Childminder in Stockport

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/10/2014 02/12/2008

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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

 Children are happy and well settled. Relationships are warm and nurturing, which effectively supports their emotional security. They enjoy an interesting range of activities and make good progress in their learning and development because teaching is strong.  Partnerships with parents are well developed. The childminder obtains a good range of information from parents prior to children starting in her care and keeps them well informed about their child's ongoing progress.  The childminder is alert to the signs and symptoms of child abuse and knows what action to take if she is worried about a child in her care. This supports the protection of children.  The childminder monitors and evaluates her provision well and has made continuous improvement since her last inspection.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children cannot always see what toys are available or access these easily, because they are stored in a large toy box. Therefore, they have fewer opportunities to make independent choices.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the premises.  The inspector took account of the views of parents recorded in questionnaires.  The inspector observe the childminder's interactions with babies in the indoor area.  The inspector viewed the childminder's self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of household members, and a range of other documentation, including the safeguarding procedures.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register. She lives with her husband and daughter aged 11 years in Stockport, Manchester. The whole of the house is used for childminding including a downstairs toilet. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The family has a dog, chickens and fish. She collects children from the local schools. There are currently five children on roll, two 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 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:

 improve how resources are stored and made accessible to children in the lounge to enable them to make independent choices.

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who attend

Children make good progress from their starting points because the childminder has a good understanding of how to promote children's learning and development. She completes base-line assessments with parents and an All about me form, when children start, to find out about a child's development. This helps children to become settled quickly, ready for their learning to begin. The childminder has a secure understanding of the prime and specific areas of learning and uses observations of children's play to find out their interests, which allows her to create individual learning experiences. Parents contribute weekly comments to their child's observations and next steps. This demonstrates the effective working relationships the childminder has created and the shared approach she has fostered to support children's progress. The childminder uses adult-led activities to assess children's progress and extend learning. For example, she

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who attend

plans for babies' physical skills and sets up a game to throw beanbags into a basket. She constantly builds babies' enthusiasm for the activities because she is always on the floor with them at their level and she uses exciting tones of voice to build their interest. She encourage the babies to keep trying and praises their efforts constantly. She is successful in keeping children engaged and motivated, demonstrating that she understands, and promotes, the characteristics of effective learning to help children become active and creative learners who think critically. This helps children acquire the disposition and skills they need to be ready for school when the times comes. The childminder has a suitable understanding of the required progress check for children between the ages of two and three years and has the necessary documentation in place for when this is required. Babies' communication and language skills are well supported as the childminder

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who attend

constantly talks to them as they play. The childminder uses sounds in play and babies copy excitedly. She talks to children about what they are doing all the time and asks questions to check babies understand what she says. For example, 'Can you do this?' she says, as she places a beanbag on her head and babies copy showing they understand what she is saying. She reads to babies and shares books with them. As a result, babies are showing interest in handling books and learn to use their smaller movements to turn the pages. The childminder chatters to babies constantly to help develop their language and communication and responds to their babbling by saying things like, 'Did you?', 'Oh that's Nice', which motivates babies to vocalise more. The childminder uses small world characters to encourage babies' imagination. For example, she says, 'Say hello to the lady' and babies wave their hands. Babies enjoy exploring and the childminder supports this

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who attend

very well through the use of natural materials, which nurtures their exploratory nature. Children's early mathematics and problem solving are supported well. For example, children play with stacking toys and the childminder uses words to describe the shape, size, colour and quantity of the bricks. As a result, children's understanding of early mathematics develops well.

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who attend

The childminder provides a warm and welcoming environment. The lounge acts as the main playroom and children have opportunities to play in a spacious area. The childminder has good quality resources, which provide depth and breadth across the seven areas of learning. The childminder displays some of the toys on the floor. However, not all toys are accessible as they are stored in a large toy box, which makes it difficult for young children to see them or reach them. This means children have fewer opportunities to make independent choices and use their own ideas in their play. There is access to the garden through the kitchen and children go outdoors daily for fresh air or enjoy walks in the local community and go to the park. The garden is well-equipped and children have lots of opportunities to develop across the seven areas of learning and development. For instance, children explore nature and look at the bird feeders to see what the birds are

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who attend

doing and look through the fence to watch, and talk about, the chickens. The childminder displays print and numbers in the garden to support the opportunities children have indoors to develop their early literacy skills and number recognition.

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

Children are confident and settled in the childminder's care and babies have secure relationships with her because she is genuinely caring and has a lot of time for them. Babies enjoy being comforted by the childminder and seek her out for cuddles and to share toys and experiences. Babies show excitement and pleasure when playing with the childminder showing that they are relaxed and comfortable in her care. Babies' care needs are well-met because the childminder follows the information she has collated from parents on their record of individual needs about personal routines, toileting, sleep patterns, likes and dislikes. For example, babies are given milk when they show signs of being hungry and placed in their pram for a sleep when tired, which follows their home routine and ensures that a consistent and familiar procedure is maintained. The childminder takes the time to talk to babies during care routines to make it fun, by asking

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

babies to hold the nappy for her, which encourages them to begin to cooperate with care routines. This builds on children's emotional well-being and helps them to become independent.

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

Children behave well because the childminder works hard to promote their understanding of boundaries. The childminder gives children full explanations of her expectations and uses methods to distract and divert them. As a result, babies are learning the meaning of yes and no and are beginning to respond to boundaries. Young babies play well together and share toys because the childminder patiently teaches them to take turns and to compromise. As a result, babies learn how to manage their emotions and how to play cooperatively in preparation for their next stage in learning. The childminder helps children to develop a healthy lifestyle. She works well with parents to meet children's individual dietary needs and operates a healthy eating policy. As a result, healthy food is provided by parents for their children's lunch and fresh fruit, water and milk is available throughout the day. The childminder and parents work together well to support children's physical well-

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

being, and as a result, children are well-nourished and learn how to make positive food choices as they grow and develop their understanding. Children sit together at meal times and chatter to one another as they develop their social skills. Their independence is encouraged at meal times and babies are supported to feed themselves and to use their cup independently. Opportunities for babies to develop their independence in play are not fully promoted because they cannot access all of the resources independently.

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

The childminder provides many opportunities for children to be physically active. Children play in the garden and develop their physical strength and practise their large movements as they use ride-on toys and run around. Children visit the local parks with the childminder and learn how to manage their own safety as they climb on the larger equipment. Older children learn about road safety as they walk to school. Children enjoy caring for the childminder's chickens and fish and learning about the different needs of the animals. Babies enjoy observing the animals and watch the family dog through the gate with excitement. Written risk assessments highlight and identify hazards in the home and outdoor environment, which the childminder minimises with effective safety measures, ensuring children remain safe. Therefore, children are kept safe in the childminder's home as well as on visits to the local area. All these experiences help children to improve their

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provision

The childminder demonstrates that she has a secure understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder's safeguarding knowledge is good. She has a security camera installed and all visitors to her home are signed in and their identity is checked. The childminder and all those living on the premises are suitably vetted and suitable to work with children. As a result, children are fully safeguarded. The childminder has a good understanding of the procedure to follow in the event of having a concern about a child's physical or emotional well-being. She understands the process to follow to make a referral. The childminder arranges the environment well to ensure that children are never left unsupervised and that they have safe access to the indoors and outdoors. However, minor weaknesses in the organisation of the children's resources means that these are not always fully accessible. The

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provision

childminder has attended a number of training courses since her last inspection and these have led to an increased knowledge of how to promote children's positive behaviour and how to safeguard children effectively.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibility to carry out the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She reflects on her practice and has new systems in place to evaluate her setting. For example, parents complete questionnaires and say the childminder has, 'Good structure to the day' and that 'children are safe in her care'. The childminder uses parents' comments to reflect on her practice and to identify further improvements. She has fully addressed the recommendations from her last inspection. She has implemented improved planning and observation systems as a result of a training course she attended, which has led to improved systems for assessing and tracking children's development. Therefore, planning is precisely matched to children's individual learning styles and development needs. The childminder has developed ways to work more effectively with other providers and finds

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provision

out about the things children are learning at school to extend this at her setting. As a result, children's individual development needs are fully met. The childminder has improved the resources for babies to grow their interest in the natural world by introducing wooden and metal objects. This means that the childminder shows the capacity to improve her practice to improve experiences for children in her care.

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provision

The childminder has longstanding relationships with other childminders in the area and works them to share ideas and best practice, which helps her to monitor and develop the quality of her childminding service. She is involved in the local toddler groups and works in partnership with the Reception class at the local school to share information about children's learning experiences. She passes information between teachers and parents to ensure children benefit from continuity of care and learning. The childminder knows how to contact other professionals to seek their professional guidance if it is ever required. Consequently, support can be sought quickly to identify and close gaps in children's development.

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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 EY292089 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 877786 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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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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