Childminder in Sheffield

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/10/2014 31/01/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children build secure relationships with the childminder, which helps them to feel emotionally secure. Frequent praise and encouragement successfully promotes their confidence and self-esteem.  The childminder effectively teaches young children to communicate, as she models new words, clearly linking them to activities and what children are doing.  The childminder makes good use of the outdoors to provide interesting and stimulating activities that build on their interests and extend their knowledge of the outdoor environment.  Children play safely and happily in a welcoming and secure environment. The childminder has an effective knowledge of how to safeguard children's welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not fully encourage parents to contribute what they know about their child's ongoing abilities and interests, or offer ideas about activities parents can use to help support their child's learning at home.  At times, the childminder does not give children sufficient time to complete a task, which lessens the effectiveness of some learning experiences for them.

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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 children's activities in the lounge and dining room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the feedback from parents in written reference letters and testimonials.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the children's learning journey records, planning documentation and some written policy documents and evidence of the childminder's qualifications.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and two teenage children in Woodseats, Sheffield. The whole of the ground floor, the bathroom and two bedrooms on the first floor, and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a dog as a pet. The childminder attends toddler groups and a childminding support group. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. There are currently 10 children on roll, six 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 collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. She is a member of an approved childminding network.

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

 strengthen the partnerships with parents by promoting the sharing of regular two- way observations of learning and ideas about activities, and use this shared knowledge and understanding to plan together, so that children make the very best progress

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

 build on existing opportunities to consolidate children's learning during play by allowing them sufficient time to complete a task to help them learn and develop even more effectively, for example, allowing them to consistently complete or return to a task.

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who attend

Children are cared for in a welcoming home where resources are organised well to meet their needs. The childminder has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This enables her to plan activities that match closely to children's stages of development and their individual interests. These include visits to parks, toddler groups and activity sessions, as well as experiences in the setting, which help to support the good progress children make in their learning and development. This wide range of activities offered supports children's development well as they prepare to move on to the next steps in their learning, such as, school. Observation and assessment systems are in place to monitor children's progress across the seven areas of learning, and to identify what they need to learn next. The children all have an individual learning journey record, which contains observations made by the childminder.

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who attend

In addition, they all have a photographic scrapbook of activities and outings. The childminder discusses children's progress, activities and achievements with parents verbally on a daily basis, and through the written observations contained in their child's learning journey record. She obtains good initial information from parents about their child's starting points and about what they like to do. This helps her to plan activities, which capture children's interest from the start. However, the childminder does not always encourage parents to continue to share what they know about their child's emerging interests and achievements at home. She does not consistently suggest activities the parents could do with their child to link in with their next steps in learning, to ensure that children's learning continues to be consolidated and extended.

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who attend

Children happily make choices about their play. The childminder effectively supports them, sitting with them as they play with floor toys, such as, the dolls house, interlocking blocks and the farm. As a result, children enjoy the positive interaction and individual attention, which helps to promote their personal, social and emotional development. Children develop their physical skills through a range of equipment, such as, slides and rockers. The childminder makes very good use of the outdoors to provide rich, varied and imaginative activities for children of all ages. This helps to broaden their learning experiences and widens their awareness of the world around them. The childminder uses natural materials to enhance their play. For example, she hides conkers in leaves for young children to find. The childminder promotes mathematical knowledge as they count the conkers together. This activity is further extended as the childminder patiently

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who attend

demonstrates how to thread the conkers to make a necklace. The childminder gradually withdraws her support as the child begins to learn the new skill. However, on occasions children are not always given sufficient time to complete an activity to consolidate learning. Children are encouraged to access resources and to engage in child-initiated and adult-led activities. They engage in developmentally appropriate experiences, deciding where to play and what with. There is a strong emphasis on child-initiated play and this is highly supported through positive interaction from the childminder.

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who attend

The childminder's teaching promotes children's language and communication skills effectively by using commentary, explanation and the use of open-ended questions to promote thinking. For example, when the child sees a ladybird and points it out to the childminder, she responds by extending their knowledge and vocabulary by naming the ladybird and talking about its spots and where it lives. This all helps to develop children's understanding of language and new concepts. The childminder reads to children and they enjoy cosy story times together. These are effectively enhanced by the use of glove puppets. Children respond to her questions and identify animals and characters on the page. For children aged between two and three years, the childminder completes a progress check and shares the results with parents. This enables any intervention to be put into place early for those children who are found to be below expected levels of

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who attend

development at this point. The childminder cares for a number of children who attend local schools. She has developed a good relationship with the staff and passes on messages to parents. She has copies of relevant newsletters and pertinent information to ensure that they work together to meet the children's individual needs.

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

The childminder makes the children's transition into her care smooth because she takes great interest in their personal likes and dislikes. Consequently, children are happy and content because of the effective settling-in arrangements, which ensures their individual needs are met. For example, information is obtained from parents about children's routines, interests and comforting techniques to enable the childminder to offer a consistent approach, which supports their well-being. The use of a daily diary with younger children ensures information is exchanged and their needs continue to be met. The childminder provides a calm environment and displays genuine concern and affection for them. Good, warm and caring relationships between the childminder and children are evident. Children are valued and the childminder helps them to feel good about themselves by frequently providing positive support, praise and encouragement.

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

The childminder is a good role model, who puts children's needs and interests first, and is approachable and friendly. Children's behaviour is good and their actions show they are aware of the setting's rules and behaviour boundaries. For example, children know to take their shoes off when they come indoors, and know that they are expected to sit at the table for snacks. The childminder promotes positive behaviour through her calm and consistent approach. She regularly praises children for their good efforts and achievements, which effectively boosts their confidence and self-esteem. The childminder is committed to keeping children safe. The home is safe and secure and toys and resources are checked and cleaned regularly to ensure they do not pose a risk to children's health or safety. Fire drills are practised regularly and the records kept of these, enable the childminder to ensure all children are given the opportunity to take part. Good

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

hygiene procedures mean that they learn from an early age, the importance of hand washing before eating. The childminder operates a healthy-eating policy and provides nutritious home-cooked lunches, a choice of fresh fruit and other healthy snacks. Therefore children are well nourished and are learning how to make healthy choices. Children have water freely available throughout the day, which ensures they have plenty to drink and do not become thirsty. Children's independence skills are supported at meal and snack times as they choose the fruit for their snack, and cut up the banana with minimal support from the childminder.

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

Children learn about the wider world through discussion and activities and resources, such as books and small figures. They spend time in the local community and celebrate various cultural festivals, which help children to gain awareness of diversity. Children's individual needs are respected and all children have equal opportunities to use the resources and activities provided. Children engage in a wide range of physical activities, including visiting the playgrounds in the local park to further develop their physical skills. The childminder allows children to develop their physical skills and take risks as she provides support and encouragement. For example, young children learn to climb the steps of the slide, while older children learn how to make a campfire on National Trust Adventure sessions. Children go on regular outings into the countryside and visit country houses and gardens. They benefit from fresh air and exercise. Children's knowledge of the wider world is

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

significantly enhanced through the wide-ranging outdoor activities they enjoy.

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provision

Children's welfare is consistently promoted because the childminder has undertaken safeguarding training and is knowledgeable in safeguarding. She has written policies and procedures in place. The childminder fully understands her responsibilities in regards to child protection. For example, through attending training she is confident in her ability to recognise the possible indicators of abuse or neglect, and knows the correct procedure to follow for referring any concerns. The childminder and her family have been checked to ensure they are suitable to be with children. The childminder holds a current paediatric first-aid certificate. The childminder has a good awareness of how to promote children's safety and carries out both visual and written risk assessments to ensure children can play and explore confidently in a safe and suitable environment. For example, fire blankets are in the kitchen and a stair gate is on the stairs. The childminder carries out daily checks of

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provision

the garden and home to ensure that children are cared for in a safe environment. A good range of policies, procedures and records to underpin the children's care are in place. These written policies are shared with parents at settling-in visits and they receive a copy of them in the childminder's handbook so they understand how the setting operates.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a well-organised approach to her role. She has addressed all the recommendations raised at the last inspection to promote good learning outcomes for all children. For example, she has reviewed the system for observation and assessment, in order to plan effectively for children's learning and development. As a result, she has introduced written observations of children's learning and development. These clearly identify children's next steps in learning, which are incorporated into the planning. The childminder also demonstrates commitment to continually improving her provision and ensuring that it meets the needs of the children and their families. She clearly identifies her strengths and areas to improve. She demonstrates a clear awareness about this process being ongoing, and the need to ensure that her knowledge of childcare is kept up to date. For example, she has recently introduced 'unique child' information

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provision

sheets, which provide her with more details about individual children's interests and abilities when they first start. These complement the All about me sheets and give her a good, all-round picture of the individual children.

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provision

Information for parents is readily available on the parent notice board. A termly newsletter helps to ensure parents are well-informed about up and coming events. Notice boards contain photographs of children engaged in activities and an 'Our childminding family' board contains pictures of the individual children and the days they attend. This helps the other children know who is coming to play on a particular day. This gives the children a sense of belonging. Positive feedback from parents demonstrate their high regard for the childminder and the service she offers, with comments, such as, 'You are absolutely brilliant', 'My children have loved coming here' and 'With our first child we shopped around to find the best childcare, this time we didn't have to, you are so good, it was an easy decision to make'. Children and their families clearly benefit from the friendly relationships that exist between the childminder and parents. The childminder has developed good links

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provision

with the local schools, which enables the childminder to meet children's individual needs and maximise 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 EY251848 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 860342 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 10

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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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