Childminder in Somerset

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/10/2014 19/03/2009

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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's communication and language skills develop very well because the childminder engages them in stimulating conversation and extends their thinking with open questions.  The childminder provides a safe and secure environment where children can explore freely.  The childminder has established strong partnerships with parents that contribute effectively to meeting children's needs.  The childminder provides interesting activities which support children to make good progress in all areas.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children have fewer opportunities to handle and find out about natural resources to support their learning of the world around 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 activities and the quality of interaction between the children and the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including written feedback from parents.  The inspector viewed the premises, toys and equipment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector engaged in discussion with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1987. She lives with her husband, teenage daughter and adult son in the town of Bruton, Somerset. The childminder uses the ground floor for play activities, which includes a lounge, dining room and kitchen. There is a rear garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She has four early years aged children on roll.

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

 extend children's opportunities to explore natural objects and resources to encourage their interest in the world around them

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

 consider ways to share information with other early years settings children attend where there is no direct contact.

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who attend

The childminder uses her good knowledge and skills to help children make good progress in their learning and development. She has good systems to establish children's individual starting points, which helps her to plan a broad range of activities based on their interests. The childminder interacts effectively with children; she has a caring and enthusiastic approach which helps the children to feel secure. She continually extends children's learning through her purposeful comments and questions which build on their prior learning.

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who attend

The childminder engages children in ongoing discussion about the activities and encourages them to make decisions about what they would like to do. For example, during the inspection, the childminder told the children a story. She cut out pictures of the characters in the story and stuck them onto wooden spoons. The children moved the characters around as the story unfolded and they engaged in conversation with the childminder about what the characters were like. This encourages children's speech and language as they engaged in a lively conversation.

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who attend

The children made some firework pictures with the childminder. They took it in turns to choose the colours they wanted to use and the childminder helped them to squeeze these into a salad spinner. They moved the handle of the spinner around and excitedly opened the lid to see the pattern the paint had made. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development. The childminder extended the children's learning further as she spoke about the festival of Diwali while they made the pictures. She also helped them to recall the lights they had made previously by decorating glass jars. Children are motivated and eager to learn. They demonstrate a confidence and ability to concentrate on activities. There is a good range of adult and child-directed activities which they thoroughly enjoy. Children are developing very good communication skills because the childminder encourages speech by talking to the children clearly and listening closely to what they say.

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who attend

Overall, children experience a wide range of activities which stem from their interests and support their individual needs. For example, they picked blackberries to make blackberry and apple crumble. They went on a train ride to see the boats on the canal and taste different types of food, such as Chinese food to celebrate Chinese New Year. However, children have fewer opportunities to experience and explore a wide range of natural resources to excite and encourage their interest in the natural world around them.

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

Children are happy and settled in the childminder's care. They form strong attachments to the childminder which promote their sense of belonging and well-being. The childminder supports children well, treats them with care and kindness and gives them her full attention. She has a flexible settling in procedure so children are secure and settle quickly. She works closely with parents to help ensure a smooth move for the children into her home. This supports children's emotional and physical well-being.

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

Children show good levels of independence as they choose freely from the toys and resources. The childminder supports children's independence as she encourages them to manage their personal care needs for themselves. She is a positive role model, who sets good examples to the children. As a result, children are kind to one another, polite and their behaviour is very good.

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

The childminder supports children to develop a good understanding of dangers and the importance of staying safe. She helps them to feel safe because they have appropriate boundaries and take part in discussions about dangers. She talks to them about road safety and practices the fire drill so that they know how to get out of the house quickly and safely in an emergency. Children develop a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. The childminder's home is clean and well maintained and the children follow thorough hygiene routines, such as robust hand washing and drying. The childminder helps the children gain an understanding of the importance of a healthy diet by offering choices, encouraging children to eat fruit and offering regular drinks. Children have regular exercise as they visit the local parks and enjoy active play in the garden. This successfully helps to develop their physical skills.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She ensures that children's safety is given the highest priority. She has carried out a full risk assessment of her home environment and garden, which includes daily visual checks to ensure the house is ready for the children's arrival. She also risk assesses any outings that she takes with the children. The childminder has a secure knowledge of the local safeguarding procedures and is confident to follow these if required.

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provision

The childminder has established positive partnerships with parents. The childminder spends a lot of time talking with parents to ensure information about children is shared and that she understands their individual needs. The childminder provides a daily contact book, which details the children's activities throughout the day and provides opportunities for parents to contribute their ideas. Parents state that they are extremely satisfied with the care and support the childminder provides. Parents comment that their child is above average in their language, which they attribute to them being in the childminder's care. The childminder has established links with some other providers. However, she finds this more difficult where she does not have any contact, for example, when the child is taken to pre-school or nursery by their parent.

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provision

The childminder provides good opportunities for children to make progress in their learning and development. They enjoy a wide range of learning experiences indoors, outdoors and in the local environment. The childminder makes regular observations of the children engaged in activities and her assessments provide a good range of evidence of children's achievements. These include lots of photographs and examples of children's work, which they thoroughly enjoy looking at. She also carries out the two-year progress check when relevant. The childminder regularly reflects on her practice, seeks the views of parents and asks the children for their ideas. Through this process, she has identified her strengths and appropriate areas for future improvement. As a result, she plans to develop more outdoor activities, to include planting a wider range of fruit and vegetables. This demonstrates that the childminder has a good capacity to maintain continuous

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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 142607 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 846585 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 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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