Michelle Christina Dodgson

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/10/2014 11/11/2009

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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

 The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities to ensure that she meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements.  Children have good attachments to the childminder and her assistant, who are caring and attentive to their needs. This enables children to confidently explore the environment as their emotional well-being is well supported.  The childminder and her assistant have a secure understanding of how to support children's learning and development. Children enjoy a broad range of activities, outings and play experiences that underpin their communication and language development. Consequently, children make good progress with their learning.  Children and their families are valued and included. The childminder and parents work together to support the care and learning needs of each child throughout their time with the childminder.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasions, the childminder is too directive in her teaching when she is delivering adult-led activities. As a result, children's natural curiosity and play is sometimes interrupted, which means they are not always given sufficient time to pursue their own learning or express their own ideas.  The childminder does not always talk to children and help them to learn about the benefits of healthy eating, when they take part in activities or their daily routine.

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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 held discussions with the childminder, her assistant and spoke to children throughout the inspection.  The inspector observed activities indoors, outside and at mealtimes.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, learning journal records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled relevant documentation, including policies, procedures and the childminder's self-evaluation records. She also checked evidence of the childminder's and assistant's qualifications and suitability.

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Information about the setting

The childminder has been registered since 2009 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and two children aged six and four years in Long Eaton, Nottingham. She works with a full- time assistant. The whole of the ground floor and first floor bathroom and back bedroom are used for childminding purposes. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder provides care from, Monday to Friday 7.15am and 6pm, all year round, except for the week between Christmas and New Year, bank and family holidays. The childminder is currently minding 12 children, of whom seven are in the early years age range. The childminder drives or walks to the local school and pre-school to take and collect children. She attends the local toddler groups and takes children to the library and parks. The childminder receives support from the local authority.

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

 build on the already good teaching methods, to ensure adult-led activities are not too directive and do not interrupt children's natural curiosity and enables them to complete activities to their satisfaction, before moving them onto other activities

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

 enhance the opportunities for children to learn about the benefits of healthy eating by, for example, using routine and planned activities to talk about healthy food options.

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who attend

Children are happy to learn at this friendly childminder's home. The childminder and her assistant have a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and understand that children learn best through play. The childminder forms starting points from the information she gathers from parents and her initial observations. This means she can plan activities that are of interest to the children from the start. Consequently, children settle quickly into her care. The childminder continues to teach and observe children while they play. She uses the information she gathers to identify their next steps in learning and to inform future planning. As a result, the childminder plans challenging activities that enthuse and inspire children to learn, and meet their individual learning needs. The childminder completes accurate and robust assessments. These enable her to successfully complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. It also

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who attend

enables her to identify any gaps in children's learning. As a result, she is able to identify when early intervention is needed, so that children receive the appropriate support to meet their learning needs. Consequently, they are making good progress towards the early learning goals, and are gaining a good range of skills to support their readiness for school when the time comes. Parents are actively encouraged to be involved in their children's learning from the start. Parents share their children's achievements at home with the childminder, meaning there is good two-way communication between both parties.

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who attend

Children are enthusiastic and have a positive attitude towards learning. They are active learners and engage in the opportunities available to them with excitement and enjoyment. They maintain focus and pay attention to the childminder's suggestions. The childminder provides a good balance of child-initiated and adult-directed activities. Most of the childminder's teaching is effective and she is sensitive towards the children's learning needs. However, on some occasions when she is delivering her adult-led activities, she is too directive as to how and what the children should be doing. As a result, sometimes children are not always given sufficient time to pursue their own learning or express their own ideas. For example, children make spiders after a spider hunt in the garden. They are excited and eager to start and make their creations. The childminder proceeds to tell them what to do and how to do it, resulting in all spiders looking the same. Consequently,

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who attend

children are unable to use their own imagination to create their creatures. In spite of this, there are lots of opportunities for the children to choose the toys they play with and access these easily. They become engaged and well motivated and clearly show they are enjoying their play. For instance, they play with small toys, such as, the doll's house and train track they use their imagination and express their ideas independently. The childminder fosters communication and language skills well, and extends children's learning through skilful and sensitive use of questions and purposeful conversations, which encourage children to think most of the time. In addition, she promotes the Every Child a Talker programme to reinforce language skills. Children are developing a great love of books and visit the library regularly to collect new ones. The assistant reads with children each morning to encourage their listening and attention skills. She uses props to enhance

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who attend

storytelling, to increase children's enjoyment and involvement in stories. This means their communication and language skills are always promoted to the optimum.

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who attend

Children are developing effective small muscle skills. They handle jigsaw pieces with increasing skill. They also develop their understanding of how to use tools, such as, crayons, construction toys and paint brushes. The childminder provides children with opportunities for them to draw. They make circular movements and straight lines, which helps them to develop their small muscle skills further. Children access the garden daily to help develop their movement skills. Here, they ride sit-and-ride toys, balance and climb as they use equipment and learn how to use a variety of small equipment, such as bats and balls. Furthermore, the childminder regularly takes the children to local parks, where they can enjoy an additional selection of resources. Children enjoy being outside, they excitingly jump in and out of puddles and explore and investigate the water and sand. To further children's exploratory skills the childminder takes them for walks in the woodland

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who attend

to collect different coloured leaves. Children use these activities to enhance their learning about the natural world and how things change. The childminder teaches mathematics effectively through everyday routine, such as counting and using language, such as, big, small, in, out and over and under. She plans activities to enable children to further understand about shape, space, and measurement. For example, they use boxes of different sizes to create models, and sort the toys into categories as they willingly tidy away. The childminder supports children to develop their expressive arts and design most of the time. They play musical instruments and enjoy painting as they create splat monsters. Children make good friendships and enjoy activities in small groups, as well as playing on their own. In this way, children are learning the skills to enable them to move on in the next stage of their learning and eventually school.

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

Children are well settled and content in this welcoming childminder's home. The childminder and her assistant are kind and gentle in their approach and children share warm and trusting relationships with them. They interact well towards children, giving them praise for their achievements. The childminder knows the children extremely well and has a secure knowledge of their needs, interests and mannerisms. Children's individual routines, preferences and dislikes are recorded on their All about me forms during their initial visits to the home. The childminder has in place a gradual settling-in process, which eases children and supports them well in the move from home to the childminder's home. Children develop a secure sense of belonging through the strong bonds and attachments they form with the childminder and her assistant. As a result, children feel safe, secure and their emotional well-being is well catered for. This is further

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

supported when they move onto their next stage of learning. The childminder reads stories about going to school and takes children to visit their new pre-school or school. As a result, children are emotionally well supported in their move. Children demonstrate that they are confident, as they move around the rooms at ease and talk to the inspector. Children's behaviour is good and they play together harmoniously. The childminder consistently offers words of praise for their achievements. They demonstrate good manners as they say 'please' and 'thank you' without prompting. As a result, children have a willingness to participate, learn and develop good habits for the future. They learn about taking turns and share while playing. They understand the rules of expected behaviour, such as tidying toys away when they have finished playing with them and are encouraged to follow boundaries set by the childminder. Therefore, they are devolving good personal

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

Children develop independence and self-help skills well. The childminder continuously encourages children to do things for themselves. From a young age, they develop good independence in eating, dressing and personal hygiene. For example, children put on and take off their shoes and coats, ask for help when they need it and independently wash their hands ready to have their snack. Furthermore, they are free to play and explore within the indoor and outdoor environment, which supports their development of confidence and independence. The childminder keeps her home clean and tidy. She creates a stimulating environment where children choose what they want to play with and have resources that interest them. A broad range of toys are available that cover all areas of learning. The childminder displays children's work and photographs of activities they have part taken in, which helps to provide them with a good sense of belonging. The

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

childminder sets good examples to children and encourages them to be helpful, kind and polite. They are respectful of people's differences, as they explore their own cultural festivals and those of others through planned activities. For example, children participate in celebratory events, such as, Diwali, which helps them to explore people and communities. They engage in regular social activities, which help them to develop an effective awareness of different people in the local community. The childminder organises daily trips to the local community in which they visit other childminders, walk to explore the environment and meet up with friends to play and socialise. This develops children's social skills by allowing them to engage with other children.

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

Children follow effective hygiene routines. For example, they use liquid soap and individual towels for drying hands. The childminder shows children how to wash their hands effectively. Older children understand when and why they need to wash their hands. Snack and mealtimes are social occasions, when the childminder and her assistant sits with children and promote their social skills through conversation. The childminder plans activities, such as, making their own sandwiches to help children learn about healthy choices. However, they do not always discuss the benefits of eating the healthy foods, which are served daily. She helps children learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies through daily outside play. The well-resourced play space provides opportunities for children to run around in the fresh air. There is a good balance between vigorous play and restful activities when children sleep or choose quiet play according to their

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

preferences. Children demonstrate good understanding of keeping themselves safe. For example, they use knives appropriately to spread the butter onto their bread and learn to sit on chairs correctly. They also part take in regular fire drills. This helps children learn to keep themselves safe in an emergency.

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provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder ensures she keeps up to date with changes in child protection procedures by attending training. She also ensures that her assistant and any other members of the house hold Disclosure and Barring Service checks to ensure they are suitable to be with children. She also ensures her assistant attends suitable safeguarding training, so that children are protected at all times. Both the childminder and her assistant have a current paediatric first-aid certificate and know what to do if a child has an accident or injury. The childminder has an effective medication procedure, which she implements well and ensures all parents provide permission for medication to be delivered when necessary. This was an action from her previous inspection. She and her assistant supervise children closely and carry out daily

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provision

checks to minimise any risks. The childminder completes a comprehensive risk assessment and has a good understanding of safety procedures. This ensures that the premises are safe and hygienic for children to play happily. The childminder maintains children's records accurately. She is focused on monitoring their progress and development and the educational programmes thoroughly. She has a strong understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She uses a computerised programme to help her document and show children's achievements over time. In addition, she tracks children's achievements rigorously and analyses them to see if there are any gaps in children's learning. This means that she is able to swiftly address children's learning needs so that they continue to make good progress. The childminder reflects critically on her practice, and that of her assistant, in order to

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provision

pursue high standards in all areas. Children benefit greatly from the childminder's commitment to her own professional development because she continually updates and improves her provision. The childminder uses highly reflective practice when reviewing all aspects of her service. She has a good improvement programme. For example, she has begun to consider the outside environment to include all seven areas of learning, to help children's all round development. The childminder seeks support and advice from other early years professionals and identifies areas to develop. She also uses the views of her assistant and parents to help her measure the quality of the service she offers. These systems help her to address weaker aspects identified through her self-evaluation and support her in making continuous improvements to her practice, thus improving outcomes for children. For example, she has adjusted the way she plans to better incorporate

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provision

children's interests and learning priorities in her planning. The childminder carries out effective inductions, supervisions and appraisals with her assistant to ensure her practice is of a high standard. These have evolved in the assistant enrolling onto an early years qualification course.

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provision

The childminder works hard to develop her working relationship with parents, and with other professionals. Written comments from parents suggest they are very happy with the care and education offered to their children and they note the progress they have seen since their children have been with the childminder. Parents receive copies of the policies and procedures and the childminder uses her computerised system, emails, formal assessments and discussions to keep the two-way flow of dialogue flowing. Parents say that their children 'enjoy their time' with the childminder and that the activities provided are 'fantastic'. There is good communication with other early years establishments that children attend to provide continuity in children's care, learning and development. For example, she links closely with the local pre-school and school as appropriate, to support specific aspects of individual children's development in order to promote continuity

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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 EY391787 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 873979 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 12

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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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