Childminder in Peterborough

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/09/2014 07/02/2012

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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

 Teaching is good because the childminder understands how children learn. She provides stimulating activities tailored to their individual needs and interests, promoting their engagement and concentration skills effectively. As a result, all children are making good progress towards the early learning goals.  The childminder manages children's behaviour well. She understands the challenges that young children face and through play, teaches them how to share, take turns and socialise.  The childminder builds strong attachments to children in her care. This enables children to feel secure, play and learn with confidence.  The childminder has a good understanding of local safeguarding procedures and how to minimise risks to children. As a result, children are well protected both in the home and when out and about in the local vicinity.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The garden does not always provide opportunities for children learn about their natural environment in a meaningful way.  Established partnerships with other local providers have yet to be maximised to regularly share information and support children in both settings in an organised way.

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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 childminder's home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children and the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and childminder took part in a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector read letters from parents written for the purposes of the inspection and took their views into consideration.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals, planning documentation, written policies and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2009 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her daughter aged 10, in a house in Peterborough. The whole house and the rear garden are used for childminding. The childminder attends toddler groups and activities in the local area. She visits the shops and parks on a regular basis and collects children from local schools and pre-schools. There are currently three children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 6am to 7pm, Monday to Friday except family holidays. The childminder is registered to care for one child overnight. The childminder has a level 3 qualification in childcare and is a member of 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 resources and spontaneous opportunities for children to explore their natural environment even further by: allowing them to observe living creatures, grow plants and vegetables and experience the natural elements in the garden

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

 implement plans already in place, to further develop strong partnerships with other providers, firmly focusing on promoting children's development in a coordinated way.

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who attend

Children are welcomed into a warm, homely environment where the childminder provides a wide range of toys and activities to interest them. She has a good understanding of child development and how she can enhance their learning through play. For example, the childminder provides a wide range of craft materials for children to explore and use to make animal masks. Together they use glue, paints and glitter to decorate their creations and even young children enjoy the feel of paint as they make hand prints on paper. These first playful activities help to build young muscles and the coordination needed to eventually practise early writing. The childminder encourages children and praises their efforts which in turn, boosts their self-esteem well. Children's good communication skills are also fostered during these activities. The childminder introduces words such as, 'glittery' and 'shiny' to describe the metallic decorations and this supports children to learn

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who attend

new vocabulary effectively. By using open questioning and comment she promotes children's thinking successfully, helping them to make decisions about colours and how the finished art work will look. This means that children are learning to think critically and are developing the concentration needed for their future learning at pre-school or nursery. The childminder is also very responsive to young children's efforts to communicate and replies positively as they point to resources they want. She repeats the names of objects and encourages the two way flow of conversation as children babble away as they play. As a result, children are learning how to be confident talkers who are able to convey their needs and share ideas with adults and children alike.

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who attend

The childminder is skilled in observing children and knows the importance of establishing children's abilities when they first come into her care. She builds strong partnerships with parents from the onset and encourages them to be fully engaged with their children's learning at home. Parents complete the 'All About Me' document and during frequent discussions or text messages she keeps them fully informed of children's progress. This sharing of information helps the childminder to plan activities that will support children's learning even further. For example, parents tell the childminder about children's emerging interest in numbers and shape. This enable the childminder to incorporate simple activities to develop children's mathematical skills and allows them to follow these interests in her home. As a result, when in her care children are engaged, busy and active learners.

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

Warm and trusting attachments are evident between the childminder and children. This is because the childminder takes great pride in establishing good partnerships with parents and is knowledgeable about each child's background, routines and preferences. Consequently, children confidently make decisions about their play and move around the home independently. They enjoy the close physical contact as they snuggle up with the childminder when tired and are further soothed as she finds their favourite comfort toy to enable them to take a well-earned nap. 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. Children are well supported during these times both to gain the social skills needed but also to enhance their understanding of good nutrition. For example, children enjoy eating water melon for

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

their snack. The childminder also encourages parents to follow her lead in providing healthy foods for children especially with regard to finding alternative to crisps and other unsuitable foods for young children. The childminder has good, consistent methods to support children's growing awareness of how they should behave. She has firm boundaries in place and offers timely, gentle reminders to children especially in relation to sharing and turn taking. For those children just beginning to learn about these concepts, the childminder plans specific activities to teach them how to behave when playing with others. As a result, children are learning how to socialise with one another and know what is, and what is not appropriate behaviours.

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

The childminder's home is welcoming to children and she provides plenty of stimulating toys and activities to support children's learning. Children enjoy free access to the garden and here they are able to enjoy fresh air and exercise. However, there is scope to further develop this area to enhance children's understanding of their natural environment including growing and planting, observing living creatures and the weather. Nevertheless, children benefit from frequent trips to parks and other activities in their local area. They use swings and slides, sometimes for the first time and this for some children means them taking small, calculated risks as they play. The childminder supports children well during these times because she is vigilant to children's safety. When out and about, she teaches them about road safety and children are rewarded with stickers for their good behaviours. In this way children are learning how to keep themselves safe, ready for a time when they

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

will be more independent. Children are emotionally well prepared for changes in their lives. This is because the childminder introduces children to group activities and different environments to help develop confidence in new situations, people and experiences.

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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 attended training to ensure she is up-to-date in her knowledge of safeguarding procedures and knows how to identify and report any concerns she may have about children. A range of policies support her in her work as well as regular risk assessments of activities and places children visit. The childminder also makes sure visitors to her home are familiar with her good working practices and in this way, consistent measures are taken to protect children.

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provision

The childminder is qualified to level 3 in childcare and makes good use of this knowledge to support children as they play and learn. She also uses the internet and local authority guidance to help improve her practice along with strong links with other childminders in the area. The childminder reflects on her own work, as a result, she is able to identify her strengths and actions that will support children's achievements over time. The childminder also monitors children's progress and links this with her planning. In this way she is able to accurately understand children's skills and abilities and where necessary, put interventions in place to sustain a good standard of developmental progress for each child.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Letters provided for the purposes of the inspection, tell how parents are happy with the care that the childminder provides for children. One parents states, 'I feel confident in knowing my son is in a safe and loving environment.' The childminder recognises the importance of partnership working with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage and support agencies. She has made a good start to re- establishing strong links with the local pre-school now that children have started to attend both provisions. However, this process is still in its infancy and there is room to strengthen partnerships in order that children's learning and care needs are met in both establishments to the highest degree. That being said, children are well supported to have a happy and stimulating early years' experience where their learning and development is promoted well.

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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 EY402687 Local authority Peterborough Inspection number 875212 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 3

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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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