Childminder in Bury

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/09/2014 11/12/2008

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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 a comprehensive knowledge of the procedures she should follow if she has any safeguarding concerns about children. She makes thorough risk assessments in order to minimise any hazards on the premises or on outings.  All documentation and procedures are in place to underpin the childminder's good practice in promoting children's welfare and learning, including a complaints policy and a system for recording any concerns made by parents, should they arise.  Children make good progress as the childminder is effective in supporting their learning through comprehensive planning, observation and assessment.  The childminder has a thorough understanding of the importance of working in partnership with both parents and, also, other professionals that may contribute to meeting children's needs, in order to provide continuity of care and learning.  The childminder does not maximise the use of some activities to enhance the already

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This provision is good

good practice in encouraging children's critical thinking and talking.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not maximise the use of some activities to enhance the already good practice in encouraging children's critical thinking and talking.

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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 made a tour of the areas of premises used for childminding purposes.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the qualifications of the childminder, along with evidence of the suitability of adults living or working on the premises.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The childminder's knowledge of areas, such as safeguarding and individual children's learning, was ascertained by discussion.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the childminder discussed the ways in which the childminder evaluates her practice in order to bring about continuous improvement.

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Inspection activities

 Samples of documentation related to children's welfare and learning were examined by the inspector.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2001 and is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged 20 and 13 years in the Walshaw Park area of Bury. The lounge/dining room on the ground floor and the front bedroom and bathroom on the first floor are used for childminding purposes. Outdoor play is available at a nearby park. The family have a dog, some guinea pigs and fish as pets. Care is provided between the hours of 7.30am and 6.00pm, from Monday to Friday, all year round, apart from personal holidays and bank holidays. The childminder has a level 3 qualification in childcare. There are currently seven children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age range. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and receives support from the local authority.

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

 enhance children's thinking and reasoning skills by exploring more ways of questioning and posing queries about their activities, encouraging them to explain what is happening, as they make connections in their play.

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who attend

The childminder makes frequent observations of children's progress, and monitors these to make sure that she is covering all areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is to ensure that children receive a balanced educational programme that meets their individual needs. The childminder makes assessments of children's progress based on her observations, and uses these to identify any gaps in learning. Consequently, she can plan to address these in order to prevent further difficulties in the future. Established developmental milestones are used for comparison with children's progress, in order to assess if children are reaching their age-related milestones, or if they are working above or below expectations. The assessment process also includes establishing what children already know and can do when they begin to attend the childminding setting, to inform the initial planning for their progress. Consequently, children make good progress

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who attend

in their learning and development. Parents are encouraged to add to the initial information they provide about their children's progress when they join the childminding setting. The childminder has also successfully supported parents to make contributions to children's learning records, after the initial assessment. This means that the childminder has a broader base of information for her planning other than just her observations. Children are, therefore, prepared well for their next steps in learning, including full-time school. The childminder makes effective use of conversation and speech to extend children's learning and enhance their communication and language skills. She frequently asks questions that encourage children to think of answers and formulate them in sentences or phrases. This provides good preparation for later learning in literacy, when children need to be able to write as well as think in sentences. The childminder also uses opportunities

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who attend

to encourage children's thinking, such as considering the different foods they are making models of from malleable dough. Children enthusiastically provide a verbal list of these, including chicken, fish and pie. However, she does not always extend children's creativity through more sustained and critical thinking. For instance, during the modelling activity, children say that they have made orange pie and the childminder does not test out if their thinking is connected to the colour of the dough or if the pie is supposed to have orange fruit in it.

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who attend

Children enjoy walks in local parks, to observe and learn about the changes in the seasons. This supports learning about the natural world. They have opportunities to paint, draw and make collages in order to encourage creativity. These activities also help children to develop the manipulative skills needed prior to learning to write. They also enable children to give meaning to the marks they make, as part of their earliest development in literacy. The childminder has a range of construction toys for use by children. The use of these supports children's development in early mathematics, by providing play where they can explore shape and space as they make models. She makes sure that a selection of books, appropriate to the ages and interests of children attending, are accessible. This is so that children can select independently from these, as well as have stories read to them, to support an enjoyment of books. Babies enjoy playing with

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who attend

cause and effect toys, while sitting close to the childminder for reassurance. Playing with these toys encourages them to make further use of their increasing coordination, developing their physical skills. Older children have access to activities on computer-type toys, and there is the facility for the childminder to ensure that the level of challenge of these is matched to the progress of individual children.

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

The childminder offers a flexible approach to help children settle when they begin to attend her setting, in order to support their emotional well-being. For example, the number of visits they make with parents is planned on an individual basis to maximise its impact, based on the observed needs of children and parents. The childminder has a thorough knowledge of the children for whom she cares, which means that she can address their needs well. This is because she seeks comprehensive information from their parents prior to children joining. The childminder frequently asks parents about any changes to children's needs and circumstances, to effectively support children's welfare. This includes having correct contact information and the names of those who are authorised to collect children. It also means that the childminder can help children to settle quickly, as she has a comprehensive knowledge about their routines and

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

preferences, as well as any matters relating to health. The childminder has a good understanding of the importance of working with parents, together with any other agencies involved with children, in order to support their well-being. The childminder implements a behaviour management policy to help children learn simple rules and, therefore, show regard for others around them. Children learn to manage their own feelings and behaviour. The childminder reminds them to be kind, such as by explaining why they should not take toys from others, in order to develop good social skills. Parents are kept well-informed about their child's care, learning and activities to promote continuity between home and the childminder's care. They are provided with daily verbal feedback, in addition to written information about children's care and activities. Resources are highly accessible to children, which helps them to make their own

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

choices about what to play with, extending their opportunities for independence. Babies are observed to be confident and happy in the childminder's care. They explore the space and resources fully because they feel secure with the childminder, and this facilitates their learning.

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

Children have daily access to local parks, walks and playgrounds, in order to develop their whole-body coordination and enjoy exercise. Children have frequent opportunities, through the use of playground equipment, to learn about taking reasonable risks in physical play, with careful supervision. The childminding premises are clean and well- maintained, with effective measures to promote children's safety and help prevent illness due to cross-contamination. For example, the childminder makes effective use of safety gates between rooms and on the stairs, to ensure that children are kept within sight and hearing. She provides home-prepared meals and snacks for children to support them having a balanced diet. These are healthy, with an emphasis on the use of fruit and vegetables, so that children have opportunities to enjoy foods that contribute to a nutritious diet. Children have independent access to drinking water at all times, in order to

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of how to manage any concerns she may have regarding children's welfare, and undertakes frequent training to ensure her knowledge is updated. All adults living on the premises have been checked for suitability, in order to protect children's welfare. Comprehensive risk assessments are made for all areas of the premises used by children, along with any outings, so that their safety is assured. The childminder has a valid first-aid certificate, in order to correctly deal with any minor accidents or injuries. All documentation and procedures required to underpin the safe and effective running of the childminding setting are in place.

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provision

The childminder implements individual learning plans for all children attending, based on assessment of their progress from regular observations. She has a good knowledge and understanding of the learning, development and assessment requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder monitors her planning thoroughly to ensure that the activities she provides, including any outings, form a balanced educational programme that meets children's individual needs. Children make good progress in their learning as a result. Partnership working with parents is effective right from the beginning of children's care. This is because the childminder ensures that she obtains comprehensive information to support children's initial care and progress, and then provides parents with regular detailed updates on these. As a result, parents are well-informed about their children's well-being and learning. The childminder has a firm understanding of the benefits of

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provision

working in partnership with other settings and agencies to provide continuity for children's learning and welfare. This contributes to promoting consistency and continuity in children's early learning and development, particularly when they prepare for the eventual move to school.

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provision

The childminder evaluates her provision regularly, and makes use of the Ofsted tool for this. She seeks the views of parents to bring about continuous improvement, and also attends regular meetings with other childminders, arranged by the local authority quality team, in order to share effective practice. The childminder identifies areas where she would like to enhance her practice through training, by thoroughly evaluating her provision. Evaluation is, therefore, purposeful and leads to continuous improvement in practice.

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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 502768 Local authority Bury Inspection number 870713 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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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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