Childminder in Knowsley

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2014 27/03/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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 is secure in her knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters and has robust procedures in place to keep children safe.  The quality of teaching is good. The childminder plans and extends activities to include each child's current interest and to help children make good progress in their learning.  Children's dietary needs are well met in agreement with parents. They enjoy meals that are healthy, balanced and nutritious as they are well-planned and cooked from fresh ingredients.  The childminder works well with her assistant to provide a welcoming home in which children are secure, happy and confident to express themselves.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not always given sufficient time and freedom to become deeply involved in activities they are enjoying.  There are occasions when children are asked questions and are not given sufficient time to think about what they want to say and put their thoughts into words.

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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 playroom and conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistant and children at appropriate times throughout the observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documents, including verifying qualifications, checking the suitability of household members and viewing the policies, procedures and the children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the childminder's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers from feedback forms provided by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her two children aged 11 and four years in a house in Halewood, Knowsley. The childminder sometimes works with an assistant. Children mainly use a playroom attached to the house and have access to toilet facilities in the house. There is an enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The family has a pet dog. The childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently seven children on roll, of whom two are in the early years age range and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 ensure children have the time and freedom to become deeply involved in activities

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

 give children 'thinking time' when asking questions and wait for them to think about what they want to say and put their thoughts into words.

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who attend

The childminder works closely with parents to identify what children already know and can do when they first start. She uses this information to carefully plan challenging experiences, which help each child make good progress from their starting points. The quality of the childminder's teaching is good. She purposefully plans and provides fun play experiences around children's interests, which keeps children engaged and eager to learn. For example, the childminder sits closely with a child to look at a book about a train, which encourages an interest in reading. Following this, they mix cornflour and water to make gloop, which they run the toy trains through. They look closely at the marks left on the tray by the train wheels. This encourages children to make more marks, which develops their early writing skills. Children develop good communication skills as they talk about how after lunch, they will make tunnels for the trains to go through. They refine their

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who attend

hand to eye coordination and learn how to use scissors safely as they cut holes in cereal boxes to make the tunnels. The childminder carefully organises these interesting experiences with a clear focus on what she wants children to learn. As a result, these activities effectively challenge children to make good progress within the typical range of development expected for their age. However, the childminder does not always build in sufficient time after the planned teaching for children to explore how things work at their own pace.

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who attend

Children are effectively supported to develop their physical, personal, social and emotional development. Their good progress in these areas ensures they have the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning, for example, when they move on to nursery and school. Babies and children learn and develop well as they play and explore. The childminder talks to babies and children about what is happening and what they are doing. This steadily encourages their understanding so they can link words with actions and older children hear and repeat new words, which increases their vocabulary. Overall, children develop good speaking and listening skills. They sing rhymes and enjoy stories read by the childminder. She asks appropriate questions as the children play, however, she does not always wait for children to answer before speaking for them. This means on some occasions the children have insufficient time to think about what they want to say in order

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who attend

to answer questions. Children make good progress in mathematics. The childminder helps them to count and introduces mathematical language, such as, 'under' and 'over' as they play imaginatively with the trains and track. Children say some number names in sequence. The childminder has added real items, such as, telephones to the home and market stall, which as well as enhancing their imaginative play, provides opportunities for children to see and use numbers in their play. Children effectively learn about their local community and develop their awareness of nature on outings. They visit the library, toddler groups, the farm shop and the woods where they look for newts at the pond. Toys and books are varied and some reflect difference and diversity to help older children learn about the wider world. Children explore the customs and beliefs of their own and other people as they taste foods to celebrate events, such as Chinese New Year.

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who attend

The childminder and parents exchange verbal information daily and parents receive good information about their children's progress through photographs, written observations and text messages. Children are progressing well towards the early learning goals over time, given their starting points. Following the last inspection, the childminder has begun to share information more frequently, about where their child fits within the expected level of development. Each child now has a learning journal, which shows their progress in photographs and written observations. These are regularly shared with parents which helps to keep them well informed of their children's progress. Parents receive regular written summaries of their child's progress including the progress check for their child between the ages of two- and three-years.

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

The childminder gathers a range of useful information about each child, including any allergies, what they like to do and names of others in their family. She makes good use of this information to help children settle when they first start. This enables children to feel emotionally very secure and to settle well. Babies demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they sit on the rug close to the childminder's assistant. They show interest in items purposefully placed in a basket, such as, ribbons, which they happily investigate. They also happily lie on the floor and experience being on their tummy, which helps them to learn to push up, roll over, sit up and crawl. Older children demonstrate a clear sense of security as they relate well to the childminder and her assistant. Children develop a good understanding of how physical exercise fits into a healthy life-style. They frequently walk around the nature reserve and practise balancing and climbing skills on equipment at the

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

local park. Children look closely at all the produce at the farm shop, as they search for items on their shopping list. As a result, they are able to correctly identify different fruits and vegetables, such as a turnip. Children sit safely at a low-level table and talk about how different foods help bodies, to grow as they cut up their own fruit for snack and they spread cheese on their bread to make sandwiches. Menus are varied, nutritious and well planned to meet each child's individual needs. Every day, children enjoy a warm meal such as stew, cooked by the childminder or her assistant, from fresh ingredients, including meat, celery, carrot, onion and potato.

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

Children learn to keep themselves safe because the childminder makes good use of opportunities to talk about many aspects of safety. Children learn about road safety and safer places to cross roads when on outings. They talk about the role of the emergency services as they recall waving to a fire officer while out walking. The childminder and her assistant are good role models and are consistent in their praise for positive behaviour. As a result, children demonstrate polite, courteous behaviour. Children learn about different emotions through listening to stories. They are well prepared emotionally and equipped with self-help skills, to ease their move on to nursery and school.

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

Children play in a stimulating and welcoming playroom with good quality toys, which support their all-round development and emotional well-being. They confidently help themselves to a wide range of toys due to the way the childminder organises her playroom. Children develop a sense of responsibility as they also return toys to where they belong. Since the last inspection, the childminder has reviewed and improved her nappy changing procedures to reduce the risk of cross-infection. She wears gloves and uses a changing mat, which she sprays with disinfectant after each use. She uses anti-bacterial gel on her hands and takes children through to her home to wash their hands in the basin. The childminder teaches children how to effectively wash their hands and they talk about good hygiene. She supports children's emerging self-care skills by providing opportunities and encouragement to try tasks for themselves. For example, she encourages children to

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

finish the last stage of fastening straps on their shoes. This encourages young and less confident children to develop self-help skills. The childminder also supports children to socialise and communicate with other children at toddler groups, which enables them to develop confidence and independence in group situations.

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provision

The childminder fully understands her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Since the last inspection, where the childminder received a number of actions to improve, and a subsequent monitoring visit, she has improved her knowledge of the legal requirements and checks regularly to ensure that she meets them. She now fully understands that until all clearances are completed and their suitability verified, assistants cannot be left with the children unsupervised. The childminder provides Ofsted with the name and details of her assistants and carries out appropriate checks to verify that they are suitable for the role. This includes obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check through Ofsted in respect of each person. The childminder follows clear procedures and maintains accurate records to keep children safe, protected and supported. This includes daily safety checks

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provision

on equipment and toys and regular reviews of general risk and fire risk assessments. The childminder and her assistant have attended training in safeguarding, and demonstrate a clear knowledge of the indicators of abuse or neglect and how to work with other agencies to protect children. They follow a clear written policy, which is in line with the procedures of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. As a result, the children's safety is assured.

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provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She visits another childminder who acts as her mentor, which has resulted in significant improvement in the way she supports children's development. This has improved the quality of her records and enables her to identify what children need to learn next with more accuracy. She skilfully tracks children's progress and is able to identify exactly where children are making slower progress. She uses this information to purposefully plan challenging experiences for each child to close any gaps in their learning. She regularly meets with other childminders to discuss childcare related issues. She takes on board new ideas, reflects on her practice and makes continuous improvements. For example, due to reorganising the playroom and garden, children now help themselves to a wider range of toys. As a result, they have

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provision

opportunities to make progress in all areas of learning while playing indoors and outdoors. The childminder has self-identified plans for further improvement.

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provision

Displayed information, informative written policies and daily conversations provide parents with good quality information about the way the childminder works. Since the last inspection, the childminder makes better use of noticeboards to display photographs as a way to share information about the Early Years Foundation Stage with parents. She competently completes a progress check for all children between the ages of two and three years and provides parents with regular written summaries of their children's learning. Parental feedback forms have been introduced and so far parents' comments indicate they are happy with their children's progress. The childminder understands the benefits of working in partnership with other settings children attend, and now has a letter of introduction prepared as a first step towards building partnerships to support 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 EY438435 Local authority Knowsley Inspection number 977619 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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