Jeffrey, Rachel

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/07/2014 14/08/2009

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Teaching is good because the childminder uses a range of teaching methods to extend children's learning, throughout their time with her. She knows the children's abilities and plans effectively to extend their development, with a range of fun activities which capture their attention. Children are making very good progress in their communication and critical thinking skills.  The environment, both inside and outside, is well equipped, vibrant and interesting. It is effectively used to develop children's enquiring minds, and support their ability to investigate and develop their thinking skills.  The childminder is skilled at supporting the development of positive behaviour, children's social skills and their ability to form friendships. This provides children with crucial skills for the transition to primary school. It also ensures that the environment is happy and conducive to learning.  The childminder is well organised and reviews her services to ensure she is always

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This provision is good

improving towards excellence. Links with the childminding forum and training courses help the childminder remain updated on the latest thinking, including issues concerning safeguarding.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to expand information gathered from parents, about their child's abilities in the specific areas of learning, to inform the planning of activities.

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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 observed activities in the main downstairs rooms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation, and a selection of policies and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from information included in the childminder's own parent survey.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the childminder's self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2007, and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children, aged 15 years and three years, in a house in a village near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a dog and goldfish as pets. She attends a toddler group, and visits the shops and parks on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently seven children on roll, four of whom are in the early years age range and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round, from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder holds an early years childcare qualification at level 3. She provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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

 enhance the ways parents are engaged in their child's learning at home and in the setting, by gathering more precise information, about children's abilities in the areas of learning, at the start of their placement and on an ongoing basis.

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who attend

The childminder provides a very high quality of care and education. The children are well stimulated, exceptionally bright and engaged in their learning. The childminder is extremely committed to providing a rich and interesting environment, with activities which excite children. The childminder uses active teaching to challenge children to think and develop their own understanding of issues. For example, as part of a holiday theme, children are encouraged to sort the contents of their suitcases ready to go on holiday. This activity encourages children to think about which clothes would be suitable for a summer holiday and what they would use certain items for. The childminder also introduces a check list of items they need to find, encouraging children to read for a purpose. They notice the starting letter of words, and are helped to start to decode what some words say. Children's mathematical skills are also supported by this activity as they find a pair of

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who attend

socks. The squeals of excitement show that the children find learning tremendous fun. The childminder is very good at providing a running commentary of what the children are doing, expanding children's learning and challenging them to think for themselves. For example, she makes suggestions or gives advice to children as they tackle completing a jigsaw puzzle. She reads stories with great animation in her voice, keeping children fully engaged. She gives children time to predict what will happen next in the story or discuss what is happening. Children are developing a real love of books and handle them with confidence. They are also confident and cooperative when they use information technology equipment, such as tablet computers. Children's strong engagement with such tasks helps to develop their abilities and skills, such as concentration, in readiness for the next stage in their learning, for example, school.

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who attend

The childminder carefully plans the transition from home to the childminding setting, through introductory visits where both children and parents become comfortable and confident in her abilities. She gathers information about the children's care routines, from parents, at the start of each placement. However, she only gathers information about some of their learning abilities. This means there is scope to gather more extensive information about children's starting points, right at the very start of the placement. The childminder confidently observes children's development to build a clear picture of children's abilities. Observations are collated and linked to guidance documents, to measure children's progress and to identify clear areas to be focused on as next steps in learning. This guides the activities she provides and the suggestions she gives to parents to support learning at home. The childminder takes time to understand children's

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who attend

personalities and learning styles. She understands how a different combination of children affects how they will respond to activities, and uses this knowledge to ensure children's learning needs are met.

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who attend

The outside play space is as well planned and well resourced as the inside play areas. The children are able to experiment with sounds as they play the bottle xylophone. They recognise numerals as they park their cars up in the numbered parking bays. Children's imaginative play is supported and extended well by the childminder. The play house is used to support the current theme, and children enjoy visiting the travel agent to look through travel booklets and plan their holiday. All children are encouraged to express themselves and use their senses through the use of paint or tactile materials, such as playing with coloured grains of rice. They have a good understanding of nature as they tend to fruit and vegetable plants.

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

The childminder builds strong relationships with the children and gets to know them very well. She discusses their routines and requirements, for rest and food, with parents. This means children are happy, very confident and ready to have a go at new experiences and develop their abilities. The childminder encourages the children to become independent and develop their self-care skills. They are involved in the preparation of meals and snacks, and making decisions about activities. This means even young children understand about what would be a healthy diet, and how to hygienically prepare and serve food. Children also learn about how to keep themselves safe as the childminder reminds them about how to manage risks. They undertake activities, such as making fruit kebabs, with skill and maturity as they handle the sharp kebab sticks. In role-play situations they discuss why they need to be careful with a real kettle. They have regular access to the

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

outside play space and local parks. They develop very good balancing and climbing skills as they use a short ladder to the play house, and develop a positive attitude to exercise in the fresh air as part of a healthy lifestyle. The childminder manages the children's behaviour in a very positive way, praising the children, using distraction and helping them learn to negotiate with one another. This allows children to develop an understanding of other people's feelings and what is acceptable behaviour. Close links with the local community provide opportunities for children to meet up with larger groups and develop their social skills, for example, by attending toddler group sessions. The childminder supports children during the transfer to school. She discusses what is going to happen and takes children on visits, so they are emotionally well prepared for the move.

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provision

Children are safeguarded appropriately because the childminder has a good understanding of the signs that may alert her to a safeguarding concern. She has undertaken safeguarding training and fully understands the importance of her role in protecting children, the importance of keeping clear records of any concerns she may have, and the importance of quickly accessing help and advice should that become necessary. She has implemented a no mobile phone policy and this is clearly understood by all the children. They have made posters to inform anyone entering the house of the policy. The childminder undertakes risk assessments for the home and outings, and ensures the building is safe before children arrive. She is aware of the supervision requirements of younger children and the need to adjust her monitoring depending on each child's age, ability and personality. The garden is secure and prevents any unauthorised access to the

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provision

property. This helps to ensure children are protected from harm.

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provision

The childminder is well organised, taking pride in ensuring she fully complies with all aspects of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This methodical approach means the environment for the children is very supportive of their learning and welfare needs. The childminder monitors children's progress, and records the required information to help her complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. The childminder is continually reflecting on her provision to see how she can make activities, and the general organisation, better for the children she cares for. She gathers the views of parents, through a questionnaire, about how she can improve. She demonstrates a strong commitment to developing her own skills. She has attended a number of short training courses, including food safety, health and safety, and safeguarding training. She has also

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provision

completed an appropriate level 3 qualification. This supports her in maintaining and developing her provision for children. She also welcomes the input of the local childminding forum, as a source of good practice guidance, to ensure a continuing improvement of her provision.

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provision

The childminder is proactive in building good partnerships with parents. She uses a daily diary to exchange information about the children's day with parents. Written policies are shared with all parents, giving them further insight into how their child's care is organised. The childminder is aware of the benefits of working with other providers where children attend more than one provision to inform the planning of appropriate activities. She understands the importance of forming links with other provisions and professionals, ensuring a coordinated service for any children she cares for, in the future, with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She discusses, with schools, the key areas of learning they require her to cover in the weeks leading up to the children's move on to school. This ensures the best possible preparation for the children's next stage in learning.

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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 EY347381 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 873455 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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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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