Childminder in Merton

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/08/2014 27/11/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder knows the children well as they have built a secure attachment with her, and they are comfortable in her care.  The children make good progress towards their next stage of learning and the childminder encourages them to learn in her home and enjoy purposeful play.  The childminder is a good role model to the children which results in her managing their behaviour confidently, and they are well behaved.  The childminder has a good relationship with the parents; she shares information with them about their children's learning and well-being. This results in them working cohesively together to meet children's needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not consistently give children opportunities to develop their early writing skills, as there are fewer resources for them to make marks with.  The childminder has fewer resources for the younger children to explore more natural materials to support their understanding of the world around them.

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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 the children inside and outside the home.  The inspector sampled children's learning journey records.  The inspector sampled policies and procedures, and further documentation.  The inspector spoke with the childminder and some parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2007 and lives with her teenage child in the London Borough of Merton. Areas of the home used for childminding include the ground floor through lounge, kitchen, first floor spare bedroom and bathroom. There is also access to a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is currently minding two children in the early years age group, on a full-time basis. She holds a qualification in child development at level 3.

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

 develop further learning opportunities to support the children's early writing and literacy skills

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

 develop more opportunities for the younger children to explore with natural materials to understand the world.

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who attend

The childminder gathers relevant information from the parents by asking them to complete an all about me form regarding their child's needs. This then ensures that the childminder and parents work cohesively together so the children settle well and she knows about the children's interests and initial abilities. The childminder has a clear understanding of how to support children's learning and development, taking into account their ages, so they make good progress in all areas of learning. As a result the quality of her teaching is good and this supports children to gain useful skills in readiness for school.

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who attend

The children have the opportunity to explore a generally good range of toys as they are set out in clearly labelled boxes. These include a choice of books, dolls and soft toys, playdough, sit-and-ride cars and puzzles. The younger children have less opportunity to explore with their senses as there are fewer natural materials and objects to explore, play with and understand more about the world around them.

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who attend

The children enjoyed the opportunity to take part in a painting activity. They expressed their creativity by exploring with different colour paints as they mixed them together. The childminder actively talked to the children about the colours they were using. Children responded confidently by saying 'red and blue make purple'. They continued to mix the paints to make further colours. The childminder praised the children for identifying the colours as they mixed them together. As a result, the children were able to differentiate between colours and learn different colour names.

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who attend

The childminder sang to the children to encourage them to join in and develop their communication and language skills. The children responded by singing back and moving enthusiastically as they joined in with the actions to the songs. The children then chose which songs they would like to sing. This resulted in the children being able to develop their knowledge of songs and rhymes together.

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who attend

The childminder had a regular a story time with the children as they chose their own books from the book box. The childminder encouraged the older children to guide their fingers over the words, as they began to look at the words together. She encouraged the children to count the objects on the page so the children counted the pictures and then held up a quantity of fingers to represent what they had just counted. The childminder and the children looked at the books together as they read. This resulted in the children developing their literacy skills, as well as their mathematical skills as they counted the objects.

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who attend

The childminder provided the children with a pen and alphabet books as she supported them to recognise and to write letters. She said the letter in the book as the children responded with the letter name as they began to spell the word. Children identified a capital letter and a lower case letter, further developing literacy skills. However, there are fewer resources for the children to use to extend their learning and independently practise making marks and writing by themselves.

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who attend

The children decided to choose construction blocks to build with, using good physical skills. The childminder actively asked the children 'What are you building?' The children replied that they were 'making a table', showing how they were designing and making for a purpose, using their creativity. Children solved problems as they constructed the pieces together. The childminder encouragingly made a suggestion to the children, to extend their learning; however the children made choices for themselves and decided where to put the blocks. This shows how confident the children are in the childminder's care. Children were developing their mathematical skills well as they described the height of the object, commenting how 'that is big, and that is small'. The children correctly identified the shapes they were using as they said 'circle' and 'triangle'. This resulted in children developing their physical skills and solving problems as they worked out their own

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

The children have developed a warm and trusting relationship with the childminder as they cuddle into her for attachment and security. As a result the children have formed a trusting and caring relationship with her. This supports their personal, social and emotional development. The childminder shares information about the children's well- being with the parents through her use of daily record sheets. This enables the parents to be aware of how the childminder meets their children's needs.

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

The children's sleeping needs are met well as the childminder cuddles and sings to them as they fall asleep. The children find comfort by snuggling into the childminder as they fall asleep. The children are then laid into their beds, in a quiet and cosy area so they rest as part of a healthy lifestyle.

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

The childminder provides healthy snacks with drinking water during the day to support children's dietary needs appropriately. She is fully aware of each child's likes and dislikes and encourages those children that have a dislike of food by praising them as they eat their meals. The childminder helps the children flourish as she promotes their growing independence and confidence to do things for themselves. The children were given choices as they decided what to play with inside and outside in the garden. They had fun in the garden as they used their physical skills to play in the fresh air and this supports their healthy lifestyle.

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

The childminder teaches children about personal safety during routines activities. For example, she reminded the children about keeping themselves safe as she turned the oven on to bake some cakes. The children stood near the kitchen door as the childminder opened the oven and she explained to them only the adult can open the door to the oven. Inside the home the children were reminded to walk safely. The children responded well and listened to the childminder, showing they behaved well and were able to follow simple instructions without any difficulties.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates good knowledge of her role in safeguarding children. She knows who to contact in the local authority to report any child protection issues, and this is clearly documented in her safeguarding policy. The childminder is confident about the procedures to follow if she has to report any concerns about children's welfare to help to keep them safe. She assesses risk in her home efficiently and maintains clear written documents about the safety measures taken where the children are playing. Consequently children can explore and play safely both inside and outdoors.

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provision

The childminder has a good knowledge of the learning and development requirements. She provides good support to children to help them make strong progress in all of the areas of learning. The childminder recognises the benefits of working with parents as she gathers their input about their children through daily discussions. She knows that sharing information helps provide positive learning experiences for their children.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a good capacity to drive improvement in the quality of her childminding. She reflects on her practice and completes a robust evaluation of her provision. This helps her to identify areas for further development to improve outcomes for children. The childminder takes into account what the parents say and she asks them to complete a questionnaire about her service so they are included in her evaluation. The childminder has improved her provision since the last inspection in order to meet requirements. She now maintains an accurate register with details recorded of the children's arrival and departure times. This contributes to her ongoing safeguarding measures to protect children's welfare.

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provision

The childminder attends relevant training, which includes safeguarding and first aid to support her in her care of the children. She is keen to attend further training to improve her knowledge and skills as a childminder. The parents speak positively about the childminder and they say their children are settled and cared for well.

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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 EY363691 Local authority Merton Inspection number 918581 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 2

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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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