Childminder in Tameside

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/03/2014 01/03/2013

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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

 The childminder provides activities that enable children to make good progress or better in their learning and development through effective planning, observation and assessment, which she monitors to ensure they meet children's needs.  Children learn good manners and behave well in the childminding provision. They are happy and confident, showing good emotional security when with the childminder.  The childminder establishes effective partnerships with parents and other settings or professionals, in order to provide support for children's welfare and learning needs.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder has not ensured that she has a secure knowledge of how to manage concerns about children's welfare or to make sure that her safeguarding policy meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Resources are not easily accessible for pre-school aged children to have opportunities during all of their attendances to self-select activities and consequently, this aspect of practice does not support enhanced development of independence skills.  Evaluation of the childminding provision has not been sufficiently robust in all areas of practice and therefore, enable the childminder to identify her lack of up to date knowledge of safeguarding practice and policy.

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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 checked the qualifications of the childminder, along with evidence of the suitability of adults living or working on the premises.  A tour of the areas of premises used for childminding was made.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined samples of documentation related to children's welfare and learning, used by the childminder when caring for children, as well as ascertaining how the childminder evaluates her provision, in order to bring about continuous improvement.

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Inspection activities

 The childminder's knowledge of areas, such as safeguarding and individual children's learning was ascertained by discussion.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1997 on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and adult child in Stalybridge, Tameside. The whole of the childminder's home is used for childcare purposes and there is an enclosed rear garden available for outside play. The family has two birds, a tortoise and fish as pets. The childminder operates Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, all year round, apart from family and bank holidays. She collects children from local schools and pre-schools and can offer care before and after the school day. There are currently 10 children on roll, attending for a variety of sessions, of whom three are in the early years age range.

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must:

 ensure that the safeguarding policy refers to and is in line with the guidance and procedures of the Local Safeguarding Children's Board in the event of needing to manage any concerns about children's welfare rapidly and correctly

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must:

 ensure that knowledge of safeguarding is up to date, regarding the role of the Local Area Designated Officer and how to manage any allegations made against the provider or anyone living on the premises.

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

 develop the opportunities for pre-school aged children to self-select resources and activities as they choose, in order to supplement the high quality adult-led ones offered

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

 develop the existing methods for evaluation, in order to bring about continuous improvement so that they are comprehensive for all areas of practice, including the ways in which knowledge of safeguarding is met.

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who attend

The childminder has highly detailed records to track children's progress in all areas of learning and uses her observations, along with information from parents, to identify children's starting points in learning. Parents contribute to the planning process by providing information about their child's interests and experiences away from the childminding setting both when children join and on an ongoing basis. This means that the childminder is able to make thorough plans for children's learning using more information than her observations and assessments. The childminder monitors the breadth of the planning using the progress record for each child, so that she provides educational activities that cover all areas of learning for each child. She also regularly checks that she is assessing across all areas of learning for each child and adjusts her practice accordingly to make sure that she is gathering all the information she needs, in order to effectively

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who attend

plan for children's next steps. As a result, the monitoring of planning, observation and assessment is robust and demonstrates the childminder's purposeful approach to supporting children to achieve to their full potential in learning. The childminder sends children's learning records home to parents regularly to keep them informed of their children's progress and parents return these with a note acknowledging that they have read the information about their children's progress. The childminder encourages parents to also provide any information about children's learning and development that occurs away from her provision, so that she can make use of this for planning.

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who attend

Children have very good opportunities to sustain involvement in activities led by the childminder, based on their interests and learning needs. This helps children to learn how to concentrate, providing the basis for future learning as they take on more challenging tasks. For example, children are keen to play board games offered by the childminder when they are the only child present. Through this interest in simple games, children's learning is reinforced in a range of areas. For example, they are supported to count as they move objects along the board, developing their knowledge of number. Children name animals they see on the game resources and the childminder asks them to identify some too, in order to enhance their knowledge of words and communication skills. Children have very good opportunities through the use of their interest in turn-taking games to extend their ability to recall what they have observed, such as the position of a hidden picture.

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who attend

This means that they have to think critically about where they have seen the different pictures and work out the answer, which enhances their ability to solve problems. The childminder also offers children games which require them to match pieces, such as ones where they have to build up simple jigsaws. This supports early development in literacy and numeracy.

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who attend

The childminder provides good opportunities for children to learn about other countries and cultures, such as by teaching them to count in different languages or by making artwork based on a picture of the globe. This enhances children's understanding of diversity in the wider world, as well as of the different landscapes that make up the physical environment in different countries. Children have very good opportunities to handle and learn to use information communication technology resources, such as tablet computers. They play simple games on these that reinforce hand-eye coordination and develop the confidence needed to use this equipment for future learning, such as at school. The childminder offers activities to support children practising how to make marks by providing pens, pencils and crayons. This provides a basis for children to learn early writing skills and give meaning to the marks they make, such as pictures or their names.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's early learning in the sounds made by letters or groups of letters, in order to build a good basis for their later progress in reading and writing, such as in full-time education. Overall, the quality of teaching to support children's learning and development is good due to effective interactions, along with the detailed planning, observation and assessment to meet individual children's needs.

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

The childminder demonstrates suitable support when helping children to develop good manners and behaviour, such as through reminding them to use 'please' and 'thank you' when appropriate. Parents are informed about their child's care, learning and activities on a daily verbal basis, which offers continuity between home and the childminder's care. Children are observed to be very happy and secure with the childminder. For example, they talk confidently to her during activities due to their robust attachment to her. They clearly enjoy games, which involve taking turns as part of their learning in personal, social and emotional development. This helps to reinforce this important social skill for conversation and making relationships with others. The childminder offers children resources that she knows they will enjoy based on her previous observations of their interests and she has due care to their preferences if they reject a suggestion. However,

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

she does not consistently provide opportunities for pre-school aged children to self-select from a range of accessible resources, in order to further enhance their independence skills. This is because resources are not stored in a way that enables children to easily access them without adult help.

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

The childminder provides daily opportunities for outdoor play and exercise as children have access to the rear garden with its multitude of resources or to local playgrounds. Children, therefore, have opportunities to develop their whole body coordination and to learn about taking reasonable risk in play under careful supervision. The childminder also walks to schools and nurseries, using the opportunity to provide exercise for children, as well as teach them about the local environment and road safety. This supports children's learning about staying safe. The house is very well-maintained with hygienic measures to promote children's safety and help prevent illness due to spread of any germs. Suitable safety measures have been put in place to help minimise risk, such as storing any medicines out of the reach and sight of children. The childminder also seeks written permissions from parents, such as to take them in suitable vehicles or seek emergency

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

medical treatment, as part of managing risk. However, the childminder's lack of secure knowledge of safeguarding children's welfare means that practice with regard to providing for children's well-being is not sufficiently thorough to make it of a uniformly good standard. The use of permissions also supports partnership with parents, who can make decisions about the provision for their children's well-being through this flexible approach. For example, they can choose whether the childminder takes photographs of their child playing as part of the observation process.

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

The childminder provides healthy foods for children to support a balanced diet and an understanding of the foods that constitute this. She also offers parents the option of providing some or all of the foods for their child and stores any food brought safely to prevent spoilage. Her comprehensive knowledge of children and families for whom she provides a childminding service enables the childminder to support the care needs of children well. She seeks suitable information regarding children's welfare from their parents prior to them joining. This is used to help children to settle as quickly as possible because she has knowledge about their routines and interests, as well as any health- related matters to support this. The childminder is flexible with regard to starting arrangements for children when they join her setting. This is in order to support their emotional well-being and is planned on an individual basis to match each child's needs

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provision

The inspection was brought forward by Ofsted following a concern raised regarding the childminder's safeguarding practice and policy and the supervision of children. The inspection found that the childminder does not demonstrate a secure knowledge of safeguarding procedures to manage any allegations made against herself or her family with regard to children's welfare. This means that children are at risk in this eventuality occurring, as the childminder does not have knowledge of the circumstances under which she would need to contact the Local Area Designated Officer, in order to protect children from harm. In addition, the safeguarding policy does not include references to following Local Safeguarding Children's Board guidance and procedures, in order to ensure that children are safeguarded in the event of concerns or allegations. These are breaches of the Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

However, children are well supervised to ensure their safety. The childminder makes risk assessments and safety checks, which are adequate to protect children's safety and regularly reviews these to maintain this. As a result, children can play and learn safely on the premises and on local outings. Suitability of adults living and working on the premises is checked through Disclosure and Barring Service checks, in order to protect children. The childminder's practice is, therefore, supported by the implementation of policies and procedures that adequately underpin most areas of children's welfare and learning. For example, she has a policy regarding the use of mobile telephones and cameras on the premises when she is caring for children, in order to prevent misuse of their images. Record keeping is in place to support the safe running of the childminding setting, such as daily records of children's names and hours of attendance, along with records of any

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provision

accidents or medicines administered with parents' permission. The childminder has a valid certificate in paediatric first aid, in order to deal with any emergencies of this type correctly.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a very thorough knowledge and understanding of the learning, development and assessment requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children make good or better progress in their learning, as the childminder has a very effective understanding of how to provide high-quality support for their individual learning through observation planning and assessment. The childminder monitors her assessments to identify any gaps in children's learning and hence make plans as early as possible to prevent greater future difficulties. Children's progress is recorded in detail for all areas of learning and the childminder demonstrates a good understanding of why it is necessary to monitor the educational activities provided. As a result, children participate in adult-led and child-initiated activities that cover all areas of learning and make good progress in readiness for their next steps, including full-time school.

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provision

The childminder obtains parents' views about her provision through verbal means and uses these when they are offered. Good partnerships with parents are formed as parents are kept very well-informed about their children's progress. The childminder demonstrates a suitable awareness of the need to work with other professionals to support the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She also recognises the importance of information exchange regarding children's progress with any other settings they attend, in order to inform her own planning for children's learning. Overall, the childminder has made very good progress in evaluating and enhancing the provision for children's learning since the previous inspection, however, she has not made robust evaluations of her knowledge of safeguarding, in order to ensure this is up to date. As a consequence, the leadership and management of the childminding provision requires

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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 312155 Local authority Tameside Inspection number 954746 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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