Childminder in Essex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/07/2014 14/02/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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 quality of teaching is very good because the childminder uses every opportunity during daily routines and activities to extend children's communication skills.  Children are very happy and form strong bonds with the childminder. This supports their emotional well-being and helps them to be able to make good progress in their learning and development.  The childminder forms excellent partnerships with parents, other carers and professionals, ensuring children's needs are met effectively and they are very well prepared for their next stage in learning.  Children are safeguarded as the childminder has a clear understanding of child protection issues and her responsibility to promote children's welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is room to improve the activity planning by focusing more precisely on individual children's learning priorities.  The childminder is not always robustly monitoring and adapting her daily care routines when children grow and develop new skills.

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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 indoor and outdoor learning environments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder about the children's progress and achievements.  The inspector viewed a sample of the children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and her family, in addition to examples of reflective practice, risk assessment, and policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from responses to surveys carried out by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2002 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 and 11 years, in a house in Wickford, Essex. The childminder uses the ground floor and an upstairs bedroom for childminding. The family keep a tortoise as a pet. The childminder regularly attends a local toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She walks or drives to local schools or pre-schools to take and collect children. There are currently five children attending who are within the early years age range, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. The childminder operates all year round, from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of a local childminding network and is accredited to receive funding for the

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Information about the setting

provision of free early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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

 focus more precisely on individual children's next steps in learning when planning their activities and experiences, to really accelerate their learning

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

 strengthen the monitoring of daily practice, to ensure that care routines fully take into account the changing abilities of the youngest children as they grow and develop their mobility.

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who attend

Children are motivated, inquisitive learners and benefit from the childminder's effective understanding of how children develop and learn. They choose what to do and select resources independently, in order to follow their interests freely, both indoors and outside. The high-quality play equipment is stimulating and fun. It attracts and holds children's interest and supports their development. The quality of teaching is very good and sometimes outstanding. Children benefit from playing in an environment that is rich in opportunities for conversation and discussion. The children are successfully supported in developing their communication and language skills. The childminder sits alongside children, supporting them as they play. She uses effective questioning techniques that encourage the children to think for themselves and she provides time for them to talk about what they are doing. Consequently, children quickly become confident

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who attend

communicators and are constantly extending their vocabulary. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals, which helps to prepare them well for their future learning and the move onto school. Children's love of books is well fostered. The childminder encourages children to pick up a book for pleasure and discuss what they see with her. Children are able to practise their early writing skills and demonstrate a good understanding of simple calculation. They confidently use games and play materials, such as picture dominoes, to sort, match and count items. Babies and younger children have frequent opportunities to make connections through using their senses to explore and discover new textures. For example, children investigate with a variety of both natural and man-made materials in treasure baskets. In addition, the childminder has recently added a super-mud kitchen to her garden, so that children can

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who attend

be imaginative and creative as they experiment with messy materials in the outdoor area.

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who attend

Assessment is used effectively to build a picture of individual children's progress over time, and the childminder frequently uses her observations to identify children's next steps in learning. However, the childminder is not constantly supporting children to make better than good progress, because she is not precisely focusing on individual children's learning priorities when planning activities and experiences. The beautifully presented development records provide a wide variety of examples of children's work with photographs of their achievements. The childminder consults with parents at the start of a placement to determine children's starting points. She ensures that parents are kept informed about their children's progress through regular reports and consultations. Parents also have the opportunity to contribute to their child's individual development record to aid the childminder's all-round understanding of what their children can do. In addition, the

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who attend

childminder discuss the children with parents on a daily basis, providing written information about what they have covered that day. This includes stimulating ideas for continuing learning at home.

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

The childminder provides a very welcoming and comfortable environment for the children in her care. She is highly skilled in helping children form secure emotional attachments, so that children are happy, confident and become independent. The childminder is calm and patient, giving every child a great deal of individual attention, as she effectively minimises any stress or upset. Babies demonstrate a strong feeling of belonging and security as they eagerly snuggle up to the childminder for a cuddle. The childminder effectively takes time to get to know families and children's individual personalities and needs from the outset. She has high expectations for good behaviour, in line with children's age and level of understanding. She teaches them to think about how their actions affect others, which helps the children learn right from wrong. As a result, from an early age, children learn to be polite, kind and considerate to others.

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

Children are beginning to learn about the importance of their personal safety. They understand what they should and should not do in the event of an emergency and the childminder explains about safety in a way that children understand without being afraid. For example, when talking about safety in the home, children practise fire drills and learn important telephone numbers, so they know how to contact the emergency services. On outings, children learn about road safety and high-visibility jackets are worn, so children can be easily seen. Children are suitably safe as they play on the premises, and the childminder teaches children to behave responsibly when they play near water. However, the childminder does not always fully consider the importance of adapting her daily care routines when children grow and develop new skills. For instance, the childminder has only just recently made certain that all items within the reach of crawling babies are safe

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

for them to explore with their hands or mouth.

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

Children effectively learn about healthy lifestyles as they eat nutritious snacks and meals. The childminder is well aware of any special dietary requirements and has a full understanding of the importance of preparing food safely. The childminder's kitchen has been inspected by an environmental health officer and has been awarded five stars for food hygiene. The childminder helps children to develop an understanding of personal hygiene practices and, in particular, the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of infection. In preparing children for the transition to school, the childminder ensures that children are confident in being around large groups, by attending activities where there are other children. As a result, the move to school is smooth and successful. The childminder has established extremely strong links with local pre-schools and primary schools, in order to promote continuity of care and learning experiences.

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provision

Overall, the childminder has a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All the essential documentation that promotes children's safety and welfare is systematically organised and stored confidentially. The childminder has a clear understanding of her safeguarding responsibilities and ensures that children are closely supervised as they play. She knows the steps to take if she has concerns about their welfare. There are secure policies and procedures in place, and all adult members of the household have completed the relevant background checks. Appropriate risk assessment of the premises and garden is carried out and reviewed at regular intervals. This inspection was prioritised following a notification from the childminder about a significant event. This related to an incident when a child was taken to hospital, after coming into contact with, and tasting, a household laundry product. The childminder took prompt

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provision

action to ensure that parents were informed, appropriate medical treatment was quickly obtained and the essential documentation was recorded. Subsequently, the childminder has ensured that laundry products are no longer within easy reach of children to minimise the likelihood of an incident of this nature reoccurring. Consequently, children remain safe as the childminder has taken the appropriate action to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements.

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provision

The childminder sets high standards for herself and has a strong desire to help children in her care achieve as much as they can. She is highly reflective, constantly reviewing the educational programmes to improve what she provides. The childminder carefully monitors what children are learning, to ensure she covers all areas of the educational programmes in sufficient depth. Tracking documents are also used to ensure the childminder can immediately identify when development is less than expected. This means that no child gets left behind. The childminder actively seeks to update and increase her already extensive knowledge of how best to support children's development. To help with this, she seeks the views of parents, children and other professionals. She targets her training to meet children's needs. For example, this year the childminder has updated her first-aid training and also attended workshops to gain inspiration for enhancing the home learning

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provision

environment. However, the childminder is not robustly monitoring her care practices to fully take into account children's changing developmental needs, in order to scrupulously enhance the youngest children's well-being.

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provision

Parents comment extremely positively about the warm care and wide range of interesting activities their children enjoy. They also say they are confident that their children remain safe in the childminder's care. The childminder shares excellent tips with parents, on how to enhance their children's learning at home, through newsletters, emails and visual displays. She also arranges social events and open days, so families can get together and join in activities with their children. The childminder takes a lead role in establishing extremely effective working relationships with other early years professionals. She meets regularly with other childminders to share ideas and good practice. Meetings are arranged with key persons at local pre-schools to discuss children's progress and share observations. Excellent links also exist with local primary schools, so that there is a smooth transfer when children start full-time education.

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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 EY220972 Local authority Essex Inspection number 980685 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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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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