Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/09/2014 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 exceptionally good and the childminder provides stimulating experiences and activities for all children. As a result, children make very good progress in their early years.  The childminder and her assistant show great sensitivity and skill as they support children in their first few days in their care. Consequently, children show signs of settling quickly and they soon become accustomed to their new environments.  The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities to safeguard children and keep them safe. As a result, children are able to play and learn in a home that is as safe as possible.  The childminder values the strong partnerships with parents. This results in, a coordinated approach to children's positive development and well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The outside environment does not always reflect the high standard of learning opportunities available to children inside the home. As a result, learning is not always maximised in this area.

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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 compulsory part 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 childminder's home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children, the childminder and her assistant at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and childminder took part in a joint observation.  The inspector read letters from parents and took their opinions into account.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning diaries, planning documentation, the childminder's self-evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2014 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and adult daughter, in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Her adult daughter works as her assistant. The whole of the ground floor and the front garden are used for childminding. The family have three pet dogs and a cat. The childminder operates all year round from 7.45am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and two weeks in August. Currently there are 12 children in the early years age range on roll who attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years.

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

 Enhance the outside learning area even further to provide more opportunities for children to explore their natural environment by: allowing them to observe living creatures, grow plants and vegetables and experience the natural elements.

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who attend

Children are welcomed into a warm and nurturing environment where they are encouraged to explore and follow their own interests. The childminder has great enthusiasm for her role and has a good understanding of how children learn. She is skilled in observing children and knows the importance of establishing children's abilities when they first come into her care. Parents are consulted in these matters and help complete the 'All About Me' document. Their involvement is further encouraged by the childminder as she engages them in children's learning at home. Frequent discussions, text messages or emails support the strong partnership. This sharing of information helps the childminder to plan activities that will support children's learning even further. As a result, when in her care, children are engaged, busy and active learners.

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who attend

The childminder and her assistant spend much of their time playing alongside the children. Activities are appropriate for the ages of children and offer plenty of challenges to enhance learning at every opportunity. For example, the childminder provides a sensory activity for young children using custard powder. She encourages children to feel the dry product first of all and then allows them to experiment, by dribbling water into the substance. The childminders interactions and teaching is exceptionally good during these activities and supports children well. She shows the children how the mixture runs through her fingers but at the same time, it is able to be handled and formed into a ball. The childminder uses words, such as, 'squash' and 'squeeze' as she plays and this introduces children to new vocabulary. All in all, this simple activity is skilfully supported by the childminder and results in, children becoming fascinated and demonstrating extraordinary

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who attend

concentration as they play and learn. For young children, these are important steps for their future learning when they need to sustain focus over a period of time.

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who attend

The childminder provides a wide range of opportunities for children to make marks and practise early writing. Even young children show interest in exploring paint with their fingers for the first time and paint their first pictures. The childminding assistant supports well by demonstrating how to complete their creations, and the subsequent praise for their efforts boosts children's self-esteem well. Other resources, such as crayons, pencils and chalks are freely available and all help to develop the hand-eye coordination needed as children learn to write. The stimulating environment inside the childminder's home has plenty of examples of meaningful text, books and signs, which all support children's growing awareness that the written word carries meaning.

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

The childminder values the strong partnerships with parents and because of this, she is well informed of children's care needs. There are good settling in procedures embedded in practice and this is evident in the great sensitivity and caring shown to children as they come into the home for the first few times. This contributes well to children's sense of security as they make changes in their lives. Warm and trusting bonds are evident between the childminder, her assistant and children and this supports children's emotional well-being positively. The childminder's home is welcoming to children and she provides plenty of stimulating toys and resources to support children's learning.

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

Children access the garden frequently and here they are able to enjoy fresh air and exercise. However, this area is not always used to its full potential and there is scope to develop it further to provide even more learning opportunities, for example, using the natural environment and resources. That being said, children are able to develop their physical skills and experience some small, calculated risks as they play outside. This means that even young children soon learn how to protect themselves and stay safe as they play. Both the childminder and her assistant are vigilant to children's safety and have good routines in place to protect children in their care. Careful consideration is given to children's diets and they are provided, with nutritious snacks and foods throughout the day. Hygiene practices are thorough and this too ensures children's good health.

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

Children confidently make decisions about their play and move around the home independently. The childminder encourages children to develop their self-care skills according to their stage of development. For the very young this includes washing hands and managing their own finger foods at meal times. Generally children behave well, because the childminder has firm boundaries in place and offers timely, gentle reminders to children when appropriate. As a result, children are learning how to socialise with one another and know what is, and what is not appropriate behaviour.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities to ensure her practice meets the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has current knowledge of safeguarding procedures for her local area, and knows how to identify and report concerns she may have about children in her care. The childminder has a range of policies and procedures in place, and these support her practice well. The childminder shares these with parents frequently and in this way they remain fully informed of how the childminder strives to support children in her care.

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provision

The childminder monitors children's progress and the educational programmes effectively. This means she is able to quickly identify children's strengths, and areas she needs to focus on in order that children make the good progress that she expects. Self-evaluation is truly embedded in her practice and this enables her to reflect on how she can improve her service to children and families. Again, parents are consulted in these matters and this means that children's well-being and progress is the focus of improvements.

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provision

The childminder shows a great deal of dedication and genuine passion for her role. She attends training courses when possible and makes good use of the internet and national organisations to ensure she stays abreast of current childcare practices. She sets high standards and has effective professional management systems in place to ensure her assistant also offers the very best care to children. Supervision is ongoing and a training plan is in place to further the assistants' skills and knowledge. Partnerships with parents are very good, and this is reflected in the letters provided for the purposes of inspection. Parents appreciate how the childminder keeps them informed about their children's progress and state that they 'do not worry' when children are with the childminder. Partnerships with other professionals are also considered vital to the childminder and these too support children in a coordinated and planned approach.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY468323 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 960761 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 12

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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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