Allen, Carolyn Lesley

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/11/2014 28/07/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and develop.  Children are happy and content in the childminder's care because she promotes their emotional well-being effectively by enabling them to settle and feel secure.  The childminder establishes effective partnerships with parents and other settings which have a positive impact on children's development and learning.  The childminder reflects on her childminding practice and attends training courses to make continuous improvements to benefit the children and their families.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder's risk assessment of her premises is not sufficiently robust to minimise possible hazards to children.  While children make good progress in their communication and language, the childminder does not always consider the use of extra resources to extend their interest in books.  The childminder misses some opportunities to further extend younger children's understanding of numbers.

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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 lounge.

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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 the childminder's self-evaluation form, a selection of policies, parent consent forms, children's records and the childminder's observations of children's activities.  The inspector took account of the written views of parents in questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2001. She lives with her husband and three adult children in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The whole of the ground floor of the house is available for childminding and there is a garden for outside play. The family has two cats and fish as pets. The childminder walks and drives to local schools to take and collect children and she attends the local pre-school groups. Her provision is open from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year. The childminder is currently minding six children under eight years old, three of whom are in the early years age range. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder has completed a home-based childcare level 3 qualification.

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must:

 ensure that risk assessments identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis, when and by whom those aspects will be checked, and how the risk will be removed or minimised

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

 extend children's good communication, language and literacy skills by, for example, making use of visual materials

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

 provide a wider range of resources to support the younger children's understanding of numbers.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of the early learning goals. She finds out about the children's learning and development from their parents at the outset of childcare arrangements. The childminder observes children during their play and she records their progress and next steps for learning on the online system for parents to access at any time, using a secure password system. The childminder knows the children well and she plans from their individual interests. The childminder helps children to develop good communication and language skills. She talks to them during their play and asks questions which require them to think and respond. Children show a keen interest in books and they listen attentively. The childminder encourages younger children to make the different animal sounds and, when they are ready, she extends their exploration of sounds and letters. However, the childminder misses opportunities to make use of props or

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who attend

photographs to enhance the younger children's interest in books and to further extend their communication and language skills. Younger children develop their mark-making skills as they make patterns in sand, shaving foam and paint. As and when the children are ready, they enjoy using pens and pencils, and begin to draw recognisable pictures. This encourages their good literacy skills.

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who attend

The childminder plans activities to help children to learn about colour, number, size and shape. For example, during the inspection, children spent time completing various puzzles, some of which were more challenging for them. During this activity, the childminder demonstrated good teaching techniques as she used mathematical language such as 'big' and 'small'. She made suggestions about what pieces may fit together and demonstrated twisting the shapes to help the children to successfully achieve in finishing the puzzles.

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who attend

The childminder offers praise and encouragement, which in turn helps children to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Children stack and post shapes, and design with various construction toys. The younger children enjoy counting songs and rhymes. However, the childminder does not further enhance the children's understanding of numbers by, for example, making use of props to act out number songs and rhymes.

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who attend

Children develop good large physical skills, for example, as they ride tricycles, steer cars, play skittles, crawl through the tent and balance on the beam. The childminder provides good opportunities for children to learn about the world in which they live. Children learn about living things as they observe animals at the local goat centre, and plant fruit and flowers in the garden. Children explore the culture, beliefs and abilities of others, for example, when they play with multicultural toys and resources, and celebrate festivals such as Diwali. They have good opportunities to find out how things work when they use toy cameras and cash tills, and complete educational programs on the tablet. Children show an interest in make-believe play and use their imaginations as they dress up in hats and play with small-world dolls and cars. The childminder makes use of local pre-school groups to further enhance children's experiences, such as rhyme time at the library. The

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who attend

childminder teaches children the skills they require to move on to their next stage of development.

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

The childminder effectively supports children's personal, social and emotional development. Children's individual settling-in arrangements means that they are happy and feel secure by the time their parents leave them in the childminder's care. The children behave very well and they receive plenty of praise and encouragement from the childminder, which boosts their confidence. The children enjoy games to help them learn about turn-taking and sharing. The childminder encourages children to become independent learners as they help themselves to toys and resources from the low-level boxes and bags. The childminder prepares them well for school, for example, by teaching them how to put on their coat and shoes independently.

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

Children learn about healthy lifestyles and they observe the childminder's good hygiene practices during the routine of the day. The childminder has a 'Smile award' for promoting children's understanding of the importance of healthy eating and good teeth hygiene. She finds out about children's dietary requirements when they first start and she provides nutritious snacks of fresh fruit. Parents are required to provide their child's packed lunches.

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

The childminder implements good procedures to manage and record accidents, and the administration of medication. She holds a paediatric first-aid qualification and, therefore, the children would receive prompt first-aid attention, if required.

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

Children experience daily fresh air and exercise which helps to keep them fit and healthy. In general, the children learn to keep themselves safe as the childminder teaches them about road safety and they practise the emergency evacuation procedure. The childminder has a suitable range of nursery furniture to meet the needs of the children attending, such as a toilet step and travel cot. Overall, the childminder promotes the well-being of the children.

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provision

In the main, the childminder has a sound knowledge and understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder carries out risk assessments of her premises. However, her system is not robust enough because still water and flexes are easily accessible outdoors, as well as other flexes and a plastic bag indoors. Therefore, the childminder compromises the safety of the children. The childminder has a sound knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and is aware of current local safeguarding procedures. Therefore, she knows the correct procedures to follow if she has child protection concerns about a child in her care. Furthermore, the childminder has kept up to date with initiating suitable checks for household members to further safeguard the children.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. She discusses children's starting points with parents to help her plan and provide the educational programmes. The childminder carries out the progress check for two- year-old children in relation to the prime areas of learning and this helps her to identify any gaps in children's progress and development. The childminder establishes positive relationships with pre-school teachers involved in the children's lives in order to complement their care and learning. She makes use of a home-link book between parents, pre-school and her childminding service so that everyone is informed, and up to date with the children's care and learning.

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provision

The childminder establishes effective partnerships with parents in order to meet the children's needs. She uses a secure online system for parents to access information about their child's routines, activities and progress. All of the necessary paperwork is in place, such as contracts and consent forms. The childminder also communicates with parents through daily discussions. The childminder shares all her policies and procedures with parents so they have an overview of her childminding setting. The childminder reflects on her practice and her ongoing attendance at training courses demonstrates her keenness to make continuous improvements. The childminder values the views of parents who complete questionnaires as part of her self-evaluation. Parents' comments reveal they are pleased with the childminding service they receive.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure the premises and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the premises and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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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 162113 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 842109 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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