful supervision. They also learn to enjoy exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle, developing their whole body coordination. Children also enjoy moving to music on the premises, although there is scope for the childminder to evaluate when music is a

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

support for learning, and when it may be best turned off, for example, to enhance the opportunities for children to learn to tune into different sounds around them, including speech. The premises are very clean and well maintained, with thorough measures to promote children's safety and help prevent illness due to cross-contamination. Children's safety is a high priority and there is a comprehensive range of measures in place to support this in the areas used for childcare. For example, the parrot cages in the sitting room are inaccessible to children, and there is a fire guard secured over the fire. The premises evacuation procedure is regularly carried out with the children in order to familiarise them with this, in the event of it being needed and smoke alarms are checked weekly to ensure that they function correctly, to further support children's safety on the premises. The childminder carries out daily checks of the premises indoors and outside in

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

The childminder offers parents a flexible choice from home-prepared meals and snacks for children or for them to send some foods for their children so that they receive a combination of these. This means that children's dietary needs and preferences can be individually provided for. She has a thorough knowledge of the children and families for whom she provides a childminding service, which means that she can address the needs of children well. The childminder seeks comprehensive information regarding children from their parents prior to them joining. This is used to help children to settle rapidly as she has a thorough knowledge about their routines and preferences, as well as any health-related matters. Using this information, the childminder records and implements care plans, such as for applying any creams needed by children. The childminder provides copies of her policies and procedures for parents who use her setting so that they are aware of how

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

these are used to support good standards of care and learning for children. This includes a copy of the complaints and compliments policy which has details of how to contact Ofsted. Arrangements for children joining the childminding setting are flexible, in order to support their emotional well-being when settling, and this is planned on an individual basis to maximise its impact.

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provision

The childminder makes detailed risk assessments and daily safety checks, which are regularly reviewed. As a result, children can play safely on the premises and also enjoy a variety of local outings. The childminder demonstrates a highly comprehensive knowledge of procedures to manage any concerns she may have about a child's welfare. Suitability of adults living and working on the premises is checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service, in order to protect children. The childminder has a valid certificate in paediatric first aid, so that she can deal appropriately with any emergencies of this type. All documentation is completed in detail to support the safe and effective running of the setting, including daily records of children's attendance with the times they are in the care of the childminder. The childminder's practice is enhanced by the implementation of policies that comprehensively underpin all aspects of children's welfare and learning. This

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provision

is because they are reviewed to ensure that they continue to support these. For example, the childminder has reviewed her policy regarding the use of mobile phones and devices with cameras on the premises and makes visitors aware of her policy on their arrival. Consequently, safeguarding of children's welfare is good.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of how to support children's learning, along with the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is as a result of training and by working in partnership with the local authority to review her practice. Consequently, she provides good support for children's learning and children are ready for their next steps in learning because she has implemented her updated knowledge to better support their progress. There are now thorough ways to monitor educational programmes, planning and observations in order to provide learning experiences that support individual children's development. Plans for children's learning are based on their observed needs, and are targeted to narrow any perceived gaps in their development. The childminder has a good awareness of the importance of partnership working with other agencies to secure any additional support

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provision

for children. She has long-established partnerships with other settings attended by children to support the exchange of information regarding children's progress and also to support her planning to complement their learning.

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provision

The childminder welcomes regular visits from the local quality team staff to offer support and advice on enhancing the quality of teaching, learning and care provided for children. She has made effective use of this partnership in order to develop her practice, showing a renewed commitment to continuous improvement. The views of parents and children are important to the childminder when considering how she can tailor her provision to individual needs. The childminder now uses the Ofsted evaluation tool as part of the ways in which she considers how to enhance her practice. As a result of her changes to how she evaluates the provision, the standard of children's care and learning is now good.

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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 EY334829 Local authority Bolton Inspection number 930677 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 8

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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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