Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/08/2014 14/12/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder provides an appropriate range of activities to engage children and to suitably teach them the skills and abilities they need to make steady progress in all areas of learning. An effective two-way flow of information with parents aids children's care and learning.  The childminder is warm and welcoming and children are happy and settled in her care. This supports their personal, social and emotional development.  The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibility to protect children in her care. She demonstrates an appropriate understanding of the symptoms of abuse and the procedures to follow should she have a concern about a child in her care. This means that she protects children and promotes their welfare.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not clearly identify children's next steps in learning from her observations, in order to provide learning experiences that challenge them in making the best progress possible.  The childminder does not regularly reflect upon the provision she offers children, in order to provide a focus for planned priorities that will consistently drive forward improvements.  The childminder does not consistently provide children with opportunities to respond to questions and extend their simple problem-solving skills as part of their play.

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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 a range of indoor play activities and children having their lunch. She spoke to the childminder and children at appropriate times.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, evidence of the suitability of adults living at the premises, a selection of policies, safety procedures and children's records.  The inspector took account of the written views of parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1999 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her adult child in a residential area of Haverhill in Suffolk. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house, with the exception of one first floor bedroom, is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder takes children on regular outings, attends a weekly toddler group and visits the shops, library and park on a regular basis. She takes and collects children from the local schools. She operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. There are currently four children on roll, two of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions.

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must:

 develop the observation and assessment of children's progress and use these to clearly identify, plan and provide for their individual next steps in learning.

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

 devise and implement a thorough self-evaluation process, which includes the views of parents and children, to identify strengths and areas for development and devise an action plan to overcome weaknesses that have been highlighted as a result of the process

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

 develop children's critical thinking skills by consistently providing enough time for them to respond to questions during their play.

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who attend

The childminder has a sufficient knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She uses this information reasonably well to teach children and support their learning and development. The childminder understands the importance of carrying out the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, in order to identify and address any additional support needs they may have. She completes ongoing observations of children at play in their learning journals with both written and photographic evidence. The childminder occasionally assesses their stage of learning and development, which enables her to monitor their progress. However, a weakness in assessment means that the childminder does not always securely identify each child's next steps in learning from her observations. Consequently, planning is not effectively informed to ensure that children are consistently challenged to make the best possible progress. She works closely

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who attend

with parents to establish children's individual starting points, interests and preferences. As a result, she is able to meet children's needs at an early stage. Children enjoy a generally good range of play experiences with the childminder as they make use of both the indoors and outdoors for learning. This helps them to make steady progress in their learning as they develop the characteristics of effective early learners, which prepares them for their eventual entry to school.

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who attend

Children's self-confidence is increasing because the childminder gives them the responsibility for small tasks. For example, they take great pleasure in helping the childminder to wipe off the previous days writing from the weather chart. Children develop an increased understanding of the world and begin to make links and predictions as the childminder encourages them to observe the weather outside. She asks children open- ended questions to challenge their critical thinking. However, she does not consistently give children enough time to respond to these questions. This limits children's opportunities to think critically and find their own solutions to simple problems. Weekly visits to local parks and organised groups enables children to demonstrate their friendly behaviour as they form good relationships with other children and adults. Children are active learners because they persist at an activity as they enjoy meeting their own

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who attend

challenges. For example, they develop good physical dexterity as they persevere at squeezing their choice of food colouring into the water. They become engrossed in their play as they experiment with one-handed equipment, such as jugs and different sized bottles and containers to transport water and foam from one to another.

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who attend

The childminder through her fun nature, instils in children a positive attitude towards learning. Children communicate effectively through their rapidly emerging vocabulary because the childminder spends time engaging in purposeful dialogue with them. Children are curious, inquisitive and keen to learn as they chatter happily with the childminder. They use complex sentences to recall their recent outings with their family and have great pleasure explaining all the different types of vehicles they saw. The childminder's genuine interest sustains their attention and motivates them to add a wealth of detail to their descriptions. The childminder teaches children the early stages of reading as they express an interest in the range of appropriate books available to them. Children are engrossed in the childminder's storytelling as she uses intonation in her voice to read their chosen books to them. As children become familiar with the repetitive phases, she provides them

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who attend

with opportunities to fill in the missing words and phrases. Children learn about different cultures and traditions as they find out about them using books and celebrate festivals, such as Chinese New Year. The childminder has built trusting relationships with parents. She makes time to discuss the children's day with their parents and regularly shares information about their learning. Parents welcome the ideas that she provides to extend and support their children's learning at home. Parents share their children's achievements and interests from home as the childminder provides them with regular observation bubbles with which to record these. As a result, children benefit from a consistent approach to their learning and development as the childminder considers these in the daily experiences she offers them.

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

Children are warmly welcomed into this nurturing and caring home. New children settle well as the childminder gives both the parents and children time to become familiar with their new surroundings. Children form secure bonds and attachments with each other and the childminder. This is because the childminder has a good understanding of individual children as she recognises their uniqueness by talking to parents about their routines and needs. This ensures that she understands how to meet them. Children snuggle up to the childminder when they are tired and clearly enjoy learning and playing together as they laugh with delight as they play a tickling game together. This leads to trusting relationships and children's strong sense of emotional belonging. Children demonstrate high levels of independence as they move freely to select their favourite toys and choose whether to play indoors or outdoors. There is a wide variety of good quality toys and

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

activities, all within easy reach to promote development in all areas. Consequently, children are able to make independent choices. Photographs on some storage boxes enable children to clearly see what is inside. Therefore, they know where to return it when they have finished playing.

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

The childminder helps children to understand positive ways in which to behave. She has a calm manner and uses age-appropriate techniques to ensure children develop good skills for the future. Consequently, children respect one another and the childminder as they use their good manners when communicating with each other. The childminder further reinforces children's positive behaviour by using the house rules, which she also shares with parents to facilitate a consistent approach. Children develop good self-esteem and confidence because of the genuine praise and encouragement they receive for their achievements. The childminder provides children with daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise in the garden. They run freely and learn to negotiate space successfully as they manoeuvre themselves around in the ride-on cars. In addition, they take daily walks and regularly visit the local park, which enables them to build up their large physical muscles

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

as they use large equipment, such as a slide and balancing apparatus. Children receive a good range of healthy nutritious snacks. They grow their own fruit and vegetables in the childminder's garden. This helps them to understand where food comes from and that it is good to eat. Children have access to fresh drinking water at all times to keep them well hydrated. This supports them in developing a healthy lifestyle.

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

The childminder promotes children's independence well. For example, time is taken to help children learn to manage their own clothing after using the toilet and putting on their wellington boots before playing outside. These skills contribute to children's readiness for the next stage in their learning, such as starting school or nursery. Children learn about good hygiene practices, they help themselves to tissues to wipe their noses and wash their hands after playing outside and before eating. They develop a generally good awareness of their own personal safety as the childminder ensures that children remain safe around her home and when out and about. For example, she ensures that young children are secure in their booster seats when seated at the table and older children learn that they must hold the childminder's hand as they walk to and from school and the local park.

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provision

The childminder has a sound knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She takes positive steps to safeguard children's welfare and has attended specific training to keep up to date with the latest safeguarding practice and procedures. This has a positive impact on practice because she is confident in her knowledge. As a result, she knows how to record and make a referral to the relevant agencies if required should she have a concern about children's welfare. She has a clear understanding of the importance of ensuring that all adults within her home have the required checks to ensure their suitability to be around children. A range of written policies and procedures are in place to support her practice. She shares and agrees these with parents, which means that they are well informed about the childminder's responsibilities. The childminder promotes children's safety well and risk assesses her home and the

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provision

outings she takes children on, to help ensure that they are safe at all times. Furthermore, she uses appropriate safety equipment and implements effective procedures. For example, she ensures that children are within her sight or sound at all times and uses safety gates to prevent them from climbing the stairs and accessing the kitchen.

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provision

The childminder has an adequate awareness of her obligation to ensure that learning and development requirements are met. Monitoring of the educational programmes she provides is sufficient to ensure that all areas of learning are appropriately covered. This ensures that children make steady progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder is clearly committed to her role and enjoys caring for children. She attends training to build on her understanding of how children learn and keeps up to date with early years issues by discussing and sharing practice with other childminders. As a result of her further training, she is now better informed how to support children's literacy development by providing specific activities that enable children to link letters and sounds. The childminder does not have a robust self-evaluation system in place to effectively identify weaknesses in her practice, in order to ensure sustained improvement to further

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provision

enhance experiences for children. Furthermore, she has not fully implemented the recommendation raised at the last inspection, in relation to consistently assessing and planning for children's next steps in learning. However, she is proactive in seeking parental views and has some plans in place to continue to improve her practice. For example, she plans to renew her safeguarding training and concentrate on devising an effective self-evaluation system.

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provision

The childminder establishes generally good partnerships with parents as she shares their child's progress with them at regular intervals, to celebrate their achievements. In addition, she consults them about aspects of their children's care through daily verbal exchanges. Parents are delighted with the care that the childminder provides. They describe her as 'cheery' and comment on the positive influence she has on their children's development. Parents feel well informed about their children's care and progress. Although, no children on roll currently attend any other settings, the childminder has a suitable understanding of the importance of sharing information with other providers, in order to promote continuity for children, who attend more than one setting. She is also aware that there may be occasions that require her to work in partnership with professionals to support any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 250597 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 864433 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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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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