Childminder in Derbyshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/05/2014 03/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 form very strong relationships with the childminder, who provides good emotional support at all times.  The childminder provides stimulating activities that promote children's learning effectively and she plans well for the next steps in their learning. Therefore, children make good progress from their starting points.  Children are well behaved because the childminder uses effective methods to promote good behaviour.  The childminder has a very good understanding of safeguarding matters, to ensure children are kept safe at all times.  Partnerships with parents are well developed and there are good systems for sharing information that contribute to consistency of care for their children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not consistently give children time to process information and respond to her questions, in order to progress their communication skills further.  The childminder does not always help children to learn about the benefits of healthy eating.

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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 and spoke to the children throughout the inspection.  The inspector observed the children during play inside.  The inspector held a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled the childminder's documentation, including her qualifications and suitability and policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1985 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. She lives with her adult child in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire. The whole of the downstairs of the property is used for childminding with toilet facilities on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder provides care from, Monday to Thursday, 7am until 6pm, all year round, except for Christmas, bank holidays and family holidays. She is currently minding five children, of whom all are in the early years age range. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder has a childcare qualification at level 3 and she runs the local toddler group. The family has a pet dog. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and receives support from the local authority.

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

 encourage children's communication skills further by giving them time to process information and respond to questions

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

 help children to learn about the benefits of healthy eating by, for example, using routine activities, such as snack times.

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who attend

The childminder has a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She provides a good range of interesting activities, which children can easily access themselves, promoting their independent learning from an early age. There is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities, to promote children's learning across the educational programme. The childminder observes children while they play and analyses the information she obtains to prioritise their learning and inform her future planning. As a result, she provides challenging activities that are of interest to children. The variety of activities and resources and the way in which the childminder uses these with children, enable children to make good progress in all seven required areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The assessment and tracking processes are robust and the childminder successfully completes the progress check for children between two and three

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who attend

years, to identify any gaps in their learning. As a result, the childminder can identify when early intervention is needed, so that children receive the appropriate support to meet their learning needs. Parents are involved in both these ongoing records and their children's initial assessments. This means the childminder establishes children's starting points and can track their progress, in order to keep parents informed.

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who attend

Children develop good language skills. The childminder positively supports language development, repeating a sentence correctly, so that children can learn appropriate sentence structure. The childminder questions children to help them to think about what they are doing and predict what they could do next. However, she does not always give children time to process information and respond to the question, so they can use the language skills they have gained. Children become engrossed in their activities because the childminder matches these to children's stages of development, so they enjoy them. For example, children show delight when making a green grocer's shop. Here, children colour in their fruit pictures, use scissors to cut out the fruit with support from the childminder and stick them on the shop. The childminder develops this further and introduces shiny paper and glitter for the children to use. They enthusiastically use the

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who attend

glitter and proudly squeeze it onto their apples and melons. This excites one child who says 'it makes it twinkly'. Once the shop is made children thoroughly enjoy playing with the fruit, cups and plates and make drinks for each other. Activities, such as these, enthuse children and encourage them to be imaginative and express their thoughts and feelings.

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who attend

The childminder uses good teaching techniques, such as using the fruit in the fruit bowl, to enhance mathematical skills. Children count the apples in the bowl and calculate how many more they need to make 10. The childminder also uses everyday opportunities, such as snack to develop this area further. Children love being outside and have plenty of space to run about and explore in the spacious garden. They hunt for mini-beasts, dig for worms and grow a variety of vegetables. They play with small equipment to help their throwing and catching skills. The childminder takes them to the park to use larger equipment to develop their balancing and climbing skills to help them to gain control and coordination. The childminder arranges the home environment, so children know where to find the toys and instruments they want to play with and they confidently go to collect them. This encourages both their independence and active learning. The childminder joins in with

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who attend

their choices, for instance, by reading a favourite book. When doing so, she uses good teaching skills by using vocal expression and encouraging children to join in actions. She makes the story time fun, so both the childminder and children laugh together. Such positive experiences provide children with a firm foundation for the next stage of their early education.

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

Children form very strong relationships with the childminder who supports them effectively at all times. She welcomes children warmly on their arrival into her home and gives cuddles, which comfort them when they are unsettled. The settling-in period is tailored to children's individual needs as the childminder allows additional time for them to grow used to her home. She takes account of parents' requests when providing care for children. For example, their eating and sleeping routines. Therefore, children experience a smooth move from home to the childminder's home due to the continuity in practice. The childminder takes the children to toddler groups and for walks into the community where they met other children. This helps children to develop social skills that prepare them for their move to other settings, including school. The childminder constantly talks with children and responds promptly if they need support. Therefore, children feel valued and

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

Children are well behaved because the childminder has a positive attitude to behaviour management. Consequently, children know the simple rules and what the boundaries are. Children learn to play cooperatively from an early age, as the childminder encourages them to share and take turns. They are generous in celebrating other children's success and show pride in their own achievements. This gives them valuable experiences to learn how to interact socially. Children are accommodated in a very clean, comfortable home that is secure. They have access to a broad selection of high quality resources and toys, which are well maintained and cover all areas of learning both inside and outdoors. Children are confident as they move around in rooms and feel free to request assistance. Children's independence skills are consistently promoted through activities. For instance, they choose resources and can drink when they wish because water is always within

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

reach. They are developing good self-help skills as the wash and dry their hands and put their towels back on the hook.

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

Snack and mealtimes are social occasions, when the childminder sits with children and promotes their social skills through conversation. For example, they talk of their favourite fruit and where the fruit grows, such as apples from trees and carrots from under the ground. However, they do not always discuss the benefits of eating the healthy foods, which are served daily. In spite of this, the childminder plans activities to promote healthy eating. For instance, going shopping to buy the fruit for snack. She helps children learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies through daily outside play. The well- resourced play space provides opportunities for children to run around in the fresh air. There is a good balance between vigorous play and restful activities when children sleep or choose quiet play according to their preferences. Children demonstrate a good understanding of keeping themselves safe. For example, they use knives appropriately to

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

cut their fruit and learn to sit on chairs correctly. They also part take in regular fire drills. This helps children learn to keep themselves safe in an emergency.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has a clear understanding of safeguarding children procedures. For example, she understands the symptoms of abuse and she is able to explain what she would do if she has concerns. She provides children with a very safe and secure environment, which is thoroughly risk assessed and checked daily. She maintains comprehensive written risk assessments for the premises and outings, so that she is clear about safety procedures. The childminder monitors her accident record well to improve children's safety. She supervises children well and follows effective safety precautions, such as using stair gates and clearly identifying fire exits to reduce the risk of injury.

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provision

The childminder monitors the children's learning and educational programmes well. She has good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are actively involved in a broad and balanced range of experiences. The childminder assesses children's progress well and completes an overview of their achievements, to enable her to identify if there are any gaps in their learning. Consequently, children make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder is proactive in addressing identified areas for her professional development, such as finding out about training courses to support her awareness of children's speech and language development. The childminder makes good use of training opportunities to enhance her practice, which benefits all children. The childminder evaluates her provision well. She talks to the children about what they enjoy, making a photographic display of

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provision

their current interests, so that she can use of this information to improve the activities she provides. The childminder reflects on her practice well to identify her strengths and weakness.

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provision

The childminder engages well with parents. There is a good exchange of information, both verbally and in the daily communication diary, to promote very good continuity in care. Parents receive good information from the childminder. This includes detailed policies and procedures, which underpin the good childminding service provided. Parents' comment favourably about the childminder, commenting that 'she is always approachable and will help with whatever she can'. The childminder works well in partnership with other professionals to support children. There is good communication with other early years establishments that children attend to provide continuity in their care, learning and development. For example, she links closely with the local pre-school and school as appropriate, to support specific aspects of individual children's development, in order to promote continuity between the two establishments.

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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 207358 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 876268 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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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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