Childminder in Cheshire East

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/03/2014 07/06/2010

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children enjoy a wide range of activities and learning experiences. These are enhanced by the childminder, who plays enthusiastically alongside children, supporting their learning and skills. As a result, they make steady progress in all areas of learning and development.  The childminder has a sound understanding of how to promote the health and safety of children in her care. This is supported through her implementation of risk assessments and policies and procedures, which protect children from harm.  Positive relationships with parents are developed through effective settling-in procedures and daily discussions about children's care and development. This helps to promote continuity of care and learning for children.

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It is not yet good because

 Children do not make the best possible progress as assessments are not sharply focused on identifying age-appropriate next steps in learning and ensuring that all areas of learning are being fully met.  Parent partnerships are not fully developed to encourage parents to contribute to their child's ongoing learning in the setting and at home.  Plans to prioritise and focus on areas of the setting requiring development are not yet in place to support identified improvements.

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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 observed activities and interactions between the childminder and children in the main playroom.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and discussed her self-evaluation and plans for improvement for her provision.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2006 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged 13 years and 17 years in a house in Harriseahead, Staffordshire. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has two dogs as pets. The childminder attends a toddler group and visits the local shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently two children on roll, one of whom is in the early years age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round, from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 improve the assessments of children's progress, identifying the development band in which they are secure and use these to ensure that planned activities are more focused on the individual needs of children, to further support progress and ensure that all areas of learning and development are being met.

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

 extend the existing good partnerships with parents through involving them further in regular progress summaries, in order to enable the sharing of next steps in learning, supporting children to make even greater progress in their learning and development.

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

 develop self-evaluation and improvement plans, involving the views of children and parents, in order to prioritise and focus on areas of the setting requiring development.

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who attend

The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of how children learn through play. She offers a varied range of activities that link with children's interests, promoting their development and progression in all areas of learning. These activities are enhanced by the childminder, who plays enthusiastically alongside children, supporting their learning and skills. For example, when playing with cars together the childminder develops this into a game where she and children have races to see whose car goes fastest or slowest. This enables them to have fun together and also supports children to develop skills in prediction and understanding of speed. The childminder uses the information gained from parents when their children first start in her setting, alongside her own observations, to identify children's skills and potential next steps in learning. As a result, children are making some progress in their learning and development. However, they do not make the

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who attend

best possible progress as the childminder's assessments are not sharply focused enough on identifying age-appropriate next steps in learning and ensuring that all areas of learning are being fully met.

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who attend

Children are confident communicators as the childminder provides them with a range of opportunities that encourage their language and listening skills. She asks children open- ended questions during their play, giving them time to respond and acknowledging their responses. This helps them to develop their thinking skills, alongside their confidence in communication as the childminder values what they have to say. Children visit places of interest with the childminder, including local parks, shops and toddler groups. This develops their understanding of the local community and the wider world that they live in. Children independently make choices, exploring the resources available and the childminder facilitates this, offering them support as they play. For example, children build towers with toy bricks. The childminder encourages them to identify the different colours and to count the bricks, supporting their understanding of number. Children can select

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who attend

books of their choice from a selection freely available to them and are fully supported in their attempts to write and draw through resources, which are continually available for them to use. This supports their developing literacy skills in readiness for the next stage of their learning, such as school.

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who attend

The childminder liaises with parents daily and has developed good relationships with them to support children's learning. She gathers information from them when children first start at the setting, such as what they like to play with and what they can do. The childminder shares ongoing, daily information with parents about their child verbally. She is aware of the need to complete the 'progress check at age two', where appropriate and the importance of sharing this with parents. However, the opportunity to involve parents in contributing to their child's learning in the setting and to share their child's learning at home is not fully developed. As a result, children do not benefit from a totally consistent approach to their learning and development.

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

The childminder's settling-in procedures are very effective and she ensures that she collects information about children's personal likes and dislikes from parents on entry. She engages with parents to establish children's starting points and find out about their routines. As a result, children settle very quickly and their needs are well met from the outset, as they benefit from continuity of care between home and the childminder's. Good interactions show that children are making secure emotional attachments with the childminder. She gives them a high level of time and personal attention and is very responsive to their needs. For example, she recognises when children who are being toilet trained need to use the bathroom from their non-verbal cues, as she gets to know their personalities very well. These very good relationships support children to develop a strong sense of belonging, enabling them to confidently explore their environment and enjoy

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

Children develop an understanding of a healthy lifestyle through a good balance of indoor and outdoor activities, which include regular exercise walking to the local toddler group and playing in the childminder's garden. The childminder promotes the importance of healthy meals and snacks, including fresh fruit and vegetables. Good hygiene routines are promoted as children are reminded to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Systems are in place to ensure that the childminder is aware of any health or dietary issues children may have and there are thorough records of accidents and any medication administered. Children develop good self-care skills through washing their hands and putting on their coats and shoes for outdoor play or outings.

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

Children are well-behaved because the childminder is a good role model, who has a positive attitude to behaviour management. The childminder is very calm and patient and gives lots of positive praise and encouragement to children. This fosters their self-esteem, supporting them to confidently explore their environment and enjoy the opportunities available to them. A varied selection of resources is available indoors and outdoors to support children's play experiences. These are stored at child height, enabling children to freely select additional resources to support or extend their learning opportunities. Children are supported in how to keep themselves safe through the childminder promoting road safety during outings and walks to school to collect older children. Preparation for children's transition to school includes developing their independence and self-help skills and their social skills and confidence with larger groups of children and new adults

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

through attending local toddler groups. The childminder understands the importance of sharing children's achievements with school. This helps support continuity of care and learning for children as they move on from her care.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable knowledge of safeguarding practices overall. She is fully aware of what to do if she is concerned about a child's well-being and is familiar with the local child protection safeguarding board procedures. The health and safety of children in her care is well supported through the written risk assessments she has implemented. These cover all areas of her home which are used for childminding and any off-site visits, such as to the park or local toddler group. Access to the premises is secure and the childminder ensures that visitor's identification is scrutinised. In addition, a range of policies and procedures are implemented and reviewed by the childminder, who shares these with parents on entry to the setting. This ensures that they are fully aware of the safety measures she has in place and demonstrates her commitment to keeping their children safe from harm. The childminder has a diploma in home-based childcare and has attended training in first

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provision

aid and safeguarding, which support her in promoting children's health and well-being. She updates these certificates at regular intervals and accesses additional local authority training, when available; to further develop her knowledge and skills. However, she does not carry out self-evaluation of her service or have plans in place to prioritise and focus on areas requiring development. Nor does she yet seek the views of parents on the quality of her provision through, for example, questionnaires. Therefore, areas requiring improvement are currently neither identified nor acted upon, resulting in some areas of the childminder's practice and provision, such as assessments of children's learning, not being fully in place.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are well-established and the childminder informs them daily about the activities their child has been involved in. The childminder has an appropriate understanding of the importance of working in partnership with other providers, such as schools, to ensure smooth transitions in the children's next phase in their learning. The childminder also understands why it is important to work with other agencies to support children, if and when required.

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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 EY332871 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 820585 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 2

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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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