Childminder in Rotherham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2014 11/02/2009

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 The childminder places a high emphasis on helping children to acquire excellent communication and language skills and supporting their physical, personal, social and emotional development. As a result, children make excellent progress from their initial starting points.  Children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals because the childminder highly motivates them through thought provoking activities and innovative play, which successfully extend, challenge and support their interests.  The childminder is very kind, calm and caring, effectively supporting children to form close bonds and secure attachments with her. This provides a strong foundation for children to develop emotionally and enhances all aspects of their learning because they feel safe and secure.  Excellent partnerships with parents and other professionals significantly enhance the childminder's knowledge of children's progress and promotes continuity of care and

p.1

This provision is outstanding

learning. Parents are positively encouraged to add comments to children's records of assessments and be involved in the next steps in their child's learning, therefore, children flourish in the childminder's care.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and her husband.  The inspector looked at the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers from information included in the childminder's own parent survey and through their children's learning.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged four and eight years in a house in Rotherham. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the local parks and museums on a regular basis and collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 15 children on roll, two of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round, from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

p.3

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

 enhance and extend the excellent opportunities for promoting children's early literacy and communication skills to the optimum, by using photographs, labels and text in the outdoor environment, such as additional written information in the growing area.

p.3

who attend

The childminder consistently achieves very high standards across all aspects of her work; consequently, the quality of teaching is outstanding. Her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework is excellent. The childminder is extremely knowledgeable about the children in her care and confidently encompasses their interests within her planning system. Planning effectively covers the seven areas of learning with the focus on promoting children's personal, social and emotional development, communication and language and their physical development. This is particularly important as she is currently caring for young children under the age of three years. The result is that these children are being closely monitored to ensure they are meeting specific milestones for their age and stage of development. The childminder plans rich, varied and imaginative learning experiences for individual children that motivate and engage children. For example, the

p.3

who attend

childminder makes high-quality resources out of recycled material and wool and many of the resources are natural resources which offer sensory, as well as educational experiences for children. For example, children delight whilst playing in the den which has been set up as a forest with lots of natural and inventive resources that can be used imaginatively in different ways. The childminder promotes children's attention, listening, understanding and thinking by asking them open-ended questions and encouraging them to explore the objects that they see. The children enjoy the sensory experiences of feeling the different textures of the materials whilst counting the buttons which have been sewn onto the resources to support their initial counting skills. Children are enthusiastic and highly motivated to learn and thoroughly enjoy the experiences on offer.

p.3

who attend

Children have lots of fun as they play in this highly stimulating environment. The childminder encourages them to play and explore, become active learners and think critically about what they are doing. For example, the childminder has set up an activity with shaving foam and paint outside. The children explore the foam with their hands and giggle with delight as the colour and consistency change as they mix the colours together. The childminder encourages them to talk about the different colours and textures and asks them what happens when they mix the different colours together. They are encouraged to make marks in the foam using a range of different tools, which the childminder adds to enhance the activity and promote their early writing skills by developing coordination. The environment is rich with books and resources for children to develop understanding of the wider world. They visit local museums and places of

p.4

who attend

interest, which help children to consolidate their learning. They grow their own vegetables and enjoy harvesting and eating the produce. The children have decorated their own planting pots which they will take home with their vegetables in. While children have many opportunities to see the written word and information displayed around the environment, there are currently fewer examples of labelling on the vegetables and plants, such as signs and photographs of what the children are growing, to enhance their literacy development to its highest level.

p.4

who attend

The digital photograph display in the playroom shows the variety of learning experiences the children engage in and demonstrates how the childminder engages the older children she cares for in learning. Children look at the numerous photographs in rotation and recall what they have previously taken part in. She links with the school to ensure that she can complement and consolidate what children are learning at school whilst they are with her. All these experiences build on the excellent progress children make with the childminder and prepares them exceptionally well for their future move to nursery and school. The childminder is confident in accessing the support of other professionals if she identifies a child who may need additional support. Children's communication and language skills are promoted and well developed by the childminder because she offers an abundance of language rich experiences and play opportunities. The childminder promotes a letter,

p.4

who attend

colour and rhyme of the week. The children explore the letter of the week which is currently 'f'. They join in singing about five little speckled frogs whilst holding a hand made frog with the number on and the corresponding number of buttons sewn on the back. The childminder emphasises the letter sound and encourages the children to do the same. The colour of the week is red and the children explore the basket of interesting objects and resources which are all red.

p.4

who attend

Parents contribute to the initial assessment of children when they first start. They are encouraged to continue sharing what they know about their child as they grow and develop. Parents are positively encouraged to add comments to assessment records, working cooperatively with the childminder to plan the next steps in their child's learning. The comprehensive observations and assessments completed by the childminder clearly record children's progress and the next steps in their learning. Consequently, children thrive and flourish in the childminder's care.

p.4

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

The childminder is highly skilled in supporting children and their family. She is a very kind and caring person with a calm and sensitive disposition. She provides a highly stimulating, welcoming and inclusive environment for the children where they flourish and are well supported, and nurtured. It is evident that children are very secure in their emotional attachments with the childminder; they enjoy her cuddles, and blossom with her praise and ongoing reassurance. These positive attachments are further enriched by excellent partnerships with parents. The childminder is a consistent, calm and inspiring role model for the children. They are very well behaved and well mannered because the childminder sets clear boundaries for good behaviour. She promotes children's confidence through the praise she gives and celebrates their achievements and the excellent progress they have made from their starting points. Their personal and emotional development is further

p.5

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

enhanced because she gives them her undivided attention and gets down to their level to play. The childminder carefully reassures children when visitors come into the setting. She explains who they are and why they are there, so that the children feel at ease and begin to interact with new people.

p.5

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

Children are developing an excellent understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle as they enjoy a range of nutritious and healthy snacks and meals. They demonstrate that they have healthy appetites as they thoroughly enjoy preparing and eating healthy fruits for their snack. The childminder actively encourages healthy lifestyles to children and their families by promoting and sharing ideas for healthy recipes, healthy snacks for school and physical exercise. Children have access to a wide variety of resources to develop their physical skills and learn that exercise is important to our health and well-being. The children engage in nature walks where they can collect natural objects and bring them back to keep in the garden. They can freely access balls, bean bags, hoops and ride-on toys, which all promote their physical skills. The indoor and outdoor environment is exceptionally well organised and child-orientated. Children are provided with highly

p.5

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

stimulating, exciting and interesting activities and resources that are a high quality and well organised to enable children to make independent choices. Children can freely select resources from her photographic itinerary that she is further developing to ensure that children can freely choose additional resources not readily available to them all the time.

p.5

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

Children are learning to manage their own risks and become independent by safely using knives to cut up their fruit at snack time. The childminder encourages children to put on their own shoes and put on and zip up their coats when they go outside. They are able to go to the toilet and wash their hands independently as the childminder provides a step so that they can reach the toilet and sink. Children learn how to wash their hands effectively as they sing a hand washing song, reminding them to use soap and rub away the germs. The childminder and the children undertake regular emergency fire evacuation practises to support children's understanding of the procedure to follow in the event of an emergency. The childminder prepares children exceptionally well for their transitions to nursery and later on to school. She helps them gain the skills they require and introduces changes in routines by taking children to school to pick up the other children in her care.

p.5

provision

The childminder shows an excellent understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is passionate in her vision and commitment to provide a high quality provision for children and their parents. The childminder has a robust knowledge and understanding of how to implement the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has devised an extensive range of policies and procedures that underpin her outstanding practice. This includes a safeguarding policy that backs up her extremely well-developed understanding of the local child protection procedures. For example, the childminder clearly knows the procedure to follow should she have a concern about a child in her care. Therefore, any child at risk would be supported quickly and effectively. The childminder conducts thorough risk assessments for all the areas used by children. These prevent

p.6

provision

accidents to children by identifying any hazards on the premises, in the garden, out in the local community and on the numerous outings that the children embark on. Doors are securely locked and keys available, but stored high up, so children cannot help themselves and leave the premises unsupervised.

p.6

provision

The childminder constantly strives to improve her knowledge and professional development in early years education and is planning to undertake a degree in early years. She implements her learning extremely effectively by continuing to provide high quality care for children. The childminder knows the children exceptionally well, so she tailors her provision to support all the children in her care. The childminder uses robust ways of monitoring and tracking children's development. Learning journals are full of pertinent observations and assessments of children's activities and experiences that she provides for the children. Through her regular monitoring of how she meets children's learning and development needs, she is able to see immediately if there are any gaps in a child's development. She shares all the children's records with parents and uses the views and comments from parents, in addition to her own observations, to assess children's

p.6

provision

overall development. Consequently, children are excellently supported throughout their time in her care.

p.6

provision

The childminder constantly monitors and evaluates her provision extremely effectively using reflective self-evaluation. She regularly consults parents, carers and children, using detailed questionnaires and takes on board any recommendations made by the local authority. The questionnaires and comments gathered from them show that they are extremely happy with the care provided and express a very high regard for the childminder. Self-evaluation is, therefore, used very effectively to identify continuing strengths and future areas for improvement. She reflects on all areas of her practice to implement positive changes that improve outcomes for children. The childminder is devoted to her continuous professional development; this means that she is highly successful in maintaining continuous improvements. Partnerships with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage are admirable because the childminder

p.6

provision

communicates with all other settings that children attend, including schools attended by children in her care. Information is shared with the childminder and then shared again with parents. As a result, parents are kept fully informed and the childminder provides outstanding support for all children in her care.

p.7

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

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY375320 Local authority Rotherham Inspection number 873796 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 15

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11