Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/08/2014 14/12/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children are settled and happy within this homely environment. The childminder has a secure understanding of their individual needs and works well with parents.  Children are making satisfactory progress in their learning. They are happy and engaged in a variety of activities that interest them.  Children are well behaved and have a clear understanding of behavioural expectations through the support of the childminder.

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It is not yet good because

 The progress check for two-year-old children is not fully complete, as it does not identify children's strengths and any areas where their progress is less than expected.  The childminder does not make children completely aware of all the available toys and resources to assist them in making independent choices and decisions during play.  The childminder has not provided opportunities for parents/carers to contribute to their child's learning journeys.

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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 children playing in the childminder's home and observed the interaction between them.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a variety of documents, including children's records, the daily attendance register and policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection, during and after activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into consideration parental views through letters and emails made available at inspection.  The inspector provided feedback to the childminder at the end of inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1995. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder lives with her husband and their two children, in the residential area of Marcham, near Abingdon in Oxfordshire. The whole of the ground floor and the first floor bathroom are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family have a dog and cats as pets. The childminder makes use of local facilities, such as shops, a park, library and toddler groups. The childminder can take children to and collect them from local schools and pre-schools. The childminder is caring for four children, and of these, three are in the early years age range.

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must:

 complete a progress check for each child between the age of two and three years, in order to provide parents/carers with a written summary of their child's development in the prime areas of learning, which identifies the child's strengths, and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected

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

 increase opportunities for all children to make informed choices and decisions about toys and resources, for example, by using pictures, real objects and signs alongside words in the indoor learning environment

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

 provide further opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning by contributing to their child's development records.

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who attend

Children are happy and suitably settled in activities and play experiences that interest them and support their learning and development. The childminder has a suitable understanding of the learning and development requirements and plans appropriate activities and outings, which meet the needs of the children steadily. The childminder gathers relevant information from parents and carers about children's starting points to form her initial assessment. This includes information about what individual children know, like and can do. The childminder has a system of observation and assessment in place; these generally show how the children are progressing and their next steps in learning. However, the recording of children's progress at the age of two years is not secure. For example, the system used does not reflect in sufficient detail how the children are achieving in the areas of learning. This is a breach in the requirements. Parents are

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who attend

welcome to view their child's observation records, but as of yet they have not made any contributions to them. This restricts parent's involvement in their child's achievements and progress.

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who attend

Children have a variety of opportunities to promote and develop their communication and language skills. The childminder communicates to the children well, asking a suitable amount of questions to support and aid their understanding and play. For example, children are asked what they would like to put into the tubes they use for making musical instruments. Then are encouraged to count the items they enter into it, which successfully supports the children knowledge of numbers. Children enjoy creating and making the shakers. Through this, they use their physical and creative skills to paint and create pictures on the tubing. The childminder uses this activity soundly to promote children's communication and mathematical skills, such as exploring colour, shapes and patterns. This suitably supports children's learning experiences and promotes their readiness for school.

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who attend

Children concentrate appropriately in activities and become engaged in their play. They enjoy imaginative play as they play with dolls and dress up themselves. The childminder develops children's understanding of the word as she discusses and incorporates themes and celebrations within their monthly planning. For example, they are currently celebrating carnival days to coincide with Northampton carnival, where they have made head dresses, masks and watched parades on the internet. This effectively supports the children's creativity and expressive arts and design. Other celebrations include Chinese New Year, where the children enjoy tasting Chinese food as part of their snack and learn new skills such as using chop sticks.

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

Children are settled and at ease in this child-friendly environment. They come into the setting happy and settle to activities that meet their interests and development. The children clearly have a secure relationship with the childminder and readily invite her into their play. For example, they make drinks for her through use of the role-play tea set. The childminder appropriately supports children to understand acceptable behaviour and teaches them to take turns, share, and be kind to each other. For example, when they play a board game together, they take turns to roll the dice and move their disc up the squares. The childminder offers the children a secure amount of praise and encouragement, which consequently supports their self-esteem while promoting their sense of security.

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

Children are taught simple messages to protect themselves and be aware of safety. For example, they regularly practise fire drills and are gently reminded by the childminder not to rock on their chairs. Good explanations are used to support the children learning and understanding to protect themselves, such as why it is important to pick up the toys, to prevent them from tripping and hurt themselves or friends. Older children benefit from the golden rules displayed in the playroom. This helps them to gain awareness of the rules within the home. Children have a suitable amount of toys and resources to play and explore with, these are used well to support the children's play. Children independently make choices and decisions as they access toys and resources from low-level boxes and draws. However, not all children are aware of all available resources, as they are unable to read the labels and access the boxes. This means that written labels on toy boxes have no

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

current meaning. This limits their understanding of all accessible toys and resources.

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

Children develop a clear understanding of developing a healthy lifestyle. The childminder promotes and develops children's self-care skills through daily routines, such as hand washing. Children enjoy sitting together socially at meal times and benefit from healthy snacks provided by the childminder. Parents provide children lunch and the childminder encourages children to eat their savoury items before their sweet, which complements parental requests. Children benefit from opportunities to play outside in the fresh air as they use the garden, visit local parks and attend children's centres.

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provision

The childminder is fully aware of her role to safeguard children. She has suitable documentation in place to maintain the children safety such as policies and procedures, accident and incident records and risk assessments. The childminder has undertaken training in safeguarding children and is enrolled on specialist training to enhance her knowledge further. The childminder has a sound understanding of what would give her cause for concern and is secure in the action she would take to promote children's welfare. She provides an environment which is conducive to the children's learning abilities and she remains with the children at all times to maximise their safety.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable range of policies and procedures, which are accessible to the parents and guide her daily practice. Partnership with parents is positive and the childminder ensures that she engages with them daily through verbal communication. This helps to ensure that parents are kept up to date with their child's well-being and daily events. Parents write highly of the childminder and comment on their children being happy and well cared for. The childminder understands the need to communicate with other professionals involved in the care and learning of children to maintain continuity of care.

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provision

The childminder has a self-evaluation in place and is fully aware of her strengths and areas to improve. However, the systems to address the area for improvement have not been fully reflected upon, which means that area for development such as undertaking assessments are still outstanding. Despite this, the childminder has a clear vision for the future and is currently undertaking additional training to support her childminding practice.

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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 133376 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 813804 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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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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