Childminder in Nottinghamshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/10/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements and she demonstrates a secure understanding of how to safeguard children in her care. As a result, children learn about their personal safety and are well protected.  Teaching is good because the childminder effectively observes and assesses children's stages in their development. She uses the information to plan a good range of activities and, as a result, children make good progress given their starting points.  Children are developing strong bonds and attachments with the childminder and their peers. They make independent choices from a range of resources and they are cared for in a warm and friendly environment. Consequently, children are happy and settled.  The childminder is very well organised and is reflective about her practice. The childminder demonstrates a strong desire to learn and continually update her knowledge and skills in all areas relating to the care and learning of children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Information sharing regarding children's progress and experiences is not fully effective with some settings that children attend. Therefore, their continuity of learning is not maximised.  There is scope to further develop the good partnership with parents to ensure that information is shared to enable parents to support their children's learning more effectively at home.

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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 areas used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, the childminder's self-evaluation form and a selection of policies and children's personal records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability of the childminder and members of the household and the childminder's qualifications.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2007 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her family in a house in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire. The whole of the ground floor, one bedroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has three cats as pets. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She takes and collects children to and from the local schools. There are currently three children on roll, of whom two are in the early years age range and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates Monday to Friday all year round from 7am to 6pm, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder holds a recognised early years qualification at level 4. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 strengthen partnership working by ensuring there are robust communication links with all the early years settings that children attend, in order to further support children's good learning and development

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

 improve the sharing of information with parents, so that they are provided with support as to how they can complement at home, the children's learning that takes place with the childminder.

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who attend

The childminder has a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children enjoy the time they spend with the childminder. She offers a warm and welcoming environment in which children can learn and play. This helps them to feel valued, safe and happy and empowers children to make their own decisions. This results in children being enthusiastic learners, concentrating for age-appropriate periods of time at their chosen activities. The indoor and outdoor environments are stimulating and enable children to follow their own interests. This allows children good opportunities to cover all areas of development in an inspiring environment. This means that children continually play and explore for themselves. The childminder demonstrates high expectations of children and plans an educational programme that has depth and breadth across the seven areas of learning.

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who attend

She provides a well-organised, child accessible, stimulating and inviting indoor learning environment. This helps children to acquire the skills and dispositions required for the next stage in their learning and means that they are well prepared for starting school.

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who attend

Teaching is effective and children make good progress given their starting points. Children begin to explore and extend their vocabulary because the childminder talks with them consistently about what they are doing and encourages them to respond. Younger children demonstrate friendly behaviour, and form good relationships with familiar and unfamiliar adults. For example, they interact very well with the childminder and with the inspector. Younger children experiment with the play dough and use their rolling pin as a candle. The childminder sings the happy birthday song and encourages the children to blow out the candle. She also points out the marks the rolling pin has made on the dough. When younger children show an interest in jigsaw puzzles the childminder sensitively sits down with the children and supports them. She offers lots of encouragement as they complete the puzzles themselves, ensuring they gain a sense of achievement. When

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who attend

children wash their hands after coming in from playing outdoors, they have a wonderful time as they play with, and explore the bubbles that they make with the soap. The childminder allows the children time to play and learn at this spontaneous activity. The children have lots of fun and get very excited and happy sounds are made. Young children are encouraged to count as they place the animals into the tractor and trailer. They are rewarded when they place them in the correct space as the noise of the animal is made.

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who attend

The childminder gathers a range of information from parents about their child's interests and abilities before they begin to attend. Alongside the childminder's own initial observations, this shared approach helps to identify children's starting points. The childminder observes children during activities and make sound assessments of their abilities. The childminder monitors children's development and progress. Parents can access their own child's records. Children benefit from a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities and the routine is very flexible to enable them to pursue their own interests. The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibility to carry out the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Children are very aware of the routines that the childminder has in place and their independence is promoted very well.

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

The childminder has strong and positive attachments with children. She fosters these well because she has good arrangements in place for helping children to settle. For example, when children first start, she gradually builds up the length of time they are in her care. The childminder gathers detailed information about children's health, development and care needs prior to them attending. Therefore, the transition from home into the setting is managed well and children settle quickly. In addition, children accompany older children to school, which helps to familiarise them with other settings. This means that they are well prepared for the next stage in their learning, such as starting primary school. The childminder praises children's efforts and achievements regularly, which helps boost their self-esteem and confidence. She offers gentle encouragement and clear explanations on how to be careful when playing with the bubbles in the sink. The childminder ensures she

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

spends time with all children so that they feel special and valued, which results in children having a positive self-image. She also displays their artwork, which gives children a sense of belonging. Children demonstrate that they feel secure and form good emotional attachments with the childminder.

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

The childminder has a positive attitude to equal opportunities and welcomes all children and families into the home. Children have opportunities to learn about other cultures and beliefs as the childminder provides a range of resources to reflect today's diverse society. The childminder plans activities and experiences for children to learn about different cultures and their celebrations or special festivals. This helps to enhance children's learning in order for them to value and respect others and to challenge inappropriate attitudes and practices. Children have opportunities to explore the community around them, as they go out and about to different local places. They benefit from visits to different groups, which enable them to develop confidence in new experiences and to help them socialise. Children learn about keeping safe as they take part in regular fire evacuation drills. Within the indoor and outdoor environments, children have access to a

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

wide range of stimulating resources, which are age and stage appropriate; and support their independence as they make choices about their play.

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

The childminder promotes children's health well. She works with parents to meet all dietary needs and ensure that all children are nourished. Currently, some parents provide the main meals for their own children. Others are happy for the childminder to provide for all meals. The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of the foods that children need to ensure a well-balanced diet. She provides healthy meals, snacks and drinks for the children. Through daily routines, such as hand washing, the children are developing their self-care skills as well as learning about the importance of good hygiene practices. The childminder ensures that she is fully aware of their preferences and usual routines and incorporates these into her daily care. For example, individual sleep routines are followed. Children have opportunities to play outside in the fresh air every day in the garden or visit the local parks for more physical challenge and exercise.

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provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of her responsibilities to fulfil the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has a good knowledge of child protection issues and has accessed appropriate training. This ensures that she is aware of potential signs of abuse and neglect and has a secure understanding of her responsibility regarding protecting children from harm. For example, she knows what she must do if she has any concerns and which agencies she must inform. Risk assessments are conducted thoroughly so children play in a safe and secure environment. The childminder has effective emergency procedures in place. This offers parents reassurance that their children's safety and welfare. The childminder successfully evaluates her provision to ensure she meets all the legal requirements. She is fully aware of when to inform Ofsted of any changes to her provision or herself that would have an impact on the care of the

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provision

The childminder organises her documentation well. She demonstrates a positive approach to improving her professional development in order to enhance the learning, development and care of the children in the setting. The childminder regularly attends training events to expand and enhance her knowledge and experience. Self-evaluation is good and supports continuous improvement for the benefit of the children who attend. For example, through discussions with the parents and children, the childminder is positively striving towards involving others in her self-evaluation process. She has a positive and strong commitment towards monitoring and evaluating her service. The childminder regularly reviews and monitors children's progress records and planning documents to ensure they offer a broad range of activities across all areas of learning.

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provision

The childminder's relationship with parents is good. Parents are provided with a wealth of information about the childminder and her provision. They are given an information pack to read when they start. On a daily basis the childminder maintains a suitable, two-way flow of information with parents and carers with regard to the care of the children. Parents can access their own child's records at any time. However, opportunities are missed for children to consolidate their learning at home as information is not being shared effectively between the childminder and parents about how they can extend their child's learning at home. The childminder is clearly aware of the benefits of working with others to support children's continuity of care and learning. However, the partnership with some of the other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage are not so well- established, which means that not all providers are working together to meet the care,

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provision

well-being and learning development of the 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 EY344502 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 961064 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 3

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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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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