Malgorzata Dennison

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/05/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The quality of teaching is exceptional. The childminder demonstrates superb knowledge and understanding of how children learn. She uses her expertise to provide children with an exciting, purposeful and challenging educational programme.  The childminder keeps an extremely sharp focus on children's development. Her established and effective systems for observing children's play and assessing their progress enables her to proficiently identify their next steps in learning.  Children are superbly protected from harm as the childminder's extensive knowledge of safeguarding procedures enables her to keep the children in her care safe and well- protected from harm.  Partnerships with parents and others are excellent. The childminder works extremely effectively with parents and with other early years settings, which children attend to complement the learning that takes place in all areas of children's lives.

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This provision is outstanding

 Children are very settled, comfortable and happy in the childminder's care. Her extensive settling-in procedures ensure that parents, children and the childminder are ready for the transition from home to the childminder's provision.

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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 observed activities in the childminder's lounge, playroom and kitchen and viewed all areas of the childminder's home used for minding purposes.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation relating to the checks used to assess the suitability of all adults living on the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of records including children's personal details, information about children's learning and development, accident and medication records, written risk assessments, written policies, the daily attendance register, proof of the training and qualifications attended by the childminder and a selection of other relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, provided through written comments within the childminder's documentation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2010 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged four and two years in a house in Southend on Sea, Essex. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has some fish as pets. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There is currently one child on roll, who is in the early years age group and attends for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 enhance the already excellent provision for children to learn about knowledge of the world, by improving the range of resources used to enable children to explore insects, bugs and the natural environment. For example, through the use of magnifying glasses and bug boxes.

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who attend

The childminder's expert knowledge of how children learn enables her to provide children with an exciting, well-considered and extremely effective educational programme. She has superb systems for observing children's development and uses her observations to identify their next stages of learning. Her planning is detailed and purposeful, ensuring that activities not only cover all seven areas of learning, but are also focused to include superb experiences which enable children to move forward in their development. All children are challenged through the childminder's sharp focus on their capabilities and understanding. Parents are extremely involved in their children's learning and regularly view their learning journals which contain vast amounts of observations and documentation regarding the tracking of their children's progress. The childminder also provides parents with some homework, to do with their children at weekends, in a separate diary. This works as an

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who attend

excellent means of developing a two-way flow of information. The childminder set the parents simple tasks to do with their children and uses the observations in the written comments she receives back from the parents, in the following week's planning. Therefore, promoting the importance of home learning. Children whose home language is not English are provided with innovative ways of using their home language in play, as well as developing their use of the English language. The childminder labels many aspects of her playroom, such as, door, window and wall; she translates these into appropriate language for the children attending her provision. Dual language books and board games are also used in the childminder's everyday provision. The quality of the childminder's teaching is exemplary. She uses her wealth of knowledge to extend and enhance children's understanding, through the use of clear, appropriate

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who attend

questions. She provides children with ample time to consider their answers and to join in with conversations. The childminder plans for individual children's learning within a theme or topic. The theme at present covers 'the farm'. In order to fully maximise the learning that children can experience from this theme, they are provided with a farm, set up on a large floor tray. In the tray they have real grass and wild flowers along with a wide range of farm animals, buildings and modes of transport. To complement this in the playroom, they have opportunities to purchase real vegetables from the farm shop. A role play scenario evolves during the inspection, whereby the childminder and children play shops. They purchase their items proficiently, but not before the childminder engages her customers in a long conversation about the vegetables they are buying and how much they cost. They count their money and talk about how much change they will need to

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who attend

receive as they also develop their mathematical thinking. The playroom walls are used to further enhance the topics, for example, with posters displayed prompting questions, such as, 'where do these things come from'? Children then match up cows with the milk and vegetables from the ground. The childminder explains how a visit to a local farm, planned for the half term school holiday, will bring all of the children's home learning experiences together. Consequently, they will be relating their knowledge to a real life experience and extending their understanding even more. Children have extensive opportunities to explore nature and the natural world when they use the local environment for bug hunts, wild flower recognition and bird watching. The childminder has identified that her range of resources could be further enhanced by providing children with magnifying glasses and boxes to fully explore small creatures and insects.

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who attend

Children are able to express themselves freely by using the exciting selection of dressing up clothes, hats, bags and shoes available to them. Clearly a favourite pastime and children demonstrate which clothes are their favoured ones. Children play enthusiastically with these clothes and become new and creative characters. Roars of laughter are heard from the playroom as the childminder and children sit down to play a board game. They learn about turn taking as the childminder reminds them to wait for their turn. The end of the morning provides excellent opportunities for the children to join the childminder in some singing and movement games. They join in excitedly and make choices about the songs they want to sing. A singing game is then translated into the children's home language and repeated a number of times, therefore, recognising the importance of their home language. The extensive and comprehensive range of learning experiences children

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who attend

encounter during their time with the childminder, provide them with excellent opportunities to develop essential skills for the future. For example, they have superb opportunities to develop their hand-writing skills as the childminder provides them with pens and writing paper, throughout the provision, including in the farm shop. Children use numbers and counting in everyday activities and extend this further, for example, by calculating the change they will receive when purchasing items in the shop. Their independence skills are superbly enhanced, for example, they are encouraged to put their own coats and shoes on, to wash their plates after lunch and to independently use the ground floor toilet and hand-washing facilities. All of these skills are used by the childminder, to prepare children for school readiness and for their next stages of learning.

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

Children are extremely settled and content in the childminder's provision. They move confidently around her home accessing the exciting range of toys and play resources on offer to them. Children form very close and exceptional caring relationships with the childminder and her family thoroughly enjoy the interaction they receive from her. The childminder has very clear and highly realistic expectations of the children, which she shares positively with them. For example, when they have finished their lunch, she gently reminds them to carry their plate from the playroom to the kitchen and give it a quick wash in the bowl of water she has provided for them. They proficiently do this, taking great pride in their achievements. The childminder expertly promotes children's emotional well-being by being very knowledgeable about their likes and dislikes, using clear positive language to praise and encourage them and helping them to form a strong sense of

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

The childminder's home provides children with an extremely stimulating, exciting and enabling environment in which to play and learn. One of the ground floor rooms is a dedicated playroom, decorated with colourful murals and posters which promote various areas of learning. The toys and play equipment are effectively presented in well-labelled storage units, enabling children to safely select resources and to guide their own learning. The childminder's garden is currently out of use, as it is undergoing extensive renovation. Children do, however, have daily access to local parks and play areas which are only a few minutes walk form the childminder's home. The childminder is firmly committed to providing children with highly effective learning experiences outdoors and takes a range of play equipment with them when they use these spaces. She anticipates her garden being completed and ready for use within a few weeks.

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

Children are provided with excellent opportunities, through discussion, to develop their knowledge about keeping healthy and safe. The childminder provides them with an extremely healthy and well-balanced diet and takes account of any dietary needs or allergies when planning meals. Children have superb opportunities to develop independence skills during everyday routines, such as, lunch time, when they spread their own sandwiches and rolls and pour their own drinks. The use of real equipment, such as, knives provides children with opportunities to develop an excellent understanding of risk and how to use such equipment safely. Effectively planned play enables children to develop knowledge about where foods come from, for example, the farmer's market role play scenario provided for children, enables them to explore real vegetables and opens up discussions about where these foods come from. This is then linked to growing their own

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

vegetables in small outdoor containers. Children are superbly prepared for the transitions in their lives, as the childminder communicates very effectively with parents to establish clear knowledge about any changes. She uses this information to inform her planning and to assess what resources she may need to help children to deal with change.

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provision

Children are superbly protected from harm as the childminder demonstrates excellent knowledge of her responsibilities with regards to safeguarding the children in her care. She regularly updates her safeguarding knowledge through appropriate training and keeps abreast of current guidance contained in literature and publications. All adults living on the premises are appropriately vetted and proof of the clearance checks used to assess their suitability are available on file. The childminder has excellent systems for monitoring the visitors to her home and always ensures that children are within her sight and hearing. The childminder ensures that children remain extremely safe and secure as she conducts effective and well-considered risk assessments and safety checks of her home and all outings. She expertly checks her home for fire safety and keeps a clear log of all evacuation practices.

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provision

The childminder's expert knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage enable her to deliver an exciting, stimulating and extremely well-planned educational programme. She demonstrates superb knowledge of how children learn and uses this knowledge to meet children's needs to an extremely high standard. Her delivery of her educational programme is exemplary and worthy of sharing with others. The childminder has worked towards completing a level 3 qualification in childcare and has become an accredited childminder over the past year. This process has provided her with excellent opportunities to successfully review, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of her educational programme. The childminder uses reflective practice and self-evaluation superbly to identify her strengths and weaknesses and to inform her systems for continuous

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provision

improvement. The childminder is extremely committed to enhancing her childcare knowledge through appropriate training courses and by her superb liaison with other childminders and childcare professionals.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and others are extremely strong. The childminder works effectively with parents to develop superb partnerships which enable her to proficiently meet their children's needs. The childminder's first language is Polish, she is able to translate policies and all written information into this language for any parents requiring this service. The childminder provides excellent opportunities for parents to play a valued role in their children's learning. Strong and effective links exist between the childminder and a local nursery, which children also attend. The childminder meets regularly with the key person from this setting to discuss the children's progress and to tailor her planning to reflect themes and activities the nursery are covering.

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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 EY405722 Local authority Southend on Sea Inspection number 808764 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 1

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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