Childminder in Knowsley

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/10/2014 31/01/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder provides a broad range of resources and experiences for children. As a result, children generally enjoy their time in the setting and gain the basic skills they need for their next steps in learning.  Children feel happy and secure as they have good relationships with the childminder. The childminder requests meaningful information from parents when children join the setting in order to get to know them well.  The childminder has a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and has devised a detailed safeguarding policy. As a result, children are well protected.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder's arrangements to assess children's progress, including completing the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, are not robust enough to monitor their development effectively. Consequently, children are not being supported to make good progress in their learning.  The childminder's systems for partnership working with parents and other professionals are not yet fully developed as information is not shared consistently. As a result, interventions are not always secured for children promptly.  The childminder does not give children consistent messages about how to keep themselves safe and make healthy choices. As a result, children's developing understanding of their own health and safety is not always fully supported.

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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 reviewed evidence of suitability of the childminder and other adults living in the home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and her co-childminder at appropriate times during the inspection. The inspector reviewed the childminder's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor area. The inspector reviewed evidence of planning, observations, assessments and tracking of children's progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed evidence of qualifications of both the childminder and her co-childminder, including paediatric first aid.  The inspector took into account the views of parents recorded by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2000 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband who is also a childminder, and their two teenage children, in the Whiston area of Merseyside. The whole ground floor and first floor bathroom of the house are used for childminding. There is a secure outdoor area at the rear of the property. She currently has eight children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age range. The childminder provides care for 48 weeks per year, each weekday, from 7am until 6pm. She has an appropriate qualification at level 3 and is a member of the Whiston and Prescot Childminding Network. The childminder has support from the local authority.

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must:

 ensure that the frequency of assessments is increased and the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years is completed in a timely manner, so that all information can be used to effectively monitor children's development in order to help them make good progress in their learning.

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

 share information with parents and other professionals more consistently in order to maintain continuity in children's learning

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

 provide more consistent support for children to develop their understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe, for example, through more regular discussions about healthy lifestyles and taking safe risks.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and develop and the quality of teaching is generally good. She provides a broad range of resources and activities for children, which provide appropriate levels of challenge to engage them. Children sit together to listen to nursery rhymes and play musical instruments or dance. They have make-believe telephone calls with familiar adults using recycled mobile telephones. Children run and climb on the large apparatus in the outdoor area and explore the texture of mud in the new mud kitchen. The childminder also takes children on outings on a regular basis to the local farm, park, beach or forest. This helps to develop children's understanding of the natural world and wider community. The childminder uses a monthly theme for her planning. She also plans for children's individual next steps from her detailed observations in their learning journals. This ensures that the activities she

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who attend

provides are relevant and help children to develop the basic skills they require for their next steps in learning.

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who attend

The childminder uses some good quality questioning in order to challenge children's thinking skills further. For example, when building a block tower, children are encouraged to think how many more blocks they will need to make the tower taller than themselves. This enhances their critical thinking skills and their mathematical development. Children often lead their own play and the childminder understands the importance of allowing play to come to a natural conclusion. They access many of the resources independently and show signs of being active learners as the childminder encourages them to try things in different ways and praises their efforts. Children play with small cars and move them around the floor. The childminder re-shapes and extends this task by providing a large tube for children to push the cars through. Younger children start to understand that the car will appear at the bottom of the tube and older children count up to three before

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who attend

rolling the car down the tube. This encourages children's curiosity, critical thinking skills and promotes their mathematical development. The childminder does not currently mind any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, but she is aware of how to access support for these children where appropriate.

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who attend

The childminder collects good quality information from parents about what children already know and can do when they first begin attending her setting. She uses this information to plan activities to promote children's learning and development and children are making steady progress. Children enjoy the activities provided and these provide some challenges to extend their learning. Parents receive verbal and written communication about their child's daily activities and care routines, which means they develop an understanding of what their children have been learning. However, the childminder does not consistently share information with parents. As a result, the childminder is unable to secure interventions for children promptly where necessary. Children's development is assessed twice a year and these assessments are shared with parents to promote children's learning at home. The childminder also tracks children's progress on a monthly

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who attend

basis, which gives the childminder a basic overview of how each child is developing the skills they require for their next steps in learning, including a move to school. However, her arrangements for assessing children's progress are not frequent enough, and the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years is not completed promptly. This means that the childminder does not have the information required to effectively monitor children's progress and as a result, they are not making good progress in their learning.

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

The childminder has a good understanding of how to foster children's emotional well-being and has developed good relationships with children. They are comfortable and happy attending her setting and the childminder knows them well. The childminder is the key person for all children attending, as her co-childminder does not work with her each day. She shares information with parents in a number of ways, for example, through daily diaries and verbal updates, although this is not always consistent. She supports children's sense of self-esteem by displaying their artwork on the wall and praising them for their efforts during play. The childminder is a good role model for children as she supports them in playing alongside each other to learn about taking turns. Children develop an understanding of this as the childminder communicates with them in an appropriate way. As a result, children behave well.

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

The routines of the day support children's individual needs. This fosters their emotional well-being, health and growing independence. Children are encouraged to wipe their own noses or put on their own shoes for outdoor play. Younger children are provided with opportunities to feed themselves, which supports their physical co-ordination as well as growing independence. The childminder provides opportunities for children to take small risks, for example, by climbing on large outdoor apparatus. However, she does not always provide consistent messages about how children can keep themselves safe. As a result, their understanding of their own safety is not consistently supported. The childminder provides healthy snacks and meals for children, which take into account their individual dietary needs. She also ensures they can access their drinks throughout the day as these are kept at their level. Children access outdoor provision each day at the childminder's

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

home and they go on regular outings. This helps to promote children's health and physical development further. Hygiene practices are well embedded as children are supported to wipe their hands before and after meals and independent toileting is encouraged where appropriate. This reduces the risk of cross contamination and promotes children's continuing good health. However, the childminder does not always give children consistent messages about why exercise or healthy foods are important and the impact this has on their bodies. As a result, their understanding of healthy lifestyles is not consistently promoted.

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

The childminder supports children with a good settling-in procedure. She requests good quality information from parents in order to tailor her care to children's individual needs. The childminder respects children's own routines and follows these wherever possible to help them settle in her care. The childminder fosters children's emotional well-being to prepare them for their next steps in learning or to attend school. She provides them with reassurance and offers them opportunities to discuss what their new setting is like. She promotes independence well, which supports children's confidence in attending other settings. The childminder also has role-play resources available, which help to recreate some aspects of school. This supports children's understanding and emotional readiness further through meaningful play. Consequently, children are emotionally well supported to progress to their next steps in learning as the childminder makes this move exciting for

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provision

The childminder understands her responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has implemented a detailed safeguarding policy and demonstrates a good understanding of appropriate action should she have concerns about a child. This means that children are protected from harm. The childminder has obtained the necessary vetting checks for all adults living at the setting to check that they are suitable to be around children. Children's safety is further promoted as the childminder completes regular risk assessments to identify and minimise hazards. The childminder's front door is kept locked to prevent unauthorised access and a register of attendance is taken for both children and visitors. She keeps accident and medicine forms stored with children's details. The childminder also ensures that there is always at least one person with a current paediatric first-aid certificate on site. The childminder has

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provision

considered the layout of her home to enable first aid to be administered quickly if required.

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provision

The childminder does not have a thorough knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Her knowledge and understanding of the areas of learning is good and she understands the importance of observing children to plan accurately for their next steps. However, assessments are not frequent enough and she does not always complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years old promptly. This means that her systems for monitoring children's progress are not effective in swiftly identifying areas where progress is less than expected. As a result, interventions are not promptly secured for children, which impacts on their progress. The childminder has formed good relationships with parents, who describe their total trust in her to develop special bonds with their children and help them make progress. However, the childminder's systems for engaging with parents and other

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provision

professionals are not yet fully developed. Although children are making steady progress, the childminder does not consistently share information with other professionals or parents to promote a consistent approach to children's learning. As a result, children are not making good progress in their learning.

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provision

The childminder understands the importance of evaluating her practice and aspires to improve. Since her last inspection, she has addressed all recommendations and identified further targets for improvement. She is keen to develop her practice further by accessing regular training to improve her knowledge and liaising with her local authority adviser. The childminder's programme for professional development is varied in order to enhance practice further. She attends weekly childminder network meetings and aspires to develop her processes for self-evaluation further, for example, by implementing peer reviews with other local childminders. However, her evaluation is not wholly accurate. This is because it does not identify that her arrangements to complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years are consistent with the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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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 313061 Local authority Knowsley Inspection number 868125 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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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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