Childminder in Somerset

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/06/2014 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 plans an enabling environment for children to use a wide range of resources inside and outdoors, go on outings and attend groups to promote their learning effectively in all areas.  The childminder seeks good information on children starting points and continues to make good observations to monitor and plan for children's ongoing development.  Children progress well in their key areas of development, which provide good foundations for their next stage of learning and school.  The childminder effectively monitors her provision and personal development, setting good actions and seeking appropriate training to improve outcomes for children continually.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder sometimes misses teaching opportunities to support children fully in thinking critically to solve problems.

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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 indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint evaluation of an adult led activity with the childminder.  The inspector checked safeguarding information and the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the childminders self-evaluation and parents' written comments left for the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including policies and procedures, a parents' welcome pack, children's development records and planning.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2013. She lives with her husband and three children, of whom one is in the early years age range. They live in Chilthorne Domer, near Yeovil, Somerset. Children have use of the ground floor for play activities. This consists of a lounge/dining room, playroom/conservatory and kitchen. There is also a ground floor toilet and sleep facilities. There is a secure back garden for outside play, including a level enclosed area with soft surfacing. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The family has a dog, a cat and two guinea pigs. The dog has a separate area of the house and outdoors. The childminder holds a childcare qualification at level 3.

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

 increase awareness of promoting children's critical thinking fully, for example by encouraging children to solve problems.

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who attend

The childminder has a good system to seek extensive information from parents on children's development and their interests, when they first start with her. Parents complete a questionnaire on their children's communication skills for example. The childminder then makes her own observations, which enables her to identify any differences and plan effectively for their development from the start. She continually involves parents knowing that what they know about their children makes a strong contribution to her understanding children's individual needs. She shares her planning with parents so that they can support learning at home. The childminder has already revised her planning and the topics now come from children's interests, such as their fascination with water. This motivates them to learn. Children develop firm foundations in their key areas of development, which prepares them well for their next stage of learning and

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who attend

school. They are active learners, developing confidence and good communication skills. As a result, all children make good progress in all areas of their learning and development.

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who attend

Children gain a good understanding of the world through real experiences on the many outings the childminder organises. In the garden, children notice the effect the wind has on a child's windmill and learn that plants need just the right amount of water and lots of sunshine and light to grow. They learn how to grow plants from seeds and the childminder uses this to promote children's mathematical skills, such as measuring their plants and counting the number of leaves. She encourages them to think about whether their plant will be taller or shorter or have more or less leaves next time. Children develop good physical skills and independence as they put on and off their shoes, cut craft materials to their desired size and open packets and containers from their packed lunch. The childminder provides just enough support for children to manage their task. However, she sometimes misses teaching opportunities to promote children's critical thinking. For

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who attend

example, when children sprinkle glitter on paper she tells them that they need to put glue on first. This does not encourage them to solve the problem for themselves of how to make the glitter stay on the paper.

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who attend

The childminder enables children to initiate their own learning and follows their lead to challenge their development. For example, children independently choose books and the childminder asks them if they would like her to read to them. During the story, children demonstrate their understanding of what to wear in different weather. The childminder extends their vocabulary ensuring they understand the meaning of words such as optician.

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who attend

She also supports them in gaining a positive awareness of people's differences, such as needing glasses. Children say the names of letters they recognise and the childminder encourages them to link sounds to the letter. This prepares children well in readiness for reading. Children confidently count and through good support from the childminder, they know what number comes next when they add one more. Children enjoy exploring a wide range of textures including foam, straw, cotton wool and sawdust. They experiment with combining media to see what difference that makes, such as foam in water appears to melt and changes the colour of the water. The exciting activities encourage children to want to take part and so they learn new skills and continue to progress well.

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

The childminder supports new children well in settling in and understanding the routines. As a result, they separate happily from their parent or carers; who comment positively on how much their children look forward to going to the childminders home. The childminder seeks good information from parents on children's care routines, individual learning needs and any additional support such as learning English as an additional language. This enables her to meet children's care and learning needs effectively. Children become confident and independent because the childminder values their contributions and praises their ideas. She provides a good role model and consequently, children behave well, use good manners and develop strong positive relationships. The childminder makes good links with other providers in order to support children in moving on to their setting or school. She has been on good relevant training to support children's personal social and

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

emotional development. This has a positive impact on children's feeling of security and emotional well-being. Parents comment very positively on how the childminder concerns herself with children's well-being, happiness, safety and development.

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

The childminder talks to children about healthy eating and practices throughout their play and routines. For example, they say that fruit is good for you and they need to clean their teeth. They know that they wash their hands to clean off the germs, which is important before eating and after using the toilet. The childminder protects the health of young children by providing clean bedding for them to sleep. Children have daily opportunities to be outdoors and learn about the importance of fresh air and exercise. They understand why they wear hats and sunscreen to protect them from the sun. Children confidently climb up the slide, holding onto the rail and use the trampoline one at a time, knowing that the safety net is there to stop them falling off. This also promotes awareness of keeping themselves safe, while developing their skills through taking age-appropriate risks.

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

The childminder organises her environment really well both indoors and outside. She labels containers and has a wide range of good quality resources accessible for children to make choices and use to initiate their own learning. The childminder makes good use of the local environment and groups for children to socialise, and learn about their own community and the natural world. The childminder has an enclosed area of her back garden with a soft surface, which provides a particularly safe outdoor area for the youngest children. Older children can also use this area while benefiting from the larger equipment in the rest of the garden. The childminder thinks of exciting ways to engage children in different activities, such as using chalk, foam and water outdoors as a means of encouraging their early writing skills. This provides an enabling environment for children.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She organises her documentation well for the safe and efficient management of her provision. She uses consent forms to ensure that she meets parents' wishes to safeguard children. The childminder has a good understanding of child protection issues. This includes the signs and symptoms to be aware of and how to report concerns. The childminder carries out good risk assessments and ensures she has appropriate procedures and equipment in place to help keep children safe. The childminder effectively monitors children's learning, including using a good system to record the progress check for two-year-old children when required. She identifies any areas in which children require additional support to ensure they all reach their full potential. She does this through regularly summarising children's development

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provision

The childminder holds a childcare qualification but continues to actively seek appropriate training to benefit the children and increase her knowledge. For example, she is currently doing a communication course and as a result, she now asks parents to bring items from home to prompt discussions. After completing relevant training, the childminder has already reviewed and changed the way she records children's progress and plans the activities. The childminder has good systems of self-evaluation. This includes seeking parents' feedback and keeping a diary of reflection to enable her to set appropriate actions to continue improving her practice. For example, the childminder is building up her resources to promote positive images of people's differences by using the library, toy library and involving parents. The childminder has good partnerships with parents. She uses communication books, electronic systems and verbal feedback to exchange information and work together to

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provision

promote children's care and learning. The development records give parents a good explanation on how the childminder will monitor their children's learning. She requests good information explaining this is to help her understand their child fully. The childminder is developing partnerships for the benefit of the children. For example, she volunteered at a local pre-school to get to know two children she now cares for. This also gave her the opportunity to speak to the children's key person and see any development records. The childminder has registered with the local children's centre to use their services and let parents know what is available to them. Parents comment very positively on how much their children benefit from being with the childminder.

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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 EY472062 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 949715 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 5

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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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