Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/06/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder has a warm and caring approach with the children, and as a result, they feel emotionally secure.  The childminder communicates with parents effectively. Ongoing communication means the childminder and parents work together to meet the needs of the children.  The childminder has a reasonable understanding of safeguarding children and knows the procedure to follow if she has any concerns about a child.  Children make satisfactory progress because the childminder uses suitable teaching strategies to promote their learning and development.

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It is not yet good because

 The environment is sometimes cluttered and disorganised, and the standard of cleanliness is not always good enough.  Children are not always engaged in purposeful play because the childminder does not routinely plan interesting or challenging activities to consistently meet their individual learning needs.  Some children are not able to access the full range of resources within the setting. This means that they are not able to follow their own play and learning interests or access resources independently.

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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 toured the premises.  The inspector observed activities indoors and in the outdoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder and held discussions with her at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day and written comments in children's learning journals and the childminder's own survey.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the childminder's suitability, a sample of policies, including the safeguarding policy, and evidence of training.  The inspector looked at children's assessments and learning journals.

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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 children aged one, three and seven years in Runcorn. The whole of the ground floor, the bathroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently two children on roll, both of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except Bank Holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 ensure that all areas accessed by the children are clean and well organised in order to fully minimise risks to children

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must:

 ensure children are consistently engaged in interesting, challenging and purposeful activities in order to fully extend their learning and development.

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

 improve opportunities within the setting for all children to be able to access the full range of resources independently at all times, in order for them to follow their own interests and make choices in their play and learning.

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who attend

Teaching is adequate, and as a result, children make satisfactory progress in relation to their starting points. The childminder uses suitable teaching strategies, for example, while children decorate cakes, she demonstrates, explains and praises children's efforts. She talks to children as they play, asking questions or making appropriate comments. As a result, children are developing adequate language and communication skills. The childminder helps older children to count the decorations on their cake and talks about the colours, so they are learning basic numeracy skills and are able to recognise and name primary colours. Consequently, children are developing some of the skills necessary for their next steps in learning, including the eventual move to school. However, children are not always engaged in interesting or challenging activities or purposeful play because the childminder has not carefully planned suitable activities that consistently support this.

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who attend

Furthermore, children sometimes spend time watching television with no adult interaction to support their learning. As a result, children's learning is not always well promoted and so they make satisfactory, rather than good, levels of progress.

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who attend

The childminder has a reasonable understanding of where children are in their development because she observes children to find out what they have achieved and what they enjoy doing. Her observations are matched to the areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage and are used to assess children's progress against age-related expectations. This means that areas of underachievement can be identified and addressed. Children's observations and assessments are collected in their learning journals, alongside annotated photographs of children's play and learning.

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who attend

The childminder has a good relationship with parents and keeps them well informed about the progress their children are making in her care. She uses daily diaries and chats at handover times so that parents know what children have been involved in during the day. Furthermore, she frequently shares children's learning journals with parents. This ensures the childminder and parents work together to meet the needs of children, and helps guide parents to continue the learning at home.

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

The childminder has a warm approach with the children. She knows them well because she talks to parents frequently to find out about their routines. Therefore, children settle quickly, develop good attachments and are emotionally secure with the childminder. The childminder prepares children for school by helping them to be independent in their self- care skills. For example, older children are encouraged to put on their own shoes and hats before they go outside to play. Furthermore, she helps children to take turns and to sit at the table at meal and snack times. Behaviour is managed positively because the childminder has a calm approach. She intervenes in squabbles between toddlers and quickly resolves issues by distracting children. As a result, children's behaviour is generally good in relation to their age.

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

There is a well-maintained garden which has some large equipment for children to use to develop their physical skills. For example, children enjoy climbing the ladder up to the slide and negotiate the steps to the grass area, with supervision from the childminder. They take turns to sit on the swing as the childminder pushes it gently. Children are therefore learning how to take small risks during their play. However, indoors the play areas are sometimes cluttered, disorganised and not always kept clean enough. For example, on the day of the inspection, the toilet had not been cleaned, the floor where children play had street dirt on it as a result of prams being wheeled across it, and the table where children ate lunch was sticky from the morning's cake decorating activity. Furthermore, nappy changing arrangements do not always follow good hygiene guidelines. As a result, standards of cleanliness and hygiene are not always good enough to fully

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

promote young children's good health and well-being. While the childminder provides some resources for the children to play with, for instance, prams and dolls, other resources are not freely accessible to children. Some resources, such as books, are stored on low-level shelves but children are blocked from reaching these because a pushchair is stored in front of them. Other resources are stored in boxes with lids at various heights. However, not all children are able to reach the boxes to see what they contain. Therefore, not all children are able to access the full range of resources available, and consequently, this hinders their ability to make independent choices and follow their own play interests.

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

Some of the arrangements for supporting children's understanding of how to keep themselves healthy are positive. For example, they enjoy fruit for snack and have drinks throughout the day. The childminder provides healthy meals, which take into account children's different dietary preferences. Children also wipe their hands before meals and have access to fresh air and exercise as they play outdoors in the garden and regularly visit parks. The childminder also encourages children to apply sun cream before they play outside, and reminds them to wear their hat to protect them from the sun.

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provision

The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of her responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and has attended training. She has clear policies in place and demonstrates a reasonable understanding of the procedures to follow if she has a concern about a child in her care. Children are generally kept safe because the childminder has a reasonable awareness of how to reduce risks, for example, by keeping the front door locked. However, the house is disorganised and the standard of cleanliness is not always good enough to maintain good levels of hygiene. As a result, not all legal requirements are fully met. The childminder has a valid first-aid certificate and shows a satisfactory understanding of how to deal with accidents and injuries. She records accidents appropriately and has suitable procedures in place to ensure medication is administered safely.

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provision

The childminder has a reasonable overview of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She ensures that the seven areas of learning are adequately covered. She also uses her observations to monitor children's progress. As a result, she is able to identify areas where further support is needed. Furthermore, her close relationship with the local children's centre ensures she is able to access advice and support and knows where to refer children on to if there are any issues with their progress. However, activity planning is not always precise enough to ensure children are consistently interested and challenged, and they do not always have free access to toys and resources. Consequently, children's progress is not maximised. The childminder recognises the importance of training and has attended various courses to improve her practice. Furthermore, she reflects on what she does and has a sound relationship with the local authority and acts upon any advice given. This

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provision

demonstrates that the childminder has a reasonable capacity to improve further.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. The childminder encourages a two-way discussion between her and parents at handover times. Children's progress is shared regularly and she involves parents in reviewing policies and procedures. Consequently, parents are fully involved with their children's learning. The childminder understands the importance of working together with other professionals to ensure children benefit from a consistent approach to their care and early education.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure the premises and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the premises and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY436448 Local authority Halton Inspection number 799664 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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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

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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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