Childminder in Durham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/06/2014 31/12/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 make good progress in their learning and development because the childminder provides them with a variety of fun and interesting activities. As a result, children are engaged, motivated and show good levels of concentration in their play.  The childminder effectively encourages children to be independent. This develops their self-confidence and promotes their emotional well-being.  The safeguarding and welfare requirements are well understood by the childminder. A good range of policies, procedures and risk assessments are implemented which ensures a safe and secure environment for the children.  The childminder shows commitment and strives to develop her future practice. This supports improvements within the setting and enhances opportunities for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally, the childminder does not use skilful questioning to enable the children to further develop their critical thinking skills.  There is scope to further develop the outdoor area to enhance opportunities for children to investigate and explore.

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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 viewed all areas accessed by the children.  The inspector observed play and learning opportunities for the children.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at and discussed a range of records, policies and procedures with the childminder, including evidence of qualifications and suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from completed questionnaires obtained by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2013 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and two children in Seaham, County Durham. The whole of the ground floor and rear yard are used for childminding purposes. There is a pet dog and cat on the premises. The childminder attends activities within the local area. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently six children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 6am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 enhance children's critical thinking skills by making the most of every opportunity to skilfully question children throughout their activities, for example, by using more open-ended questions

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

 extend opportunities in the outdoor area for children to further develop their investigation and exploration skills.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good as the childminder effectively promotes the children's learning and development. She follows and extends the children's individual interests and needs, which supports their future learning. For example, the childminder provides additional resources when children play with water in the outdoor area, which sustains their curiosity and concentration. The childminder provides a good variety of fun and interesting activities for the children to cover all seven areas of learning. As a result, children make good progress overall in their learning and development from their starting points as they are actively engaged and motivated in their play. The childminder completes regular observations and assessments on the children to recognise their achievements, identify the next steps in their learning and to track their progress. Alongside these, photographs and examples of children's own work are collated in learning

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who attend

journey records and scrapbooks. These clearly demonstrate that the children are working well within the typical range of development expected for their age. The childminder completes the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, to provide parents with an overview of the children's progress in the prime areas of learning. Parents are encouraged to contribute to the children's learning and development as they share information from home and make regular comments on assessments and within daily diaries. This ensures parents feel involved and their views are valued and respected. The childminder provides parents with verbal and written feedback at the end of each session, which gives a clear picture of the children's progress and offers suggestions for learning at home. Consequently, this ensures continuity in the children's learning and helps them to develop the skills required for the next stage in their learning at school.

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who attend

Children have access to a good choice of toys and resources to stimulate and encourage them in their learning. Most resources are easily accessible, which supports children to make independent choices. The childminder interacts well with the children as she gets down to their level and plays alongside them. Communication and language development is supported by the childminder as she consistently listens to the children and engages them in constant discussion throughout their activities. However, occasionally there are missed opportunities for the childminder to skilfully question the children throughout their play to further develop their critical thinking skills. The childminder effectively promotes the children's mathematical skills and introduces them to a range of mathematical language. For example, children count up to seven in the outdoor area and are able to recognise different shapes and colours during a play dough activity. Children sit happily

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who attend

with the childminder as they enjoy listening to stories. They help to turn the pages of the book and talk about the different pictures throughout the story. This supports children's developing interest in books and their early reading skills. The childminder provides activities to encourage the children's knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, the children have recently been involved in making a wormery and show excitement as they look at the worms and snails using magnifying glasses. This ensures the children develop an understanding of growth and change over time. Children thoroughly enjoy using their imagination and taking part in role play activities where they pretend to wash and iron clothes for the dolls.

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who attend

The childminder supports the children's physical development by providing them with daily opportunities for outdoor play and exercise. However, there is scope to further develop the outdoor area and resources to enhance opportunities for children to investigate and explore. Weekly visits to local activities in the area and regular outings to the park, farm and beach, provide further opportunities for the children to develop their physical skills on a larger scale. This also effectively promotes the children's personal, social and emotional development as they learn to mix with other children and adults. As a result, children's confidence and self-esteem is increasing.

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

Children are clearly happy and settled with the childminder as they form secure attachments and develop positive relationships. They have established strong bonds with the childminder and her family, which effectively promotes their emotional well-being. The childminder recognises the individual needs of the children and offers them support and reassurance when required. Children's all-round development is supported as the childminder provides them with a warm and welcoming environment. Good settling-in procedures ensures children are well-supported in their transition from home into the setting as they feel comfortable and secure. The childminder works closely with parents during this time to share relevant information about the children. This is further promoted as the childminder has established links with local primary schools to ensure the children are emotionally prepared for their future transition when they move onto the next stage in

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

The childminder acts as a good role model as she manages the children's behaviour in a calm and consistent manner. She uses a number of effective strategies to reinforce appropriate behaviour, for example, distraction techniques. The childminder provides clear guidance to the children, which ensures they develop an understanding of the boundaries and expectations within the setting. She promotes positive behaviour to the children by using regular praise and encouragement. As a result, children behave well as they feel self-assured and appreciated. Children have a good awareness of keeping themselves safe as the childminder demonstrates the importance of safety throughout their activities and daily routines. For example, the childminder teaches the children about road safety and stranger danger when out in the local area.

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

Children are successfully encouraged to be independent and to manage their own personal needs. For example, they select their own resources, wash their hands and help with tasks during mealtimes. The childminder provides the children with a variety of balanced meals and snacks to support their understanding of a healthy diet and lifestyle. This is extended further as the childminder talks about the importance of healthy eating and making healthy food choices. For example, she explains to the children that, 'sweets are not good for our teeth'. There are good hygiene practices in place to ensure the children develop their own self-care skills and develop an awareness of their own health and well-being. The childminder provides daily opportunities for the children to be physically active and develop their coordination skills. Children also have regular outings in the local area, which enables them to explore different environments and gain an

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a thorough understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has attended relevant training, which ensures she understands her responsibility to protect the children and knows the procedures to follow if she has any concerns. A good range of written policies and procedures are implemented successfully. For example, the safeguarding policy contains information regarding what will happen if an allegation is made against the childminder. The childminder completes daily health and safety checks to ensure the indoor and outdoor environments are safe and secure for the children. The childminder ensures that all parental permissions are in place and children's records are accurately maintained. The required checks have been completed on the adults in the home to ensure they are suitable. As a result, children are effectively safeguarded in the childminder's care.

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provision

The childminder uses clear systems to monitor and evaluate the educational programmes for the children. This ensures that all areas of learning are covered and the children are progressing well in their learning and development. Self-evaluation is effective as the childminder shows commitment and strives to develop her future practice. This supports improvements within the setting and enhances opportunities for children. The childminder has worked extremely hard to address the actions and recommendations raised at the last inspection and following the monitoring visit undertaken in March 2014. For example, the childminder now has plans in place to ensure the children are provided with a challenging and enjoyable learning experience. This demonstrates the childminder has a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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provision

The childminder has good partnerships with parents as they work together to meet the children's individual needs. Parents are well-informed as they receive daily communication and are actively asked for their feedback through ongoing discussions and questionnaires. Parents make comments, such as, 'I can't get my child to leave at the end of the day' and, 'My child has progressed well with the childminder'. The childminder has established links with local primary schools and other professionals to further support the children in their learning and development. For example, she shares relevant information with teachers to ensure the children's learning is complemented in both settings. Consequently, children are provided with a consistent approach, which makes a strong contribution to meeting their developmental needs.

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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 EY466056 Local authority Durham Inspection number 965404 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 6

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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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