Childminder in Wirral

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/08/2014 02/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 demonstrates a good understanding of children's starting points, interests and individual needs. She uses this knowledge well within her teaching to plan appropriate and stimulating activities to promote children's development in all areas of learning.  Children relate well to the caring nature of the childminder. Consequently, they form secure emotional attachments, which enable them to feel confident in their surroundings.  The childminder builds positive relationships with parents, keeping them well informed about their child's care, learning and development.  Children are safeguarded well. This is because the childminder has a good understanding of her role and responsibility to protect the children. She provides a safe and secure environment because of the risk assessments that are carried out to minimise any potential hazards to children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder has not yet fully explored further strategies to engage all parents actively in their children's learning.  There is scope to improve the outdoor environment by providing resources that can be used to develop habitats and create shelters, which foster children's interest in the natural world and their enthusiasm for physical activities.

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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 spoke with the childminder and her co-childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection and observed play, teaching and learning opportunities indoors, in the garden area and at snack time.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation and a selection of policies and procedures, including children's information, risk assessments, certificates and suitability checks.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the information provided in the childminder's self- evaluation document, written and verbal feedback from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2006 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged four and eight years, in Thingwall, Wirral. The childminder works with another registered childminder. Both childminders have equal responsibility for the childminding practice. The whole of the ground floor, upstairs bathroom and two main bedrooms are used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. There are currently six children on roll. She always minds with a co-childminder and together, they are currently caring for 11 children between them. Of these, four are within the early years range. The childminder attends the local parent and toddler group. The family has two pet cats. The childminder operates Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round, except for family holidays. The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification

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

 build on the already good partnerships with parents, in order to promote an even more effective sharing of information about children's learning

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

 extend the outdoor environment to foster children's interest in the natural world and their enthusiasm for physical activities, for example, by providing resources that can be used to develop habitats and create shelters.

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who attend

The childminder demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and understands how children learn. Together with her co- childminder, she uses her understanding and experience to plan a range of stimulating experiences for children across the seven areas of learning. Consequently, children make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder knows children in her care well as she assesses their progress on an ongoing basis. She carries out regular observations, which she uses to identify their levels of development and next steps in their learning. As a result, the childminder is able to offer a broad range of purposeful and developmentally appropriate activities, which support children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. This supports their future learning and their move into school, when the time comes.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. The childminder offers a range of toys and resources that cover the seven areas of learning. Children are encouraged to investigate and explore their environment and the childminder sensitively extends their play through appropriate questioning. They explore a range of different natural materials, such as pasta and rice, by pouring and scooping the materials and filling a range of different sized containers to see which holds the most. However, they do not always have the opportunity to develop their natural curiosity and physical skills in the outdoor area, through investigating habitats and building shelters. Children's literacy and mathematical knowledge is extended as the childminder incorporates counting, number and letter recognition games in garden activities and counting fruit at snack time. Speaking and listening skills are promoted well by good modelling from the childminder and her co-childminder. Children are encouraged

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who attend

to talk about what they are doing and praised for their efforts. As a result, children feel secure in attempting to talk.

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who attend

The childminder has good relationships with the parents. She encourages them to share information about their child's learning when they start at the setting and in their daily discussions. Play is planned around the child's interests and needs. Learning journals are updated regularly by the co-childminder and contain observations, photographs and regular assessments of children's development. These are sent home on a regular basis for parents' comments and their input. Parents can see the observations the childminder and co-childminder have made and how the child's progress is being tracked. Consequently, they are kept well informed about their child's achievements. However, strategies to encourage parents to contribute to observations and assessments of what children have achieved at home are not fully developed, so that they do not fully benefit from a shared understanding and common approach to supporting their progress. Parents

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who attend

are complimentary of the childminder and make comments, such as 'It's home from home'.

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

The childminder has a kind, patient and caring approach, which supports children's personal, social and emotional development well. Children have formed strong attachments with the childminder and have a strong sense of well-being. They show high levels of confidence in exploring the play environment and are confident to approach the childminder for reassurance. Relationships are enhanced through the childminder's settling-in procedure, which is guided by parents and children's needs. She provides settling-in sessions, which supports her in becoming familiar with children's individual needs through discussions, written information and initial assessments. Parents provide written information about children's routines, development and needs to support them in the move from home to the childminding setting. This enables the childminder to plan and provide care for children effectively as soon as they start attending.

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

The childminder is a good role model, ensuring that children are developing an understanding of respect and manners through daily routines and behaviour. She gives clear indications as to how children are expected to behave, for example, praising their good work and thanking them for helping to tidy up. As a result, children know the childminder's expectations and are well supported. The childminder consistently offers praise and encouragement, which helps to promote children's self-esteem and confidence. Consequently, children are happy and well mannered. They ask 'May I get down from the table' after meal and snack times, indicating that they have finished eating. Children are encouraged to take turns and help each other to support them in developing social skills, which will support them in their future learning. They are encouraged to make choices over their play as the childminder presents a large selection of resources at their height in

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

a bright and welcoming environment. Therefore, children's independence is promoted from an early age. Independence is also encouraged as children help the co-childminder to prepare and cut fruit at snack time.

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

Regular routines, such as hand washing before meals and after using the toilet, provide children with good opportunities to develop self-care skills and to learn about healthy practices. Children have their own towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste in the bathroom, which they use after lunch to support them in understanding the importance of personal and dental hygiene. The childminder promotes a healthy lifestyle by offering a balanced diet and promoting exercise. Children have daily access to the outdoors by playing in the garden or on various visits to the local garden centre, places of interest and local children's groups. These opportunities provide experiences for children to learn about their local environment and supports them in taking calculated risks, for example, when using the large play equipment in the park. The childminder also encourages children to identify risks in the setting and reminds them to be safe on the steps into the rear garden area. As

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

a result, children are developing an understanding of the importance of keeping themselves safe. Children participate in regular fire drills, which helps them to understand how to keep themselves safe in an emergency.

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provision

Children are effectively protected from harm as the childminder demonstrates a secure knowledge of her responsibilities with regards to safeguarding children. She has attended courses to support her understanding of child protection and help her in identifying signs of abuse. Children remain safe and secure in the childminder's care as she conducts thorough risk assessments of her home and outings. Appropriate records regarding accidents are also kept and parents are informed. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures, which all parents are made aware of, meet all the welfare requirements to support the safe and efficient management of the setting. The childminder supervises the children well and takes effective safety precautions, such as using shutting doors, placing partitions across the kitchen area and using gates at the top and bottom of stairways. As a result, children are kept safe and protected from harm.

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provision

The childminder uses self-evaluation procedures to identify strengths and weaknesses in her setting. She involves parents in her evaluation through discussion and the use of questionnaires, in order to seek their views on different aspects of her provision. She also assesses children's enjoyment and learning in the activities and resources that she provides through the use of picture questionnaires. Where the childminder identifies an area that children are not progressing, she reflects upon the reasons why and how she can adapt the activity to support their interests. As a result, the childminder is always reflecting upon her practice and the changes she could implement to support children, who attend her setting. The childminder shows a commitment to further training. She seeks relevant training events, in order to further enhance the provision and the learning outcomes for children. The childminder has identified the outdoor area for further

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provision

development to create more learning opportunities and has enrolled on appropriate training. The childminder has built partnerships with support networks in her local area, such as the childminding development worker, to help her to meet the needs of children in her care.

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provision

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of how to monitor children's learning and development. She consistently uses guidance documents to inform her assessments. This results in children's development being closely monitored to support them to make progress. The childminder has built positive relationships with parents of children she cares for. Parents are complimentary about the childminder and they are happy with the care and teaching she provides. The childminder communicates with parents through discussions, daily sheets and notebooks. Partnerships with parents and other agencies are well developed. Learning journals are shared with parents, who are encouraged to include their own comments and observations. The childminder is developing links with staff at local schools to share information about the children and ensure that activities in the setting complement their studies in school.

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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 EY332388 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 862522 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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