Childminder in Leicestershire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/11/2014 12/02/2009

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

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This provision is good

 The provision for children with special educational needs is superb because the childminder and her assistants are highly knowledgeable and use an excellent range of teaching techniques extremely well.  Partnerships with parents are exceptionally strong as the childminder actively encourages the two-way flow of information to ensure she meets individual children's needs to a very high standard.  Safeguarding procedures are robust and effectively promote the welfare and well-being of all children.  Thorough and accurate assessment of children's development ensures that the childminder and her assistants know exactly how to meet individual needs through their planning and teaching.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Sharply focused evaluations of the childminder's and her assistant's practice are not fully in place to support an astute and targeted programme of professional development, so that children benefit from more outstanding learning experiences delivered through outstanding teaching.

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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 spent time observing the practice of the childminder and her assistant.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed learning-journey records, planning documentation and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 Disclosure and Barring Service checks were reviewed to check that the suitability of those living and working on the premises has been established.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the provision with the childminder and interacted with children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector took into account the views of parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008. She lives with her husband and two children near Leicester. The whole of the ground floor and one bedroom on the first floor are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder employs three assistants, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The childminding provision operates from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 21 children attending. The childminder provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. She supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 build on the programme of professional development so that it is more sharply focused on evaluating the childminder's and her assistants practice, so that children consistently benefit from more outstanding learning experiences delivered through outstanding teaching.

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who attend

The childminder and her team of assistants provide a highly stimulating, bright and airy dedicated environment in which children play and learn together. A relaxed environment that celebrates success is well established. As a result, children are capable, confident and make good progress. The outside environment provides a safe and enclosed space where the children have the freedom to explore and develop physically using larger toys. The train track running along the bottom of the garden also provides an exciting source of additional inspiration for some of the children. The children experience a wide range of activities, which support and extend all areas of learning and development. The childminder and her assistants listen intently to the ideas of children and use their interests as a basis for planning. As a result, children are highly motivated, concentrate well and persevere with tasks for extended amounts of time. Further planned activities

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who attend

encourage the children to think about the world they live in. Children grow and cook their own vegetables, enjoy looking at seasonal changes through visits to the park and celebrate a range of cultural festivals through cookery and craft activities. This good range of opportunities prepares children well for school.

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who attend

The childminder and her assistants have a good understanding about how children develop and learn. This enables them to provide children with good, but not yet outstanding teaching and learning experiences. They make well-informed and detailed observations of children, which illustrate learning and development well. Parents commend the progress that these records demonstrate and, also contribute with examples from home. As a result, the childminder and her assistants are able to specifically match learning activities to the precise needs of all children. Key persons are productively deployed to ensure that children's individual needs are catered for through a highly personalised approach. Children are taught effectively, through play because the childminder and her assistants know exactly what to do to move their learning and development forwards. The childminder demonstrates great skill in teaching the children

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who attend

how to hold, look through and use a camera. The children love the activity and laugh as they practise independently taking photographs of one another. Consequently, the children learn how to use the technology with confidence and improved skill. The childminder and her assistants demonstrate a high level of expertise in supporting language development. They are positive role models because they model the use of language well to describe, explain and to encourage children. The childminder and her assistants effectively ask questions, which encourage the children to think more deeply. Communication and language skills are consistently developed because the childminder and her assistants repeat, extend and comment on the language that the children use.

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who attend

The childminder and her assistants demonstrate a good understanding of individual children's progress and achievements through the completion of the progress check for children between the ages of two and three. They use their detailed assessments to conduct these. These are shared with parents who compliment the childminder and her team for their commitment to sharing information and praise the level of support they receive.

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

An exceptional key-person system ensures that children develop warm and trusting relationships of exceptional quality. Children develop high levels of self-esteem and confidence, which prepares them exceedingly well for their next stages in learning, including starting school. The learning environment in safe, clean and very well organised. This means that children develop high levels of independence and the ability to make their own decisions. The childminder and her assistants are tremendously responsive to the children's interests and fascinations. As a result, the children are able to learn by playing with the toys which interest and engage them most. The childminder and her assistants have established a clear and consistent daily routine, which makes the children feel extremely secure. The children visit the local school regularly with the childminder and one of the assistants also works at the school. This prepares the children well for starting

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

school and provides excellent continuity for the children and their families.

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

The childminding environment is kept safe because risks are very well managed. The childminder and her assistants are highly attentive, which means that the children play safely and accidents are minimal. The children are able to take risks appropriate to their level of development. The childminder and her assistant closely observe and expertly recognise when to give the children freedom to play without interruption. The childminder and her assistants are exceptionally effective in supporting children's growing understanding of how to behave. For example, children are highly praised when they share the toys and when they are kind to one another. The adults are extremely positive role models because they consistently show the children how to take turns and be well mannered. The way in which every opportunity is taken to explain appropriate behaviour and its impact on others is superb. This helps the children to understand their own

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

behaviour and ensures that all children develop remarkably well in the areas of social and emotional development. As a result, children behave extremely well and play very happily alongside one another.

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

The children benefit from daily access to learning in the fresh air. A wide range of experiences build curiosity and understanding; in the garden, within the village and during special outings. They also benefit from walking to the local pre-school and school. Parents praise the staff for their approach to teaching road safety. The children are shown how to wait at crossings and are expected to hold hands with an adult. They talk to the childminder and her assistant about possible dangers and how to stay safe as they walk to and from the school. Children enjoy freshly prepared healthy meals and snacks. The childminder and her assistants serve as excellent role models as they sit alongside the children, demonstrating how to hold their cutlery and how to eat their food politely. Learning about food and where it comes from is also skilfully developed as staff engage the children in conversations during mealtimes.

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provision

Children are well safeguarded. The childminder has taken steps to ensure that all of her assistants have been fully trained. As a result, staff have a well-informed working knowledge of the correct procedures to follow should they have any safeguarding concerns. Secure recruitment procedures check that all those living or working on the premises are suitable to work with children. All required vetting checks have been fully undertaken. The health and safety of children is extremely well managed. Parents are informed about how this is achieved through a range of clearly written policies. These are provided for parents when a new child starts attending the setting. Children are taught effective personal hygiene through daily care routines. The hygiene and care of babies is also well managed and carefully recorded to share with parents.

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provision

The childminder and her assistants have a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage as a result of some training, good staff qualifications and a commitment to independent research. The childminder is proactive in finding training courses for her assistants to support children's individual needs. She ensures that the skills and knowledge of new assistants are developed through a range of informal support strategies. The childminder has established an extremely positive climate for care and learning where she and the assistants work well together to meet the needs of every child. She has taken care to understand the strengths of the provision through self-evaluation and considerable improvements have been made to the childminder's practice since the previous inspection. However, sharply focused evaluations of the childminder's and her assistants practice are not fully in place to support an astute and targeted programme of

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provision

professional development. This results in children not yet benefitting from consistently outstanding learning experiences delivered through outstanding teaching. The range of activities provided each week is informally monitored by the childminder to check that all areas of learning and development are covered for all children. This means that all children attending the setting receive a variety of learning experiences which promote the seven areas of learning.

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provision

The childminder deploys her assistants well to ensure that key persons meet the needs of all children to a good standard. The provision for children with special educational needs is superb. The childminder and her assistants clearly follow the advice of medical professionals by introducing helpful systems such as simple, visual timetables. Every attempt is made to ensure that particular individual needs are catered for and the specific requests of parents are followed. As a result, these children make rapid progress and are well prepared for the next stage in learning. The childminder has established an effective working partnership with the local pre-school. This means that the children attending both settings receive continuity of provision to a good standard. Parents compliment the childminding team for the care and learning opportunities they provide. A range of opportunities are used to share learning between the setting and home. Parents highly

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provision

commend the support that individual children and their families receive from the staff and are very keen to attribute progress to the dedication of the team.

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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 EY376351 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 821411 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 21

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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

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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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