Childminder in Cheshire East

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/10/2014 13/05/2010

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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 attends training courses frequently to extend her knowledge of children's development. This helps her to provide good quality provision.  Children have good opportunities to socialise at groups. This means that they can explore their local community to promote their understanding of the world.  Strong partnerships with parents are forged to exchange purposeful information during settling-in periods. This results in children rapidly forming secure attachments and strong emotional bonds with the childminder.  The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn through play. This means that children's interests are followed and they are motivated to learn.  The childminder has robust knowledge of safeguarding procedures, therefore, children are protected.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Younger children are not always able to freely access resources to enable them to make independent choices and follow their own interests.  Some aspects of partnership working are not fully robust as the childminder has yet to build effective transition links with other professionals and the local nursery that the children move onto, in order to provide a continuity of care and learning.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the downstairs rooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed a range of policies and procedures and looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector took account of views of parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the childminder and spoke to her during the inspection when appropriate.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documents and checked evidence of Disclosure and Barring Service checks for people in the household.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1999 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and one adult child. The family live in the Leighton area of Crewe. The downstairs area is used for childminding purposes. There is a secure garden available for outdoor play. The family has a dog and a hamster as pets. There are currently 11 children on roll, four of whom are in the early years age range. The childminder operates all year round. The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 3.

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

 enhance children's progress even further by making the resources accessible to children, so they can follow their interest more easily

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

 strengthen partnership working with other professionals and other settings to support children's smooth transition, so that they fully benefit from the continuing emotional security established by the childminder.

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who attend

The childminder has good relationships with children, creating a calm and family atmosphere in her home. Children are relaxed and appear to be happy. They settle quickly as parents drop them off, soon becoming engrossed in self-initiated activities. Children are making good progress, as the childminder plans a broad range of activities that meet their learning needs effectively. The childminder has worked hard, showing a strong commitment to driving forwards and making improvements in her practice. There is a broad balance of learning opportunities for all children. The childminder supports children's learning well, through lots of purposeful conversations. This results in young children's language being extended successfully and helps them to acquire the skills they need to be ready for their next stage of their learning and school.

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who attend

The childminder uses an effective tracking process that shows clearly how children are making progress in their learning. This means that children's needs are clearly identified. Children can freely access outside, where there is a large enclosed garden. The outdoor play area is developmentally appropriate with lots of different levels for children to explore. Children have toys to ride on or push along and they can practise their physical skills by climbing and negotiating obstacle toys. This means that they gain confidence and become happy learners while they develop their physical skills. The childminder uses effective teaching strategies to ensure children are active and inquisitive learners, who remain occupied in meaningful play. For example, children play with small play figures while the childminder provides a narrative of rich and meaningful language. This enables children to make very good progress in their learning and development. Resources are of

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who attend

good quality and accessible to older children, so that they can make some independent choices in their play. However, at times, younger children are not able to fully access resources, this prevents them from fully following their own interests and does not maximise opportunities for them to make choices in their play.

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who attend

Partnerships and communication with parents are good and a regular two-way flow of information is in place. Verbal feedback provides detailed information relating to what the children have done during each day. Information from parents is used to inform the starting points for children and this is used to develop the individual planning for each child. This results in the individual needs of children being well met and children making good progress.

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

Children's emotional development is promoted well as they develop secure, trusting relationships with the childminder. She makes sure that she finds out about children's preferences and their daily routines by gathering good information from parents. Good settling-in procedures, tailored to each child's needs, means that the move between home and the childminder's home is a positive experience. For example, she encourages parents to bring a child's favourite toy from home, which helps to promote their sense of security and belonging.

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

Children are encouraged to think about being healthy. The childminder talks about the fruit at snack time and therefore, children learn about where the fruit comes from. She teaches children about food being full of vitamins to keep us healthy. This helps children to be more adventurous in their eating habits, so that they learn the importance of a balanced and varied diet to their overall health. The childminder uses snack time as an opportunity to introduce mathematics, for example, by encouraging children to count the number of slices of apple and grapes. She acts as a positive role model and encourages children to adopt healthy lifestyle choices. Children independently wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating food. They are encouraged to run and join in physical exercise by playing in the garden and joining in action rhymes and songs. Children are able to take age-appropriate risks under the close supervision of the childminder. For

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

instance, the steps are negotiated independently by the younger children as the childminder reminds them of how to stay safe. Children's self-care skills and independence are supported well. For example, the childminder uses sensitive encouragement to help children to learn how to zip up their coats. This results in children becoming independent and ready for the next stages in their learning.

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

Flexible routines incorporate trips out, which offer new experiences. For example, younger children are introduced to larger group activities when visiting local play sessions with their peers. This helps to prepare children for the move to pre-school. Children enjoy outdoor play, which effectively promotes their physical development. The childminder makes good use of local venues, such as parks, to extend the options for physical play. Consequently, children benefit from fresh air and exercise. The childminder has not yet fully established effective links with the local nursery and school, in order to provide children with a continuity of care and learning. She has already identified this as one of her next steps to improve her provision. This shows that the childminder is motivated to support children further with their move forward to nursery and their transition to school life.

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provision

The childminder fully understands what to do if she has a safeguarding concern relating to children, in line with her written policy. She has completed relevant safeguarding training and has also completed paediatric first-aid training. The childminder has a good understanding of how to keep children safe. Resources are clean, well maintained and stored safely. A wide range of good written policies have now been developed and are implemented well. Comprehensive risk assessments are available for activities and outings. All areas are checked, including the indoor and outdoor areas. As a result, children stay safe during a wide range of challenging learning experiences and their welfare is well protected.

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provision

The childminder's tracking of children's progress is clear and children consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning. For example, she reviews the progress children make and evaluates the activities she provides, to ensure she has an accurate understanding of their skills and achievements. This helps her to monitor and evaluate children's progress to ensure they achieve in all areas of learning and to identify any emerging gaps. Enthusiasm, commitment and drive of the childminder result in the provision of a warm, welcoming, safe, stimulating environment where children can thrive. An effective self-evaluation process is developing well where strengths and areas for development are being clearly identified. This promotes an ethos of continuous improvement to ensure the standard of quality childcare provision is maintained. The childminder is keen to provide the best quality care and learning for children and strives to

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provision

continually improve her practice. She is committed to continuing her professional development and has worked hard to achieve a level 3 qualification in childcare. The childminder attends training courses and looks for ways to further support children. This all contributes to ongoing improvement in the quality of the provision.

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provision

The childminder provides parents with a broad range of relevant information about policies and procedures, so they have an accurate understanding of the childminding service. Parents know about their children's activities and achievements through regular conversation and they are able to discuss their children whenever they wish. This means that partnerships with parents are good. As a consequence, parents speak positively about the childminder and her practice. The childminder has identified that she needs to build links with the local school and has plans in place to develop this area of her practice.

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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 304805 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 818723 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 11

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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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