Childminder in Hampshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/05/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder provides a caring, inviting and welcoming environment and atmosphere, where children feel relaxed and settled.  Children develop their confidence well as they feel valued and the childminder provides positive praise and encouragement.  The childminder develops effective communication and partnerships with parents. Ongoing communication between them supports consistency in meeting children's individual needs.  The childminder and her co-childminder work well as team and provide a consistent service. Their self-evaluation processes are strong and involve parents and children to promote continuous improvements.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder misses some opportunities to extend discussions with children using questions to further support their thinking skills.  The childminder does not display print or numbers labels in the outdoor environment to further raise children's awareness that print carries meaning.

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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 the childminder's interaction with the children and the play experiences and activities on offer indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder, co-childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 Several parents provided written feedback about the childminding setting, which the inspector took account of.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of paperwork including regulatory records, children's progress records, the childminder's written self-evaluation and suitability records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed the main areas of the home used for childminding purposes including sleeping and toilet facilities.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2013. She lives with her husband and two older children in the Rooksdown area of Basingstoke, Hampshire. The downstairs of the home is mainly used for childminding with access to the first floor for sleeping purposes. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The family has two rabbits. They also have a dog, which is not present during childminding hours. Local facilities are within walking distance, such as, parks, schools and shops. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She regularly offers care during weekdays and occasional care overnight, evenings and at weekends. The childminder works with a co- childminder. There are currently nine children on roll who are cared for by both childminders. Children attend on a full and part time basis. The childminders also care for older children before and after school and during school holidays. The setting receives funding for free early years education for two, three and four-year-old children.

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

 enhance children's learning in the outdoor area further by, for example, adding print and number labels

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

 enhance discussions with children further through asking more questions to promote their thinking skills more consistently.

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who attend

The childminder works closely with parents to meet their children's learning needs. She gains good information about children's starting points through effective settling in arrangements. For example, the childminder gains information about what children can do already and any areas where parents feel children need further support on all about me forms. The childminder begins undertaking observations of children from the time she starts caring for them and continues to make ongoing observations of children's progress. As a result, she builds a clear picture of children's progress and identifies any gaps in children's achievements. The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of the steps to take in order to close gaps in children's progress. For example, she understands the importance of working with parents and seeking professional advice and support when needed. The childminder completes in-depth evaluations of children's progress. These

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who attend

enable her to identify children's level of development, their achievements and next steps for learning accurately. The childminder promotes a two-way approach to sharing information about children's learning with their parents. She encourages parents to provide information about their children's learning at home and she provides ideas and activities for parents and children to try at home. As a result, there is a positive approach to promoting children's learning to support their progress consistently at home and at the childminding setting.

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who attend

The childminder joins in well with children during their play and activities, which motivates their learning positively. Through this she supports children's learning and provides a good quality of teaching, overall. For example, as children play with sand she introduces mathematical language, such as 'on top' as children make sandcastles. The childminder encourages children to enjoy books and she reads children's own choices to them. She encourages children to use their language skills by talking about their own experiences in relation to the book, such as visits to the doctor. However, she does not always extend discussions by asking questions to promote children's thinking skills further, such as why water is important to flowers growing outside. The childminder provides good support to younger children's language skills as she talks about what they are doing while they play. This helps children put actions to words, such as 'in and out' as they put objects in and

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who attend

out of a container. The childminder encourages children's awareness of the world they live in through talking to them about the seedlings growing and how to care for them.

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who attend

Children benefit from a broad range of activities, play experiences and outings that engage their interest well. For example, children enjoy an outing on a bus to visit a canal, where they fish with nets and feed the swans and ducks. This raises children's awareness of different types of transport and caring for living things. Children use different types of technology, such as torches and electronic educational games. As a result, they develop their understanding of how things work. The childminder encourages children to use a self-registration system which promotes children's strong sense of belonging and helps them to recognise their name. Children develop their listening skills as they spend time enjoying reading books in the cosy book corner with the childminder. They take part in activities that support pencil control and learn how to hold a pen in the correct grasp. These activities support children in becoming ready to move onto school and promote

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who attend

their good progress in line with their staring points.

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

Effective settling-in arrangements support parents and children strongly. The childminder offers home visits with her co-childminder to get to know children in a familiar environment. They arrange visits to the childminding setting for parents and children; these are flexible to accommodate families and children's different needs. The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of supporting children as they start another setting or school. She is aware of preparing children so that they are emotionally ready, such as reading books about starting school. The children settle well and are happy and confident in the warm, loving care the childminder provides. As a result, children feel safe and secure. The childminder supports children in developing relationships with the other minded children, such as encouraging play together. The childminder has a secure understanding of supporting and meeting children's individual needs. She recognises when

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

younger children are beginning to get tired and gives them cuddles and their comforters when needed.

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

The childminder manages the children's behaviour effectively. She provides positive messages to children, which helps them to understand the boundaries and the expectations of behaviour. The childminder promotes children's self-esteem through plenty of praise and encouragement. Children benefit from a positive role model as the childminder is polite, calm and interacts with her co-childminder, visitors and children pleasantly. As a result, children learn to use good manners without prompting. Children learn about their safety as they benefit from reminders from the childminder about safe practices. For example, she reminds children about the importance of staying close to her when on outings and practises road safety with them.

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

Children develop their independent self-care skills as the childminder gives them time to manage tasks by themselves, such as taking off their shoes. The older children become independent in using the toilet and know they need to flush the toilet and wash their hands afterwards. Social snack times mean that children sit around the table together with the childminders. This encourages their interaction with each other and provides a time to reflect on daily routines, which the childminder discusses with the children. She provides healthy snacks, such as fruit and breadsticks and talks to children about healthy lifestyles, such as drinking water. These activities promote children's awareness of healthy choices. The childminder encourages parents to provide healthy packed lunches for their children through providing them with a healthy eating policy. Food provided by parents is stored appropriately in the fridge to keep it fresh. Children enjoy spending time outdoors and

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

benefit from plenty of physical activity and fresh air. The childminder provides outings to the park and garden resources which support children in developing their physical skills, such as coordination and balance.

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

The childminder provides an inviting and welcoming environment for children with a broad range of good quality toys, equipment and resources. The outdoor area provides experiences to promote all areas of learning and has a covered area enabling children to be outside in different weather. This reflects the childminder's understanding of how to promote children's learning in the indoor and outdoor areas well, overall. For example, she displays letters, words and numbers indoors, which raises children's awareness that print carries meaning. However, she has not extended this to the outdoor area to support children further, particularly those who learn better outside.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of her responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She maintains required paperwork, such as the times of children's daily attendance and consents to take children on outings. In addition, she provides a broad range of written information about her service to parents, such as policies and procedures. The childminder promotes the safeguarding of children securely. For example, she provides individual hand drying for children to prevent cross infection, which supports their good health and well-being. The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures, including how to manage any concerns that may arise about children's welfare. She carries out daily safety checks to promote children's safety robustly and carries out practices of the evacuation procedure at appropriate intervals with the children. These measures promote children's

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provision

well-being and safety effectively at the childminding setting.

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provision

The childminder takes effective steps to meet the learning and development requirements. She is aware of carrying out required checks, such as the progress check for two-year-old children and has a format available to complete this check. Children's learning and development experiences and progress are monitored closely through assessments and tracking systems. This enables the childminder to securely understand individual children's progress and identify their next steps in learning.

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provision

Self-evaluation processes are good. The childminder and her co-childminder seek parents' and children's feedback to support their self-evaluation. They identify the strengths of the childminding setting securely along with areas to develop and improve. The childminder has devised a development plan to promote improvements and has identified further training she aims to complete. She demonstrates a commitment to developing and improving her practice and service. As a result, she shows a strong capacity to maintain future continuous improvement.

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provision

Effective partnerships support positive and open communication between the childminder and parents. She provides a wide range of ongoing information to parents about their children both verbally and through written records, such as daily diaries and progress records. This promotes a shared approach to supporting children's care and learning needs consistently. Parents' feedback reflects they have a very positive view of the childminding setting. The childminder demonstrates she understands the importance of building partnerships with other early years providers and professionals. She has a positive attitude to working with others, for example, she has made links with other early years settings in preparation for when children start nursery sessions in the future.

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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 EY469884 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 940985 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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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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