Childminder in Durham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/05/2014 17/11/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children make good progress. This is because the childminder knows the children extremely well and has a clear understanding of how she can support them further.  The childminder communicates with parents effectively. Ongoing communication mean that the childminder and parents work together to meet the needs of the children.  Children make good progress in communication and language. The childminder talks to children constantly and places a strong emphasis on songs and rhymes.  Children have built up a good relationship with the childminder and are very happy in her care.

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It is not yet good because

 Risk assessments are not sufficiently thorough to identify all potential hazards, particularly in the outdoor area.  There is scope to provide even more opportunities for older children to follow their own interests in order to extend their good learning further.  Children are not always able to access resources themselves. This means that opportunities for children to follow their own interests are not maximised.

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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 held discussions with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children and observed play and learning activities inside the home.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took into account written feedback from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1992 and has been childminding for 30 years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband in the residential area of Carville in County Durham. The home is close to local amenities, such as shops, primary schools and playgroups. The whole of the ground floor and a bathroom on the first floor are used for childminding purposes and there is an enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently seven children on roll, of whom four are in the early years age group and attend on a part-time basis. The childminder is open all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for family holidays.

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must:

 strengthen the process of risk assessments to ensure that they are thorough enough to identify all potential hazards in the outdoor area.

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

 develop the learning environment further by ensuring resources are easily accessible so that children are able to choose the toys and equipment they wish to use in order to follow their own interests

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

 review the routines within the setting, particularly for older children, to ensure that children have the time and space to follow their own interests for extended periods of time to enhance their already good learning.

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who attend

Children enjoy interesting, motivating and challenging activities across the seven areas of learning. For example, they enjoy planting seeds in the garden, concentrating for extended periods as they fill and sometimes empty the pots. The childminder follows children's interests effectively, adapting the activity to reflect their emerging interests. For example, she gives children the time to explore filling and emptying a range of different pots. Good questioning, such as; 'How will you fit the seed in there?' encourages children to think about and adapt what they are doing. The childminder recognises the importance of children learning through hands-on, playful activities and she ensures that the activities she plans incorporate many areas of learning. An example of this is when reading a story, the childminder encourages children to count, read numbers and talk about the different things in the picture. However, there are occasions when the childminder plans a lot of

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who attend

activities for the older children in her care. Although these activities are adapted to meet the children's needs and interests, there is scope to review these routines so that children have even more opportunities to initiate their own learning.

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who attend

The childminder knows where children are in their learning because she uses information from parents and her own observations to establish their starting points. She observes children constantly to find out what they have achieved and what they enjoy doing. Her observations and assessments are matched to the Early Years Foundation Stage. She highlights where children are in their learning and identifies areas where they need further support. She plans stimulating activities for the children, which are based on the learning needs identified in her observations. She shares her observations with parents as she sends home their learning records regularly. Parents contribute to this and share what children have been doing at home too. As a result, the childminder can build on interests from home and parents know what their child enjoys doing and how they can support them further. Consequently, all children in the setting make good progress in relation to

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of how to develop communication. The childminder recognises the importance of songs and rhymes in the development of language and plans in daily sessions to promote this. Children ask for their favourite rhymes and love joining in with the actions and key phrases. The childminder also talks to the children constantly, engaging them in conversation and telling them about events in her own life. Children listen intently as the childminder tells them about a mouse she found in the garden. They speak clearly using complex sentences as they reply; 'There was a little pink mouse in my garden and it was checking for food.' This demonstrates that children make good progress in communication and language. The childminder plans a range of activities for children to develop their small muscle skills, For example, children help to prepare snack, using the knife carefully to chop up peppers. Older children

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who attend

demonstrate very good control as they also use the knife to cut up their bread at lunch time. Children enjoy visiting the park and playing in the garden. They eagerly anticipate the gymnastic sessions they attend with the childminder. These activities support the development of large muscle skills. The childminder plans a range of activities to support the development of literacy and mathematics. Children enjoy drawing with chalks, talking about what they have drawn. Older children begin to write some of the letters of their name too, which demonstrate the progress children are making. They also enjoy looking at books. The childminder reads books to them and encourages them to count the objects on the page. Children demonstrate good number skills as older children count a set of objects accurately to five and beyond and younger children recite the numbers to ten in order. These skills effectively support children in the next stage of their learning.

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

The childminder generally demonstrates a good understanding of how she can support children's safety. However, due to a weakness in leadership and management, the safety of the children's play space in the outdoor environment is not robust. Overall, children demonstrate that they feel safe with the childminder and they show a good awareness of safety as they use knives confidently to chop up their snack or to cut the bread for their lunch. Children behave well in the childminder's care. The childminder patiently explains to children why they cannot always have everything they want. With the support of the childminder, children begin to learn to play alongside each other and to share resources. Younger children begin to learn how to use toys appropriately. The childminder attends local toddler groups to give younger children the opportunity to play and interact with others. These skills prepare children for the next stage in their learning.

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

The childminder has a good relationship with the children. She is calm and cheerful and the children respond to this well. Parents comment that children often do not want to leave the childminder's house. This demonstrates that children are emotionally secure. The childminder responds to their individual care needs as she ensures children have an early lunch so that younger children have time for a long sleep before picking older children up from school. The childminder has thought carefully about her procedures for settling children in. Children attend with their parents initially but they are then encouraged to leave them for a short period of time. She finds out about children's individual interests and care needs from parents too. This means that children settle into the setting quickly. Children are well supported when they start school or nursery. The childminder ensures children are very familiar with the school and the staff before starting.

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

This helps children as they make the transition from the childminder's care into school or nursery.

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

The childminder has a suitably organised playroom at the back of the house. Resources are stored in boxes in a tray unit in order to support children's developing independence. Children can see what is in the boxes and access these resources independently. However, many other resources are stored elsewhere. As a result, children are not always able to access the full range of resources. This means that they are not always able to follow their own interests. However, the childminder does encourage independence as children feed themselves or get changed ready to play in the garden. They are also encouraged to manage their own personal hygiene. Young children demonstrate their increasing independence as they use the potty and manage their clothing independently. Children have access to fresh air throughout the session as they play in the childminder's garden. They go to gymnastic sessions regularly with the childminder. This means that children

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

have plenty of time to engage in energetic play. Children have a good understanding of how they can keep themselves healthy as they enjoy fruit as a snack and have access to water throughout the day. Children wash their hands before meals, after using the toilet and after playing outside. This demonstrates that they understand how they can keep themselves healthy.

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provision

The childminder has a reasonable understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development and the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has good knowledge of her responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and has attended training. She has clear policies in place and demonstrates a good understanding of the procedures to follow if she has a concern about a child in her care. Children are generally kept safe, because the childminder carries out daily checks indoors and outdoors. However, on the day of the inspection, a damaged plant pot outside had not been removed, demonstrating that the ongoing risk assessments were not as effective as they could be in identifying this potential hazard. As a result, on this occasion, the childminder did not minimise hazards for children. Although this is a breach of requirements for the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register, the childminder

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provision

removed the plant pot, which shows that she has a good attitude towards taking immediate action to help ensure children's safety. Other risk assessments are effective and ensure all areas children come into contact with are safe. For example, doors are kept locked at all times and the toilet area is clear of hazards. The childminder has a valid first aid certificate and shows a good understanding of how to deal with accidents and injuries.

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provision

Self-evaluation is satisfactory. The childminder has identified targets for development. She has a suitable understanding of the strengths of her setting and takes the views of parents and children into account when evaluating her provision. She demonstrates a good commitment to professional development. For example, she has achieved a foundation degree in Early Years and is currently working towards a further degree in Early Years. This makes a strong contribution to meeting children's needs. She attends regular childminder meetings to share practice and update knowledge. She has a sound relationship with the local authority and acts upon any advice given. The childminder has a good overview of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She monitors her provision to ensure that the seven areas of learning are effectively covered. She also uses her observations to monitor children's progress. As a result, she is able to identify areas where further support

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Parents comment that they are very happy with the flexible provision that the childminder provides. Many comment about the progress that children have made in their time in the setting, particularly in relation to their communication and language development. The childminder encourages a two-way discussion at handover times. This is enhanced by a daily communication diary. Parents comment that many things that children do in the setting are repeated at home. An example of this is when children ask to paint at home to follow up an activity they have enjoyed with the childminder. Parents are encouraged to look at their child's learning journal, which means they are kept informed about their child's learning. The childminder has developed good links with the local school to support children's continuity of care. She attends many events in school with the children and has also helped in the classrooms

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provision

too. This means that she has good relationships with all the staff. The childminder does not currently pick up children from nursery or reception classes, but she demonstrates a clear understanding of the need to work together and discusses some strategies that support partnership working.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks. (voluntary part of Childcare Register)

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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 313876 Local authority Durham Inspection number 868167 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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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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