Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/06/2014 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 promotes children's safety well because she has a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures, is considerate of children and their welfare and carries out thorough risk assessments.  The childminder offers children clear guidance to support their language development. Her animated, age-appropriate teaching furthers their emerging understanding and she injects humour into her interactions with them, ensuring their learning is fun.  The childminder recognises parents as children's first educators as she offers them daily feedback and shares details of children's progress and activities through their learning journals.  Behaviour management is good. The childminder sensitively teaches children to deal with unwanted feelings and they learn to share and take turns through her simple, effective explanations.  The childminder is proactive about improving her service as she undertakes regular

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This provision is good

training and considers the views of children, parents and other professionals before deciding on the way forward.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 At times, the childminder does not support children sufficiently to develop their knowledge and understanding of new experiences being offered. This lessens the effectiveness of some activities in helping children learn.

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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 looked at areas of the home used for childminding and the indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector spoke with the childminder at convenient times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including policies and procedures, registers, the childminder's self-evaluation, improvement plan and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children as they played and the quality of their interactions with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through written feedback provided.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2011, and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and three children aged 14, 10 and two years, close to Ely, Cambridgeshire. The downstairs of the premises, and the bathroom and one bedroom upstairs is used for childminding. There is a stepped entrance and an enclosed garden for children's outdoor play. The family has a dog, a cat and a snake as pets. The childminder attends local toddler groups and visits the local shops, library and parks on a regular basis. She is able to take children to, and collect them from the local school and pre-school. There are currently four children on roll, who attend for a variety of sessions; two of whom are in the early years age group. The childminder opens all year round, from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with the exception of bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional

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Information about the setting

Association for Childcare and Early Years. The childminder receives support from the local authority and is completing the local authority quality assurance scheme.

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

 enhance the already good level of understanding and practice brought to the role by ensuring the sharp focus on helping children acquire new knowledge and skills extends to explanations offered when new concepts are introduced.

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who attend

The childminder's good teaching skills enable her to engage well with the children and she successfully interests them in the activities on offer. Children choose which resources they want each day through use of a folder of laminated photographs. In this way, the childminder is able to ensure resources are targeted to promote their enthusiasm for learning as they follow their interests. She makes careful observations of what children enjoy and can do, and uses these effectively to analyse their progress. Purposeful activities are therefore planned to help children achieve the next steps in their learning. As a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder collects information from parents about children's interests and abilities before they join the setting. She carries out a home visit for each child at which an 'All about me' form is completed. This enables her to plan for children's individual learning needs from the start.

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who attend

She holds daily two-way conversations with parents about children's well-being and activities. Parents are well informed, as she also shares a daily diary and informative learning journals to extend support for children's learning at home.

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who attend

Children are offered a wide range of activities and outings which help them develop effectively across each area of learning. They enjoy a particularly broad range of arts and crafts to support their skills in expressive arts and design. They become excited when the childminder gets out a variety of coloured, scented rice and quickly become absorbed using the variety of tools and play equipment she adds. They explore the feel of the rice running through their fingers and develop manual dexterity as they pour it from a jug into a narrow necked bottle. The childminder offers children new ideas as she explains that a new tool is called 'tweezers' and asks them if they can use them to pick up the rice. However, she does not fully support a child who tries hard to do this, but cannot manage it and gives up returning to their previous play. This lessens the effectiveness of the activity as a learning experience. The childminder sits with the children as they explore the

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who attend

equipment, and adds other resources linked to children's interests to extend the activity. Children are given time to think about their own solutions, as they look for ways to use the rice and the activity is enjoyable and unhurried. Children are thoughtfully supported to direct their own play and they develop as independent learners who are engaged and concentrate well.

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who attend

Children move around the home confidently to seek out their own enjoyable activities. For example, they have fun whizzing cars down the ramp they have created, and enjoy making the spinning top rotate. The childminder encourages their love of reading, as she sits cuddled up with them, during an interactive book reading session. A good range of construction toys, puzzles and threading activities help children to develop their mathematics and building skills. For example, the childminder makes bunting with them to decorate the trees in the garden. Children choose their favourite car or train and number to decorate the bunting with, thereby learning about shape and number in a fun way. The childminder encourages children's communication through two-way conversations and good use of open questioning. For example, she shows children tadpoles from the pond in a clear cup and, each week, asks them how they have changed. Her natural affinity with

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who attend

these young children extends their listening and speaking skills. Through such activities, children develop confidence in their ability to learn, which supports the next stage of their learning, including school.

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

Children settle well into the childminder's home, as she accommodates their interests and preferences and is sensitively attuned to meeting their individual needs. The childminder works hard to provide them with skills to enable them to become confident learners. Parents are encouraged to make settling-in visits to ease children's transition into the childminder's home. Additionally, she carries out a home visit for each child to see how they react in their home environment. She also uses this as an opportunity to find out specific details about the child and valuable information is exchanged with parents. Therefore, children's emotional well-being is promoted as they feel secure, content and play happily during their time with her. The childminder works closely with parents to find out about children's health and dietary needs and keeps them appropriately informed about any accidents.

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

Children learn to behave well due to consistent boundaries and the positive strategies used by the childminder. Her frequent use of praise and encouragement and determination to reward positive behaviour helps build children's self-confidence and self- esteem. She offers sensitive explanations to help children learn to share and take turns. For example, they share a book together with the childminder and take turns using tools when playing with the rice. The childminder organises her home and resources well, so that children can follow their own interests. They are involved in decision making about planned activities and easily access a range of age-appropriate resources. Children's independence is, therefore, promoted well, arming them with skills to support their future learning.

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

The childminder encourages children to eat healthily and talks to parents about meeting any particular dietary needs. Parents provide children's meals and snacks, and the childminder works with them to ensure these are varied and nutritious. Children learn about healthy eating through discussion with the childminder and participate in enjoyable activities, which promote their understanding. For example, they grow their own cress and eat it, and explore new healthy tastes as they sample foods from other countries. As a result, they develop an early understanding of the foods that are good for them. The childminder realises the importance of fresh air and exercise for children. They play active games indoors and enjoy regular visits to local parks, where they enjoy the challenges of larger play equipment in the fresh air. The childminder encourages children to learn about good hygiene as each has their own named towel peg for use after washing their hands.

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

Such measures effectively support healthy lifestyles and promote their physical development. They become familiar with their local area and meet different children as they visit the local shops and different toddler groups, thereby developing their social skills. The childminder helps children learn to keep themselves safe, for example, she teaches them to come down the stairs safely on their bottoms.

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provision

The childminder has a clear understanding of the safeguarding procedures she would use to keep children in her care safe from harm. She has attended child protection training and has developed written procedures to follow should she have any concerns about a child's welfare. Children play in a safe, clean home as a result of the childminder's conscientious approach to risk assessing the environment. She thoroughly checks the indoor and outdoor areas daily and ensures resources are safe and of a good quality. As a result, children's safety is promoted well. The childminder has neatly organised all the required underpinning documentation to enable her to meet the legal requirements. She updates her records conscientiously, which enables her to effectively support children's care and learning.

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provision

The childminder has begun to evaluate her provision by undertaking the local authority quality assurance scheme. This enables her to prioritise improvements, and she includes the views of others in her evaluation of the service she offers. She takes account of children's opinions about activities and seeks the views of parents. She is proactive with regard to ongoing training and has identified future training needs. Her professional approach and dedication to the children in her care demonstrates her commitment to the provision of a high quality service. The childminder uses the experience she gained working as a key person in a local pre-school to help her support children in their learning. This has enabled her to strengthen children's communication skills and make good progress. The childminder keeps comprehensive records of children's learning experiences, and effectively monitors their development throughout their time with her.

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provision

The childminder has established strong links with the local school and pre-school. For example, she talks to teachers to find out about children's learning needs, enabling her to provide consistent learning experiences. Parents indicate their satisfaction with the service offered, recognising the confidence children gain as a result of their time spent with the childminder. They value the variety of activities and outings offered and the way the childminder keeps them informed about their children's progress. One parent comments that their children 'never want to come home'. The childminder works flexibly to meet individual family's needs, for example, she is able to accommodate shift working patterns. Although the childminder has not yet needed to work with external agencies in relation to children in her care she has prior experience of doing so. This ensures that she would know what to do should the need arise.

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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 EY431718 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 892035 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 4

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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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