Childminder in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/08/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 kept safe and protected from harm, as the childminder has an adequate knowledge of local safeguarding procedures. She assesses and manages risk through daily checks and routines.  The childminder has a welcoming approach and the children enjoy their time in her care. As a result, children are emotionally secure with the childminder.  The childminder provides lots of praise and encouragement to promote children's good behaviour. As a result, they develop high self-esteem and behave well.

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It is not yet good because

 Observation and assessment are not used consistently to identify the next steps in children's learning. Therefore, the learning experiences and teaching do not always support all children to make good progress.  There are not enough sensory experiences and natural materials available to support the investigation and exploration skills of younger children.  There are not enough opportunities for children to develop their numeracy 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 downstairs rooms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed a range of policies and procedures, and looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector spoke to the childminder during the inspection when appropriate.  The inspector gave feedback to the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2014 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, who acts as her childminding assistant, and three children aged nine, six and four years in a house in Northwich, Cheshire. The whole of the ground floor, first-floor lounge and second-floor bedrooms are used for childminding. The childminder supports children who speak English as an additional language. No secure outdoor play area is available, so children are taken to local parks on a regular basis.

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must:

 develop observations and assessments of children to be able to plan children's next steps and activities that consistently support and challenge their learning and development

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

 ensure that children have opportunities to investigate while they play and explore, for example, by offering a range of everyday objects in treasure baskets

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

 provide opportunities for children to build on their numeracy skills, for example, by providing further opportunities for them to count and refer to numbers in their daily routines.

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who attend

The childminder has an adequate understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has a satisfactory knowledge of the prime and specific areas of learning. The childminder provides a reasonable balance of child-led and adult-led activities. As result, children are generally engaged in purposeful play. The childminder responds to requests from the children and listens to what they like to do and play with. She is beginning to carry out observations on children to find out what they need to do next, which she puts with photographs in their own learning files. However, these observations are not always evaluated and used to plan for the next stage in children's learning, which results in some planned activities where the childminder is unclear about what she wants the children to learn. Therefore, the teaching is not focused and does not support the children to make the best possible progress. For example, when

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who attend

the children are sharing a story, she asks lots of questions to encourage children to talk, but as she has not planned the children's next steps in learning, the questions are not focused on extending a particular area of development nor are the questions open enough to allow children to extend their thinking. The childminder does use some effective teaching methods to develop children's learning, such as getting down to their level and modelling language correctly for the children. As a result, she is supports children's developing communication skills, including for those children who speak English as an additional language

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who attend

Children move freely around the environment and independently access a range of resources, which support their interests. Children develop their imagination as they play with small-world animals. They participate in painting activities using brushes and tools of various sizes, which supports their small-muscle skills and physical development. However, children's mathematical development is not always supported, as the childminder often misses opportunities to teach children to count and use numbers during daily routines. The childminder encourages children to read by providing a wide variety of books and sharing them with the children at story time. Books are easily accessible to the children. Therefore, children can read by themselves and with each other whenever they choose to do so. Children have the opportunity to make marks with crayons and paint. This supports them to develop creatively. However, there are not enough sensory experiences and

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who attend

natural materials available to support the investigation and exploration skills of younger children. Therefore, children do not always make good progress across each area of learning.

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who attend

The childminder involves parents in their child's learning by collecting information from them during their settling-in period. This information is used to identify starting points, and the childminder plans activities using information from parents to enable the children to settle quickly. The childminder gives parents verbal feedback on the activities the children have taken part in. As a result, children's learning is supported by both parents and the childminder. The childminder shares the children's files with the parents and uses a system to track and monitor the children's progress. The childminder demonstrates through discussion that she understands how and when to complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. As a result, children develop the basic skills they need their next stage in their learning and move to school.

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

Children are happy and secure. They develop attachments with the childminder and they are cared for in a homely welcoming environment. The childminder gains verbal information from parents about their children's care needs, interests and abilities, during the settling-in process. The childminder uses this information to help them to settle in her home, which reassures and supports their self-esteem. The playroom is laid out in such a way that children are able to select resources independently. Posters and calendars with pictures and words are displayed at child height to support their learning and enhance the environment. The childminder supports children in a number of ways to develop healthy lifestyles. She provides healthy meals and snacks for the children. Drinking water is available throughout the day, and children are reminded of the importance of healthy eating. Children are supported to use the toilet and the childminder reminds them of the importance of

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

washing their hands. Children do not have access to the garden daily, so instead the childminder regularly takes them on trips to the parks and other places of interest. Therefore, they are able to use larger equipment to enable them to take suitable risks on the age-appropriate equipment. This gives children the opportunity to mix with other children and take part in lots of physical activities. This also helps them emotionally prepare for when they move on to school, by regularly socialising with other children and becoming familiar with places outside the home.

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

The childminder praises children's achievements. As a result, they feel valued and this develops their sense of self-esteem. The childminder has house rules, which she shares with children, and encourages positive behaviour. Consequently, children's behaviour is good. When walking to the park, children are consistently reminded about safety rules, such as holding hands and crossing roads. As a result, all children are developing an understanding of personal safety.

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provision

The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She has attended safeguarding training and has a sound understanding of her responsibilities to protect children. She understands the signs of abuse and has a clear safeguarding procedure to follow. As a result, children's welfare is promoted and they are protected from harm. Policies and procedures are shared with parents when their children begin attending. Detailed risk assessments are regularly reviewed and daily visual checks are completed, to ensure children are being cared for in a safe and secure environment. The childminder takes steps to minimise risks, for example, she has a gate to stop the children accessing the stairs alone and she ensures the children are not left alone. The childminder has a current paediatric first-aid certificate, which means her knowledge is up to date.

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provision

She is committed to providing the best possible care for the children. The childminder is keen to develop her skills and confidence in childminding. She understands the importance of continuous professional development and accessing additional training and online resources for her and her assistant. This demonstrates her willingness to keep up to date and improve practice for the children. The childminder has a system to track the children's progress but, as this is not always based on sufficiently good-quality observations and evaluations, not all children are currently making good progress. The childminder uses a system to track the progress of the children in her care, and this mostly enables her to ensure that all areas of learning are covered and to identify any gaps in their learning. The childminder has begun to identify her strengths and weaknesses through her self- evaluation.

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provision

The childminder has developed some effective ways to work in partnership with parents, exchanging relevant information to support the children's ongoing care, learning and development. Parents are kept informed of their child's achievements and activities verbally. This enables relevant information to be shared daily, supporting children's development and celebrating their achievements. Information is shared with parents on entry to the setting, to ensure that they are fully aware of the childminder's policies and procedures. The childminder works with other early years providers who children attend, to gather and share information regarding their care and learning, in order to maintain a shared approach.

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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 EY470986 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 959981 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 3

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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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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