Childminder in Reading

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/11/2014 16/12/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The childminder has very good teaching skills and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She plans purposeful play and a good balance of adult-led and child- initiated activities. As a result, children make excellent progress.  The thoughtfully planned indoor play area and innovative outdoor classroom creates an enabling environment to promote children's independence and engage them in purposeful play. Children benefit from an excellent range of play equipment and materials to support their learning and exploration.  A key strength is the childminder's excellent promotion of children's communication and language skills. This supports children's next stage in learning very successfully.  The childminder makes accurate assessments of children's progress and their next steps in learning. She uses this precise and effective information to plan stimulating play that maintains children's interest. Children are highly motivated learners as a

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This provision is outstanding

result.  Children enjoy very warm and caring relationships with the childminder, who is extremely focused on supporting their personal, social and emotional development.  The childminder has an excellent understanding of how to promote the health and safety of the children in her care. Safeguarding procedures are strong. As a result, children are extremely well-cared for and protected.

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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 childminder with children in the main play room and the garden.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's observation records, a selection of policies and children's records.  The inspector took account of the views of parents through their written comments.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2007. She lives with her husband and their child, in Reading, Berkshire. The whole house is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden and under cover outdoor play area. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and the voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is currently minding four children in the early years age range. The childminder operates five days a week on weekdays throughout the year.

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

 enhance children's creative thought processes, for example, by encouraging them to find new ways to do things for themselves and develop their own ideas.

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who attend

The childminder has an extremely good knowledge of child development and the quality of her teaching is excellent. She provides a stimulating learning environment, covering all areas of learning. She displays resources well so that they are extremely accessible for all children to make their own choices. All activities effectively reflect children's individual interests. This helps children to develop the characteristics of effective learning. For example, children are provided with interesting toys and equipment that foster their curiosity and imagination around their weather theme. The childminder is proactive in finding new exciting activities by researching fun, creative ideas. For example, children excitedly added water from the watering can and watched as the childminder placed blue colouring onto cotton wool floating in the water tray. They explored enthusiastically different sizes, the colour changes and how clouds fill up with rain and empty as they

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who attend

squeezed the cotton wool. Excellent monitoring of the educational programmes ensures that all aspects of learning are highly successful. Planning is very well thought out and meets children's individual needs well. Excellent individual learning files are evidence of the children's continual progress. Photographs with observation notes bring these records to life. Parents are involved in these ongoing assessments as the records are available for them to view on a computer programme at a time that is convenient for them. These are all linked to the areas of learning and are used to identify the next steps in each child's development. As a result, the childminder includes stimulating activities, experiences and challenges for the children. Detailed assessments, including the progress check for two- year-old children, are extremely concise and parent friendly.

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who attend

The childminder extends children's communication and language development very effectively. Children enjoy story time as they sit comfortably with her. She communicates extremely well with children as she skilfully asks them questions which help them to think and find out things for themselves. This gives them confidence to speak about, and develop their own ideas, in play. Children access an excellent range of books, which they enjoy looking at. The childminder also uses props and story bags to give children first- hand experiences, which means she considers children's learning preferences. There is a plentiful range of labels, letters, numbers and print in the learning environment to develop children's literacy skills. The childminder communicates with children constantly, speaking about what they are doing and talking sensitively to them as a matter of routine. She encourages children to expand their vocabulary through questioning and explanation as

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who attend

they gain confidence in constructing sentences. This helps children have the key skills needed for their next stage in learning. Although the childminder provides stimulating opportunities that promote all areas of learning, at times, children's creativity is not fully promoted, due to using pre-printed activity worksheets. Nonetheless, the childminder skilfully takes advantage of every opportunity to extend children's play. For example, having noticed that a child was looking through a box of items collected on their recent forest walk, she sat with them and encouraged them to touch, feel and count the pine cones. This promoted their physical and mathematical development. The childminder provides various musical instruments for children to explore, for example, a thunder- maker. As the childminder created a loud thunder sound, children screamed and playfully ran and hid. As a result, the children have exciting opportunities to develop their interest

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who attend

in how different instruments sound. Children have excellent opportunities to learn about the natural world. They have great fun outdoors digging in the sand pit and the mud kitchen. They show an interest in living things as they look for worms in the worm tank and talk about what they can see. They plant strawberries, herbs and vegetables and learn how to water them to grow effectively. This helps them to learn about growth and change and how to care for things in the environment. Children develop good physical skills as they enjoy running around the garden chasing their friends. They use large apparatus in the local parks and go on regular forest and woodland walks.

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who attend

Children benefit from the excellent partnerships established with parents and the strong links with other professionals. For example, a nursery shares a child's targets for the term with the childminder and she provides observations to contribute to the nursery's assessments. This significantly effectively contributes to children's well-being. The childminder has a secure knowledge of each child's needs and backgrounds and values diversity of individuals and communities. Parents are provided with excellent information about the setting. For example, there is an informative entrance hall, newsletters and notice boards. They receive information about the Early Years Foundation Stage and regular information, including details about future events and projects. Parents have easy access to their child's evidence of learning. This information keeps them well informed of their child's progress, and they are actively encouraged to share their views and contribute

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who attend

to children's learning and assessments. This strengthens ongoing assessments and ensures children access all the support they need to achieve their full potential.

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

The childminder is highly successful in supporting children's emotional and physical well- being. She treats children with affection and kindness. This helps them feel secure, which leads to trusting relationships and a strong sense of belonging. The childminder helps children understand positive ways to behave. She encourages them to share and to be kind to each other. Knowing what is expected of them also adds to the children's good sense of well-being. Children develop good self-esteem and confidence because they receive plenty of praise, including 'high fives', for achievement. Children are settled and at ease in the childminder's care. This is because she displays a calm manner and interacts extremely well with them. She knows their individual needs very well. Children show their attachment to the childminder by indicating they want her to join in with their play. She responds to their wishes and engages with them with enthusiasm. The childminder works

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

very closely with parents to effectively support children's individual routines and care needs, to ensure they experience continuity.

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

Children are provided with a warm, welcoming and stimulating learning environment in which they are happy, eager and motivated to learn. The childminder's well-resourced home provides a motivating and comfortable environment where children can make many choices. She provides a wealth of resources, both natural and man-made, for children to investigate and explore. Furthermore, there are extensive resources promoting diversity and imaginative play. Most resources are stored at a low level, making it easy for children to choose the equipment they want. Children are very polite and well-mannered because the behavioural rules are fully embedded. Reminders and positive reinforcement mean children receive consistent messages. The childminder is skilled in developing children's independence and learning during play and daily routines. For example, young children help prepare the table and can independently pour their own drinks and cut their fruit at

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

snack time. The childminder talks about what they are doing so that children understand risks. As a result, they recognise hazards and understand the need to do things differently to keep safe. For example, children are reminded how to be safe when using scissors. The childminder holds a paediatric first-aid qualification to ensure she deals with accidents appropriately. Children comply fully with expectations and learn to keep themselves extremely safe in an emergency through practising the escape plans. Becoming increasingly safety aware, making friends and learning self-care skills mean children gain essential skills and attitudes to support their future move to other settings or to school.

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

Exceptionally good attention to hygiene practices and healthy lifestyles is apparent at all times. The childminder teaches children about the importance of washing their hands at particular times of the day. Children benefit from plenty of fresh air and physical exercise either in the back garden or in local parks and woods. The childminder plans daily use of the outdoor area in all weathers to enhance children's all-round learning. They delight in being outdoors, and using the local community for trips and outings, which further promotes aspects of their physical play. They have great fun on rainy days wearing their boots and all-weather suits. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious meals. A variety of fresh fruit is provided at snack time. Children's independence is promoted as they peel their own bananas with eagerness and perseverance. The childminder talks to the children about which foods are good for them and provides a range of freshly home-cooked meals in the

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provision

The childminder is very motivated to provide high quality care for children. She evaluates her practice well and uses this process to reflect on her strengths, and to identify areas to develop. She is inspirational and has a strong drive for development. Her self-evaluation systems work very effectively and this results in strong practice. The childminder has a strong understanding of her responsibility to safeguard the children in her care. She has a detailed safeguarding policy and complaints procedure, which she shares with the parents. The childminder's home is safe, secure and very well organised. She completes robust risk assessments to identify and minimise potential hazards. All of these arrangements help to promote children's safety and welfare.

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provision

The childminder has an exceptional understanding of the learning and development requirements. She has an excellent oversight of children's needs and emerging skills, which allows her to match the planning closely to their individual next steps. The childminder tracks children's progress effectively and provides parents with summary achievement reports. The childminder goes above and beyond her job role to ensure children's individual needs are met fully. Clear arrangements are in place to work closely with the other settings attended by some children. The childminder is able to evidence how these arrangements are used to provide emotional support and continuity of care and education for the children. Since the childminder's last inspection, she has achieved a level three diploma in early years. In addition, she has attended many courses such as, forest schooling, outdoor play, behaviour management, and safeguarding to improve her

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provision

knowledge and practice. These positive steps enable her to build quality into the service, which she provides for parents and children.

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provision

Children's needs are quickly identified and exceptionally well met through highly effective relationships with parents. The childminder communicates with parents each day verbally and electronically. Positive written feedback from parents indicates they are extremely happy with the care their children receive. Parents say, 'We love the fact that this is a Montessori-led setting and that the childminder encourages the children to be independent, whilst developing their curiosity about the world around them and they spend so much time outdoors. We receive fantastic communication from newsletters, emails, texts and of course the wonderful computer system which keeps us instantly up to date with what the children have achieved and are doing, as well as which learning and development milestones have been reached and fantastic photos of their activities'. Another parent states, 'The childminder puts on a varied and stimulating programme of

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provision

activities. Every week the children go to a range of parks and playgroups. In addition they visit museums, libraries, garden centres and other places of interest. While at home, the children are involved in lots of different enjoyable and educational activities. She seems to come up with fresh ideas every year. Her enthusiasm for new ideas and also for new approaches to caring for the children is one of the many characteristics that make her so exceptional'.

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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 EY358682 Local authority Reading Inspection number 828725 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 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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