Childminder in West Berkshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/04/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 The childminder plans and provides a wide range of activities to support children's learning across all areas of learning. Children are very happy, content and secure with the childminder. They progress well in their learning.  The childminder completes comprehensive observations and assessments. This results in clear and targeted next steps being identified to promote children's learning.  There is a joint approach to children's learning and development and effective relationships have been established with parents.  Risk assessments and implementation of effective policies and procedures contribute to the childminder keeping children safe and healthy.  The childminder is proactive in developing her service. She acts on advice and attends training to enhance her knowledge. Her plans for improvement are well targeted to strengthen her practice further.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not use her garden as extensively as it could be to fully support children's outdoor learning experiences.  On occasions the childminder intervenes too soon in children's play limiting their creativity.

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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 majority of inspection time was spent with the childminder observing her practice with the minded children.  The inspector looked at children's information and development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector engaged in ongoing discussion with the childminder and samples of policies and other records were checked.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2013. She lives with her husband and young child in Thatcham, Newbury, Berkshire. Children have use of two main rooms for play, a lounge area and dining area. Children also have access to an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The family has a pet dog and rabbits. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are two children on roll.

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

 develop children's understanding of the world further, for example, by building on opportunities for children of all ages to engage in purposeful outdoor play

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

 support children further to lead their own play in order that they have further opportunities to explore and learn from their own ideas.

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who attend

The childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding about how children learn. She provides a wide range of activities and experiences that give the children many opportunities for independent play and learning. The childminder gathers plenty of information from parents before children start attending, so that there is a shared understanding of their stage of development and interests. She assesses each child's development accurately during their time with her, in order to identify the progress they are making. This allows her to successfully plan for the next steps in their learning. As a result, all children make strong progress in their learning and development. The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of carrying out the required progress check for two-year-old children.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. The childminder places high priority on supporting children's communication and language skills and positively build on these by helping children learn the correct way to pronounce words. The childminder skilfully reshapes tasks by asking open-ended questions to promote children's thinking and extend their learning and development. This is modelled by repeating key words in the day and allowing time for young children to communicate what they want to say. The childminder gives children lots of praise for their efforts, which helps to develop their self-esteem. Children become familiar with rhymes and songs as the childminder regularly sings to them. Children smile and engage well with each other as they listen and sing their favourite songs. Using props, such as 'chatterboxes', the childminder enhances children's developing understanding further. This encourages all of the children to become actively

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who attend

involved in the song time and helps them take turns, make choices and talk about their experiences.

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who attend

Children enjoy books and listening to stories and the childminder engages the children in an animal picture book and together they generate animal noises. They talk about the pictures and opportunities to extend their vocabulary. The childminder provides books that have repetition of phrases, rhythm and rhyme. These engage children and allow them to anticipate what comes next and encourages them to notice words and the structure of language. They make a large poster of their favourite penguin story which supports their creative skills. Therefore, children develop a love of books from an early age and are making good progress in communication and language. The childminder provides children with a wide range of activities which she supports well, such as counting, mark making and imaginary play. Children generally lead their own play but sometimes the childminder does not allow them enough time to engage in uninterrupted play. This means that

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who attend

children sometimes miss opportunities to become deeply involved in activities in order to develop their own explorations.

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who attend

The childminder has established good relationships with parents and ensures that her provision meets the needs of the families. Detailed verbal feedback, emails and daily diaries means that parents know what their children have enjoyed that day. The development of learning journals has improved the partnerships with parents further. Parents are also encouraged to share information about what children have enjoyed at home, which the childminder then complements and extends. As a result, the childminder has a full picture of children's interests, both at home and in the setting and plans effectively using these to support their future learning.

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

The childminder has established strong and secure attachments with children in her care. Her sensitive and calming approach means children are happy and content as they play and seek resources that stimulate their interests. Through settling-in visits, discussions with parents and completing relevant documentation, the childminder gathers good information about children's needs, likes and starting points. For example, she uses a 'starting points' form to find out about children's progress and abilities. In addition, she uses an 'all about me' form to find out about their likes, routines and care needs. This contributes to the childminder knowing children well and promotes continuity in their care. This also means the transition from home to the setting is smooth for children. This good information sharing at the start and positive relationships mean the childminder builds up secure bonds and attachments with children. As a result, children's emotional well-being is

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

fostered well as they develop a sense of self-awareness and self-assurance as they have settled well in the setting.

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

The childminder is kind, calm and consistent in her approach to managing behaviour. She gives good explanations and uses meaningful praise to support children as they play. The childminder reminds children of the need to share and take turns as they learn to play alongside each other and share resources in line with their age and stage of development. In order to support this further, the childminder has visited children in their own home for play dates to support their concept of sharing their own toys and playing co-operatively. This means that children have consistency for the next steps in their learning because parents are also able to implement ideas and strategies at home. The children are developing a good understanding about safe boundaries and ways in which they can keep themselves safe. For example, the childminder organises her resources so that children make safe and independent choices in their play. In addition, they are learning about road

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

safety as they walk to community groups in the area. This contributes to children's developing understanding of safety. There is a very strong focus on inclusive practice in the childminder's home and every child is welcomed and given equally good levels of support. Children develop a positive awareness of diversity, through a range of related activities and resources.

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

Children are learning about a healthy lifestyle as the childminder supports a healthy eating approach by encouraging healthy lunchboxes and nutritious snacks. She ensures that children have good opportunities for fresh air and exercise, which fully promotes a healthy lifestyle for children. For example, children receive daily opportunities to access outdoor activities in local parks and other places of interest. The childminder has been developing her garden area to ensure that it provides a wider range of opportunities to support children's learning. Consequently, children are developing those skills necessary to aid a smooth transition for when they move onto other provisions, for example, pre-school and school.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her roles and responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Her knowledge of child protection issues is secure. She is fully aware of the potential signs of abuse and neglect and she understands the procedures for reporting concerns. In addition, she has effective procedures and risk assessments in place to ensure she keeps children safe on outings or at home. For example, during daily trips to the school she supervises children at all times in the playground. A well written risk assessment to ensure children's ongoing safety on outings ensures risk is kept to a minimum. She effectively maintains this because she puts in place good safety precautions to minimise accidents. For example, she ensures children are well supervised and the environment that they use is risk assessed daily in line with their developing needs. She

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provision

maintains and implements a wide range of written policies and procedures. These contribute to the childminder having a good understanding of her responsibilities in promoting and safeguarding children's welfare. Documentation is maintained to a high standard.

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provision

The childminder accurately monitors each child and knows them well. This helps her to successfully match activities to their individual needs and interests. She has a secure understanding of her responsibility in meeting the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder demonstrates a good commitment to constantly improving the play opportunities and care she offers children. For example, she is now planning ways to stimulate children's enjoyment of imaginative play outdoors. The childminder attends a childminding group at the local children's centre to share good practice ideas for continued improvement.

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provision

The childminder's commitment to improving her service and provision for children is good. She makes effective use of self-evaluation to help her identify her strengths and areas to improve. For example, she recognises the benefit of regular training opportunities and has accessed a variety of courses to support her practice. For example, she supports children's confidence in speaking skills through the use of a homemade 'chatterbox' resource. This was as a result of a number of courses that she attended on promoting speaking and listening skills. This has been an effective strategy in helping children take turns and build their confidence in speaking in a group. This also supports children's achievements over time because the childminder is continually developing her skills, knowledge and the quality of teaching. She has further plans to gain a recognised childcare qualification. The childminder effectively involves others in her improvement plans. For example, she uses

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provision

parental and children's questionnaires and comment books to seek the views of others. She also welcomes the input of the local authority development worker as a source of good practice guidance. She has taken on board this advice and has made a number of changes to her practice As a result, any changes reflect their ideas and enhance her already good provision.

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provision

The childminder recognises the importance of building close partnerships with parents. She has established effective relationships with them and they share information in the daily diary so that children's needs can be personalised. This ensures that learning and development is as successful as possible and children's individual needs are met.

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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 EY466384 Local authority West Berkshire (Newbury) Inspection number 935678 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 2

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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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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