Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/11/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 The childminder sets good challenges for each child and uses effective teaching strategies. This promotes their progress and development across all areas of learning. Therefore, children attain the skills they need for later moves on to pre-school or school.  Partnerships with parents are effective and make sure children have the support and continuity of care and learning they need as they move between their home and the childminder's setting.  The childminder has a clear understanding about her obligation to protect children from harm. She implements effective procedures, such as regular risk assessments and continuing to update her knowledge about child protection. This ensures that children are secure in her setting and kept safe from unsuitable adults.  The childminder is conscientious in monitoring and reflecting on her practice. This assists her to deliver good learning opportunities for children, as well as meeting the

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This provision is good

ongoing childcare requirements of their parents.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not take full advantage of opportunities to explore natural resources. Therefore, she does not support children to develop their understanding of the natural world to the very optimum.

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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 spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. The inspector reviewed written acknowledgements from parents relating to the service offered by the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed documentation and carried out joint discussions with the childminder in relation to making observations of the children's play, learning and progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed and talked about activities in all areas used by the children, both inside and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies, procedures, training records and relevant documentation, including safeguarding records and the suitability checks in place for the childminder and her family.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and their three children in a house, in Willingham. The whole of the house, along with the rear garden, is used for childminding. There are currently nine children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group. The childminder attends local toddler groups and visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She takes children to and collects children from local schools and pre-schools. The childminder operates her service all year round, Monday to Friday, from 7am to 6pm, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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

 enhance the already good play and learning opportunities for children, by extending even further their access to natural resources, enabling them to increase their understanding of the natural world.

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who attend

The childminder encourages purposeful information sharing with parents from the outset. This means that the children's achievements at home are shared. The childminder uses this additional knowledge as she undertakes regular observations of each child. This enables her to establish whether they are making the progress expected for their age and stage of development, or identify any gaps in learning which need to be addressed. The childminder has high expectations of children. This is reflected in how she plans ongoing learning opportunities to build on and challenge children's existing knowledge and skills. The quality of teaching is consistently good and, as a result, the children make good progress across the seven areas of learning. Ongoing assessments, including the progress checks for children aged between two and three years, help to make sure that all children are supported extremely well.

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who attend

The childminder's practice is based on her secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children and what they can achieve. She takes time to plan exciting and motivating activities which engage the children's interaction whole heartedly. These good quality learning opportunities clearly support children to sustain their explorations, which, in turn, enables them to develop very positive outlooks. As a consequence, they are actively embedding the skills they need to be ready for school or the next stage of learning.

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who attend

The learning environments, planned and provided by the childminder, cover almost all aspects of the seven areas of learning. They provide thought-provoking experiences that are adapted to meet the needs and abilities of the children. Children build on their existing communication and language skills. The childminder supports this well, asking open questions and providing them with the time to listen, think and respond. Opportunities, such as cooking, enable the children to build on their existing vocabulary as they discover new words through active conversation. For example, while making bread, they learn about kneading the dough and find out that this is different from needing their family or friends. The childminder provides plenty of interactive language opportunities as she shares stories. She also provides explanations as they ask their own questions about how things work and why they need to complete certain tasks, such as tidying away after

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who attend

playing. The children become engrossed in what they are doing and concentrate for extended periods of time, embedding the new concepts they are discovering as they try things out for themselves. The childminder is very aware that everyday routines and tasks also present ideal learning opportunities for children, as they begin learning about the wider world around them. They venture in to it, making trips to the local library and enjoy nature rambles as they make their way back from taking older children to school. However, there is room to further enhance opportunities for the children to get closer to nature, exploring natural objects as they play and learn within the childminder's setting.

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

The childminder is warm and caring, providing a positive atmosphere, which enables the children to feel safe and secure. The children form confident attachments to the childminder and each other. The good organisation of the setting promotes children's well- being and independence. Child-height furniture and storage encourages them to make decisions for themselves about what they want to play with. As a result, children's self- assurance and self-motivation are nurtured extremely well. This enables them to develop physical, socially and emotionally, so that they are ready for the next stage in their learning. Babies' physical and emotional needs are planned for and met very well, enabling them to settle and thrive.

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

The childminder provides clear guidance for children about what is acceptable behaviour. As a result, children learn to respect and tolerate each other's differences. Children are gaining an understanding of risk through activities that encourage them to explore their environment. For example, they learn to use single-handed tools with care during cooking activities and are able to talk fluently with the childminder about the dangers of a hot oven. Children are competent at managing their personal needs relative to their ages. They take themselves to the toilet with the minimum of support and clearly know that hand washing is important to prevent the spread of germs. Therefore, they are developing a good awareness of healthy lifestyles.

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

The childminder plans a wide variety of healthy meals and snacks. The children enjoy being actively involved in this. For example, they have fun paying a visit to the local shopkeeper each week, where they buy fresh ham for their lunch. The childminder encourages them to make the purchases, to ask for what they need and to exchange this for money. These opportunities enable the children to engage in the world around them and interact socially with others under the watchful eye of the childminder. The children enjoy plenty of fresh air and exercise. They use wheeled toys outside and enjoy regular visits to the local park where they can use large apparatus, enabling them to extend their developing physical skills.

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provision

The safeguarding and welfare and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are understood by the childminder and are fully met. The childminder places a very strong focus on safeguarding and child protection, undertaking regular training. This clearly equips her with the relevant knowledge she needs to make a referral should she have a concern about a child in her care. The childminder has devised a range of pertinent policies and procedures, which she implements consistently to support the smooth daily management of her setting. This is achieved well because all parents have copies and are kept up to date with any relevant changes. Monitoring ensures that planning and assessment are consistent and reflect an true understanding of individual children's skills, abilities and progress. As a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals.

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provision

Strengths and weaknesses are effectively identified by the childminder through ongoing, accurate self-evaluation, which takes into account the views of children and their parents. This attention to detail enables the childminder to meet children's changing needs well. Attention to ongoing professional development is taken seriously by the childminder. She is also active in seeking support by networking with other childminders and interacting with development staff at the local children's centre. This enables the childminder to develop her teaching practice and continue to provide a fun early learning environment for young children. The childminder has the capacity to sustain improvements in the future.

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provision

The childminder has established partnerships with parents, outside agencies and other providers. These make a strong contribution to meeting children's needs. Appropriate interventions are secured, so that children receive the support they need. Parents report very positively on all that the childminder provides for their children and the peace of mind this offers them. They would happily recommend her service to other families without hesitation.

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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 EY462196 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 939466 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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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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