Childminder in Devon

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/08/2014 25/05/2011

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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

 Teaching is good and the childminder uses a clear assessment system, which helps her to monitor the good progress children make in their overall development.  The childminder has a good knowledge of safeguarding and there are effective measures in place to protect children.  Children are happy, content and self-assured because the childminder provides a caring, calm and homely environment. Consequently, children settle well and form strong and secure attachments with her.  The partnership with parents and carers is strong. The childminder effectively communicates with them in a variety of ways, contributing to shared learning opportunities.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always use open-ended questions, which require more than yes or no answers, to extend children's learning and thinking skills.  There are no numbers, letters or words displayed in the outdoor area for children to refer to in their play.

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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 the childminder with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the childminder at appropriate times during the observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed the childminder's documentation including policies, children's learning journals and qualification certificates.  The inspector reviewed the childminder's self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents through their written feedback.

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Information about the setting

The childminder has been a registered since 1999. She lives with her teenage son on the outskirts of Exeter, in Devon within walking distance of schools and other local facilities. The approach to the premises has several steps on different levels. Childminding mainly takes place in the lounge and kitchen, with sleep provision provided on the first floor. Children have access to an enclosed garden for outdoor play activities. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently seven children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group and attend a variety of sessions. The childminder operates Monday to Saturday from 7.30am to 6pm all year round. The childminder has a goldfish. The childminder takes children to local parks, toddler groups and playgroups as well as trips out and for walks in the local area.

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

 improve questioning techniques, so that questions posed extend children's language and thinking

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

 develop the use of the outdoor area with resources for children to refer to that extend their understanding of mathematics and early reading skills.

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who attend

Children enjoy the time they spend with the childminder. She has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, activities and experiences are wide and varied, stimulating and challenging. The childminder assesses children, after giving them time to settle in to her home, to discover their starting points. She frequently assesses subsequent observations for all children, which helps her to plan further activities and learning opportunities that meet children's individual interests. The assessments include the progress check for two-year-old children. Consequently, the childminder effectively tracks children's development and easily identifies any gaps in learning. The childminder has a good knowledge of child development and clearly understands how children learn. As a result, she successfully extends learning opportunities to suit individual children's needs and interests so that they

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who attend

make good progress. The quality of teaching is mostly good as the childminder provides an effective balance of child-initiated and adult-focused learning opportunities inside and outdoors. However, at times the childminder misses opportunities to ask children open- ended questions to encourage their thinking and language skills.

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who attend

The childminder plans the environment with children's interests in mind. She has low-level storage units so that children can select additional resources to enhance their play. The childminder ensures that she positions herself to support children and join in when invited. For example, children build a train track and ask the childminder if she can help them. The childminder shows them how the different pieces go together and then gets the children to try on their own which enhances their independence and thinking skills. The childminder uses counting well with children. When supporting them to play a game of skittles she encourages children to count how many they have knocked over and how many are left. This helps to develop their number awareness. She also strengthens this by adding counting into daily routines, for example, when going up and down the stairs and when giving children pieces of fruit. Children enjoy being able to play in the childminder's

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who attend

garden daily and she provides a range of recourses for them to explore. They concentrate as they transport water between containers and the childminder introduces new language for them to consider. She counts toys with the children as they put them in the water and they talk about the difference in their sizes. The childminder is conscious to promote all areas of learning in the garden as well as supporting children's physical development. However, the childminder has missed opportunities to extend children's learning in mathematics and early reading by displaying words and numbers for them to refer to in the outside space.

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who attend

Links with parents are good. The childminder gathers evidence about what the child can already do prior to starting in her care. Parents are encouraged to share information about children's learning and development at home and have regular access to the learning file. As a result, these strategies and systems engage parents. This supports children's learning and development so they are ready for the next stage of their learning and school.

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

The childminder provides a homely and welcoming environment for the children in her care. The calm atmosphere supports children's learning and they have close and positive relationships with the childminder. Children are familiar with the routines, and are confident and secure in the environment. This is because the childminder works closely with parents and ensures that she finds out all of the relevant information about children's individual routines and care needs. The childminder has well-planned settling-in procedures, which ensures that children form good attachments to her. This strong bond means that children are confident to separate from their parents and enjoy their time in the childminder's care. As a result, she effectively supports their emotional well-being. The childminder introduces young children to larger group activities when visiting local playgroup sessions. This helps to prepare them for the move on to nursery when the time

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

Children behave well when they are with the childminder as she creates a calm and positive environment where there is plenty to do. The childminder is a good role model to children regarding behaviour as she encourages kindness and manners. She offers frequent praise and encouragement and manages any unwanted behaviour well. This effectively fosters children's awareness of boundaries and helps them manage their feelings and behaviour in a way that promotes their emotional well-being. The childminder provides a range of resources and these are organised effectively on shelves at low level. As a result, all children are able to select what they want to play with, supporting their independence and decision-making skills.

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

The childminder effectively promotes children's physical and well-being during daily routines. For example, nappy changing routines sensitively meet the needs of individual children. The childminder reminds the children of the importance of good hygiene practices as she ensures that they wash their hands after they go to the toilet and before handling foods to wash away germs. Mealtimes are very relaxed social occasions, in which children can enjoy the experience and practise their developing self-care skills. Children develop a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They take part in a variety of outdoor physical activity. This enables children to benefit from fresh air. They develop and practise their physical skills not only in the childminder's garden, but also on walks and at local parks and attractions.

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provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of her role and responsibility in relation to safeguarding children and protecting them from harm. She is fully aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedure to follow should she have a concern about a child in her care. Consequently, she keeps children safe and promotes their welfare is promoted. The childminder reinforces safeguarding with other safe practices, such as robust risk assessments for her home and for any outing undertaken with the children. The childminder has good systems in place to ensure the premises are secure. She checks visitors' identities and locks the outside door to prevent unauthorised people gaining access and the children leaving unaccompanied. The childminder protects children in the event of an accident or during an emergency evacuation, as she has a current paediatric first-aid certificate and practises fire safety procedures with the children. As a result,

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provision

children are cared for safely and have their well-being supported effectively.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a secure knowledge of the learning and development requirements and understands how children learn. She ensures that educational programmes cover all seven areas of learning and development. The childminder gathers very good information from parents when the children enter her home. This ensures that she plans activities, which the children enjoy, and also offers sufficient challenge so that they make good progress towards their next steps. The childminder has a good range of policies to support her practice and shares these with parents. Parents are well informed about their children's care and learning. They receive a good variety of communication through daily verbal exchanges and through the sharing of children's development records. Parents and children are actively encouraged to share their views and suggestions, in order to help inform the service through questionnaires, which are

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provision

complimentary about the service provided and the care of their children. The childminder uses the views of the parents and children, together with her own reflections of her practice, to identify her strengths and weaknesses effectively, enabling her to evaluate her provision on a regular basis. She has successfully addressed the recommendations from her last inspection. The childminder has strategies in place to continue to improve her practice and meets regularly with other local childminders to discuss good practice and ideas for improvement. This helps the childminder to be realistic about her strengths and the areas that she wants to improve. Parents comment that they are very happy with the care and education that their children receive and that they would recommend the childminder to others.

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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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 104103 Local authority Devon Inspection number 816869 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 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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