Childminder in Islington

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/04/2014 08/04/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Children's personal, social and emotional development is promoted well. Children develop a strong bond with the childminder and her assistant, who have a caring and gentle approach. This helps the children to feel secure and comfortable.  The childminder provides a welcoming, well-resourced and stimulating environment.  Children's physical development is well supported both inside and outside the home  The childminder promotes the good health of children, and through her praise and clear boundaries, children behave well and have high self-esteem and confidence.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's home languages are is not fully reflected within the setting.

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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 looked at children's learning journeys, planning documentation, and a selection of policies and children's records.  The inspector held discussions with the childminder and her assistant.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children and the provider's self-evaluation form.  The inspector invited the manager to carry out a joint observation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2001. She lives in Highbury in the London Borough of Islington. The downstairs of the home is mainly used for childminding. The garden is not used for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are 11 children on roll within the early years age range, who attend on part-time basis. The childminder works with a number of assistants.

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

 further promote children's sense of self by reflecting their home languages in the setting.

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who attend

Children in this setting make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding about how children learn. She shares this knowledge well with her assistants to ensure that children receive consistent, support. The childminder works closely with parents from the outset and ensures that she obtains as much information as possible in order for her to learn about children's starting points. She has effective systems to observe and assess individual children, in order to be clear about what they can do and what they need to do next. The childminder provides a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. As a result, children make progress in line with their individual styles and pace of learning.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time with the childminder because she knows each child well and ensures that activities and experiences match their abilities and interests. Children are purposefully engaged in activities of their own choosing and the childminder offers appropriate support and encouragement as required. She and her staff skilfully interact with children, encouraging their speech and communication at every opportunity so that children develop a good vocabulary. For example, staff and children discuss fruits, naming each of them, including watermelon and papaya, and children show pride in their achievements as staff are quick to praise them.

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who attend

Children are developing good literacy skills. Staff draw children's attention to pictures and symbols, encouraging them to talk about what they see. They bring stories to life with sounds and actions to engage children's curiosity and interest. Children enjoy close contact with adults when sharing books, feeling comforted and reassured as they turn the pages together one at a time and point to familiar pictures and characters, establishing reading as a pleasurable experience from an early age.

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who attend

The childminder and her assistants support children well in supporting children's curiosity and developing their understanding of the world. They take children to places of interest, such as the local 'Ecology garden', to observe the different plants and flowers. Children are eager to discuss what they see. When they arrive back from visiting the park, children eagerly share their experience of seeing the tadpoles and fishes and listening to the birds in the trees, and adults ask questions such as, 'What do you think will happen?', which help to challenge children to think and find out more.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's understanding of mathematical ideas well as, for example, she supports children to compare objects that are, 'big' and 'small' and introduces positional language , saying, for example , 'Push it down'. She provides good resources, such as shape sorters, to encourage children to develop an awareness of shape, space and colour.

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who attend

The childminder also support children's awareness of diversity and their understanding of different festivals and key events. For example, children design colourful crowns to celebrate the queen's birthday and they enjoy activities connected with festivals such as Easter and Passover.Children have regular opportunities to explore different media and materials. For example, they enjoy creative activities, such as painting and gluing and they make collages and pictures, which are then attractively displayed in the childminder's home so that children know that what their ideas and creations are valued.

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who attend

The childminder recognises the benefits of outdoor play. Children have daily opportunities to enjoy the fresh air and extend their physical skills as they regularly go for walks in the community and visit the local park near the childminder's home.

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who attend

The childminder monitors her practice, and that of her assistants, closely, to ensure that children are reaching the expected development milestones. Children's good progress towards the early learning goals means they will have the key skills needed for the next steps in more structured learning when they move on to school.

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

The childminder's home is warm, welcoming and child friendly. Children demonstrate that they are content and at ease in an environment where they well cared for, which results in them settling quickly. They develop firm attachments with the childminder and her assistants, who clearly value each child as an individual. This promotes children's self- esteem and confidence. Children's transition from home is effectively supported through an information exchange with parents prior to placement. This ensures that the childminder is fully aware of important information about each child's individual needs. Ongoing communication with parents means that children are assured of care, which is based on up-to-date information relating to their personal needs. The childminder takes into consideration each child's background and beliefs, which she values and respects. However, the childminder does not make sure all children's home languages are fully

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

reflected in the setting, to further promote their sense of self.

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

Routines are well organised to support children to lead healthy lifestyles. These include daily times in the garden or on outings in the local environment for fresh air and physical activity, and meals which include healthy options. The childminder pays high levels of attention to children. She is sensitive to their needs and wishes and ensures that those less able to express themselves verbally can do so by using gestures, or by being offered simple choices. As a result, children are very well behaved. Owing to the praise and gentle encouragement from staff, children are developing good levels of confidence and self- esteem. They confidently make their needs and wishes known and quickly accept and interact with unfamiliar adults, demonstrating a strong sense of security. Adults are good role models; they encourage children to show good manners and to show care and consideration to others. At lunchtime, for example, children are encouraged to say,

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

'please' and 'thank you', when requesting second helpings.

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

Children gain a good understanding of the need for a healthy diet as they make healthy choices within their meals and snacks. They develop good healthy routines because outdoor play and exercise, as well as relaxation, form a key part of daily routines. For example, staff use a tunnel and hoops to create an indoor obstacle course, and children enjoy the use of the indoor rope swing to further support their large motor skills. Children can choose to rest in gently moving hammocks when they feel tired.. They learn the importance of hand washing, as they wash their hands before meals and when coming in from play outside.

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

Children develop good self-care skills and independence throughout childminding routines. For example, they change from their outside shoes to their indoor footwear when coming in from outside and help to tidy away in preparation for lunch. Consequently, children's personal and social development is well supported.

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provision

Children are well safeguarded as the childminder is fully aware of her role and responsibilities to protect children from potential abuse or neglect and how to pass on concerns appropriately. She has recently attended training in this area to further enhance her awareness. The childminder has good systems, policies and procedures in place to protect children, such as a visitors' register and effective system for the deployment of staff. All relevant suitability checks have been carried out and all staff have attended safeguarding training to ensure that they are aware of the procedures to follow, should they have any concerns. Children are safe when in her home because she takes time to ensure that any hazards are minimised and all the necessary safety equipment is in place to protect children. For example; stair gates ensure that children are unable to access forbidden parts of the home. The childminder is constantly alert to risks and keeps a

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provision

written risk assessment on the environment. Children are learning to keep themselves safe, as for example, they are reminded not to run inside in case they fall. The childminder clearly aims to offer children a high quality provision. She is effective in evaluating her provision and monitoring the activities she provides, which contributes to her having a realistic view of her strengths and the areas she wishes to improve. She has acted well on the action and recommendations from the previous inspection, which demonstrates a capacity to maintain improvement. The childminder works well with other professionals in order to share good practice and ideas for improvement. She is enthusiastic and keen to develop her skills, which she does through attending training courses. She is also developing her own in-house training programme for all her assistants. Support from her local authority early years team enables the childminder to

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provision

continue developing her service; she is currently working towards a quality assurance mark. Inclusive practice is well promoted by the childminder's clear values and routines, which take into account all children's needs. The childminder observes and assesses children in a knowledgeable and professional manner. This means any difficulties with children's progress are identified at an early stage in order for the appropriate support to be put into place. Good communication with parents through daily contact, emails, phone calls, and more formal reviews of children's progress, enables parents express their views and wishes, and it supports them in playing an active role in their children's learning. The childminder takes good account of feedback from parents to help her to tailor the service she provides to meet the needs of all 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 402691 Local authority Islington Inspection number 963159 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 11

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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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