Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/08/2014 24/02/2014

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

p.1

This provision is good

 The childminder is secure in her knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters and has robust procedures in place to keep children safe.  The quality of teaching is good. The childminder plans and extends activities to include each child's current interest, to link with home experiences and to help children make good progress in their learning.  The childminder encourages children to be active, independent learners. She provides a range of experiences in her home, garage, garden and on outings, which support children's all-round development and growing independence.  Children are emotionally well prepared and equipped with self-help skills, to ease their move onto nursery and school.  Children's speech and language benefit greatly from listening to a wide variety of stories and through role play and play with small toys and figures.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope for the childminder to expand her professional knowledge and understanding on a wider variety of topics in a range of ways, such as, attending training events, reading professional publications and researching information on the internet.  There is scope to more frequently share information about children's learning with parents and other settings that children attend.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the ground floor rooms and conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the observations.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documents, including verifying qualifications, checking the suitability of household members and viewing the policies, procedures and the children's records.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the childminder's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers from feedback forms provided by the childminder.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2011 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 five and two years in Fulwood, Preston. The whole of the ground floor and the first floor bathroom are used for childminding. The family has a pet rabbit. The childminder collects children from the local schools. There are currently seven children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age range and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She supports children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

p.3

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

 set regular targets for personal learning, in order to further develop professional knowledge, skills and practice

p.3

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

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

p.3

who attend

The childminder works closely with parents to identify what children already know and can do when they first start. She uses this information to carefully plan challenging experiences, which help each child make good progress from their starting points in all areas of learning. She also purposefully keeps a form within easy reach, on which she notes the ongoing information that parents share about their children's learning and development at home. She successfully blends this information with her own observations to keep experiences interesting and children eager to learn. For example, following children's recent camping holidays, the childminder has bought and erected a tent in which children play imaginatively. Children practise early writing as they pretend to take camping bookings on a form attached to a clipboard. They snuggle in to the sleeping bags to look at books, which encourages a love of reading. They develop an early awareness of

p.3

who attend

technology and how things work as they shine torches at the wall. Encouraged by the childminder, they offer ideas as to why the toy campfire log is not illuminating and talk about changing the batteries. Children are keen to investigate, concentrate well and persevere at tasks, which are useful traits for future learning. Children take the magnifying glass to the nature reserve to look closely at butterflies. They also explore and investigate using nets, which they dip in ponds. Children effectively learn about their local community and enhance their awareness of nature on outings. Following an interest in a story about a monster, the childminder takes children to visit the woods to search for wooden sculptures of the characters.

p.3

who attend

The quality of the childminder's teaching is good, which enables children to make good progress within the typical range of development expected for their age. Children are interested and keen learners. Every day, children choose what to play with and the childminder plays alongside and enables them to think and try out new ideas. She skilfully questions children during activities in order to improve their learning. She helps them to develop mathematical skills through completing jigsaws and when they find similar toy animals of different sizes, she introduces mathematical language, such as 'big' and 'little'. Children dress up and play imaginatively with dolls and dolls' house furniture. Their strong progress in physical, personal, social and emotional development ensures they have the key skills needed for when they move onto nursery and school. The childminder reads numerous stories, which successfully encourages children's interest in literacy. As a result,

p.4

who attend

children demonstrate good listening skills.

p.4

who attend

The childminder and parents exchange verbal information daily and parents receive good information about their children's progress through photographs, written observations and a daily diary. All children, including those learning English as an additional language, are progressing well towards the early learning goals over time, given their starting points. Parents receive a written summary of the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. However, there is scope to share information about where their child fits within the expected level of development for their age more frequently. The childminder actively seeks out resources in the home languages of children who attend. Children look at the differing text of English and children's home language on posters and as they play card games. This values the home languages of children and raises their awareness of other languages. Themed activities, some linked to calendar events enable

p.4

who attend

children to explore a range of cultures. For example, children decorate drawings of hands with Mehndi patterns during the festival of Eid. The childminder borrows multicultural resources from the toy library at times, such as at Chinese New Year. Topical events, such as the Olympics are also used to talk about different languages and countries and to look at maps to raise children's understanding of the world.

p.4

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

The childminder purposefully gathers a range of useful information about each child, including any allergies, what they like to do, names of others in their family and words in their home languages. She makes good use of this information to help children settle when they first start. This enables children to feel emotionally very secure and settle well. Children demonstrate a clear sense of security as they relate well to each other and the childminder. The childminder is a good role model and is consistent in her praise for positive behaviour, such as sharing well. As a result, children demonstrate polite, courteous behaviour. The childminder makes good use of story books and a range of photographs to teach children about different emotions. She does this in a way that is appropriate for their age. For example, children talk about feelings, such as being scared as the childminder reads a story about a fish. The childminder actively seeks information

p.4

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

from parents about how they celebrate different festivals at home and builds suitable conversations and craft activities into the planning. As a result, children are learning to respect and tolerate each other's differences.

p.5

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

Children develop a good understanding of how physical exercise fits into a healthy lifestyle. They play outside during most weathers because the garage is furnished, well resourced and provides shelter. Children frequently walk around the nature reserve and practise balancing and climbing skills on equipment at the local park and on visits to the soft play centre. Children also learn about keeping safe as they carefully use large equipment and explore outdoor spaces. Snacks and meals are well planned to be varied and nutritious. Children talk about healthy eating as they cut up their own fruit for snack. They sit safely at the dining table for healthy lunches, such as ham or cheese sandwiches followed by fresh fruit. They learn about nutrition as they handle fresh ingredients to make food items for picnics. Children remember seeing a hedgehog and then returning to bake hedgehog shaped bread. Children learn to keep themselves safe because the

p.5

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

childminder makes good use of opportunities to talk about many aspects of safety. During imaginative play children demonstrate a good knowledge of how to stay safe. They knowledgeably talk about the dangers of campfires and are careful when chopping pretend logs for the fire with an axe. Children learn about road safety and safer places to cross roads when on outings.

p.5

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

Children play in a stimulating and welcoming home with good quality toys, which support their all-round development and emotional well-being. They are well prepared emotionally and equipped with self-help skills, to ease their move on to nursery and school. From an early age, the childminder builds up their confidence to do things for themselves. As a result, two-year-old children demonstrate good self-help skills. They confidently help themselves to a wide range of toys due to the way the childminder organises her home. They develop a sense of responsibility as they also return toys to where they belong. They persevere at tasks, such as putting on socks and fastening straps on their shoes. The childminder also supports children to socialise and communicate with other children at toddler groups, which enables them to develop confidence and independence in group situations.

p.5

provision

The childminder fully understands her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Since the last inspection, where the childminder received a number of actions to improve, and a subsequent monitoring visit, she has improved her knowledge and implemented effective changes. She complies with the statutory adult-to-child ratios required in the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure each child is always provided with sufficient attention to meet their needs. She ensures young children are kept safe at all times, for example, she provides slipper socks with anti-skid nubs to prevent slipping on the floors. She ensures children always sit safely in age-appropriate seating when at the dining table for eating and craft activities. She appropriately supervises children in the back garden. She follows clear procedures and maintains accurate records to keep children safe, protected and supported. This includes

p.5

provision

daily safety checks on equipment and toys and regular reviews of general risk and fire risk assessments. The childminder demonstrates a clear knowledge of the indicators of abuse or neglect and how to work with other agencies to protect children. Her written policy is in line with the procedures of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. As a result, the children's safety is assured.

p.6

provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has improved her knowledge of the timing and purpose of the progress check completed for all children between the ages of two and three years. She skilfully tracks children's progress and is able to identify exactly where children are making less obvious progress and plans challenging experiences to close any gaps in their learning. The childminder reflects on her practice and makes continuous improvements. She is beginning to expand her professional knowledge and understanding of childcare related issues. For example, she meets with other childminders to discuss childcare related issues. She attends a speech and language support group, which has resulted in significant improvement in the way she supports children's language and communication. Children help themselves to a good range of

p.6

provision

available toys in the home, garage and garden. The childminder ensures every child has plenty of opportunities to explore their own ideas during play and sensitively times when individual support is required.

p.6

provision

Since the last inspection, the childminder has added noticeboards as a further way to share additional information with parents. As a result, displayed information, informative written policies and daily conversations provide parents with good quality information about the way the childminder works. Parental feedback forms have been introduced and so far parents' comments indicate they are happy with their children's progress. The childminder understands the benefits of working in partnership with other settings children attend and recognises that there is scope to build on this partnership to further support children's learning. She works well with external agencies to support children's development.

p.6

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

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number EY433948 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 965346 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10