Cordwell, Kathryn Louise

Inspection date

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

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Children are well cared for in a safe and welcoming home where they form close relationships. The childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. She has effective relationships with parents to meet children's health and care needs.  Overall, children make satisfactory progress in their learning and development. They are sociable and confident and enjoy a suitable range of activities and outings. The childminder has some positive teaching methods, which support children's progress.  The childminder makes ongoing improvements as she acts upon the advice of other professionals and childminders. She attends training to develop her knowledge and hires resources, in order to provide a positive learning environment for children.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not maintain an accurate daily record of the children who attend her setting. This legal requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage is not met. As a result, children's safety is not fully protected in an event of an emergency.  Children do not make consistently good progress across all areas of learning as their next steps in learning are not precisely identified and planned for.  There is room to improve children's knowledge and understanding of the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle.  The childminder has not used reflective practice to identify all areas for improvement, or to ensure that all legal requirements are met.

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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 compulsory part 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 in the lounge and the kitchen.  The inspector held discussions with the childminder when appropriate.  The inspector looked at the children's records and assessments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder, including the self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and children spoken to on the day and included in the childminder's parent surveys.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and one child aged seven years and one adult child during university holidays. They live in a house in the Charity Crescent area of Evesham, Worcestershire. The whole of the ground floor and a first-floor bathroom are used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder takes the children to the local parks, a variety of toddler groups and the swimming pool. They also visit the library, the adventure playground and go out on day trips to farm parks. She takes and collects children from local schools and pre-schools. She currently cares for nine children, of whom five are in the early years age range. Children can attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates Monday to Saturday from 7.45am to 6pm, all year around, except for family holidays. She has a qualification at

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must:

 improve the identification of children's individual next steps in their learning and use this knowledge to effectively plan activities and resources to help children make good progress across all areas of learning and in particular with their writing skills

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must:

 devise and implement a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance.

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

 help children to gain a greater understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and how this can be achieved

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

 implement more thorough and focused self-evaluation, which identifies areas for development and strengthens the links between identified priorities and plans to secure continuous improvement.

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who attend

Children are very happy and settled within this homely environment with a caring childminder. The childminder has a sound understanding of child development and she has some knowledge of what the next stage in children's learning and development is. In the main, she uses her knowledge to provide activities that support children to make satisfactory progress. In particular, they make positive progress in the language and social skills. Within the home and through attending toddler groups, the children enjoy a wide range of activities. They develop their social skills and confidence in with larger groups of children in preparation for starting pre-school. The childminder makes some observations of new skills that the children develop. She collates this information, along with photographs, in the children's learning journey books. The childminder has completed a basic progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Parents

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who attend

contribute to this report, ensuring they work together to meet children's needs. However, there are occasions when the childminder does not consistently plan activities that will challenge children further. She sometimes lacks confidence to identify precise goals in children's learning and to implement new ideas. For example, with early mark-making and writing skills, the childminder is yet to encourage new ways to promote these skills to enable children to reach their full potential. The childminder uses her knowledge of each child's interests and individual personalities to plan activities that they enjoy. She hires resources from the toy library that the children choose to meet their interests, such as dressing-up costumes, jigsaw puzzles, games and books related to people who help us.

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who attend

The children spend a long time using their imaginations and enjoy playing with the dressing-up clothes. They pretend to be a fire fighter, putting out imaginary fires and using the mega-telephone to ask people and drivers to move away. On the whole, all the children play well together. The childminder joins in with the role play and encourages the children to check that their hearts are beating as they pretend to be paramedics. Together, they look at books, which reflect non-stereotypical gender images. Children concentrate well and spend time playing with a range of construction toys, developing their small muscle skills and logical thinking of how to put the pieces together. These skills are useful for when children start school. Children use their imagination to construct mountains with snow and make roads for the vehicles to go along. The childminder questions the children about the different colours and shapes to promote their knowledge.

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who attend

Children have good access to a range of resources that promote their knowledge of technology and make good use of different applications on tablet computers and telephones while appropriately supervised. For example, they play word games, which encourage them to repeat new words and match the sounds to the relevant picture. This is particularly beneficial to children for whom English is an additional language. The childminder ensures that she provides parents with information about such applications that are available. This enables parents to follow-up activities at home with their children, which further supports the progress they make. Children enjoy exploring in the natural environment, in particular at the adventure playground as they look for bugs, which they later explore in magnifying boxes. Children like to look at their photographs and recall special events, such as when they paint with mud at the 'muddy day' event and learn

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who attend

about the animals on the farm park. These stimulating activities provide children with a wide range of experiences in the outdoor environment.

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

Children are sociable, friendly and interact well with their peers, the childminder and other adults as they talk about what they like to do. They feel secure in the caring environment where they readily express affection towards the childminder. She clearly loves her work and provides consistency as she has known many of the children since they were babies. Children form close friendships with their peers. The childminder has high expectations regarding behaviour and as a result, the children have very good manners and are polite. The childminder encourages the children to share through games involving turn taking and praises the children well for their achievements. The childminder promotes children's individual self-care skills as she encourages them to put on their own dressing-up clothes. These skills will help prepare children for when they start school.

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

Children have good routines for washing hands within the setting. They enthusiastically eat a range of healthy fruit and nutritious meals. The childminder encourages the children with some success to try foods, such as tomatoes. However, the childminder does not successfully help the children to develop an understanding of why it is important to develop a good healthy lifestyle. Children have time to rest after lunch and understand that this is so their food can go down into their tummies. The childminder meets individual sleep requirements when needed and ensures children who become ill are collected and taken home to prevent cross-infection. The childminder works closely with parents to discuss issues, such as diet and toilet training, to promote consistency of care. Children benefit from regular fresh air as they use the local parks and sometimes walk to school. The childminder uses this opportunity to talk to the younger children about what they will

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

do when they start school. Children gain confidence in water and benefit from exercise as they enjoy swimming in the pool. However, the childminder does not make the most of such activities to help children recognise how physical activity can support a healthy lifestyle.

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

Children's safety is not fully protected in the event of an emergency because the childminder does not maintain a sufficiently accurate daily record of the children present. Children feel safe as they have secure relationships with the childminder. They readily voice their opinions if they want to do something or not. Children are encouraged to help tidy away and the childminder helps them to understand that is so they do not hurt themselves or damage the resources. A suitable range of resources are accessible in the lounge and these promote children's independence. For example, they help themselves to books and sit and tell stories together on the sofa. Children wear fluorescent jackets when out in a busy place, so they are able to be easily seen by the childminder, which helps to ensure they are well supervised.

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provision

Although, the childminder maintains appropriate adult-to-child ratios, she does not maintain a sufficiently accurate daily record of children's hours of attendance. As a result, the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are not fully met. Children's safety is, therefore, not fully protected in an event of an emergency. All other appropriate records are in place to ensure children's health and care needs. The childminder protects children and has a good knowledge of what to do if she is concerned about a child. She is aware of when to take action to promote children's safety, following guidance set out by the Local Safeguarding Children Board. The childminder discusses with parents and other professionals, if needed, concerns regarding children's health and development to ensure their individual needs are met. Children are cared for in a safe and secure home. All adults have Disclosure and

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provision

Barring Service clearance to ensure they are suitable to look after and be in contact with children.

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provision

The childminder evaluates her practice and makes improvements since the last inspection. However, she has not used self-evaluation and reflective practice to identify all areas for improvement, or to ensure that all legal requirements are met. This shows that there are weaknesses in current arrangements. The childminder has sought and implemented the advice of the local authority and implemented observation and assessment reports. Previous recommendations have been acted upon as the childminder now has a better understanding of assessment and child development. She also undertakes activities that help children to learn about celebrations from different cultures, such as the Chinese New Year. The childminder has undertaken some additional training, including a level 3 in early years and additional day courses. As a result, the childminder has made some improvements in the way that she meets the learning needs of the children. Children's

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provision

interests and views are now actively sought and they are provided with a greater range of resources to promote their own creativity and imagination. The childminder has some ideas for further improvement. She meets each week with other childminders and they share ideas, in particular for new craft activities.

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provision

The childminder provides a flexible service as she works to meet the needs of the parents. She has a friendly and supportive relationship with parents. She provides advice and they work well together regarding issues, such as toilet training and eating habits. Through daily discussion, the childminder works with parents to discuss children's progress. Parents comment that they are well informed and appreciate the homely environment for their children where they are very happy to come. The childminder seeks their views as part of her self-evaluation. Parents report that the children make improvements in their learning and talking, they like the structured routine and their children are happy to attend. The childminder spends time talking to the child's key person at nursery and feeds back to parents about how their children have been. A copy of the childminder's progress check for two- to three-year-olds is given to parents to support the health visitor and nursery

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provision

assessment and to ensure effective communication.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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

 devise and implement a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory 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 EY386974 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 878976 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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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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