Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/09/2014 02/11/2011

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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 provides a welcoming and stimulating environment, both indoors and outside. She establishes warm and secure relationships with children, so they have a strong sense of security and belonging.  Effective teaching strategies are in place to help children develop early language and communication skills and to support their physical, personal, social and emotional development. As a result, all children make good progress in all areas of learning.  The childminder supports children's health and well-being needs by promoting lots of outdoor activities. Children enjoy nature walks and outdoor play in their local fields and parks.  The childminder has an effective and well-established programme of professional development, which helps her improve her knowledge, understanding and practice. As a result, children make good progress from their starting points.  Safeguarding procedures are good and the childminder has a clear understanding of

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This provision is good

her responsibilities. This ensures that children's welfare is protected and they are safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some aspects of partnership working with parents are not fully robust to ensure the effective communication of the next steps in children's learning and to promote a common approach to supporting children's progress.

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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 playroom and kitchen.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documents including children's records, learning journals, planning documentation, written policies, training certificates and a selection of other documents.  The Inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the childminder's suitability, her self-evaluation form and qualifications, including her first-aid certificate.  The inspector interacted with children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection and from information included in the childminder's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

The childminder lives in the Nelson area of Lancashire with her teenage son, aged 15 years, and pet dog. She was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register, and both parts of the Childcare Register. She operates seven days a week, from 7am to 8pm and, when required, provides a home drop off and collection service. She currently has four children on roll within the early years age range, including children for whom English is an additional language. Children access a playroom and kitchen on the ground floor and bathroom on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. Children are taken on outings to the local toddler group, the park, playing fields and the shops. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools and pre-schools. She is a member of the local childminding network and holds an appropriate qualification at level 3.

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

 strengthen partnership working so that the next steps in children's learning is shared more effectively with parents to enable them to fully support their child's learning at home.

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who attend

Teaching is good. The childminder has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements and a thorough understanding of how children learn. As a result, children thrive and are well motivated to learn in this good quality setting. She provides a bright, inviting, stimulating and very well-organised environment, both indoors and outside. For example, toys and play equipment are stored at child height, organised into age-appropriate areas and easily accessible to all children. This helps to ensure that children make purposeful progress in all areas of learning and development. Children consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning. There is a sharp focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and on supporting physical, personal, social and emotional development. Consequently all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make very good progress in

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who attend

communication and language development. Furthermore, good links with parents mean that children are very well prepared for school and their next stage of learning. However, the childminder does not always maximise opportunities to provide parents and carers with further details about the next steps in children's learning. Therefore, children do not benefit from a shared approach to support their progress, in the setting and at home. The childminder values children's choices and recognises how much they enjoy being outside. Consequently, she provides lots of opportunities for children to be outside in all weathers. Children's physical development is maximised as they investigate the world around them, go on local walks and play outdoors in the various parts of the enclosed garden, including exploring the secret garden. Children delight in walks in the local area, and have their own names for particular places, such as Fatima's field, muddy park and froggy field, where

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who attend

children collect frog spawn and go on to investigate life cycles.

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who attend

The childminder provides a broad range of resources and there is a sharp focus throughout the setting to promote all areas of learning and development. Children develop their communication and language skills as they show interest in familiar sounds. The childminder encourages them to repeat familiar words and gives opportunities for children to speak and listen in order to participate fully. This develops their speaking, listening and attention skills. She extends children's learning and development throughout the day by asking good open questions that require children to think about various options and to form a response. For example, children complete the weather board daily and are encouraged to look through the window at the sky for clues about what the weather is like. The childminder uses a wealth of resources to help children gain awareness about themselves and people from cultures different to their own. Each child responds

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who attend

affectionately to the childminder, who demonstrates calm, warmth and support to each individual child. As a result, children are confident, calm, relaxed and able to learn. They develop positive attitudes and are exceptionally respectful towards one another.

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who attend

The childminder uses a clear system to observe, monitor and track children's learning through effective and accurate assessments. This means she has a clear knowledge and understanding of children's individual learning styles, needs and interests. This information is then used to inform the planning, which is based on children's individual interests to provide a broad and balanced range of activities that are precisely matched to children's specific learning needs. As a result, children consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning and make good progress. Effective teaching strategies are employed to meet children's specific needs and to promote their all-round development. As a result, children make consistently good progress, given their starting points.

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

The childminder has very good systems for settling the children and responding to their individual needs. Children settle well because the childminder finds out very meaningful information from parents about their child, to ensure all children's care needs are known and effectively met. She supports children to feel extremely secure and comfortable and to establish close relationships with herself and her family. This builds a solid foundation to develop children's personal, social and emotional skills. The childminder manages children's behaviour well, with lots of praise and encouragement and gentle reminders to help children understand about her expectations. Consequently, children respond to appropriate boundaries, behave well and play cooperatively.

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

The childminder promotes children's independence and sense of responsibility through a positive balance of child-initiated and adult-led experiences. For example, young children help to prepare lunch, butter their own toast and pour their own water from the water dispenser. Therefore, children fully engage in their activities and experience very comprehensive, varied and imaginative learning opportunities that develop their self-care skills. Relationships with parents are positive and make a good contribution to children's well-being. The childminder helps prepare children with getting ready for attending pre- school or school by working closely with local schools, pre-schools and parents. As a result, children receive consistent messages and support about moving on to their next setting and are emotionally well prepared for this when the time comes.

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

The childminder promotes children's understanding of health and safety well. She organises her setting effectively and ensures that the environment and resources are regularly checked for safety. She helps children learn about safety by having consistent routines in place, teaching them about road safety, fire safety and how to use equipment and resources responsibly. The childminder acts as a good role model, helping children to learn how to be healthy, such as washing their hands before lunch and positively promoting healthy foods, and an understanding of where food comes from. For example, children go on nature walks to pick blackberries, which are then washed and eaten as a snack. Children are able to manage their own self-care appropriate to their age because the childminder provides good guidance and gives them time to complete tasks. Meals and snacks are healthy and nutritious. This range gives children opportunities to try new tastes

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

and encourages children to be interested in what they eat and to enjoy these occasions. Children enjoy playing outdoors and the childminder helps them to learn about keeping safe as they take small risks in their play, as she effectively supervises them. For example, children enjoy climbing in the local park, which they refer to as the monkey park.

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provision

The childminder prioritises children's safety and has a good understanding of safeguarding issues. She is confident with the procedures to follow and knows who to contact if she had any concerns about children or other adults in the home. The childminder has undertaken safeguarding training externally and follows strict child protection procedures and policies to ensure children's well-being at all times. An extensive range of other policies and procedures that are required for the safe and efficient management of her setting successfully underpin daily practice. Regular reviews of these are carried out to ensure that they are kept up to date. Extensive risk assessments are completed for all areas that children have access to, including resources, outings and trips. Regular safety checks identify any hazards and these are effectively minimised to ensure children's safety remains paramount. The childminder ensures that children are supervised well at all times

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provision

and that her home and garden are secure to prevent any unauthorised access. She maintains all required documentation accurately, such as registers of attendance, medication and accident records, and she holds a current first-aid qualification. As a result, children's welfare is effectively prioritised and they are protected and kept safe.

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provision

The childminder accesses support, training and guidance from the local authority, which enables her to implement the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage with confidence. As a result, she has a very good understanding of how children learn and develop and has implemented systems to effectively monitor all children's skills, abilities and progress. She has successfully addressed the action and recommendations raised at her last inspection. For example, she has information about who has legal contact and who has parental responsibility for the children in her care. Self-evaluation is well documented and highlights the strong emphasis on maintaining high levels of achievement for all children. Strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified, as the childminder regularly seeks feedback from parents and carers. She uses this feedback to review her own performance, which secures continuous improvement. Therefore, effective systems

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provision

are implemented to enable her to continually evaluate her practice. A broad range of training contributes towards the very good progress that all children make in their learning. For example, the childminder has undertaken a number of training courses in relation to communication and language development. Consequently, children make good progress in their language development, given their starting points.

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provision

Effective partnerships between parents, external agencies and other providers are evident and are well established. For example, the childminder has formed effective partnerships with settings where children attend for part of the time by uploading observations of children's achievements into their individual files through a secure, computerised system. This information can be viewed by, and contributed to, by parents or other early years settings that the child attends. This contributes to meeting children's individual needs effectively. The childminder works closely with the local authority early years team, who provide training and support. The childminder has good relationships with parents. Daily communication systems ensure that parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress. Photographs of children engaging in play, including a variety of outdoor activities, are available to view. These illustrate the breadth of activities that children are

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provision

actively involved in during their time at the setting. Parents contribute extensively to the initial assessment of their children's starting points on entry. Feedback from parents is overwhelmingly positive and describes the positive experiences for children at the setting. For example, 'his speech has come on tremendously and I particularly like the fact that the children are outside every day and go to local parks and fields, for example they were out berry picking and brought the blackberries back for their snack', 'his English vocabulary is surprisingly good' and 'the communication is excellent'. The childminder knows to work in partnership with schools and specialised professionals, when needed, to complement children's 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 EY339396 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 913366 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 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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