Childminder in Staffordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/11/2014 02/03/2010

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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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Teaching is highly effective because the childminder has a good understanding of how to promote children's learning. Consequently, all children make good progress and are well prepared for their next stage in learning, such as school.  Children are very happy and settled in this homely and welcoming setting. They have very strong attachments to the childminder who is very caring and attentive to their needs. This enables the children to confidently explore the environment as their emotional well-being is very well supported.  The childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and takes effective action to ensure the safety of her premises. This means that children are safe and secure while in her care.  Partnerships with parents are well established and the childminder keeps them well- informed about their child's care and learning while in her provision. In addition, they contribute to the evaluation of the childminder's provision, through sharing their views

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This provision is good

on quality and areas for further development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not routinely share detailed information about children's achievements while in her care with schools and other settings, to complement the useful information that is already shared and fully promote continuity for children.

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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 and interactions between the childminder and children in the playroom and kitchen.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the learning benefits to the children, of an activity led by the childminder.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability of the childminder and her family, the childminder's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the childminder's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2009 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with husband and one child in a house in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire. The whole of the ground floor area and the rear garden are used for childminding. There are shops and schools within walking distance. Children are taken on local outings to parks and other areas of interest. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools. There are currently eight children on roll, two of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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

 extend the observations in place, to include the developmental age band, to more clearly establish children's development levels and to identify progress over time

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

 extend and enhance the existing information that is shared with schools and other settings by providing them with further details of children's achievements while in the childminder's care, to fully promote continuity for children.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and how to support this through her skilful teaching. For example, when children show an interest in magnets, she develops their understanding about how these work and what they are attracted to. This fosters children's curiosity, as they explore different materials and whether they are magnetic. Older children confidently share with her what they have been learning about in school. The childminder enhances this through establishing their understanding and supporting this through practical demonstration. This supports children's self-esteem as they proudly share what they know and receive praise and acknowledgement from the childminder. The childminder obtains assessments from teachers, for those children who attend school, in addition to her setting. She uses these to identify areas of the children's development that she can further enhance, to support their progress in school. She carries

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who attend

out observations of children during play, using these to accurately identify appropriate next steps to challenge their learning further. The childminder provides the children with a range of interesting and purposeful learning experiences. For example, she knows that an activity, such as making their own sandwiches at snack time, supports many areas of their learning. Physical skills are promoted through spreading butter and adding foods to their sandwich. As the children take turns to share the butter and select the sandwich fillings, they develop valuable social skills. Children use their listening skills in order to follow instructions, such as what to do next. In addition, mathematical understanding is extended through estimating the quantity of butter needed to cover their bread. Children flourish during activities, such as these because the childminder promotes a 'can do' attitude, developing not only their skills, but positive attitudes. Assessment forms the basis

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who attend

of the childminder's daily planning, which is based on individual children's interests and next steps in learning. This results in the children being enthusiastic and highly-motivated learners. Therefore, they make good progress in their learning and development and are well prepared for the next stage of learning, such as school.

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who attend

The childminder promotes children's literacy development very well. A good range of books are available for story sessions or for children to use independently when they wish. These include both fiction and non-fiction and also support children to understand about their own and others' cultures. Printed words and labels support children's developing understanding that print has meaning. The childminder provides resources to enable children to draw and practice making marks and to make early attempts at writing. They independently select paper and drawing materials and use the chalk boards, drawing their families and proudly talking about their artwork with their friends. The childminder enhances children's understanding of her own and other people's cultures and traditions through developing their understanding of festivals and celebrations. For example, during Diwali, children have authentic curry at snack time, made by the childminder. They dress

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who attend

in saris, make Rangoli patterns and dance to Banghra music, to enhance their cultural awareness.

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who attend

The childminder is very welcoming and friendly, promoting strong and open relationships with parents and carers. Parents contribute information about their children's skills and interests when they begin with the childminder. This enables her to get to know children's individual needs and personalities, and helps her to identify their starting points on which to form the basis of her assessments of their progress. The childminder shares daily verbal information with parents about their child's care and learning. In addition, she shares observations, photographs and examples of their creative work, to keep parents fully informed about what their child has been doing. The childminder is fully aware of the need to complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, when appropriate.

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

Children are very happy and comfortable in the childminder's care. They are highly confident in expressing their needs and opinions to the childminder and visitors, demonstrating their high sense of security. The childminder supports children to gradually settle into her home when they first start to attend. She obtains information from parents about any care and health requirements their child has, and establishes their particular skills and interests. It is evident that children feel very much at home as they are happy and confident to explore the environment. They play predominantly in a dedicated playroom where they can freely select resources and take control of chosen activities. For example, some children participate in a creative activity of making 'firework pictures' with the childminder, whereas others play with cars and the road mat. This demonstrates that children are comfortable in their environment and that the childminder enables them to

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

become active learners. Children spontaneously demonstrate their emotional attachment to the childminder, as they give her hugs and share their day's news from school or home with her. Relationships with their peers also reflect that this is a very caring environment, as children play and talk happily to one another and are kind and considerate with those younger than themselves

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

The childminder has a positive attitude to behaviour management, ensuring that children are aware of the expectations while in her home. For example, she has basic house rules which promote kindness towards one another and encourage them to take care of the toys and their environment. The childminder promotes children's emotional well-being to an excellent level, encouraging them to express their feelings. For example, when older children talk about bullying, she encourages them to think about what bullying is and that it can take place everywhere and not just in school. The children then make and display posters on this topic, which demonstrate their understanding of what this is and how it affects people. This supports children in understanding what might upset others and to be considerate towards others feelings. The childminder gives lots of positive encouragement to support and motivate children to succeed. For example, she displays children's creative

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

work on an 'I can if I try' display, emphasising the importance of having a go at something, rather than the end result. Consequently, children are well behaved and develop positive attitudes as they learn about respecting their environment, one another and appropriate boundaries. The childminder gets together with other childminders and attends local community groups when younger children are in attendance. This provides opportunities for children to meet up with larger groups of children and to develop their social skills. This, alongside the development of their independence, literacy and numeracy skills, helps prepare them for the move to school, when the time comes. Children benefit from an environment that is very well resourced and the childminder consults them with regard to additional resources that they would like her to provide. Resources support all areas of learning and are of good quality, and appropriate for the age range of children

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

The childminder encourages the children to eat well, supporting them to try new foods to broaden their tastes. Meals and snacks include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, supporting children to understand about foods which are healthy. Physical exercise is promoted well through outdoor play in the childminder's garden. She also visits local parks and attends community groups, where the children have opportunities to use a wider range of large equipment. This supports children to develop a positive attitude towards exercise and provides them with opportunities to challenge their physical skills. Children learn how to keep themselves safe as the childminder provides clear explanations to them. For example, she explains why items that older children have bought from home may not be suitable for the younger children in her care. Children's developing independence in self-help skills is supported well as the childminder enables them to address their own

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

toileting and hygiene needs as soon as they are able. Children also help to prepare their own snacks, such as sandwiches. Good hygiene routines are promoted through hand washing before eating and after messy play or using the toilet. Systems are in place for parents to share information with the childminder about any health or dietary issues the children may have, and there are thorough records for accidents and any medication administered, to further support children's well-being.

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provision

The childminder is highly professional and organised, ensuring that all of the documentation in place is completed to a high standard. She has a good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, children in her care are safeguarded very well as the childminder has ensured that her premises and other places visited are safe and secure to protect children from harm. The childminder has a good awareness of the signs that may cause her concern about a child's welfare. She has undertaken child protection training and fully understands the importance of her role in protecting children and seeking help and advice should that become necessary. The childminder makes parents aware of her duty of care through effective policies and procedures, which are shared with them from the start of any care arrangements. The childminder undertakes risk assessments for her

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provision

home and all outings, which are regularly reviewed to ensure that that they meet the current needs of the children attending. She keeps her paediatric first-aid qualification up- to-date to enable her to attend to any medical needs appropriately. These measures help to ensure that children are well protected from harm.

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provision

The childminder has a good knowledge of the learning and development requirements. She uses this to observe children's learning accurately, assess their abilities and monitor their progress. This enables her to identify relevant next steps to extend their learning and development. As a result, children benefit from a broad range of planned experiences, which support them to make progress in all areas of their learning. The childminder carries out a detailed self-evaluation of all areas of her practice, identifying strengths and areas which she can improve upon. Parents and children contribute to this through verbal feedback and questionnaires, such as 'What do you expect from your childminder?' This reflects the childminder's commitment to developing her provision and the high value she places on children and parents being fully involved. Improvements are ongoing, to ensure that children make very good progress and enjoy their time in her care.

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provision

The childminder is highly committed to continuing her professional development through attendance at training courses. In addition, she attends regular network meetings, organised by the local authority. These provide her with up-to-date information and enable her to share good practice ideas with other early year's practitioners. Strong partnerships with parents are developed from the outset of placements. This enables the childminder and parents to work together to support their child's progress and to meet their changing needs effectively. Parents share their happiness regarding the high level of care provided by the childminder and the good progress that their children have made while in her care. The childminder provides daily information to parents, keeping them well informed about their children's care and learning. The childminder is fully aware of the importance of developing partnerships with other provisions that children may move

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provision

on to, such as school, and the importance of preparing children appropriately when moving on from her care. She obtains information from teachers about the topics that children are learning about in school and assessments of their abilities. This enables her to enhance their learning while in her care and support their progress. However, there is scope to enhance this information sharing further, so that the childminder regularly shares detailed information about children's progress while in her care with schools and other settings, to fully promote continuity in children's 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 EY397690 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 874056 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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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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