Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/05/2014 21/11/2013

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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

 The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn. She supports their learning and development. Successfully using observation and assessment to plan stimulating activities, that follow their interests and provide challenge.  Parents are involved in their child's learning and development within the setting, and work in close partnership to ensure children make good progress.  The childminder is warm, caring and builds very good relationships with the children. She is very aware of the importance of smooth transitions, from home to her setting, taking every opportunity to ensure children are happy, safe and secure and settle well.  A high priority is given to safeguarding children. Security and thorough risk assessments ensure that they are protected from hazards at all times.  The childminder is passionate about her role in ensuring that children have the best possible start in life. She works hard to ensure that required improvements are met and

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to involve parents, children and others in the self-evaluation process, to ensure that they play an active role in shaping the 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 home and garden.  The inspector made a tour of the premises, including the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and a range of other documentation.  The inspector also took account of the written views of parents and carers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder, and discussed her self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1992 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her family in Debenham, Suffolk. The whole of the premises, apart from two bedrooms, are used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The family has three pet cats and two canaries. The childminder takes children to local play areas, for walks in the surrounding countryside and to nearby places of interest. She takes and collects children from the local school and pre-school. There are currently 15 children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. 10 are school-age children, who attend before and after school. She is open all year round from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, except for Bank Holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 develop the use of self-evaluation to take into account the views of parents, children and others who work with the setting.

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who attend

The childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding of child development and expected levels children will reach in their early years. She uses guidance, observation and assessment, to support and extend their learning, and to plan stimulating activities which provide challenge. The quality of teaching is good. The childminder gets involved in the children's play when appropriate and asks open-ended questions, encouraging them to think and predict what might happen. For example, when filling buckets with sand to make castles, she asks what they need to add to ensure the sand sticks together. Children are keen to get involved in the activities and enjoy playing shops, choosing the play vegetables from the shopping trolley to go into the pot for cooking. The childminder follows their interests as they make large empty boxes into a train. As the play evolves, the boxes become a plane to take them all to Africa. As a result of the childminder's skills,

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who attend

The childminder actively helps the children acquire the skills and attitudes towards learning, that they need to be ready for the next stage in development and their eventual move into school. Children that express an interest in letters, take part in activities to find a range of items beginning with the letter sound, to stick onto wall displays. The children are confident, happily exploring the indoors and out. They are curious and inquisitive, enjoying nature as they look for frogs in a local pond. They look for ladybirds and have recently planted a wildflower garden to encourage a range of insects. Children are becoming confident communicators as they chat to the childminder, involving her in their games, and learning new words and sounds.

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who attend

The childminder works closely with parents. She finds out children's interests and abilities when they first start, building on these in her planning. She talks to the parents daily about what the children have been doing and shares their developmental records. Parents take the records home on a regular basis, sharing them with other members of the family. They add their own comments, taking an active role in their child's development within the setting.

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

Children are happy and confident. They have fun, settling extremely well in the stimulating and welcoming environment. Strong attachments are built with the children and their families, and it is clear from the interactions that they are very fond of each other. Children come to the childminder for reassurance and cuddles, enjoying story times with her. She is sensitive to the individual needs of the children, following home routines for sleeping and eating, to ensure they receive a consistent approach. A care diary, used for the youngest children and informal discussions with parents, ensures continuity of care and helps children to settle, as the routine is mostly familiar to them. This promotes their emotional development, helping to equip them emotionally, for their future transitions. The childminder provides further support for their transitions into pre-school, nursery and school. For example, she helps children become familiar with the premises when picking

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

up other children and has many discussions with them, about the move.

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

Children learn how to be healthy as they take part in planting a range of fruit and vegetables. They learn where the vegetable grows and plans are in place to ensure that they are involved in the harvesting, preparing and eating of the produce. Meals are nutritious and balanced. Children eat freshly prepared cooked meals at lunch time and are encouraged to try a range of vegetables. Fresh drinking water is available at all times. Children are reminded to drink more in hot weather or when running around. The childminder ensures that children are safe in the sun. She applies sun cream regularly and encourages them to all wear sun hats. A gazebo offers further protection to children playing in the sand and on the train. Children have regular opportunities to practise and develop their physical skills as they climb the slide and negotiate the steps in the garden. Further opportunities are provided for them to run around, balance and climb, when they

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

Children learn how to keep themselves safe. Regular fire drills help them to become familiar with the procedures, so they learn how to leave the premises quickly and safely. They learn how to treat the childminder's pet cats with care, stroking them gently as they talk about their whiskers and paws. They learn to take turns, to share and to be kind to each other. The children respond well to the childminder's calm and patient approach, and she explains and maintains clear, reasonable and consistent limits.

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provision

Recent training has ensured that the childminder has a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse. She knows what action to take if she has a concern about a child in her care. This ensures that she can act quickly in the child's best interest, when necessary. Policies and procedures inform her practice, and they are shared with the parents to ensure that they understand her roles and responsibilities towards their children. Children enjoy their play in a safe environment, where robust risk assessments indoors and out, ensure their safety. Regular visual checks of toys and resources ensure there are no broken parts that could harm a child. Children are supervised well at all times and the childminder makes sure that she always works within her ratios.

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provision

The childminder has made significant improvements since the last inspection by Ofsted, where she received a number of enforcement notices and actions to improve. She has also had two monitoring visits from Ofsted. She has successfully heightened her awareness of the learning and development requirements, as well as the safeguarding and welfare requirements, through training and reading. As a result, she fully understands her role and responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The quality of teaching is now good and improvements in observation and assessment ensure that she plans appropriately for individual children, follows their interests and provides challenge. As a result, they make good progress in all areas. The premises are now appropriately organised, ensuring children have the space to play safely with a range of activities. Activities are also planned for the older children after school, which hold their interest. The

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provision

outdoor area is organised to engage the interests of all ages and they use it on a regular basis. The childminder monitors her provision and identifies areas for development. For example, she has extended her dressing-up resources to follow the children's interest in a character, from a book they are reading together. However, she has not considered involving parents and children in her self-evaluation process, to ensure that they play an active role in the shaping of the provision.

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provision

The childminder works in close partnership with the parents. She knows the children and their families very well, and has formed strong trusting relationships. References and letters from parents are very positive. They comment about how much they value the support the childminder provides, how much their children love attending and how well they settle. They notice the progress their children make, and are very much a part of their children's learning and development within the childminding setting. The childminder has close links with the schools and pre-school that the children attend, regularly joining them at school events throughout the year.

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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 250832 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 963083 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 15

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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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