Childminder in Staffordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/03/2014 19/03/2009

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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

 Children make secure attachments with the childminder. This means they are confident, settled and keen to learn and explore.  The childminder is clear of her role in safeguarding children and is aware of the action to take to ensure children are protected should she have any concerns regarding their welfare.  The childminder supports children's language skills and mathematical development well as she constantly talks to them and encourages them to count as they play.

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It is not yet good because

 Some aspects of the childminder's safeguarding procedures are not securely understood, such as the action she would take if an allegation was made against herself or a member of her household; or the appropriate use of mobile telephones and cameras within the setting.  The childminder has not implemented the progress check at age two years for children within the required age range.  Self-evaluation does not clearly identify targets for improvement to consistently enhance the provision for children.  Monitoring of children's progress is not rigorous enough to ensure gaps are being closed and continual development consistently achieved.

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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 in the lounge.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held conversations with the childminder and children present at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at a selection of policies, procedures and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector asked the childminder about her self-evaluation methods and viewed her training records.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2000 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives in a house in the Wombourne area of Staffordshire. The whole of the ground floor of the property is used for childminding. The garden is currently not suitable, so the childminder undertakes daily walks in the local environment and visits the park on a regular basis. The childminder has two pet dogs. The childminder attends local toddler groups and visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from local schools and nurseries.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 10 children on roll, four are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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must:

 gain a secure understanding of all safeguarding procedures, this specifically relates to the action to be taken in the event of an allegation being made against yourself or a member of your household and information on the use of mobile telephones and cameras within the setting

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must:

 implement a review of children's progress for children aged between two and three years, providing parents with a short, written summary of children's development in the prime areas. Discuss with parents and/or carers when will be the most appropriate time to provide this summary and how the summary can be used to support learning at home.

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

 enhance self-evaluation to focus clearly on informing priorities and to setting challenging targets for ongoing improvement, so that the quality of the provision for children raises to at least good

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

 review procedures for monitoring children's progress to ensure any gaps are being closed and continual development is consistently achieved in all areas of development.

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who attend

Children enjoy coming to the setting and happily engage in the activities on offer. The resources are stored at child height, so they can make choices for themselves. The childminder links with parents to gain information about their child's abilities, so she can support children from the start. She has a satisfactory awareness of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Therefore, children take part in an adequate range of adult-led and child-initiated activities across the seven areas of learning. Consequently, children are working steadily within the typical range of development expected for their age and are appropriately acquiring some of the skills for the next stages in learning, such as school. Through her observations and ongoing discussions with parents, the childminder builds a picture of what children enjoy doing and their interests. However, the monitoring of children's

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who attend

progress is not rigorous enough to ensure gaps are being consistently closed and continual development achieved.

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who attend

The childminder has a suitable understanding of how to support, motivate and guide children's play. She plays alongside the children and follows their interests, asking a range of open-ended questions to extend their learning. As a result, children are interested in the activities and suitably challenged in their learning. Mathematical development and literacy are well supported in daily routines. The childminder teaches and extends children's counting well and constantly uses language to extend their vocabulary. Children are highly confident communicators. They love being engaged in conversations and are curious learners who constantly ask questions to extend their knowledge. The childminder teaches children about other cultures and religions. For example, children are currently completing activities in relation to Easter. Children relish cuddling up on the sofa with the childminder as they listen to a story. The childminder routinely takes children to activities

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who attend

outside of the home. This provides opportunities for children to socialise with others and this increases their social skills and confidence. It also adds some variety to their learning experiences. For example, although, the childminder does not currently make use of her garden to support children's learning, children develop their physical skills when they visit the local park and toddler groups. The childminder regularly plans craft activities with the children. This teaches them how to use a variety of tools and materials, as well as about different festivals, such as when making Mother's Day cards.

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who attend

The childminder shares information with parents about what children have enjoyed at her setting and encourages them to continue children's learning at home. This contributes towards establishing secure partnership working and benefits children's development. The childminder has a secure understanding of the types of experiences she will provide to support children's development and demonstrates satisfactory and sometimes good teaching skills. The childminder gives parents details of the children's day and shares particular achievements. However, this information has not yet been adapted to use for those children requiring the written progress check at age two years. This limits the identification of any help children may require to support them to make better than satisfactory progress in their learning and development.

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

Children demonstrate they are comfortable and emotionally secure in the childminder's home as they readily approach the childminder for reassurance and support. Children settle well and the childminder has timely discussions with the parents to ensure their care needs are suitably met. However, the weakness with regards to the childminder's understanding of all safeguarding procedures, potentially impacts on children's well-being. The childminder gathers appropriate information from parents when children enrol, organising settling-in visits to support children's transition to the setting. Consequently, children build secure relationships with the childminder and she appropriately meets their individual care needs. The childminder appropriately supports children as they leave to attend school, in order to foster their continued sense of security. For example, she discusses the forthcoming change with them and shares stories about starting school.

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

Children also visit the school to pick up the older children and become confident around the school premises. They are clearly happy and well settled at the childminder's home and they receive praise and appropriate support to raise their self-esteem and confidence. The childminder manages children's behaviour appropriately and ensures that children have clear boundaries and rules to adhere to. For example, they know to share with their peers, which promotes their personal, social and emotional development well. The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude to equality and she treats children with equal concern. She provides developmentally appropriate resources, some of which show positive images of cultural diversity. The childminder uses these to raise children's awareness of people's differences.

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

The childminder conducts daily safety checks and annual risk assessments of the areas that children use to ensure that these are both safe and suitable. She teaches children about safety through gentle reminders during the day, such as how to use equipment, such as scissors appropriately. Children begin to develop an awareness of how they can keep themselves safe. They practise regular fire drills to ensure that they know what to do in the event of an emergency and learn how to keep themselves safe on outings as the childminder teaches them about basic road safety. The childminder promotes children's good health and self-care through routines and regular fresh air and exercise. For example, they visit the park and undertake daily walks within the local environment. This helps children to develop an awareness of the importance of fresh air and exercise. Children bring packed lunches from home and the childminder supplements this with

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

snacks of fresh fruit. This encourages children to make healthy food choices. The childminder consistently reinforces good hygiene procedures, such as hand washing before meals. As a result, children are beginning to learn how they can keep themselves healthy. Children play in a child-friendly, safe environment with clean, age-appropriate and well-maintained toys and equipment. The environment promotes children's independence as resources are accessible at low levels, allowing them to make choices.

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provision

The childminder generally fulfils her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements. She keeps her safeguarding training updated. Consequently, she is able to identify possible indicators of abuse or neglect and holds the most recent guidance for seeking advice on such matters to keep children safe. In addition, daily safety checks and annual risk assessments for her home and outings children participate in, further protect the safety of the children. However, the childminder's understanding of all safeguarding procedures, is not secure, with specific regard to the action the childminder would take if an allegation was made against herself or a member of her household and the appropriate use of mobile telephones and cameras within the setting. This means that this information is not shared with parents, so that they are fully aware of these procedures, in order that children's safety is given the

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provision

highest regard. The childminder has some methods for evaluating her practice, for example, face-to-face exchanges to obtain parents' views, in order to help her review and inform her practice. However, plans for improvement are not precisely targeted to consistently enhance the provision for children over time.

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provision

The childminder is aware of her responsibilities and plans interesting activities to help the children's learning and development. She is beginning to monitor the progress children are making in her setting. However, this is not yet robust or consistent enough. The childminder has developed secure relationships with parents and daily verbal exchanges keep them updated about the care and education of their child. The childminder shares some policies and procedures with parents when children begin to attend her setting and this helps to keep them generally informed about how her setting operates. The childminder has developed links with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage and shares information to support consistency of care for children attending more than one setting.

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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 209695 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 818116 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 10

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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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