Childminder in Liverpool

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/03/2014 23/10/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The quality of teaching is outstanding because the childminder has an exceptional awareness of how young children learn. He provides an excellent range of activities for children both indoors and outdoors. As a result, they are eager to learn and make rapid progress in their learning and development.  The childminder places a very high priority on supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. He is exceptionally caring, and skilled in helping children to form secure attachments. This enables children to develop high levels of self- confidence and independence, and nurtures their overall well-being.  This highly motivated and inspirational childminder continually updates his own professional development by attending numerous training courses, monitoring his practice, and taking into account the views of parents and children. As a result, he has a strong capacity to improve this already outstanding setting.

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This provision is outstanding

 The childminder has an excellent knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Consequently, children remain exceedingly safe and secure while in his care.  Excellent partnerships with parents and other professionals ensure that children's individual needs are exceptionally well met.

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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 considered all areas of the home used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's assessment records and planning documentation, and looked at a selection of policies and procedures, including safeguarding and risk assessments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder and discussed children's learning and development.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to the children, co-childminder and childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection and observed a variety of activities both indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and co-childminder and their self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents by reading a number of comments on questionnaires and letters given to the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2000 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. He lives with his partner, who is also a registered childminder, in a house in a suburb of Liverpool. The whole of the ground floor, first floor bathroom and rear garden of the house are used for childminding. The family has a dog and pigeons as pets. The childminder visits the shops and local parks and places of interest on a regular basis. He collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 12 children on roll. Seven of these are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. He operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder holds a childcare qualification at level 3, and cares for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance the already outstanding practice by extending the tracking system even further so that more specific cohort data is consistently collected and used to enhance the continuity of progression for all children as they move on to the next stage in their education.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is excellent. This well qualified childminder has a secure knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. He has very high expectations of himself and of the children in his care. He has an excellent understanding of how to support young children to achieve the best they can in their learning. Children thoroughly enjoy their time with this calm, enthusiastic and dedicated childminder, who provides an excellent range of activities and experiences both indoors and outdoors, to support their interests and enhance their skills. The learning environment is inspirational and allows children to use their senses and imagination when engaging in activities. As a result, children are confident and independent learners.

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who attend

The childminder recognises and celebrates the uniqueness of children in his care. He establishes very strong bonds straight away by offering flexible settling-in sessions and forms excellent relationships with parents. He collects a great deal of information about all aspects of children's learning and development and expertly uses this information to accurately assess their starting points. He carries out regular observations and precise assessments and uses these to effectively plan for the next steps in their learning. The childminder completes the progress check at age two, and provides regular, comprehensive and informative summative assessments for parents. As a result, any gaps in children's learning and development are quickly identified and addressed through early intervention and support. The childminder values parent's role as first educators and regularly shares children's progress and achievements using daily sheets, face-to-face

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who attend

meetings and by attending sessions with other professionals. As a result, children are exceptionally well supported and make rapid progress toward the early learning goals.

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who attend

The childminder expertly joins in children's activities and shows a superb ability to engage with them as they play. Through careful planning he is able to support children's individual learning styles. For example, he supports children to explore roles, such as fire officers. Children dress up and go outside to find and put out fires. The childminder works with children to extinguish fires and suggests ways to keep safe. He gently encourages children's imaginative and role play as they discuss other people who can help us, such as, police, ambulance and nurses. The childminder gives very high priority the development of early language and communication skills. He uses a variety of methods to support this area of learning and has completed training in Building Blocks for Communication and Communication Friendly Spaces. He speaks clearly to children, allows them thinking time and offers new and interesting words during activities, for instance, he talks about how to

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who attend

'extinguish' fires, and the 'siren' rather than the 'nee-nor'. In this way, children are learning new vocabulary as they play. These interventions are highly successful, and as a result, children's language skills are rapidly improving.

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who attend

Children love books and select their favourite stories from a well-stocked book basket. The childminder expertly tells stories, shares pictures and points out familiar animals in the book. Children readily join in repeating animal names and sounds. Children are highly motivated to learn. They thoroughly enjoy their play and are fully involved in all activities. They readily engage in dressing up and putting on coats and shoes for outdoor play. Children develop their understanding of the world though imagination and investigation of the wonderful garden area and through visits within the local community. Children extend their play outdoors and have ample opportunity to grow vegetables, and plant bulbs and seeds. They observe the birds as they make nests and seek out hedgehogs and frogs in the habitat provided by the wildlife area. Children use problem solving and mathematical skills as they decide where goal posts should be for football and how to keep the ball from

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who attend

rolling down the slope. A dark den provides opportunities to use torches and investigate light sources. Due to the excellent range of activities and learning opportunities available to children, they are exceptionally well prepared for school.

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

Children settle quickly because the childminder takes time to get to know them and their families before they begin. He forms excellent working relationships with parents, and as a consequence, he has an extremely good understanding of children's individual care needs and routines. The childminder and his co-childminder operate a key person system, each having responsibility for designated children; as a result, children form strong attachments with the childminder, which highly supports their emotional well-being. The co- childminders expertly support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and have made suitable adaptations to their home to accommodate and include all children. Children's behaviour is exemplary because the childminder is an excellent role model. He has basic house rules, such as, be superheroes, be safe, be nice, and be happy. The rules are enhanced by photographs and children's writing including comments such

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

as, smile often, enjoy your play, take risks, respect others and yourself, use self-control, and follow the rules. The childminder uses positive praise and acknowledges children's achievements. Consequently, they are confident, independent and self-assured individuals. The playrooms are very well set out with a wide range of easily accessible, well-stored activities, including many natural resources to extend imaginative and sensory experiences throughout the day. Therefore, the play areas are extremely interesting and stimulating for all children. One room is designated for babies and toddlers and another for pre-school and older children. The outdoor area is truly inspiring for all ages and extends all areas of learning to the outdoor environment. Children happily explore their surroundings and are able to initiate play and select from the wide range of activities and resources available.

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

The childminder puts very high importance on children's personal, social, and emotional development, and fully supports them to form positive relationships with others, and to become confident in social situations. He plans interesting outings to local places of interest and attends childminder group sessions as appropriate. He encourages children to share resources and to support one another during play activities. He listens as children talk about their morning at nursery, speaks calmly, gives reassurance and asks open- ended questions to encourage further conversation. Therefore, children feel valued and respected.

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

Children develop excellent personal hygiene skills as they learn to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. They blow their noses and put tissues in the bin to reduce the risk of cross infection. Toilet training routines are very well embedded. Children have a superb understanding of healthy lifestyles because the childminder provides a range of healthy and nutritious snacks and meals. All menus use in-season fruit and vegetables, sourced from their own garden or as locally as possible. All meals are prepared in house daily and are very well balanced. The childminders attended the Healthy Eating for Early Years course, and uses the comprehensive recipe book to create their menus. Recipes are available and shared with parent's carers on request. Milk and water are available for children throughout the day. The childminder ensures that children with medical needs are well cared for. He has care plans and in depth medical records in

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

place and regularly attends meetings to keep his knowledge up to date. Children have ample opportunity for physical exercise as they have daily access to outdoor play. They run, play ball games and ride a variety of wheeled vehicles, use climbing equipment, tyres and investigate a range of locks, sensory materials and dark dens. Children are well supported to take risks as they play. Consequently, children develop very healthy, positive attitudes to physical activity. Children take part in regular fire drills, which the childminder records. They know that when the alarm sounds they must stop and listen and follow the evacuation route carefully.

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

Throughout the setting posters and children's work depicts their interests. Artwork is very well displayed and labels enable parents to discuss how the creations were made. Children are rightly proud of their art work and point to it saying 'that's my superhero man'. Cultural events recently celebrated have pride of place, such as, Chinese New Year, Pancake Day and Ash Wednesday. Photographs brought in by children show the variations in family, ability and ages represented within the setting. This helps children to understand about equality and diversity. In this way, children are very accepting of each other and learn to value and respect similarities and differences.

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provision

The childminder has an excellent understanding of his role and responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. He has a very high regard for children's safety and cares for them in a child-centred environment. Extremely comprehensive risk assessments are in place for all areas of the home used for childminding, and also for outings and visits. Resources are regularly checked for suitability and cleanliness. All required policies and procedures are in place, exceptionally well written, regularly reviewed and shared with parents. Policies are very well implemented and underpin this excellent provision. The childminder has an excellent knowledge and understanding of how children learn and the need to challenge and support learning and development. A key person scheme is thoroughly embedded in practice and each childminder plans well for their individual children. The childminder

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provision

regularly reviews and monitors children's progress. As a result, children are highly motivated and show positive attitudes to learning.

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provision

The childminder has very strong partnerships with parents. He shares information through daily sheets, discussions and regular information about outings and activities. He regularly updates the parent's noticeboard and displays a range of information about all aspects of the provision. Children's comprehensive learning journal records are available for parents to discuss at any time, especially at the end of each term or on transition to another setting. In this way, parents are well informed of their children's progress and children have continuity of care. Individual tracking sheets show clear progression towards the next steps in education and development. However, plans to compare data from specific groups, such as summer born children or groups of boys or girls are in their infancy. Parents highly value the childminder's provision. They feel that their children have superb role models and are looked after in a really secure, home-from-home environment.

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provision

Parents highly recommend this provision because they have excellent communication with the childminders, and are happy with their children's progress. The childminder has strong links with the local school that some of the minded children attend. He shares information with the school staff as appropriate, which supports children's emotional security and ensures continued progress in learning and development.

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provision

The childminder is extremely enthusiastic, highly motivated and fully committed to his work. He uses his expert knowledge and experience to provide high-quality childcare. He constantly seeks to further his own professional development by attending an abundance of relevant training. Since the last inspection, the childminder has made immense progress in his practice. All previous recommendations have been fully addressed. For instance, the childminder has developed a comprehensive 'Unique Child Profile' and collects an abundance of information about each child, including permission to seek emergency treatment, before they begin. He uses this information to effectively assess children's starting points and to plan for their next steps in learning and development.

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provision

His self-evaluation is robust and takes into account the views of parents, children and other professionals. He understands his strengths and has planned for areas of improvement, such as investigating the forest school approach to outdoor provision, and further developing the already excellent tracking profiles. The childminder works closely with the local authority network coordinator and is willing to take on board suggestions and new ideas. He continues to be innovative and inspirational in his practice, and demonstrates a strong capacity to improve even further.

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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 403559 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 872215 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 12

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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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