Cory, Kim

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/11/2014 18/05/2009

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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

 Children settle well and enjoy their time in the childminder's care. They feel safe and build strong attachments, which promotes their well-being and confidence.  Teaching is good because the childminder has a secure awareness of how children and babies learn. She supports all children to make good progress through child-initiated and structured activities.  Children's health and well-being are a priority and appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place to protect children from harm. The childminder has effective policies and procedures to support her practice, which she shares with parents.  The childminder establishes strong links with parents. She keeps them well informed about their child's achievements. As a result, parents are involved in their child's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always maximise opportunities to share information with parents relating to their children's progress.  Children cannot readily see the different resources in the large resource boxes, which reduces their ability to make independent choices.

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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 talked to the children and childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection and observed a variety of activities both indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the childminder and her assistant as well as a selection of policies and procedures, risk assessments and the childminder's self-evaluation process.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder, she discussed children's learning and development, sampled their records and looked at the planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and by reading a number of comments on letters given to the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and three children, in a house, in Finedon, Northamptonshire. The whole of the ground floor of the house and the enclosed rear garden are used for childminding. The childminder occasionally works with an assistant. The family has pet fish and a tortoise. The childminder operates all year round from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Tuesday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. There are currently four children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She attends local stay and play groups, visits local shops and parks regularly. She takes children to and collects from the local school. The childminder receives funding for three- and four-year- old children. She holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 3. She is a member

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Information about the setting

of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, and the Northamptonshire Childminding Association.

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

 build on the already good partnerships with parents in order to promote an even more effective sharing of information about children's learning and progress

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

 enhance the setup of the main play area to support children's ability to make independent choices, for example, by providing a selection of clearly labelled boxes for the different resources.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She provides children with a broad range of fun activities that cover all areas of learning. Consequently, children are happy, relaxed and make good progress in the childminder's care. Teaching is good. The childminder plans activities to meet children's individual preferences and interests. Children happily help the childminder prepare for a painting activity, a regular favourite of theirs. They delight in using the painting pens and stickers to create unique paintings and pictures and they remain engaged in this activity for some time. The childminder encourages children to name colours and use language to describe their creations. Additionally, the childminder sensitively supports children to explore early writing through making marks on their pictures to represent their names. Children also display the characteristics of effective

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who attend

learners as they explore, for example, as they persevere in independently pulling off the backing paper from foam animal shaped stickers. In this way, children are developing essential life skills and are being well prepared for their move onto school.

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who attend

Children clearly enjoy their time with the childminder and are confident and self-assured. There is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities and experiences. This means that children are effectively stimulated throughout their day. For example, the childminder follows the children's lead in play and supports their interest in building towers with large building blocks. She extends their learning by encouraging them to make comparisons between the size of the growing tower and themselves. As a result, children are engaged and interested in play and their mathematical development is supported effectively. The childminder places a strong focus on helping children to develop their communication and language skills. The childminder consistently speaks very clearly to support children's language development. She engages the children very positively in conversations and asks questions. This good practice provides opportunities for them to

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who attend

share their interests and extend their growing language and communication skills. For example, the childminder discusses that the painting pen splats look like fireworks and children show their knowledge and understanding by telling her that fireworks come out at night and go up in the sky.

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who attend

The childminder spends time getting to know the children well when they start. Through discussion with parents and regular observations, she is able to understand what children know and what they can do. She uses the information from parents to further enrich her own planning to enable her to provide a range of age-appropriate activities for each child, taking into account their interests and abilities. As a consequence, children are actively engaged in their play. The childminder has not yet needed to complete a progress check between the ages of two and three years, however, she has an awareness of the requirement to so and to involve parents in this process. The childminder effectively tracks children's progress towards the seven areas of learning and observations are used to identify any gaps in their learning and development. However, there is scope for the childminder to promote an even more effective sharing of children's learning and progress

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

Children are happy and settled and enjoy warm relationships with the childminder. As a result, they display a strong sense of belonging in her home and their emotional well- being is high. Children are gradually settled into the setting while the childminder discusses their individual needs with their parents. She supplements this with an online system for parents to record further information and where she gathers appropriate written consents from parents. This means that their routines are followed and their welfare needs are well-met and results in a smooth transition for children from their home. Children's behaviour is good because the childminder has clear expectations and praises their positive behaviour. The childminder gently reminds the children about sharing and being kind. Children respond to these and as a result, they learn to share and cooperate with each other. The childminder understands the importance of integrating

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

children into the community and plans regular visits to the local stay and play groups where the children socialise with other children. As a result, children learn good social skills and manners, in readiness for the next big steps in their lives.

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

The childminder knows each child well and is very attentive towards their needs. Plenty of hugs and cuddles are offered, so that young children feel very welcome. The childminder tunes into children's communication both verbally and non-verbally. For example, she effectively supports younger children by following their non-verbal signs that indicate they are hungry, tired or need a nappy change. She responds positively to children's attempts to express themselves, which has a positive impact on their confidence and self-esteem. Independence and self-care skills are developed as the childminder encourages children to try to do things by themselves before offering assistance, such as putting on their shoes and using the toilet.

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

Children's health is effectively promoted through healthy food choices. They know to wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet, so that healthy routines are consistent. Children are beginning to learn about how they can keep themselves safe because the childminder supports their understanding of the rules made for keeping them from harm. For example, when children stand up on the dining chairs to reach items across the table, the childminder reminds them that they could fall and hurt themselves, and they listen and respect her advice. There are many good-quality resources in the outdoor environment that promote challenges and active learning. The indoor environment contains resources that are appropriate and well maintained. The childminder sets up her lounge as the main playroom with a varied assortment of toys and interesting resources. However, children are not always able to readily self-select the resources they want as the many different

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

resources are collectively stored in one main box. This reduces their ability to find the items they want and to make independent choices.

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provision

The childminder effectively meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has a secure understanding of how to safeguard children with regards to child protection procedures and issues. Appropriate policies and procedures are in place and are shared with parents. These include an updated policy to lead the childminder in dealing with any complaints and has the current contact details for Ofsted should the parents require it. This fulfils the recommendation from the previous inspection. The childminder helps to protect children from harm by ensuring her home is safe, clean and well maintained. She has attended relevant training, including safeguarding and first aid. She undertakes risk assessments on all areas of her provision, indoors and outdoors, as well as for trips out in to the local community. As a result, children are kept safe.

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provision

The childminder is reflective and is able to effectively evaluate her practice. She identifies her strengths and weaknesses and monitors the work of her assistant effectively. Since the last inspection, the childminder has introduced an online management system to help her effectively manage her practice. She has fulfilled the recommendation from her previous inspection and now effectively outlines next steps in children's learning. This supports children to progress well across all areas of learning. She shares this with parents so that there is consistency in the support that children receive. She shows a strong commitment to maintaining her skills and knowledge. For example, she attends training, performs research and seeks the support of other childminders to discuss and share good practice. As a result, the provision effectively meets the needs of all children well.

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provision

Partnerships with parent are good. The childminder uses an online communication diary in her management system to provide information about what children have been doing during the day, such as the activities they have taken part in and the meals they have eaten. Additionally, she effectively uses a range of different communication styles to suit parents when exchanging information, such as text messaging, keeping in touch verbally or by emails. This helps to keep parents informed about their children's experiences and reassure them that their children's care and educational needs are very well catered for. Parents are highly complimentary and comment that the childminder is extremely attentive and caring and the children love their time with her. The childminder has a good awareness of working in partnership with other providers of settings that the children attend, in order to provide consistency in their care and learning.

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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 EY384855 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 858889 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 4

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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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