Childminder in Kent

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/04/2014 14/11/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder strongly promotes children's personal, social and emotional development by building and maintaining warm, caring relationships with them.  The childminder establishes good partnerships with parents to meet their child's care and learning and development needs; they are very happy with the quality of care their children receive.  The childminder meets all requirements to safeguard and promote children's welfare effectively. She has a good knowledge and understanding of her role and responsibilities to safeguard children.  The childminder teaches children using a good range of challenging learning experiences, encouraging them to think and be confident as they learn through play.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always detail children's specific next steps for learning to share with parents, to further involve them in their children's development.  The childminder does not consistently work in partnership with other settings children also attend to further support continuity in their care and learning.

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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 toured areas of the childminder's home used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the childminder and minded children during the inspection as they played both inside and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including the policies and procedures, children's records, the attendance register and accident record.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1994. She lives with her husband and two adult children in Tunbridge Wells, in Kent, close to shops, parks and schools. The ground floor of the home is used for childminding and a bedroom on the first floor is available for children to sleep. There is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder is currently minding six children in the early years age group. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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

 build on the good systems used for assessment to more clearly detail children's specific next steps for learning and to further involve parents in their children's development

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

 strengthen partnerships with other early years settings some minded children attend to help continue and consolidate each child's learning

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who attend

Children are happy, relaxed and play confidently in the childminder's homely and child- friendly environment, developing strong personal, social and emotional skills. They play in a dedicated playroom, which is bright and well organised to maximise independent play opportunities for all children. Consequently, children are active and inquisitive learners who explore their play environment in a purposeful and engaging manner. The childminder's good teaching skills enable children to try things for themselves, to be sociable and play cooperatively with each other. Constant chatting and repeating babbling back to babies strongly promotes all children's communication and language skills. Older children learn to organise their thoughts as they ask challenging questions and respond with interest to the childminder's answers. For example, they enquire about the childminder's and other adults' use of spectacles to see with, examining and investigating

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who attend

how differently things look when they try a pair of them on.

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who attend

Children enjoy a good variety of play experiences both at the childminder's home and on outings to different venues around the local community. They develop and practise physical skills at an indoor soft play centre, learning to take safe risks. For instance, as they discover how to use a larger slide. They visit shops to buy different items, learning new words and simple mathematical counting skills. In the garden, babies practise their walking skills as they use push-along toys and develop good hand to eye coordination by stacking cups on top of each other. The childminder capably extends a spontaneous singing session in the garden into a music session, with children delighting in banging a drum and shaking bells.

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who attend

The childminder extends children's current interests in the weather effectively by providing a good mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities. For example, children make collage rainbows and rain clouds after spotting a rainbow outside. They respond with interest when the childminder invites them to look at how the blue sky is changing to become cloudy. Such activities positively help children learn about the natural world through first- hand experiences.

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who attend

The childminder makes good use of observation and assessment to help her plan activities to extend children's learning. Each child has a learning journal which the childminder uses to record detailed observations, linked to the different areas of learning. She conducts assessment to identify children's starting points for learning and their levels of progress. The childminder captures good information about children when completing the required progress checks for two-year-olds. These indicate that children are making good progress, and in some instances very good progress in their learning towards the early learning goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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who attend

The childminder provides parents with the required summary of their child's early learning and seeks their views about the assessment as part of her good partnership working. The childminder makes some records of the next steps for learning for each child. However, these are not always very specific, to make it clear to parents what it is she is working on with the child to challenge them further. The childminder works very closely with parents, sharing daily information verbally and using a written daily diary so they keep informed about their child's welfare and development. Parents praise the childminder in their written feedback, commenting how they 'are extremely happy with the care provided'.

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

The childminder prioritises children's safety, both at her home and when she takes them on outings. She makes efficient and effective use of risk assessments to help ensure the premises and equipment are safe, clean and suitable for the children's use. She maintains secure premises, using good collection procedures so that only authorised adults collect a child to keep them safe. There is sufficient space for children to move safely and freely around the childminder's home, and they do so confidently. They have times during the day when they can choose between indoor or outside play and positively delight in exploring the garden and play equipment set out. Toddlers practise getting on and off the seesaw, developing resilience as they try to clamber on each time. Babies with a keen interest in learning to walk eagerly stand to take steps forward, holding on to the childminder's hands for security. By practising emergency evacuation, children begin to

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

The childminder implements house rules consistently to help children learn about behaviour expectations and how to stay safe. For example, children sit down at the table to eat meals and snacks, with babies securely seated for their comfort and well-being. The childminder is extremely caring, attentive and tactile with the children, which enables the children to develop strong emotional attachments to her. Children who have only recently joined her care show they feel secure in their interactions with her. For example, they sit themselves down on her lap to look at a book in the garden. The childminder uses positive reinforcement and clear boundaries and expectations to manage children's behaviour appropriately. She reminds toddlers to share nicely and deals with incidents such as children wetting themselves in a calm and effective manner, to provide good levels of care for each child.

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

Children learn to practise good hygiene routines to support their health and well-being, knowing where their individual towel hangs in the kitchen. They learn how to manage their personal care needs well, in readiness for school, receiving praise and encouragement from the childminder. Nappy changing procedures are effective in reducing risks of cross infection and the childminder makes good use of this time to engage with an individual child by chatting and having fun with them.

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

The childminder prepares and provides a nutritious range of healthy meals and snacks which appeal to the children and support their health appropriately. Children benefit from sitting together to eat their sandwiches and fruit at lunch time, drinking plenty of water so they do not become thirsty. The childminder knows the children's preferences, likes and routines very well, enabling her to meet each child's needs extremely well. Children go off to sleep contentedly in the cot, and awake with big smiles, showing how comfortable they are in the childminder's care.

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

Children develop all the required skills necessary to support a smooth transition to school. They learn how to follow instructions, put on their own shoes and behave using good manners and kindness. They have time to practise and consolidate their learning in a purposeful play environment, gaining important language, physical and social skills as they learn. The childminder is aware of working in partnership with other settings children may also attend. She has taken some steps to engage with these settings but this has not been entirely successful in working collaboratively to benefit the child's care and learning.

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provision

The childminder competently fulfils her role and responsibilities in meeting all the requirements as set out in the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has completed safeguarding training to help her carry out her role successfully. The childminder is alert to any issues that may indicate child protection concerns and can confidently explain the safeguarding reporting procedures to follow to help keep children safe, including regarding any allegations against adults. The childminder confidently and positively manages children's behaviour so they keep safe and to enable her to promote their welfare appropriately. The childminder uses a good range of written policies and procedures to support her practice and care of the children. For example, she uses a mobile telephone to take photographs of children at play, and makes certain her systems for storing and sharing these with parents are robust to protect children's well-being.

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provision

Good maintenance of documentation contributes to the childminder's efficient management of her provision. Records such as the register of attendance, existing injuries and accidents, as well as risk assessments help her to demonstrate how she safeguards children in her care.

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provision

The childminder provides good educational programmes for all children and monitors her provision to identify areas to develop and improve. For example, the childminder has installed a chalkboard outside in the garden to make it easier for children to practise making marks and writing, without worrying about paper blowing around. She is now developing the range of natural materials in 'treasure baskets' to enable babies to explore through sensory play, important to their early learning. This demonstrates that the childminder evaluates and reflects well on her practice, carefully identifying areas to develop that have a positive impact on children's learning and development. The childminder seeks the views of parents as part of a good partnership to help her identify any further areas for improvement. Consequently, the childminder demonstrates a strong capacity for driving and maintaining improvement in her practice and the outcomes for

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provision

Good partnership working benefits the children's care and learning. Parents provide the childminder with key words of languages they speak with their children at home so that she is able to promote equal opportunities and show the children she values their culture and ethnicity. The childminder provides parents with copies of her policies, including complaints so that they are fully aware of how she cares for their children.

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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 125680 Local authority Kent Inspection number 968631 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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