Childminder in Thurrock

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/09/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Teaching is effective and children make good progress because the childminder has a good understanding of child development. She engages children in learning through well-planned and challenging activities.  Children form warm bonds with the childminder and her co-minders. Consequently, they are happy, feel emotionally secure and have good levels of confidence.  Children are effectively safeguarded as the childminder has a good understanding of her role and responsibility to protect children. She provides a safe and secure learning environment because of the robust risk assessments that are carried out to minimise any potential hazards to children.  The childminder evaluates her practice carefully to identify areas for development, demonstrating a strong capacity for continuous improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always make the most of opportunities for children to extend their vocabulary and use expressive language.  There is room to strengthen the partnerships with parents by increasing the opportunities for them to share information about their children's learning and development at home.

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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 indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector discussed children's progress and achievements with the childminder.  The inspector viewed a sample of children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and her family, self-evaluation, risk assessment and policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from references obtained by 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 parents, who are also her co-minders and her adult brother. They live in a house in Chafford Hundred, Essex. All areas of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has two pet dogs and two pet cats. The childminder attends local toddler groups on a regular basis. She walks to local schools or pre-schools to take and collect children. There are currently nine children on roll, five of whom are within the early years age range and attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged up to 11 years. She works all year round, from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder occasionally offers overnight and weekend care. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 enhance the already good quality learning experiences by ensuring that every opportunity is used to extend children's vocabulary and their expressive language skills, for example, by using more open questions to expand on what children say and by introducing additional words when responding

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

 extend ways for all parents to engage in children's learning, for example, by enhancing the opportunities for them to contribute information about their children's starting points and ongoing learning at home.

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who attend

The childminder knows how children learn best through play and provides many practical and challenging activities that motivate children to learn more. She has a good awareness of the characteristics of effective learning and ensures children have good opportunities to be creative and imaginative. As a result, children are becoming active and inquisitive learners who confidently move around the premises exploring and discovering things for themselves. The garden is successfully used to provide experiences linked to all areas of learning. It provides an interesting extension to the playroom and children relish the opportunity to take the toys they are most interested in outdoors. This means that children can successfully follow their preferred learning styles on a larger scale than indoors. For example, children use a tent to act out role-play scenarios or use their imagination when playing with water and small pirate figures.

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who attend

Teaching is good because the childminder effectively gives children sufficient time to work out problems for themselves. For example, they are highly motivated as they decide on how to decorate biscuits or when they work out how to insert different shapes to complete a jigsaw puzzle. The childminder constantly encourages children to 'have a go' themselves because she gives them lots of praise and encouragement. As a result, children persevere with tasks and show pride in their achievements. Overall, children are effectively developing their communication and language skills so they can confidently express their needs and feelings. Generally, good use is made of carefully formed questions that encourage children to think before they answer. However, the childminder does not always make the very best use of her interactions to extend children's language skills further or to introduce new words. Children are developing the skills they need for future

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who attend

learning, and in readiness for starting school. They use control as they practise writing their names, look at books for pleasure and count items during every day routines and activities.

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who attend

Children make good progress because the childminder uses her observations of what they know and do, to identify and individually plan for their next steps. She has started collating information from her observations to efficiently track and analyse the progress children make in all areas of learning. The childminder is well aware of the requirement to liaise with parents to complete the progress check for children between the age of two and three years. She shares photographs, observations and comments on children's learning and development in her discussions with parents. Consequently, parents are kept informed about the progress their child is making. However, parents are not consistently encouraged to contribute useful information about starting points or observations of their children's learning at home, for the initial assessments. This means that planning for children's learning is not always sharply focused, as the childminder is not consistently

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who attend

obtaining a complete view of their interests and achievements when they join the setting.

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

Children are happy and content in the childminder's care, as they have formed warm attachments with her, the co-minders and the other children that attend. There is an effective key-person system, which means that parents know who to speak to about their children's care and learning. Children have a strong sense of belonging because the childminder is proactive in ensuring that they can easily access resources and feel comfortable. Toy boxes have labels and pictures, so that children can select and make choices in their play. Child-sized furniture is provided, so that children can eat and play in comfort and safety. When children start, there are gradual settling-in sessions to ensure that children get to know the childminder, before they are left by parents. The childminder makes sure that she gathers sufficient information about routines, medical needs or special dietary requirements right from the start. This means that individual care needs

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

The childminder supports children's self-confidence in social settings by making sure that they have opportunities to regularly visit local toddler groups. As a result, they are emotionally prepared for any move on to nursery or school, because they are socially equipped with the necessary skills, confidence and independence. The childminder has a very consistent manner when caring for children. She speaks in a calm, quiet way and teaches children to think about how their actions affect others, which helps children learn right from wrong. As a result, children's behaviour is good and they learn to share and play cooperatively. Children also show they care about each other and are keen to learn about the society they live in. There is a wide range of books, toys and resources, which help children to learn about diverse cultures in the world around them. In addition, children take part in a wide range of activities to mark celebrations and festivals from

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

The childminder promotes positive practices with regard to children's health. She encourages children to follow good hygiene procedures by encouraging them to wash their hands before eating and after going to the bathroom. Children eat healthy food, provided by parents and supported by the childminder. They discuss the food that is good for them and grow fruit and vegetables in the garden. The childminder makes sure that children have regular drinks to help them stay cool and hydrated on a hot day. Children have opportunities every day to join in physical activities in the fresh air, which contributes to their understanding of how to adopt a healthy lifestyle. In addition, the childminder takes children to local parks and play centres so they can use a wider range of challenging physical apparatus. The childminder ensures children are kept safe while on outings, by teaching them about road safety. Children know why they wear high visibility jackets, so

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

they can easily be seen. They also understand the need to apply sun lotion to prevent their skin burning in warm temperatures. On the premises, they learn how to keep themselves safe and to recognise danger, when emergency evacuation procedures are practised. In addition, children learn about the work of the emergency services when they meet members of the fire service.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Her documentation is systematically organised, easily accessible and underpins her practice well. In addition, the comprehensive range of policies means that children are well protected. Arrangements for safeguarding are good. All members of the household have completed the relevant background checks. The childminder has completed safeguarding training and is aware of the signs and symptoms that would alert her to any child protection issues. In addition, she is confident about the action she would take if she had a concern about a child in her care. There is a clear safeguarding policy, which also provides guidance about the use of mobile telephones, cameras and the internet. The childminder vigilantly checks the identification of visitors and keeps a written record of them. Robust risk assessments of the home, garden and outings are in place.

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provision

These are updated regularly to identify and minimise potential risks and effective safety measures, such as safety gates, protect children as they play.

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provision

The childminder is motivated and dedicated to providing good quality care and education for all children. She works effectively with her co-minders and there is a very positive team spirit. The childminder effectively monitors and tracks children's development, ensuring that she is covering all areas of learning well and no child is left behind. She is very proactive in developing her knowledge and she continuously thinks about what is needed to improve and develop the quality of her service. The childminder embraces the opportunity to complete training events offered by the local authority. In addition, she attends cluster meetings to gain knowledge and share ideas about best practice with other childminders.

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provision

The childminder builds positive relationships with parents of children. She puts an enormous amount of effort into presenting information attractively to children and their parents. A wealth of information is displayed in the entrance hall and playroom, where both parents and children can see important notices, certificates and posters. The childminder obtains the views of parents to develop her service. Parents say they value her kindness towards children and the way the childminder communicates with them. They also make very positive comments about the wide range of activities and outings she provides. The childminder has a good understanding of the importance of building partnerships and links with other settings that children attend, to support their future learning when the time comes for them to move onto other settings or 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 EY472068 Local authority Thurrock Inspection number 957335 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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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

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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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