Childminder in Birmingham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/06/2014 06/11/2008

p.1

early years provision

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

p.1

This provision is good

 Children are happy and develop warm affectionate bonds with the childminder. This helps children feel safe and secure while in her care.  The quality of teaching is good because the childminder has a very good understanding of how young children learn through play-based experiences, and uses her knowledge to plan interesting activities for them each day to promote their progress.  The childminder supports children's communication and language development well, by following children's interests and talking to them about activities they are engaged in.  The childminder has very good knowledge of safeguarding children and a clear understanding of the possible indicators of abuse. Daily checks of provision and robust risk assessments, ensure that children are very well protected, both in the home and when on outings.  Partnerships with parents are effective. The childminder works closely with parents to

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Arrangements are not fully in place to liaise with parents about what children are learning at home, so this can be taken into account when planning activities to extend children's good learning even further.  There is scope to include more print in the environment to further extend children's rapidly developing communication, language and literacy skills.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the childminder and her interaction with the children. This took place in the childminder's living/dining room and garden.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder and children at appropriate points throughout the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, including evidence of suitability checks and qualifications, photographs of activities, policies and children's development profiles.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's observation and assessment records, the register of attendance and children's records.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1995 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband in Yardley, Birmingham. There are shops, parks and schools within easy walking distance. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. Children are also taken on local outings to parks, including regular attendances at the local carer and toddler groups. There are currently five children on roll, of whom two are in the early years age range. The childminder operates from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Thursday, all year round, except for bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. She also helps out on a voluntary basis at the pre-school where minded children attend. She has a relevant early years qualification at level 3.

p.3

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

 extend the educational programme for communication, language and literacy even further by using print in the environment to provide greater opportunity for children to learn that words carry meaning

p.3

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

 build on opportunities for parents to share information about children's achievements at home to further involve them in their children's learning and development.

p.3

who attend

The childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding of supporting children's learning and development. She interacts with children well, following their lead and this means the quality of her teaching is very good. The childminder ensures the children have access to a safe and stimulating environment where they can play learn and develop. The activities and resources she provides take into account children's individual interests and stage of development, and have breadth and depth across the seven areas of learning and development. This means that children are effectively challenged, and that their learning is extended because activities are interesting and individualised to meet their needs. Consequently, children are acquiring the skills they will need for their later transition to school. The outdoor area is an interesting and exciting place to play. Children enjoy choosing scooters to ride up and down the garden path, exploring the texture of the dry

p.3

who attend

sand and particularly enjoy riding on the large tractors. The childminder supports children's mathematical development well, as she uses number language when talking to the children. For example, when children are matching pictures to numbers, the childminder asks the children how many can you find, increasing this to higher numbers. This supports children to learn to count and use numbers in everyday routines. Children access a good range of books, and they sit close to the childminder as she reads to them and questions children about the different objects they find in the book. However, at present, there are no examples of print or signage displayed indoors or outdoors. This means the extension of children's language, communication and literacy skills is sometimes not as well promoted as possible.

p.3

who attend

Children use their imagination well as they play with the small world figures of superheroes and people with a range of disabilities. Activities, such as planting flowers help children to understand about decay, and why plants need water and sunlight. The childminder makes good use of the local area and the children regularly enjoy trips to the park, play areas and groups, where they have opportunities to interact and socialise with other children and adults. Children's learning is shared with parents through daily diaries and learning journey records, containing photographs and observations which link to the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, although the partnerships with parents are already good, these methods are not always fully effective in sourcing the information that the childminder requires, to fully complement children's ongoing learning within the setting. Therefore, there is room to strengthen these arrangements by looking at a range

p.4

who attend

of ways to engage parents further, so that children's learning from home can be shared more regularly.

p.4

who attend

The childminder has effective relationships with nurseries and schools to share information about children's learning. She complements learning taking place at school by regularly discussing current topics with teachers and having copies of newsletters. Therefore, children benefit from continuity of learning across different provisions. She uses this information to identify next steps in children's learning and to influence her future planning. In addition, the childminder has a very effective tracking process to note down children's achievements. These are used to identify any gaps in children's learning, and successfully implement the progress check for children aged between two and three years. This enables her to be able to identify when early intervention is needed, so that children receive the appropriate support to meet their learning needs.

p.4

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

The childminder shows good levels of attention and affection towards the children, enabling them to feel settled and secure in her care. They show that they have close bonds with her, as they approach and ask for resources they wish to use. The childminder has a very caring and gentle manner, creating a calm and reassuring atmosphere for all children. The secure bonds children develop with the childminder help them to move between home and the childminder's care with confidence, and they play happily together. The childminder is keen to establish positive relationships with parents and, does so successfully, through ongoing discussions and sharing children's daily diaries. She gathers information from parents at the start of the placement, and how long settling-in procedures take is determined by the children and parents, therefore, minimising any upset. Children are becoming independent because the childminder encourages them to

p.4

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

do things for themselves. For example, when going out to play she encourages them to put on their own shoes. The childminder asks children if they feel hungry and if they are ready for their lunch. Therefore, children learn to recognise their own individual needs and follow routines that suit them. Children eat healthy snacks and meals provided for them by the childminder. She ensures that they have regular fresh air as they play outside or go for walks in the park. This helps to support their healthy development and understanding of the importance of exercise. The childminder ensures that children wash their hands before eating and after using the bathroom, to help reduce the risk of the spread of infection for children.

p.5

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

The childminder is proactive in engaging with staff at local schools in preparation for children's transfer to these. She ensures children are emotionally ready for their new adventures through discussion, and taking them to see the school helps alleviate any anxieties they may have. In addition, she prepares children by taking them to local groups, so they develop social skills, as well as dressing and undressing self-care skills. The childminder is a good role model, and she approaches behaviour management in a calm and consistent way. Children are given positive praise and recognition for their efforts and achievements, with children having lots of verbal praise. The fire drill is practised, and all children are reminded about road safety as they go out and about, and walk to and from school. This helps them to develop a sense of responsibility for their own well-being, as well as helping them to understand how to respond in an emergency.

p.5

provision

The childminder understands her role and responsibility in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has completed relevant safeguarding training and has a good knowledge of child protection procedures, and knows what to do if she has any concerns about a child's care or welfare. She maintains a good range of health and safety policies and procedures, which are implemented well in practice. Her home is safe and secure, and children are supervised closely. This demonstrates that she is well aware of how to keep children safe and well protected. Suitability checks are completed for adults living in the home. This ensures anyone having access to children is suitable. The childminder implements thorough procedures to ensure children are safe, both inside and outside of the home. Risk assessments are updated and the childminder's practice revised accordingly. Hand-written documentation provides a clear picture of the childminder's

p.5

provision

practice. This is shared with parents, so that they are aware of the childminder's responsibilities in promoting children's health, safety and well-being. The childminder ensures visitors sign in and out when they arrive and leave the house.

p.5

provision

The quality of teaching is good. The childminder has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. She plans interesting activities that challenge children to develop their knowledge and skills across all areas. The childminder tracks children's progress through effective observations and assessments, accurately capturing their achievements and clearly identifying the next steps in their learning. As a result, children make good progress in their learning. The childminder is committed to continued improvement and regularly attends training events to further develop her knowledge and skills. She is keen to continually improve her service, and regularly evaluates her practice and seeks the views of parents, children and other professionals about her service.

p.5

provision

The childminder has good relationships with parents, and keeps them well informed about her service and their children's care. For example, they have access to her policies. Daily discussion and individual diaries for younger children keep parents fully informed of how their child has spent their day, and parents relay messages to her. Comments from questionnaires, completed by parents, show they are very satisfied with the service they receive. A parent said, 'there is a family atmosphere and all the children get to do different types of activities. They are well fed and looked after extremely well.' Links with other professionals, such as other childminders in the area and local authority advisors, are positive. This provides the childminder with good opportunities to discuss best practice and to keep abreast of current childcare issues, in addition to accessing relevant training. The childminder also has links with staff at the local nursery school, to support children's

p.6

provision

transitions when they start full-time education.

p.6

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

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 228493 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 876469 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 3

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10