Childminder in Knowsley

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/10/2014 07/01/2009

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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 is secure in her knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters. This means that children are well protected and kept free from harm.  The quality of teaching is good. The childminder plans and extends activities to include each child's current interest, to link with home experiences and to help children to make good progress in their learning.  Effective partnerships with parents ensure children's needs are well met. The childminder provides a welcoming home in which children are secure, happy and confident to express themselves.  Children enjoy a range of visits to places in the community, such as indoor soft play areas, a farm, pet shop, toddler group, library and places of interest, to develop their learning and promote their social skills.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Experiences to support children's developing sense of identity and understanding that people have many things in common as well as differences, are not always effectively resourced.  Opportunities to stimulate children's interest in writing for a purpose are not consistently high. There is scope to enhance some areas, so children can use writing materials in their imaginative play.

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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 indoor and outdoor activities and conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and her self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documents, including 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 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives in Kirkby, Liverpool. The whole of the ground floor and the bathroom on the first floor of the house is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has a pet dog. The childminder collects children from the local schools. There are currently four children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round, from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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

 support children's developing sense of identity and promote their awareness of similarities and differences by extending the range of available resources, for example, by providing different skin-tone colours when painting or drawing portraits

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

 introduce children to a range of cultures and beliefs of others through a wider variety a ways, for example, through music, dance, food, stories and role play

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

 increase opportunities for children to practise writing in their play, for example, by enhancing resources and providing reasons for writing in role-play situations.

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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 to make good progress from their starting points in all areas of learning. She also successfully blends ongoing information that parents share about their children's learning and development at home with her own observations, to keep experiences interesting and children eager to learn. The childminder and parents exchange verbal information daily and parents receive good information about their children's progress through photographs and written observations. The childminder has clear systems in place to complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years and shares these reports with parents. The well-organised space both inside and outside, provides children with plenty of opportunities to make independent

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who attend

choices and explore freely. The childminder always ensures she has a variety of interesting toys for children to choose from and includes those that she knows they enjoy. Therefore, children are quickly engaged in play and motivated to learn. They are keen to investigate, concentrate well and persevere at tasks, which are useful traits to support future learning. Children effectively learn about their local community and enhance their awareness of nature on a wide range of outings. They collect pebbles at the beach, look at cows and sheep at the farm, hunt for bugs in the woods and learn about snakes, hamsters and gerbils at the pet shop.

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who attend

The quality of the childminder's teaching is good, which enables children to make good progress within the typical range of development expected for their age. Children choose whether to play indoors or outdoors and the childminder plays alongside and enables them to think and try out new ideas. She sets up the farm animals and buildings in an inviting way on a large tray of sawdust. The childminder skilfully questions children while they play in order to purposefully improve their learning. For example, she introduces the names of baby animals and the noises they make, which extends children's knowledge of the natural world and increases their vocabulary. Children enjoy the feel of the sawdust and when the childminder hears them liken this to snow, she brings out a can of child-safe mouldable foam soap to extend their play. They enjoy the sensory experience as they mould the foam into pretend snowballs and throw them. Children develop good hand-to-

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who attend

eye coordination and mathematical skills as they throw, catch and count the balls.

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who attend

Indoors and outdoors, children dress-up and play imaginatively. They handle plastic vegetables and fruit at the role-play market stall in the playroom. Children play with the kitchen equipment in the garden playhouse. Their strong progress in physical, personal, social and emotional development ensures that they have the key skills needed for when they move onto nursery and school. Children paint, chalk and draw, which enables them to make marks in readiness for writing. However, consistent use is not made of opportunities for children to write for a purpose or in their imaginative play. Children visit the library and the childminder reads stories, which successfully encourages their listening skills and an interest in literacy. The childminder makes some use of multi-cultural books to promote discussions of different customs and values. However, less use is made of other ways, such as through music, dance, food, stories and role play, to introduce

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who attend

children to a range of cultures and beliefs of others, so they can understand that people have many things in common.

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

The childminder purposefully gathers a range of information from parents when children first start, so she is familiar with each child's interests and care routines. She makes good use of this information to help children settle when they first start. This enables children to feel emotionally very secure and settle well. Children demonstrate a clear sense of security as they relate well to each other and the childminder. This is because the childminder creates a calm and reassuring atmosphere for young children in which they are able to feel at home. She is a good role model and is consistent in her praise for positive behaviour, such as sharing well. As a result, children demonstrate polite, courteous behaviour. The childminder makes good use of story books and a range of photographs to teach children about different emotions. She also provides specific opportunities for children to develop a sense of themselves. For example, children look at themselves in a

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

mirror and paint life-sized pictures of themselves on rolls of paper. However, the paint colours available are pre-chosen to match children's features by the childminder. This limits the opportunity for children to compare their colouring to those of others as a way of learning to respect and tolerate each other's differences. This is because they do not need to look closely at their skin, hair and eye colour, in order to determine the colour of paint they require.

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

Children develop a good understanding of how physical exercise fits into a healthy life- style. They play outside and frequently practise balancing and climbing skills on equipment at the local park and on visits to the soft play centre. Children also learn about keeping safe as they carefully use large equipment and explore outdoor spaces. The childminder attended a six week nutrition course, which combined practical cookery and theory. She makes good use of her enhanced knowledge and skills to plan and provide snacks and meals, which are varied and nutritious. Children develop self-help skills as they carry their plates and drinks from the kitchen to the table before lunch and take turns to wash and dry tables after lunch. They sit safely at a low-level table and talk about healthy eating as they make their own sandwiches and help themselves to salad items, such as tomatoes, cucumber, salad pepper and lettuce. In the afternoon, the childminder asks children if

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

they feel hungry and if they are ready for their snack. Therefore, children learn to recognise their own individual needs and follow routines that suit them. They talk about hygiene as they wash their hands before chopping strawberries for snack and eating blueberries. Children learn to care for their teeth follow a tooth brushing programme. They are aware to wait half an hour after eating before brushing their teeth.

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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. They learn road safety and how to keep safe at the park by not running in front of the swings. Children play in a stimulating and welcoming home with good quality toys, which support their all-round development and emotional well-being. They are well prepared emotionally and equipped with self-help skills, to ease their move onto nursery and school. From an early age, the childminder builds up their confidence to do things for themselves. She purposefully teaches children skills, such as using the toilet independently, blowing their noses, dressing and undressing. As a result, children demonstrate good self-care skills. They confidently help themselves to a wide range of toys and develop a sense of responsibility as they also return toys to where they belong. The childminder supports children to sit and listen for

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

appropriate amounts of time and to take turns in preparation for school. She organises a local toddler group, which provides children with further interesting activities to engage in, while also supporting their social skills.

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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, she has changed her address and carried out a full risk assessment for her new home. She follows clear procedures and maintains accurate records to keep children safe, protected and supported. This includes daily safety checks on equipment and toys and regular reviews of general risk assessments. The childminder carries out regular evacuation drills and has a fire log book to record details of any problems encountered. She ensures young children are kept safe at all times, for example, she appropriately supervises them in the back garden and as they go up and down the stairs to the bathroom. The childminder demonstrates a clear knowledge of the indicators of abuse or neglect and how to work with other agencies to protect children. Her written policy is in line with the procedures of

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provision

the Local Safeguarding Children Board. Since the last inspection, she has regularly attended training on safeguarding to keep her knowledge up to date. As a result, the children's safety is assured.

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provision

The childminder reflects on her practice and makes continuous improvements. She has organised her home and garden to provide good access to a wide range of available toys. She expands her professional knowledge and understanding through attending workshops and regularly meeting with other childminders to discuss childcare related issues. As a result, she has a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Following training on treasure baskets, she now provides more natural resources for outdoors, such as cones, twigs, stones and shells for children to investigate and sort by size and pattern. The childminder has also gained knowledge of the timing and purpose of the progress check for all children between the ages of two and three years. She skilfully tracks children's progress and is able to identify exactly where they are making less obvious progress and plans challenging experiences to

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provision

Since the last inspection, the childminder has improved the way she plans activities. She plans around children's interests and fascinations and provides plenty of opportunities for every child to explore their own ideas during play. The childminder sensitively times when individual support is required. She has developed learning journals for each child and added a tracking document, so she can monitor any gaps in children's learning. Displayed information and photographs, informative written policies and daily conversations provide parents with good quality information about the way that the childminder works. Parental feedback forms have been introduced and parents' comments indicate they are happy with their children's progress. In particular, parents comment on the significant improvement in their children's speech development. The childminder works well in partnership with external agencies and other settings that children attend to support their 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 EY378508 Local authority Knowsley Inspection number 904440 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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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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