Childminder in Derbyshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/07/2014 20/01/2010

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

 The childminder forms strong relationships with children so they are emotionally secure which helps them to develop social awareness and begin to build their own friendships in her care.  The childminder's teaching is good. She has an effective system for assessing and monitoring children's progress. Consequently, children are making good progress in relation to their starting points.  The childminder fulfils her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding requirements. Potential risks to children are minimised through effective safeguarding and risk assessment procedures.  The childminder actively engages parents in their children's learning and development. This ensures a consistent approach to meeting the children's learning and care needs.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always let children manage new tasks for themselves and sometimes steps in to assist too quickly so they do not develop their skills through practising.

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 held discussions with the childminder and spoke to children throughout the inspection.  The inspector observed activities indoors, outside and at meal times.  The inspector held a joint observation with the childminder.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled relevant documentation, including policies, procedures, the childminder's qualifications and her suitability, as well as her self-evaluation documents.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2009 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 six and eight years in Willington, Derbyshire. All areas of the childminder's house are used for childminding except for the master bedroom and the back bedroom and there is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder provides care from Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6pm, all year round, except for bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder is currently minding eight children; of whom, six are in the early years age range. The childminder drives or walks to the local schools and pre-school playgroups to take and collect children. She attends the local toddler groups and takes children to the local library and parks. The childminder holds Early Years Teacher Status and receives support from the local authority.

p.3

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

 help children to further explore their own play, so they can manage new tasks for themselves, for example, by letting children practise and revisit activities and toys without over direction

p.3

who attend

Children are happy and are well motivated to learn in this child-friendly home. The childminder is passionate and committed to her role, and clearly enjoys working with children. Learning takes account of children's individual age and ability and focuses on child-initiated play. The childminder shows a secure knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how this should be planned to support children's development. She identifies the children's next steps and plans for these within their play. Information that she gathers from parents and early observations of children help her to establish children's starting points. The assessment and tracking processes of the children are robust enough to enable the childminder to successfully complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years and notice any gaps in children's learning. This enables her to be able to identify

p.3

who attend

when early intervention is needed so that children receive the appropriate support to meet their learning needs. The childminder shares a daily diary with parents, who contribute helpful information about children's progress at home. This joint approach effectively supports children's development. Consequently, they make good progress and acquire the skills for their next steps in learning.

p.3

who attend

The provision is good because the childminder is able to demonstrate that she plans educational programmes across the different areas of learning. The childminder is knowledgeable about how children play and learn and teaching is effective in challenging children to move forward in their learning, most of the time. When working with very young children the childminder is particularly focused on the prime areas in order to give children a foundation on which to make progress. However, she is sometimes over directive and offers help too soon so children have few attempts at trying new things for themselves to become more skilled. For example, she introduces the children to the sit- and-ride cars, while they are happily playing with the balls, providing children with a different piece of equipment to extend their physical development. However, she immediately pushes the children in the cars rather than letting them explore how to use

p.3

who attend

the cars for themselves and then directs them back to playing with the balls. In spite of this, children enjoy a range of toddler sized resources to support their physical development well. Children use a selection of toys and tools, such as chalks, building bricks and shape sorters to effectively support their control and coordination. For example, they chalk marks, learn how to connect bricks to make a tower and carefully negotiate which hole to put the shapes in. The childminder provides good opportunities for children to extend their language. For example, she enthusiastically reads stories. Children listen with interest, making sounds and noises, and pointing to the pictures. They enjoy songs, join in with actions and begin to fill in familiar words, such as 'row row', when singing a popular song about a boat.

p.4

who attend

Children love being outside and have plenty of space to run around. They enjoy learning about the natural world, by watering the vegetables and smelling the lavender in the garden. The childminder introduces children to bubbles and they are fascinated when the bubbles fly into the sky. Children giggle and try to catch the bubbles and become very excited as the bubbles pop. This helps children to explore their senses and begin to understand the world around them. The childminder introduces children to early mathematical skills, through counting and using basic language for size. She provides a wide range of resources for children to count, compare and sort into colour and size, which supports this area of learning effectively. The childminder provides children with a range of materials and resources to encourage them to develop their creativity. For example, children excitedly enjoy making their own music and exploring the musical

p.4

who attend

instruments. Children make loud and soft sounds as they bang drums, shake rattles and blow the recorder. They dance and move about as the childminder enthusiastically joins in and sings songs. This activity also demonstrates the children are confident and thoroughly enjoying their time with the childminder.

p.4

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

The childminder establishes warm relationships with the children, and successfully promotes their emotional well-being. She has formed positive relationships with parents and children in order to develop trust and help children feel safe and secure. The childminder's settling-in process enables her to get to know parents and children before they start. Early discussions with parents establish the children's home routines and things that they like and dislike. This helps the childminder plan for their initial visits and establishes familiar routines within her service. The childminder models social skills, providing children with positive examples of how to behave, manage feelings and be kind towards others. Toddlers play alongside each other and the childminder effectively uses distraction to help them manage their behaviour and ensures they have regular sleep, which refreshes them. She uses positive language to support them with managing their

p.4

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

own behaviour, encouraging them to share and take turns. The childminder provides children with opportunities to meet larger groups of children in order to practise their social skills.

p.5

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

The childminder's home is friendly and welcoming, with a good range of activities to support children's learning. The resources are easily accessible in low-level baskets, boxes and cupboards. Toys and resources storage units are labelled with pictures, enabling children to make choices in their play. Children's photographs and drawings are on display to give them a sense of belonging. The childminder promotes children's understanding of safety by talking to them about how to play safely. Effective teaching supports children to keep safe and helps them learn how to assess and manage risk independently. For example, at the park, the childminder reminds children to be careful as they play. Children also practise regular evacuations of her home, so are starting to learn about fire safety.

p.5

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

The childminder provides opportunities for children to develop their self-care skills and successfully promotes healthy lifestyles. For example, children use wet wipes before they sit down to eat their snacks. Snacks are healthy and nutritious, providing children with the energy they need to be active and to remain interested and engaged in learning. Parents provide children's lunches. The childminder emphasises bringing healthy lunches and encourages the children to eat their savoury food before their sweet options. The combination of planned play in outside spaces, such as the garden and park provides children with lots of opportunities to support children's physical well-being. For example, children enjoy clambering through the tunnel, running along the wobbly bridge, climbing and using the slide at the park. The childminder is effective in working in partnership with parents to ensure that children feel emotionally secure. This enables them to successfully

p.5

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

seek out learning opportunities which prepares them for changes as they get ready for new challenges, such as going to school.

p.5

provision

The childminder has a very clear understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is a strong focus on children's safety, security and happiness. The childminder has good policies and procedures to support her practice, in order to safeguard children. She has a good knowledge of how to keep children safe from harm and understands signs and changes in behaviour that would alert her to concerns regarding children in her care. The childminder holds an appropriate first-aid qualification and understands how to efficiently manage minor accidents and injuries to children. The childminder considers the welfare of children to be paramount. She demonstrates a secure understanding of when she would need to report any significant events to Ofsted and keeps appropriate records. Comprehensive and effective risk assessments are undertaken regularly to enhance children's safety. Effective safety

p.5

provision

measures are in place and checked regularly to ensure they remain safe and are appropriate for the children being cared for. The childminder ensures her premises are secure to prevent unauthorised access and she provides children with vigilant supervision. Appropriate suitability checks are completed for all adults over 16 years who have close, regular contact with children.

p.5

provision

The childminder is confident in her knowledge and skills to support teaching and promote learning. The educational programmes that she plans cover a broad range of activities and opportunities to learn. The childminder's observational assessments successfully help to monitor children's development, providing parents with accurate information on children's current learning. The childminder reflects on her practice to make improvements. Since the last inspection she has successfully met the recommendations that were raised. Further to this, the childminder has been awarded the Early Year Teacher status. She describes how this has strengthened her knowledge and understanding of child development and how children learn, which benefits all children. She reflects on her practice to make improvements and sets new goals to achieve in to support children's learning and care further. The childminder plans to attend more courses over the coming

p.6

provision

year, to expand her knowledge and to enhance her practice further.

p.6

provision

The childminder works effectively in partnership with parents and actively engages them in their children's learning and development. This ensures a consistent approach to meeting their learning and care needs. The childminder is interested in parents' and children's views of her service. She regularly asks for parents' feedback to ensure her service continues to meet their needs. For example, her service is flexible, allowing her to match parents' work schedules. The childminder has good links with other childminders and welcomes the feedback from her development worker. She knows to work closely with other settings when children receive joint care and also to work with schools to help children with their transitions and to support their school learning. The childminder knows that there may be occasions when she needs to work with specialised professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or children who speak

p.6

provision

English as an additional language. Overall, the childminder shows a commitment towards her working partnerships with parents and other professionals. This ensures children receive the support they need through appropriate interventions. As a result, they make good progress in all areas of their welfare and learning.

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 EY395360 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 879240 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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