Childminder in Cheshire East

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/10/2014 15/12/2009

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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 formed warm, positive relationships with children in her care. Consequently, all children are settled, happy to play and learn.  Partnerships with parents are well established. The childminder fully recognises the importance of these relationships and keeps parents well informed about their children's experiences of the day and their progress.  The childminder has good teaching skills and a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, children enjoy learning and make good progress.  The childminder has a clear understanding of safeguarding issues and is confident about how to manage any concerns. Consequently, children are kept safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always provide daily, materials and media for children to explore their creativity.

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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 play room and the kitchen.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.  The inspector held meetings with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and observation documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and the qualifications of the childminder working with children and everyone in the home.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1993 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives in the house with her husband in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a tortoise and two guinea pigs as pets. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 22 children on roll, of whom, five are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round, from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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

 enhance learning experiences for children, for example, by providing more materials and media to develop their creativity.

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who attend

Children are happy, settled and eager to learn through play. The childminder provides the children with a wide range of resources to cover the seven areas of learning, to stimulate interest and promote children's learning. Children readily engage in activities of their choice, demonstrating their confidence, motivation and interest to play and learn. However, the childminder does not always provide daily, materials and media for children to explore their creativity. Therefore, learning experiences for children to express themselves are potentially missed.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good. The childminder establishes children's starting points and interests by liaising with parents, schools and completing a baseline assessment. She has a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and uses this knowledge to observe, assess and plan to support children to make good progress in their learning. Progress checks for children aged between two and three years are completed successfully. The childminder plans activities based on children's interest to promote learning. For example, children show an interest in farms. The childminder provides children with a choice of farm toys and animals to support their imaginative play and language development. The childminder uses different teaching strategies to help children learn. She sensitively supports children to complete a task. She directs, role models and uses skilful questioning techniques appropriately to support children to think and make

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who attend

connections in their learning. For example, while supporting children to complete a jigsaw, she role models how to fix two pieces together. She directs children on how to complete the next piece, and asks questions to help children match further pieces until they have the confidence to continue independently. As a result, children learn new skills with confidence enthusiasm and pride. They learn to persist with tasks that are challenging and make good progress in their learning.

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who attend

The childminder works well with parents by sharing information regarding children development, interests and needs. This enables her to focus on areas of development where a child may need additional support. For example, the childminder plans activities suggested by professionals for children to support their language development. Following this intervention, children meet expected progress in their language development. The childminder offers lots of praise as children try things out for themselves, she encourages them to persist with their learning and take pride in their achievements. Therefore, children show good levels of self-esteem and acquire the necessary skills for the next steps in their learning.

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

The childminder forms positive relationships with children and their parents. Parents comment on how happy, secure and settled their children are at the setting. This is attributable to the good settling-in process for children and parents. As part of the settling-in period, the childminder gains knowledge about children's interest and their physical and emotional needs. As a result, children separate from their parents with ease and confidently start to play. The childminder meets children's emotional needs by offering lots of cuddles and reassurance to make them feel secure until they feel ready to play and explore. For example, when a baby who recently joined the setting is upset; the childminder cuddles her until she stops crying. She ensures that she stays physically close until the baby is feeling more confident to play with a toy, responding to the baby's needs.

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

Children are well behaved and well mannered. This is because the childminder is a good role model who displays good manners. She sets clear boundaries for behaviour and offers explanations of why there are rules. Children learn to recognise the difference in each other's abilities and how to be respectful. For example, the childminder reminds an older child to be careful as he moves around a baby.

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

Children are supported well to be healthy. The childminder walks with the children daily to and from school and to the local park providing them with lots of opportunity for physical exercise and fresh air. Additionally, children have access to the garden. Children learn about healthy and unhealthy foods as the childminder discusses the differences as they eat. She guides children to making the right choice of eating the healthy foods first in their lunch box. Consequently, children learn to make good choices regarding healthy food. Good hygiene is promoted as children are encouraged to wash their hands before eating to kill germs. Children are supported to be independent, to manage their personal hygiene and develop self-help skills. The indoor environment is well equipped with very high standards of cleanliness and the childminder implements good hygiene practice to minimise the risk of infection.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has recently updated her safeguarding knowledge by attending a training course and has a good knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard children. The childminder is confident in how to respond if she has any concerns. The childminder has an e-safety practice in place restricting children's access to the internet and television programmes. She has a procedure in place on how to use mobile phones and cameras in the setting. All members of the household are suitably vetted. The childminder undertakes risk assessments of play areas, equipment and outings. For example, children are restricted from playing on some equipment at the play park as the childminder is aware of recent accidents. Accidents are recorded effectively and shared with parents, with regards to confidentially. As a result,

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provision

children are kept safe and free from harm.

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provision

The childminder tracks children's progress to ensure they make good progress in their learning. Where she has any concern she sensitively raises this with parents and together they formulate a plan for intervention to address any gaps in children's development. The childminder undertakes some self-evaluation of her practice and she seeks the views of parents and children. The childminder has an understanding of her strengths and weaknesses and she recognises the need to further evaluate the learning environment to identify area of improvements.

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provision

Parent partnerships are well established and the childminder works closely with parents to ensure their wishes are respected and home routines followed. She provides them with information regarding her setting policies and procedures. The childminder takes time daily to provide parents with the events of their children's day and any particular achievement or interests of their child. Parents are made to feel very welcome to stay and share information regarding their children before and after their session each day. The childminder has built relationships with the local schools to provide continuity of support for children and parents. Consequently, positive relationships are formed to promote good outcomes for children.

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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 304349 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 871745 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 22

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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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