Childminder in Milton Keynes

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/09/2014 27/01/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder provides fun and challenging learning opportunities for children that enable them to make good all-round progress towards the early learning goals. Children are very happy, interested in their activities and eager to try new experiences.  The childminder works very positively with her assistants and with other professionals, such as reception teachers, to provide cohesive and consistent care.  The childminder has a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements in order to meet the needs of the children attending.  The childminder effectively reflects on her practice and takes action to continually develop her service to benefit the children and their families.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although children receive support to recognise and form letters, the childminder provides less opportunity for them to practise writing for a purpose in their free play.  The childminder does not fully extend parent's involvement in their child's learning by discussing how they can support their progress 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 play room and garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistants, a student and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the childminder's self-evaluation form, a selection of policies, parent consent forms, children's records and the childminder's observations of children's activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents during discussions at the inspection and from letters.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2004. She lives with her husband and adult children in Loughton, Milton Keynes. The whole of the house is available for childminding and there is a garden for outside play. The childminder is willing to walk or drive to local schools to take and collect children and she attends the local pre-school groups.

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Information about the setting

The childminder's provision is open all year round from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday except for family holidays agreed in advance. She also offers occasional overnight care. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder works with up to two assistants at any one time and together, they are currently minding nine children in the early years age range.

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

 enhance the support for children's literacy by offering more encouragement for them to practise writing for a purpose during their free play

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

 extend further parents and carers involvement in their child's learning, for example, by advising how they can support their children at home.

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who attend

The relaxed and welcoming atmosphere creates a positive environment for children's learning and they are absorbed in exciting and meaningful play. The childminder is skilled in knowing how to intervene in children's activities. She has effective systems to observe, assess and record children's learning. As a result, she is acutely aware of what each child can do and what they need to learn next. The childminder helps children to develop good personal, social and emotional development. There is a good balance between activities chosen by the children and those led by adults. At the same time, the childminder and her assistants are always on hand to support and encourage children to be independent learners. The childminder encourages children to do things for themselves and they enjoy helping, which promotes their confidence. Children are kind and considerate towards each other. The childminder also teaches them about those less fortunate than themselves as

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who attend

they join in activities to support charity events.

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who attend

The atmosphere buzzes with excitement as children engage in interesting activities such as, exploring water beads. They squeal with delight in anticipation of joining in the activity and they organise themselves around the water tray. Children develop physical coordination as they splash, shake their hands in the water and feel the texture of the water beads with their fingers. The childminder introduces lots of mathematical language such as big and small. She challenges the older children by asking more probing questions and introduces new words such as 'squidgy'. During this fun-filled activity, the childminder teaches children about number, size, colour and shape. Children also learn about basic science as they notice the water beads get larger as they soak up the water.

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who attend

During all activities the childminder uses good teaching techniques such as demonstrating tasks, making suggestions and providing running commentary. She supports children to develop early writing skills by practising forming letters as they use resources such as shaving foam, dough and sand. However, she offers less encouragement for them to explore writing for a purpose in other activities such as their freely chosen role play. Children learn that print carries meaning as they recognise their written name when they self-register. They also enjoy story time when the childminder captures their attention by asking them questions in turn.

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who attend

The childminder teaches children about the world in which they live. Children find out about living things as they collect conkers and leaves, and feed the ducks. They also learn about other people's beliefs and diversity as they celebrate festivals, such as Chinese New Year and play with a range of multicultural toys. As they use wind up and push button toys, bug boxes, cash tills and telephones, children learn about how things work. They enjoy many art and craft activities as they paint and stick with various materials. The childminder skilfully plans activities which reflect children's interests. For example, following children's ideas she recently supported them to make a jungle in the play room. Through meaningful activities, the childminder teaches children the skills they require in preparation for moving on to the next stage of their education.

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

The children's settling in procedures are individual to their needs. The childminder offers a home visit to meet the children and parents in their own environment where they feel at ease. Children develop close relationships with the childminder and her assistants and they demonstrate kindness and consideration towards one another. Children learn to behave well because the childminder and her assistants model and encourage respect and good manners. As and when small issues arise such as sharing, the childminder manages children's behaviour sensitively by getting down to their level. Through discussions and explanations, she helps them to begin to sort out issues themselves.

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

The childminder's home is clean and well-maintained. During the routine of the day, before lunch and after toileting, the children learn good hygiene practices. In addition, when they handle living things such as lizards, they wash their hands before and after stroking them. The childminder provides healthy food and drink for children and they enjoy happy and sociable mealtimes. Younger children eat comfortably in high chairs alongside the other children at the table so they are equally included. The childminder implements good procedures for recording medication administration and accidents. All adults working with the children hold first-aid qualifications to manage accidents appropriately. When children are sleeping they are monitored by camera to ensure they remain safe. Children learn to keep themselves safe as the childminder teaches them about road safety and, for example, to climb carefully on apparatus at the

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

Children enjoy fresh air and exercise and are able to make decisions about whether to play indoors or outside. They make good progress in their physical development because the childminder plans physical activities to match children's needs. For example, younger children enjoy push-along toys and sit-and-ride toys; whereas the older children use stilts and balance balls to further challenge their skills. The childminder enhances the children's learning experiences through outings, for example, to pre-school groups, the park and woods. Parents are particularly complementary about this aspect of the service. Children thoroughly enjoy being outside and explore confidently in the safe and supervised environment.

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provision

The childminder has a thorough understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. As a result, she provides a good service to children and their families. Her paperwork is well organised. For example, she keeps accurate records of children's attendance, contracts and consent forms. The childminder and her assistants have a good knowledge and understanding of Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. This is because they attend training courses to keep up to date in order to protect children in their care. Appropriate checks are in place for the childminder, her assistants and student to ensure their suitability to work with children. The childminder is fully aware of her responsibility to keep records of any complaints. She carries out risk assessments of her premises and outings to enable children to explore freely and safely.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. She closely monitors and tracks the children's progress to ensure there are no gaps in their learning. Furthermore, she carries out the progress check for two-year-old children and shares this information in writing with parents. The childminder establishes trusting relationships with parents and provides ongoing feedback about children's routine and activities through their daily diaries. she keeps parents well informed about their child's achievements and progress. However, she does not routinely discuss how they can further support their child's learning at home. Parents are very complimentary about the childminding service they receive. Comments include 'I could not be happier with my child's progress' and 'we trust her with the most precious things in our lives'. The childminder establishes extremely good relationships with the local schools the children

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provision

attend. For each child, she provides very informative transfer folders. The childminder reports that teachers say they find these very useful in getting to know the children and helping them to settle when they first start school. The childminder reflects on her practice well. She is continuously seeking ways to improve her service further by setting high expectations of herself, the assistants and the children. She is very keen to continue to develop and enhance provision, for example, by creating an exciting outdoor play area for the children. The childminder and her assistants attend many training courses to update their knowledge and understanding of child care issues, which benefits the children in their care.

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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 EY292215 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 833819 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 18

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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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