Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/09/2014 14/05/2009

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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 has an effective system in place to identify children's starting points, track their development and plan for their next steps in learning. As a result, she knows children well and is able to demonstrate that they are making good progress towards the early learning goals.  Children are settled and relaxed in the care of the childminder who effectively meets their welfare needs regarding food and drink, sleeps and nappy changes.  The childminder provides a wide range of easily accessible and interesting resources indoors to support children's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although the childminder is developing the garden, she is not currently making the very best use of its potential to provide highly stimulating activities, particularly those to further enhance children's enjoyment of the natural world.

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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 both indoors and in the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to the childminder at appropriate points throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including the childminder's self-evaluation form and training records, children's development records, parents' and children's questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2008. She lives in a village near Abingdon, Oxfordshire with her husband and three children. The family has a dog. The childminder uses the ground floor for childminding, together with sleep facilities on the first floor. There is a large enclosed garden, which includes a chicken run and a vegetable garden. Access to the home includes a step into the front door.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are six children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age range. The childminder offers care on weekdays, including out-of- school care. She walks to the local school and other early years facilities to take and collect children. She holds a level 3 qualification in Home-based Childcare.

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

 develop further the outdoor play area to offer children greater opportunities to explore and experiment, and to enhance their enjoyment of the natural world and natural resources.

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who attend

The childminder provides a welcoming and stimulating play environment indoors. A broad range of inviting resources are easily accessible to young children, such as a farm with animals, garage and cars, chalkboards, stacking toys, books and a play kitchen. Children are able to explore freely or enjoy activities suggested by the childminder, such as snuggling up on the sofa to share a book. The childminder talks to children routinely, helping to promote their vocabulary and understanding.

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who attend

The childminder encourages children to play outdoors on a daily basis and has a very spacious, safe and enclosed garden for outdoor play. She provides a tray of pasta, coloured rice and toy animals on a picnic rug to encourage young children to explore different textures and objects. She enables young children to enjoy the feeling of being in a swing which helps to develop their confidence and physical skills. A vegetable garden and chicken run provide some opportunities for children to learn about the natural world. However, the childminder is not currently making the very best of the garden's great potential, particularly to further extend children's enjoyment of the natural world. She has some plans in progress to improve the garden, such as developing a mud kitchen, but is aware that there is scope to provide a much wider variety of activities. The childminder enables children to take part in an extensive range of interesting outings.

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who attend

These include using the local pre-school's forest school area, going pond dipping, looking for grasshoppers and butterflies in a local meadow and visiting the library. Such experiences help to extend children's awareness of the local community and provide good opportunities for physical exercise and fresh air.

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who attend

Since the last inspection, the childminder has improved activities and resources available to support children's mathematical development. For example, she now provides a good range of stacking toys, puzzles, sorting and matching activities, and number activities. She sings number songs with children, helps them to recognise numbers in the local environment and encourages them to sort out small and large potatoes from the vegetable patch.

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who attend

The childminder knows children well. She takes time at the start of children's placements to talk to parents in detail about their preferences, routines and achievements. She records these for future use. She plans activities and routines effectively to reflect children's next steps in learning, such as making greater use of careful questioning to encourage children to express their needs. The childminder maintains informative development records of children's progress. She regularly assesses these against published guidance to ensure children are on track for their ages. She is completing progress checks for two-year-old children where appropriate. The childminder shares all this information routinely with parents, encouraging them to make contributions, such as completing 'wow' certificates to illustrate children's achievements at home. She encourages parents to support their children's learning at home. For example, she

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who attend

suggests ideas for activities to support current interests, such as number puzzles. Overall, the childminder is supporting children well for their next stages in learning.

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

Children enjoy their time with the childminder. They show that they have secure emotional attachments with her as they enjoy cuddles or reach out to hold her hand as they walk back to the house from the garden. Children demonstrate that they feel confident in the childminder's care. They show high levels of self-motivation as they explore the play environment. The childminder pays good attention to meeting children's welfare needs. She is familiar with their routines and ensures that there is time for a snack and drink before children need a nap. The childminder recognises their signs of tiredness and places them to sleep comfortably in a travel cot upstairs. She uses a listening monitor to help promote their safety. The childminder changes nappies in a calm and gentle manner and ensures that children stay dry and comfortable.

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

The childminder promotes children's awareness of healthy lifestyles effectively. As well as providing regular physical exercise, the childminder helps children to understand the importance of healthy eating and good hygiene. Since the last inspection, the childminder has provided children with individual towels for hand drying, therefore enhancing hygiene procedures. Children learn to clean their hands and faces before they have a snack and following outdoor play. They enjoy healthy foods provided by either the childminder or their parents, such as fruit and yoghurt. They are beginning to learn about where food comes from as the childminder involves them in growing vegetables in the garden. The childminder supports children's awareness of safety, such as explaining to them not to poke their fingers through the fence of the chicken run so that the chickens cannot peck them.

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

The childminder promotes good social skills. She encourages independence where appropriate, such as supporting children to try to put their shoes on by themselves and praising them as they do so. She acts as a good role model, remaining calm and helping children to play co-operatively. The childminder supports older children to prepare emotionally for their move up to reception classes. For example, she takes them to school events to help them become familiar with the school environment.

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provision

The childminder understands her responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is aware of possible symptoms of children at risk of harm and knows how to respond to such concerns, for example by notifying appropriate authorities. The childminder has clear procedures in place to protect children and agrees these with parents. These include contingency care arrangements with another local childminder in case of an emergency, and safety arrangements around taking photographs of children. Since the last inspection the childminder has improved her risk assessment procedures to ensure that the garden is safe and secure. She has implemented a procedure in the event of children going missing. This includes providing wristbands detailing her contact number so that children can be reunited with her if such an event should occur.

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provision

The childminder monitors her educational provision successfully. She plans a good range of activities on a daily basis to cover the seven areas of learning, ensuring that these reflect children's interests and capabilities. Her assessment procedures are effective in identifying any gaps in learning so that she can provide additional support where necessary.

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provision

The childminder evaluates her practice accurately. She identifies strengths that she can build on together with areas for further development. She involves parents and children in her evaluations, providing questionnaires for them to contribute their views. These questionnaires demonstrate that both parents and children are happy with her provision. The childminder has ideas for further improvements such as providing an all-weather play area in the garden together with low-level storage so that children can help themselves to toys. Since the last inspection, the childminder has completed a level 3 qualification. This has helped her to assess her practice more objectively and has provided lots of ideas for activities and resources. The childminder's keen approach to continuous development has a positive impact on improving outcomes for children. The childminder has good partnerships in place with parents and other settings that

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provision

children attend. For example, she maintains close contact with local pre-school staff to exchange helpful information about individual children to promote continuity in their care and learning.

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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 EY381854 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 844527 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 3 Number of children on roll 6

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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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