Childminder in Milton Keynes

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/07/2014 16/11/2010

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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

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This provision is good

 The childminder plans and provides a good educational programme to help children to make good progress from their starting points.  Warm and caring relationships between the childminder, her assistant and minded children help them to feel secure and settled.  The childminder works very positively with parents to place equal emphasis on meeting children's well-being and learning and development needs.  The keen and enthusiastic childminder reflects on her practice often to develop her skills further and to make ongoing improvements for children and their families.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not extend children's interest in books through using resources such as story sacks, props and puppets.  There are too few opportunities for babies to explore and experiment with different objects and materials while using their senses.

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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 lounge, kitchen/ dining room and garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistant and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the childminder's self-evaluation form, a selection of policies, parent consent forms, children's records and the childminder's observations of children's activities.  The inspector took account of the written views of parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2010. She lives with her partner and two children in Loughton in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The childminder's partner works as her assistant. The whole of the ground floor of the house, two first floor bedrooms, and toilet facilities are available for childminding and there is a garden for outside play. The family has a pet cat. The childminder walks or drives to local schools to take and collect children and she attends the local pre-school groups. The childminder's provision is open all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday except for family holidays agreed in advance. The childminder is currently minding five children, three of whom is in the early years age range. She is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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

 further develop children's interest in books for example, by introducing puppets and props

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

 extend babies sensory experiences by, for example, providing a range of interesting objects and materials to smell, touch, feel, taste and listen too.

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who attend

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and progress. She makes effective use of the learning journey information she gathers for each child through observations and assessments to build a clear picture of their individual needs. The childminder uses this information to plan their next steps for children's individual learning. She also records wow moments of the children's achievements to share with parents. Children have an enjoyable time as they play with a range of resources and participate in activities, which help them to make good progress in their learning and development.

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who attend

The childminder's interaction with the children is very enthusiastic and she uses open questioning and running commentary well to help extend their speaking and listening skills. Children have a keen interest in books and enjoy listening to stories. However, the childminder does not make use of puppets and props to enhance storytelling and children's further interest in stories. The childminder provides activities such as painting, drawing with crayons and making patterns in rice and dough, which help children to develop their early-writing skills. Children also write for a variety of purposes during role play.

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who attend

The childminder is skilled at extending children's learning by using mathematical language during their play, for instance, in relation to size, shape, colour and number. Activities such as stacking cups, posting shapes and fitting puzzles together, help the children to develop good mathematical and small-muscle skills. However, babies do not access a wide range of objects and materials to develop their senses further. As children draw houses, they discuss the number of windows and the childminder extends this by asking how many more they need to make a certain number. As they use their imagination to building with bricks, the childminder encourages them to explore different shapes by fitting them together. During a water play activity, the children talk about measurement. Children make good progress in their large-physical skills as they climb, slide, bounce and balance on apparatus.

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who attend

Children explore the world in which they live. They find out how things work as they play with programmable toys such as telephones and cash tills. Participating in festival celebrations and playing with multicultural resources helps children to learn about diversity. Children learn about living things as they search for bugs, water the trees in the garden and feed the ducks at the park. There are plenty of good opportunities for children to develop their creativity and imagination through art and craft and musical activities. Children enjoy participating in make-believe play such as shops and restaurants. They build and design as they use recycling materials and they enjoy exploring the texture of dough, sand and a cornflour and water mix, for example. This kind and caring childminder helps children to acquire the knowledge and skills they require for their next stage of learning.

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

Children enjoy close relationships with the childminder and her family. The childminder ensures that the children settle happily, feel safe and secure in her care. She also carries out a home visit to meet children with their parents in their secure and familiar surroundings. Children are very well behaved; the childminder spends time encouraging and praising the children, which helps them to develop confidence and self-esteem. They learn to take turns and to share, for example, as they play matching card games. Children enjoy receiving star of the week certificates for their achievements such as being a helper when tidying up. Children have ample space in which to play and they become more independent as they choose the toys they want to play with. There is a good range of nursery furniture to meet the needs of the children attending such as travel cots, car seats, buggies, toilet step and high chair.

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

Through the daily routine, the children learn good hygiene practices, which prevent the spread of germs and promote their good health. Children explain that they use soap to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. They have individual towels and bed linen, and the childminder follows hygienic nappy changing routines. The childminder has completed basic food hygiene training and she provides all food and drink for children. At snack and meal times, children sit comfortably in high chairs or at the dining table to eat. They enjoy picnic style snack times and a choice of fresh fruit. As a result, they learn the value of a healthy lifestyle.

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

Children enjoy daily fresh air and exercise and learn to keep themselves safe. The childminder allows children to take some risks as she closely supervises them, for example, as they climb up the slide. They develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe through discussions about road safety. The childminder has clear procedures in place for the emergency evacuation of her premises and children are aware of fire safety because they take part in fire drills.

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provision

The childminder has a good knowledge of child protection procedures and is aware of her responsibility to refer any concerns in order to safeguard the children. She has thorough risk assessment procedures in place to maintain a safe and secure environment for the children both on the premises and during outings. The childminder and her assistant hold a current first-aid certificates and effective systems are in place to administer and record any medication and first aid. Consequently, the childminder positively promotes the safety and welfare of the children.

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provision

This enthusiastic childminder is committed to monitoring and evaluating her service in order to maintain good quality childcare. She identifies her strengths and areas for further development. The children's and parents views are valued and used to inform the childminder's evaluation of her practice. The childminder recognises the importance of continuous improvement and she attends training courses to extend her childcare knowledge and skills.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibility to meet the learning and development requirements. She closely monitors the children's progress in order to plan activities to challenge and develop their skills. The childminder has effective systems in place to help her to carry out the progress check for two-year-old children and she involves parents in this process. The childminder helps children to make good progress in their learning given their starting points. She establishes good links with other providers to complement the children's learning while they are in her care such as pre-school teachers.

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provision

The childminder establishes very good relationships with parents to care for the children in the best possible way she can. Very effective communication systems mean that parents are up to date with their child's daily routine, activities and achievements. Parents attend weekly coffee mornings and discuss their child's learning journal and share ideas to extend their child's learning both at home and in the childminding setting. Parents' comments indicate they are very happy with the service provided by the childminder and her assistant. Comments include 'the childminder and her partner provide a loving, friendly, happy and safe environment for all the children. This puts all parents at ease when leaving their children in their care for the day.' Children are clearly fond of the childminder and her assistant. The childminder supports and values all children therefore, meeting their individual needs inclusively.

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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 EY404234 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 844935 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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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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