Childminder in Northumberland

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/06/2014 16/11/2009

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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

 Teaching is good. This is because the childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding of how to ensure children make good progress in their learning and development. She provides a wide range of activities that are interesting and offer children challenging experiences.  The childminder makes sure that her home is safe and well organised so that children can easily select resources for themselves. This helps them grow in confidence and independence.  The childminder has a good understanding of her role and responsibility to protect children in her care and to keep them safe at all times. She uses effective safeguarding procedures that support her to promote children's welfare competently.  Strong links with parents ensure that they are fully involved in their children's learning. This effective partnership between the childminder and parents fully supports children's happiness, achievement and behaviour.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasions the childminder does not always make full use of all spontaneous opportunities to build upon children's already good mathematical skills, with specific reference to counting.

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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 made observations of the children while they were engaged in activities in the lounge and kitchen.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records, observation and assessment files, planning documentation and a selection of policies.  The inspector spoke to the childminder and children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of parents' views, through written documentation they had provided for the inspection and the information from the childminder's focused improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the childminder's qualifications and the suitability of all adults living in the home.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children, aged 20 and 13 years, in Ovingham, Northumberland. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. There are currently two children on roll, both of whom are in the early years age group. The childminder operates all year round, from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The family has one dog and two cats as pets.

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

 enhance further children's already good mathematical skills by using everyday routines and play to encourage them to count, for instance counting the building blocks and fruit at snack time.

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who attend

Children make good progress in relation to their starting points. The childminder's flexible planning develops through the interests and play preferences of children. She ensures that they receive a balance of both child-led and adult-initiated activities. There are also good opportunities to access quiet, active, indoor and outdoor activities within their daily routine. She has a good knowledge of children's development and personal preferences and provides resources and activities to suit these. Planning ensures the experiences children receive are varied and cover all areas of learning, preparing them well for the next stage in their learning and the move on to school. The childminder uses learning journeys to record children's progress and both planned and spontaneous observations are carried out to identify the next steps of learning. Parents are kept well informed of their child's learning and development and are provided with opportunities to share examples of

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who attend

children's learning at home. Children's learning journals are shared with parents so that they can see the progress their children are making as well as the range of activities available to them. The childminder is aware of the requirement to complete the progress check between the age of two and three years and has prepared for this effectively with parents.

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who attend

Children develop positive attitudes to learning because the childminder shows an interest in everything they do. A varied range of activities fosters children's participation and the childminder's good support and gentle encouragement enables them to enjoy and achieve. They especially enjoy playing with home-made games, such as using the oversized tongs to pick up various coloured pom-poms which they then drop into the corresponding tube. Younger children begin to explore new vocabulary because the childminder talks with them consistently about what they are doing. They are encouraged to respond to her and begin to repeat words, showing a developing skill in language. For example, children learn to recognise and name various colours and shapes as they build with the blocks. The childminder extends children's learning further by asking them to find specific shapes and adding a new word, for instance, 'red' square. This approach enables children to become

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who attend

confident communicators. In addition, it is also successful in developing aspects of children's mathematical skills, such as colour and shape recognition. However, the childminder does not always use other opportunities that arise to promote children's awareness of number and encourage simple counting. For instance, counting the blocks as they build, and counting how many grapes they have at snack time.

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who attend

Children enjoy choosing books and sitting with the childminder for short periods of time to point to familiar pictures and objects. The childminder provides a good range of resources and activities that help children to develop their early writing skills. For example, they make patterns in sand, and draw with crayons, pencils and chalk. Children learn about the natural world and wildlife. For instance, the childminder has erected a bird table on the patio and this has generated much interest in the birds that come to feed. The childminder has laminated pictures of the various birds which they use to help them identify which one they can see. Post-it notes decorate a large map of the world. This is successful in developing children's awareness of the wider world. It also helps those children whose parents work away from home to make sense of where they are. Children's creative and imaginative development is supported through craft activities, such as painting using a

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who attend

variety of tools, including, feathers, chop sticks and brushes. Good provision is made for children's physical development and they get pleasure from playing in the childminder's garden. A good range of equipment is easily accessible, including fixed drain pipes which enable children to pour water through, bikes and sit and ride toys.

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

The childminder has strong and positive relationships with the children in her care. Children readily approach her for reassurance and cuddles and they welcome her involvement in their play. They are happy, self-assured and quickly develop a sense of security when they are in the childminder's home. Children's individual needs and parents' preferences are discussed during the settling-in sessions. This ensures a positive and smooth move for children into the childminder's care. Consequently, children's emotional development is well met.

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

Children are encouraged to make choices about their play as the childminder presents a large selection of resources at their height in a bright and welcoming environment. Therefore, children's independence is promoted from an early age. Children are developing self-help skills that are relative to their age and ability. For example, the childminder encourages them to help to put their shoes on and tidy toys away. Children respond positively to the childminder's methods of behaviour management which are appropriate to children's age and stage of development and reinforce positive behaviour. They learn to be kind to each other and to share toys and older children are beginning to understand that every action has a consequence. The childminder acts as a positive role model for children at all times. She makes good use of praise to support positive behaviour and boost children's self-esteem and confidence.

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

Children learn how to keep themselves healthy because they have frequent opportunities for both physical and outdoor play activities. This clearly helps them to develop a positive attitude to exercise. They also get plenty of fresh air as they play in the garden and use local parks to expend some of their energy. Children are beginning to learn about their own personal hygiene as they are encouraged to wash their hands at appropriate times throughout the day. The childminder provides healthy meals and snacks which take into account children's dietary requirements. In addition, drinks are available to children at all times. The childminder has good procedures in place to keep children safe and secure. For example, she ensures visitors sign in and she makes sure that external doors are locked so children cannot leave the premises unsupervised. Children are helped to keep themselves safe. They learn how to evacuate the premises in the event of an emergency, and learn

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

how to cross the roads safely when out walking.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her role and responsibilities in relation to the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She is aware of the indicators of possible abuse and has a clear policy and procedure to follow in the event of a concern. The childminder is very conscientious about keeping children safe from harm and ensures that they are protected and closely supervised at all times. She has completed thorough risk assessments of her house, garden and outings undertaken. The implementation of these successfully minimises potential hazards and risks to children and is effective in keeping them safe and secure. The childminder has a comprehensive set of policies and procedures that underpin all aspects of the welfare and safeguarding requirements. These are reviewed regularly, shared with parents and are implemented in practice by the childminder. Necessary checks for all adults within the household have been completed.

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provision

This ensures children's well-being is promoted effectively.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates good ideas and teaching strategies to support children in making good progress. Through careful planning and monitoring she ensures that children receive a broad range of experiences that suit their individual needs. These successfully help them to make good progress in all areas of learning. She observes children during play and effectively uses what she sees and hears to assess their progress and identify any areas in need of further support or extension. Parents are valued highly and children benefit from the strong partnerships that the childminder has established with them. This makes a strong contribution to meeting children's needs. Feedback from parents clearly shows that they are very happy with the care their children receive. The childminder liaises effectively with other childcare facilities which the children attend and has been informed of future topics and themes in which the children will be involved. This helps her

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provision

to provide consistency in their learning.

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provision

The childminder reflects on her practice and uses self-evaluation to good effect. This enables her to identify areas of her practice that require improvement and consider ways to promote further development. She demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous improvement. As a result, she has addressed the areas for improvement which were set at the last inspection. For example, she has improved the observation and assessment systems to ensure children's learning priorities are identified in order to effectively plan for their individual needs. She has also completed first aid training which has a positive impact on children's well-being.

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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 EY284674 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 870761 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 2

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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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