Childminder in Kent

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/06/2014 10/09/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder gives very high priority to children's well being.  The childminder promotes children's physical development with the excellent range of activities available.  The childminder provides a wide range of good quality toys for the different ages of children to explore.  The childminder has good partnerships with parents and involves parents in their children's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although the childminder encourages children to identify numbers and shapes she does not use a full range of mathematical language with which to encourage children's understanding of measurement and volume.

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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 talked with the childminder and the children.  The inspector took into account the written views of parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a variety of documents including the safeguarding policy and procedures, the children's records and the accident book.  The inspector observed the interaction between the childminder and the children.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2000. She lives in Aldington, Ashford, with her two adult children and two younger children. The childminder's eldest son works with her as a registered assistant for emergencies. Childminding generally takes place on the ground floor, with an upstairs bedroom used for children to sleep. There is also a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has eight children on roll, of whom six are in the early years age range. The childminder's setting is open four days per week and the children attend for a variety of sessions. All children attend on a part time basis. The childminder is accredited with the local authority and holds an NVQ level 3 in childcare. The family have a dog, two sheep and some goldfish. There is also a raised fish pond in the garden which is securely covered to make it

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

 improve the use of mathematical language to further children's understanding of measurement and volume.

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who attend

Children progress well in their learning and development because the childminder is proficient in adapting activities for the different ages of children and taking into account children's stage of development and abilities. She carries out good accurate observations on the children which allows her to identify their progress in each area of learning. She assesses the children's next steps in learning by using this information and plans interesting activities for children which match their needs and ensure consistent progress.

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who attend

Children progress well because they are able to access a wide selection of good quality toys and equipment that engage their interest. They demonstrate how they learn to solve problems and use technology, for example as they operate torches, push button musical toys and tills in the role play area. The children listen carefully as the childminder reads them stories and encourages them to take turns to point to pictures and talk about the characters. The childminder encourages the children to become fully involved and the children mimic the sounds of animals and demonstrate how animals physically move about. Activities are purposely extended, with clear explanations, so that children can make their favourite animals from the zoo using card, marker pens and brass fastenings which allow the animals to move. The childminder provides a good range of role play activities and resources that the children can adapt to become the focus of whichever topical activities they are involved in.

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who attend

By using these activities the children also increase their personal, social and emotional skills. The childminder encourages children to count numbers in books and identify different shapes they see out in the community, supporting their mathematical knowledge. However, there is less mathematical language to support children's understanding of measurement and volume to further extend this knowledge.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's growing creativity as she encourages them to explore physical movement indoors, through dance and with accompanied music instruments. She talks to the children and offers appropriate questioning to spark their interest and encourage them to think about what they are doing. Overall, the children are making good progress due to the successful impact of the childminder. They are acquiring the skills they need to be emotionally ready for school or the next stages of their learning.

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

The children are extremely happy being with the childminder because they receive lots of excellent support during their stay. The children demonstrate lots of confidence when speaking to visitors and despite their young years can explain what they are doing and describe outings with the childminder. Babies are also very happy to investigate the baby toys and activities by themselves which shows they feel secure in the setting. Their faces light up when they see the childminder which shows they feel an emotional attachment to her. The childminder teaches the older children to play carefully near the babies and help them reach their toys. Children show concern when babies cry.

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

The childminder has an excellent impact in teaching the children to be independent and taking care of their own needs. For example, children participate readily in food preparation activities such as buttering their own buns with butter and jam, or cutting easy to handle fruits. The children choose their own toppings as they make pizzas and snacks for lunch. Parents have the opportunity to send in children's food if they want, in which case the childminder talks to them about healthy eating and the provision of nutritious food.

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

The children have an excellent range of physical play activities available to them in the large garden. They can manoeuvre through safely arranged tractor tyres, use the domed climbing frame and large wooden activity frame, as well as using the large sand and water trays in different areas of the garden. The childminder carefully explains to children about the need to sit and rest after lots of physical play, wear their hats to protect them from the sun and drink lots of water during hot weather. The children also accompany the childminder to a variety of different venues around the area. A special favourite is the local zoo which the children visit regularly to see how their favourite animals are.

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

The childminder is an excellent role model for the children. She is upbeat and enthusiastic and keen that the children do well with whatever they choose to play with. She offers children lots of positive reinforcement and praise, and encourages them to have a go with new activities. For example, the children listen carefully to the instructions on the play tablet before attempting to complete tasks on the touch screen. The childminder explains that by doing this the children are more likely to get the programme right first time, which gives them more confidence in their abilities.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and organises her setting well. She regularly reviews all her written policies and procedures to ensure they meet the needs of the families attending. For example, she recently reviewed her safeguarding procedures to ensure she uses the correct reporting procedures. This means she knows who to contact if she has concerns about a child or if any allegations against herself or members of her family are made. She understands she must notify Ofsted of any changes to persons residing on the premises and those persons she uses as assistants. The childminder and her assistant hold enhanced disclosures issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service. These are available for parents to see in the childminder's portfolio. The childminder has checked her other child protection procedures too. These include the good accident, medication and attendance

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provision

records which she maintains in line with requirements. The childminder has a good understanding of her role and responsibilities to protect children and keep them safe. This means that children rarely come into contact with anyone who does not have appropriate suitability checks in place.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of how to meet the learning and development requirements. She is quickly and effectively able to assess children's starting points, identify their next steps and plan interesting and exciting activities to motivate children. This helps them make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder competently assesses all the children's progress and is able to identify any areas in which some children may need additional help to close any gaps in their learning. The children benefit from the varied and interesting educational programme.

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provision

The childminder has good procedures in place to work in partnership with other agencies although she has not had to use these recently. Despite this she understands the importance of how working in partnership benefits children through the additional support they receive. She works very well with parents. She gives them written updates each day about the activities their children use. She provides regular newsletters to keep parents informed of planned activities and outings, and involves them in their children's learning by sharing their child's learning journey with them on a regular basis.

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provision

The childminder carries out good regular reviews of her service by liaising with parents and using questionnaires to canvass their views. She regularly meets with other childminders to discuss practice issues and to make sure she keeps up to date with early years issues. The childminder is very committed to attending training courses and workshops to further her knowledge of childcare. Children benefit from the increased opportunities to further their progress following the childminder's successful learning sessions. This demonstrates that the childminder is effectively able to maintain the continuous improvement of her setting.

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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 125290 Local authority Kent Inspection number 972293 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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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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