Childminder in Birmingham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 31/10/2014 08/05/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Teaching is good and the childminder uses her skills in observation and assessment to plan a wide range of activities and experiences that benefit children. This ensures that they make good progress in all aspects of their learning and development.  Children are happy and show that they feel safe and secure with the childminder through their play and interactions. They are confident in their surroundings and form strong bonds and secure emotional attachments with the childminder.  Children benefit from the effective partnerships that exist between the childminder and their parents. This ensures that children's individual needs are closely monitored and there is continuity in their care and learning.  The childminder gives children's safety good priority. She has a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, which means that children are kept safe while in her care.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not gather enough information about what children already know and can do when they first attend, to further support their learning and development.  The childminder has not fully explored the ways in which she can help children to learn about diversity and the wider society by strengthening her own knowledge and understanding of other communities and traditions.

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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 compulsory part 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 had a tour of the premises during the inspection.  The inspector held discussions with the childminder.  The inspector observed a range of indoor learning activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the childminder's self-evaluation form and discussed her plans for improvement.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including evidence of the suitability of adults living on the premises, children's development records, risk assessments and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the parents' and carers' views provided in writing for the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2010 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband in the Northfield area of Birmingham. The whole of the ground floor, except for the office, is used for childminding. First floor rooms are not used, except to gain access to the bathroom. There is an enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The childminder is able to collect children from local schools and nurseries. There are currently three children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. Children attend on various days. The childminder operates all year round, except for bank holidays and family holidays, from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The childminder supports children, who speak English as an additional language. 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 knowledge and understanding of other communities and traditions to further enhance children's understanding of a wider society

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

 develop further the range of information obtained from parents at the admission stage to include children's starting points in their learning, to further support their learning and development.

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who attend

Children are happy and settled in this caring and nurturing environment where they make good progress in their learning and development. They are supported successfully by the childminder to explore their environment and make choices about their play and learning. The childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements and provides a wide range of activities and experiences for children to help them enjoy and achieve. The childminder fully understands how to engage children in their learning by capturing their interests, having fun and playing at their own pace. Planning, observation and assessment works well and the childminder uses the information gained from her observations successfully to plan for children's individual learning needs. This ensures that all children move forward in their learning at a good pace. The childminder is knowledgeable about how to complete the progress check

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who attend

for children between the ages of two and three years, the areas to cover and how to involve parents in this process.

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who attend

The quality of teaching and interaction with the children is good. The childminder skilfully uses every opportunity as children play to nurture, guide and role-model play and learning. She recognises that children benefit as they learn through play and by being able to initiate activities themselves. A wide range of resources are easily accessible and she makes sure that activities are challenging, motivating and enjoyable. The childminder plays at their level and places a good priority on supporting their communication and language development. All children enjoy listening to stories and like to sing their favourite nursery rhymes, such as 'Twinkle star' and they confidently use a variety of musical instruments. Older children are introduced to the letters and sounds that make up their name to help promote their literacy skills. Younger children spend time with the childminder looking at first word books, which help to increase their confidence and

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who attend

speaking skills. During activities, the childminder asks children questions to prompt a response and role models language to extend their understanding and conversations. Children respond well to the childminder's playful and thoughtful interactions. Children's mathematical skills are fostered effectively through a range of activities. With the younger children, she talks about numbers and counts their fingers, which they enjoy and introduces colour names as they play with the bricks. Children's thinking skills are promoted through open-ended questions, such as 'What do you think will happen?' and 'Can you find?' Younger children are encouraged to complete simple puzzles, which help them to learn about shape and space. Children are able to explore their creativity and develop their fine motor skills. They enjoy painting, manipulating dough, cutting and sticking activities and access crayons and chalks to practise making marks. The

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who attend

childminder helps children to use their imagination through role play and younger children like to dress up and use a range of bags and hats. Children's physical development is progressing well and they have good opportunities to spend time outdoors in the fresh air and play in the garden using a range of equipment, such as bicycles, sit-on toys and balls. Children's understanding of the world is progressing well as they begin to explore and observe features of the local environment. They visit the shops to buy ingredients to bake a cake and visit a local reservoir to observe birds, plants and watch the sailing boats. They meet with other childminders and their children at the park for a picnic. Children are involved in planting and growing activities and discussions about the weather. A wide range of electronic toys are easily accessible. This introduces children to technology as they find out how equipment works as they press buttons and turn knobs. However, there

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who attend

is room for the childminder to strengthen her own knowledge of other communities and traditions, to help children to gain an understanding about diversity and the wider society.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are well promoted. The childminder takes every opportunity to talk to parents about their child's progress and look at their development records. From the outset, the childminder finds out about children's interests using an 'All about me' profile. She encourages parents to be actively involved in sharing their observations from home and this works successfully to aid children's continuity in learning. However, she does not gain enough information about children's starting points in their learning from the outset to help plan activities and extend their learning further. The childminder recognises the importance of supporting children's continuity in care and learning by working with other early years providers and local schools. This also means that children have a smooth move between settings. Overall, children are learning the key skills and attitudes to help them when they move to their next phase of learning, such as nursery or

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

Children are warmly welcomed into this nurturing and caring home. They settle well in the childminder's care and show through their play and interactions that they feel secure and very comfortable in her care. Children develop confidence in their surroundings and follow familiar routines to help them to develop a sense of belonging. The childminder is very attentive to children's individual needs and gives them plenty of time and space to play at their own pace. She works closely with parents and provides a flexible service, placing a good focus on settling-in procedures to support a smooth transition. The childminder knows the children well and she tunes in sensitively to their needs. For example, she is fully aware of the signs that indicate a child is getting tired or needs to be reassured with a cuddle. This helps to promote their emotional well-being. She recognises the importance of developing partnerships with other providers, such as local schools and nurseries to

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

ensure children fully benefit at a time of change through consistency in their care and learning experiences.

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

Good behaviour is promoted through plenty of positive praise and a calm approach. The childminder is a good role model and provides clear and consistent boundaries. She takes time to provide a clear explanation about the difference between right and wrong and gives children time to consider what they have done. Children learn about the rules for being together, using good manners and taking turns. This helps children to develop positive relationships with others. Children learn about keeping themselves safe through their play and during outings. Gentle reminders help children become aware of hazards, such as running in the house and they help tidy up toys to avoid tripping over them. Children become involved in practising the emergency evacuation procedures and learn about road safety on outings. The childminder uses wrist straps and pushchairs for younger children to keep them safe and secure on outings.

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

Children's welfare and well-being are fostered effectively as the childminder plans a safe, well-maintained environment in which they play and learn. The childminder provides quiet times during the day to ensure children have time to rest or sleep according to their needs. Children's dietary needs are met and a healthy lifestyle is encouraged. Parents provide snacks and meals to meet their child's needs. The childminder provides breakfast, fresh fruit and drinks to ensure children's needs are met. Children keep active through good opportunities to play in the garden where they can run around freely. Children play in a well-resourced environment with equipment that is easily accessible and maintained in a good and clean condition. The risk of cross-infection is minimised because the childminder has good hand washing procedures in place and she keeps the premises clean and tidy. Children's personal, social and emotional development is supported successfully.

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

They develop confidence in different social situations and environments during visits to the library, local parks and toddler groups. Children also make choices about their play and learning and develop independence in readiness for school, such as taking care of their own personal care needs, setting the table ready for meals and by putting on their own coats and shoes.

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

There are good partnerships with parents and carers. All children and their families are treated with respect and equal consideration. The childminder communicates very effectively with parents to successfully foster continuity in children's care and well-being. She has a secure knowledge of how to support children with English as an additional language, to ensure their needs are met while in her care. The childminder recognises the importance of liaising with other professionals where children may need additional support. This helps all children achieve well. Overall, the childminder provides good support for children, in order to help them to be socially and emotionally ready for their move to nursery or school.

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provision

The childminder's knowledge of safeguarding and her practices to keep children safe are good. She demonstrates a good understanding of the safeguarding procedures and what to do if she is concerned about a child in her care. Recent safeguarding training has helped the childminder to enhance and consolidate her understanding of child protection and the action to take in the event of a concern about a child in her care. The childminder makes sure parents are aware of her role and responsibility in safeguarding children and shares her policy and procedure with them. This means that they are fully informed about how the provision operates. Children benefit from the childminder's commitment to keeping the premises safe. The childminder carries out risk assessments and daily safety checks are used to identify any possible risks or hazards to children on the premises or on outings. She supervises children well at all times and the premises are secure. Access to

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provision

the premises is monitored and vetting procedures for household members ensures their suitability. All of the required documentation and parental consents are in place to make sure children's welfare and well-being are secure. Records are maintained accurately and stored to ensure confidentiality.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are very positive and a good level of information is exchanged everyday, which helps support children's continuity in care and learning. Parents are provided with a comprehensive range of useful information, some of which is displayed in the hallway. Parents speak very positively about the provision, the childminder and how well their children are progressing. They like the welcoming environment, the reassuring and patient approach the childminder has and the good focus placed on promoting children's speech and language. The childminder recognises the importance of forming partnerships with external agencies and working with other professionals to ensure children get the support they need to help them to achieve well. She understands the benefits of working closely with other early years providers and how this helps support a smooth transition as children move forward in their learning to nursery or school.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a positive approach to continuous improvement, so that children benefit from good quality provision. She attends training to help enhance her practice, for example, she attended training to develop her knowledge of how to support children, who speak English as an additional language. This proved beneficial to the children in her care as she can very ably meet their needs. The childminder has acted on the action and recommendations raised at the last inspection to benefit children. By doing so, she has strengthened aspects of safety in the home by improving her risk assessments and she now regularly practises the emergency evacuation procedures with the children. The childminder also reviewed the quality of teaching and learning to place a stronger focus on child-initiated activities. She has also analysed how she uses the information gained from observations to help her to plan the next steps for children's learning. The

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provision

childminder can see how this now works more effectively to benefit children and to keep a focus on their individual learning needs. Monitoring of the educational programmes works well to ensure all children achieve well. The childminder has effective systems in place to track children's progress towards the early learning goals. This means that she can identify any gaps in learning, discuss these with parents and they can then seek intervention from outside agencies and other professionals if required. The childminder provides a safe and secure environment, which encourages children to try new things for themselves and develop positive attitudes to learning. She is fully committed to her role in supporting children's care, learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, children develop good skills for the future and are ready for their next stages in learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY411201 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 875450 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 3

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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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