Childminder in Wakefield

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/10/2014 29/10/2013

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

p.1

This provision is good

 The childminder provides a welcoming and stimulating learning environment. Children make their own choices in play, and planned activities are based on their needs, likes and interests. As a result, children make good progress, they are busy and motivated learners, and they approach their learning with enthusiasm.  The childminder's key person arrangements are effective. As a result, children are happy and they have secure bonds and attachments with their key person and other adults involved in their care.  The childminder and her assistants understand their roles and responsibilities, including how to deal with child protection concerns. This means they safeguard children and keep them safe.  The childminder works in partnerships with external agencies and parents so that children receive the support they need to make the best progress they can, given their starting points.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder's monitoring of her assistants is not yet sharply focussed in order to identify how to enable children to reach the highest levels of achievement over a sustained period of time.  The childminder does not always support children to develop high levels of self-control and independence during some routines, such as hand washing.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities indoors.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistants and a representative from the local authority at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder. She looked at and discussed the childminder's self-evaluation and improvement plans.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessments records and she discussed planning for children's learning.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of qualifications of the childminder, and suitability of the childminder, assistants and other household members.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and through information provided in the childminder's self-evaluation.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children in a house in Ackworth, Pontefract. She works with assistants. The whole of the ground floor and garden are used for childminding. The family has two cats, two guinea pigs and a rabbit as pets. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops, park and other places of interest with children on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools, nursery and pre- schools. There are currently 25 children on roll, 18 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 supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

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

 extend the monitoring of the practice of the assistants to ensure the high quality of teaching already achieved is sustained in order to raise children's attainment to the highest level

p.3

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

 strengthen the use of everyday routines, such as hand washing, to promote children's independence.

p.3

who attend

Since the last inspection, the childminder and her assistants have worked closely with representatives from the local authority and children's centre. As a result, they have a secure understanding of how young children learn and develop and overall, the quality of teaching is good. Through reorganisation of the learning environment, children now experience a space that is welcoming, stimulating and provides resources and activities that cover all areas of learning. Children move freely around the home, making safe and independent choices in their play. The childminder and her assistants ensure they incorporate children's individual likes and interests into the planning of activities. As a result, children are busy, engaged, motivated and enthusiastic learners, who are eager to have a go and try new things. The childminder and her assistants regularly observe children and since the last inspection, they now frequently track and monitor their

p.3

who attend

progress. This includes tracking different groups of children, such as girls and boys so that they can identify gaps in learning for specific groups. They use the information from their observations and tracking to plan activities to support children's individual learning styles and next steps. Overall this means that they help children to make good progress in their learning and readiness for school. However, during some activities, not all assistants effectively explain or question children to support them in understanding, for example, how they can thread some string to create a spider's web. This is because staff expectations are sometimes too ambitious, especially for young children who are experiencing an activity for the first time.

p.3

who attend

The childminder and her assistants are actively involved in children's play. Through their positive interactions, they effectively promote children's communication and language skills. They introduce new words and phrases when engaging with the younger children to build up their vocabulary. In addition, they listen to the older children and they respond to their questions. As a result, children engage easily in conversations and they are eager to talk about what they enjoy doing. Children enjoy looking at books and they have good opportunities to draw and paint. Older children enjoy activities that help them to learn about sounds and letters. These activities effectively promote children's literacy skills. The childminder and her assistants support children to make good progress in their mathematical development. For example, when playing with the bricks and cars, they introduce counting and use words, such as faster and slower, so that children learn about

p.4

who attend

a wide range of mathematical concepts. Children enjoy exploring nature and the natural world. They talk about seasonal changes and take part in activities, such as exploring what animals live in the sea. These activities effectively promote children's development in understanding the world. Children are creative and imaginative learners. They engage in role-play activities, both indoors and outdoors. For example, they use the outdoor kitchen to create and design using soil, twigs, pebbles, leaves and other natural resources.

p.4

who attend

Relationships with parents are good. The childminder and her assistants are all key persons to a specific group of children and they work closely with the parents and children. The childminder and key persons maintain written records of children's observations and assessments, including a progress check for children aged between two and three years. They routinely share these with parents to ensure they keep them informed about their children's learning and development. During initial assessments, the childminder and key persons gather detailed information from parents about children's starting points, progress and skills at home. This promotes continuity when planning for children's learning. Furthermore, a 'wow' board provides good opportunities for parents to share ideas and children's achievements at home. Parents know what to expect from the service through their open discussions with the childminder and key persons. They also

p.4

who attend

receive good quality information through notice boards, a website and a welcome pack, which includes numerous written policies and procedures.

p.4

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

The childminder and her assistants have good relationships with the children because of the effective key-person arrangements. All children work closely with their key person and other adults involved in their care. This means they build up strong bonds and attachments with them and this means they feel safe and secure in their care. Settling-in visits are individual to meet children's needs to ensure they feel confident and familiar with their new surroundings. Information sharing with parents is effective in ensuring children receive continuity in their care. The childminder also uses a 'transition book' to share information about children's progress and learning experiences with schools or other settings that children attend. These effective arrangements and secure attachments promote children's emotional well-being. This positively influences children's personal, social and emotional development. Furthermore, it supports children in having the

p.4

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

confidence and self-assurance to embrace their future learning, such as starting school.

p.5

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

Overall, children have a good understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. The childminder provides a wide range of healthy snacks and meals. During mealtimes, children self-serve their meal, promoting their independence and enabling them to talk about the healthy choices they are making from an early age. The childminder adopts good hygiene routines to ensure she minimises the risk of cross- infection and illness. For example, through effective deployment, only adults with food hygiene prepare the meals and snacks. Children clean their hands at appropriate times and they understand that they need to do this because of germs. However, the childminder does not always use the hygiene routines to extend children's independence. Children have daily access to outdoors, which means they enjoy the health benefits of playing in the fresh air. Children also enjoy being active and engaging in physical activity.

p.5

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

They use climbing equipment, enjoy riding bicycless and using small apparatus and equipment, such as balls, hoops, scissors and posting shapes into containers. These activities effectively promote children's physical development.

p.5

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

The childminder's approach to managing children's behaviour is good. She provides consistent boundaries and offers clear explanations so that children understand what she expects of them. Through games, discussions and everyday activities children learn to share, take turns and to be kind to others. As a result, children behave well and they develop cooperative and positive relationships with others. The children have high self- esteem and confidence in their own abilities because the childminder and assistants make good use of praise to celebrate their achievements. Effective organisation of age appropriate resources and deployment of adults ensures children play safely. Children have a good understanding of how they can keep themselves safe. They adhere to good road safety procedures when on outings and adults remind them that throwing toys may hurt their friends.

p.5

provision

Since the last inspection by Ofsted, where the childminder received a number of actions to improve, she has sought advice from local authority and children's centre representatives, who have carried out a number of support visits. This has had a significant impact on the service and the childminder's understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, improved deployment of adults, changes to registration arrangements and better monitoring of children's attendance, ensures she maintains adult to child ratios at all times, which contributes to safeguarding children. The childminder and her assistants regularly complete safeguarding training. They have a good understanding of the signs of abuse and neglect, and the procedures for dealing with child protection concerns. This means they protect children from harm. The childminder provides a safe learning

p.5

provision

environment for children to play. She makes good use of risk assessments and daily safety checks to ensure she removes hazards so that children play safely. Her recruitment and vetting procedures ensures all adults working with children are suitable to do so. She ensures everyone completes an induction to ensure they fully understand their roles and responsibilities. This induction includes safeguarding, health and safety and the requirement for informing her of changes to their individual circumstances, such as convictions, cautions and disqualifications. This means she can effectively monitor her assistants' ongoing suitability for their role.

p.6

provision

The childminder fully understands the importance of monitoring and evaluating her service and practice. She now routinely makes good use of self-evaluation, training and support from her local authority and children's centre representatives to promote a programme of improvement. As a result, she has a clear vision and action plans to achieve her goals to further improve the service for children. Self-evaluation and improvement plans are inclusive because they include everyone involved in the service, such as children, parents, assistants and other professionals. This proactive approach to improvement means the childminder now has a secure understanding of her role. This includes monitoring of the educational programmes so that she plans experiences to support individual children's needs. Since the last inspection, changes to the assistants employed now means all adults working with children have the skills and experience needed, including being qualified to

p.6

provision

level 3 in early years. The childminder is making use of supervisions and she supports her assistants to access training to support their professional development. She is completing observations to monitor their practice, however, this approach is new, and the monitoring is not consistently sharply focused in order to identify how to enable children to reach the highest levels of achievement over a sustained period of time.

p.6

provision

Parents' comments about the service are positive. They say their children are happy, really settled and always excited and eager to attend. They say the childminder and other key persons keep children safe and that their children are always learning new things. The childminder understands the importance of working with other settings children attend, such as school or nursery. She uses a 'transition book' to share information with new settings children attend and the feedback from teachers is positive about this. They say it includes the right amount of information to help them to get to know the children. The childminder also includes any targets and goals children are working towards in school into her own planning, such as supporting children's literacy skills. This contributes to promoting continuity in children's learning. The childminder works well with other professionals and external agencies to support children who need additional support or

p.6

provision

help, for example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This effective partnership working means she tailors any plans to meet children's needs to help close any gaps in their learning, and therefore supports all children to make good progress, given their starting points.

p.6

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

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number EY453416 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 963511 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 25

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10