Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/11/2014 27/04/2012

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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 quality of teaching is excellent. The childminder has an extremely detailed knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of how children learn. Her accurate record keeping and assessment procedures mean that children make exceptional progress in relation to their starting points.  The childminder places a high priority on maintaining security and keeping all children safe from harm. Safeguarding procedures are robust and well embedded. As a consequence, children are protected and effectively safeguarded.  The childminder fosters warm, secure and nurturing relationships with the children. She works very closely with parents and carers, sharing the care of the children. As a result, the children are happy, confident, active learners, who are able to think critically for themselves.  Children clearly enjoy their time at this setting. The childminder provides an interesting

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This provision is outstanding

and appealing environment where children are able to make choices about what they do, promoting their curiosity and exploratory skills.  The childminder is inspirational. Her detailed self-evaluation of her provision is in place, highlighting her strengths and commitment to continuous improvement. This means that children thrive in an ever improving and stimulating learning environment.

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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 children playing in the main room and outside, including adult-led and child-initiated activities.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the evidence of suitability of adults living in the setting, the safeguarding policy and procedures, complaint policy and the self-evaluation systems that support the service.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector asked the childminder about the children's safety and supervision, outings, behaviour management and discussed the activities observed during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the parental questionnaires and both letters and cards provided by the parents of the minded children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the childminder's training and sampled a selection of written policies, documentation, children's learning journals, observations and assessment records.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2011 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two adult children in a semi-detached house in Lancaster, Lancashire. She operates all year round, from 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Thursday, except for family holidays. One main room on the ground floor is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden area for outside play. There are currently eight children on roll. Of these, six are in the early years age range and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder is accredited and has an appropriate qualification at level 3. She receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and is also a registered nurse for learning disabilities. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and

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Information about the setting

Early Years and the Bay Childminding Network. She works in partnership with both local children's centres and toddler groups and receives support from the local authority.

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

 enable children to have even greater flexibility within their creative activities.

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who attend

The quality of the teaching is excellent. The childminder is highly effective at meeting the children's individual needs and interests. She is thoroughly professional in her approach to her service and is very knowledgeable about how children learn and develop. She knows her children extremely well, and offers them a nurturing and motivating experience. The clear focus and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage mean that children's chances to progress their learning are exceptional. The childminder provides a rich and varied range of activities and experiences, both indoors and outdoors. Consequently, children have many opportunities to learn and develop their independence. She has a thorough understanding of how children learn, planning activities and events that excite and motivate them, supporting their progress. The childminder has very high expectations of herself and of the children in her care. She speaks in a calm and reassuring way. As a

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who attend

result, children become very engaged and participate in activities, making extremely good progress in all areas of learning and development. The childminder's assessment and record keeping are rigorous. She gathers valuable information from the parents when children start, noting details about their likes, dislikes, care routines and current interests. This enables her to plan appropriate activities that meet the individual children's needs. Using evidence from her observations, the childminder updates the children's learning journals, monitoring their progress against guidance documents. These records provide parents with an accurately documented account of the activities and experiences provided and of the time spent with her. The childminder makes detailed observations of children during their play, where she identifies new skills and developing interests. She then adapts her planning to include further inspiring experiences and to target children's individual

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who attend

needs. The childminder then shares information about the children's learning and progress with the parents, noting any comments received. As a consequence, parents feel valued, respected and fully engaged in their children's learning.

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who attend

The childminder becomes actively involved in the play experiences and provides excellent support to children as they play and explore this interesting, welcoming, child-friendly learning environment. She is very aware of their changing needs and is genuinely interested in what the children share with her. This means that their communication skills and language development are exceedingly well supported. Aware of their individual learning styles, the childminder encourages children to explore, have a go and try out new things. For example, she supports children digging in the soil outside. This means that children learn about the world through sensory play. Throughout the activities the childminder ensures that the conversation flows freely by interacting with the children. She talks about what she is doing with younger children, especially when their responses are limited. In addition, she uses a variety of questioning techniques to promote the

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who attend

children's use of language and extend their critical thinking. For example, when the children are tossing pancakes in the home corner, she asks, 'What do you have with your pancakes? Consequently, their language development and communications skills are extremely well supported. Displays and photographs reflect the wealth of quality experiences offered by the childminder. However, on occasions children use templates and this does not maximise their creativity. Children receive positive and nurturing support from the childminder, who gives them praise and encouragement all of the time. Her calm approach ensures that children remain engaged and engrossed in their learning. For example, younger children enjoy toddling around the decking area. Older children delight in tossing pancakes in the home corner and giggle as they scrunch their hands into the soil during outdoor play. The environment is appealing, well-resourced and

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who attend

developmentally appropriate. As a result, children make exceptional progress in all areas of learning.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are extremely strong and valued. The childminder shares children's learning on a daily basis, using the preferred methods of the families. Her daily diary provides parents with detailed information about the children's care routines and significant experiences. Consequently, parents feel that their contributions are highly valued and that they are active and equal partners in the care and education of their children. In addition, they are better prepared to be able to extend the children's learning at home to fully support their progress. The childminder supports school readiness by getting children to talk about their activities, by sharing stories and by encouraging the development of self-help skills throughout the day. This means that their learning experiences are well supported.

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

The childminder has extremely detailed knowledge of the children and of their individual learning styles, interests and care needs. Her environment is very friendly, vibrant and welcoming. As a result, children settle in very easily and are happy and relaxed. The childminder has developed very strong bonds and close emotional attachments with the children. When they are unsure, she reassures them in a calm, warm and very caring manner. The childminder has a clear and highly flexible settling-in process, which helps the children to feel secure and form superior attachments. Her individual approach is appreciated by parents during this sensitive period. As a result, strong and professional relationships develop between the parents and the childminder. Children feel safe and emotionally very secure because the childminder has excellent understanding of children's individual needs and routines, making highly effective use of the information given by the

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

parents. Children enjoy an exceptional strong sense of belonging in this home-from-home environment.

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

The childminder places the utmost importance on maintaining a high level of health and safety while with the minded children. Consistent routines mean that children effectively learn about self-care and personal hygiene. Children have the use of their own towels and they wash and dry their hands before eating food, 'to get rid of any germs'. Young children let the childminder know when they become tired and settle down quickly for a nap after lunch. As a consequence, children's well-being and health are maintained and promoted. The childminder manages nappy changing and toileting very well, talking to the children consistently as she cares for them. Children have numerous opportunities to choose for themselves and develop self-help skills. For example, they decide which cups and plates they will use at mealtimes and try to put their own wellington boots on before going outside to play. This means that children are highly independent and become active

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

learners with a can-do attitude. The childminder offers children healthy food and drinks throughout the day, such as oranges, grapes, apples and water or milk for a snack. Children enjoy eating cheese sandwiches with pieces of tomato, cucumber and red pepper for their lunch. The childminder promotes good manners consistently as she interacts with the children. As a result, children understand about healthy living and develop extremely positive social skills. The childminder has a very consistent approach to positive behaviour management. She is an exceedingly good role model and supports children's social and emotional development very effectively by using facial gestures, verbal praise and clapping. She speaks calmly and firmly, gets down to children's level and uses eye contact exceptionally well. For example, older children are reminded to share the toys with the younger ones. As a result, children learn about acceptable boundaries and what is

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

The childminder is highly conscious of health and safety procedures. She has extremely robust written procedures and detailed risk assessments in place and checks the identity of adults who visit the home. Therefore, children are kept safe from harm. The premises are exceptionally clean and tidy and she uses keys to access areas that might pose a danger to the minded children. Children learn to take safe risks as they negotiate space and height on steps and climbing equipment. This means that children become confident and capable learners as they learn to manage risks in their play. The childminder understands the careful preparation that is needed to help move children into school. She supports them in this transition by liaising with both pre-school and school staff and by having focused discussions with parents. As a result, the move to school is as seamless as possible.

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provision

The childminder has an excellent understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has an exceptional working knowledge of safeguarding and child protection procedures. She is very clear about recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse and knows who to contact if she has a concern about a child or has a complaint made against her. This ensures that children are safeguarded while in her care. Thorough and highly robust written policies and procedures are in place, which cover all the areas of the childminder's practice. She then shares these with parents and reviews them annually or earlier if needed. The childminder is very dedicated in her approach to health and safety. She has compiled extremely comprehensive written risk assessments for her practice, both indoors, outside and for a variety of outings, including visits to other people's homes. Children take part in emergency evacuations and the childminder

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provision

completes health and safety checks, supporting children's ongoing safety and welfare. Consequently, children receive the best care possible.

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provision

The childminder values the importance of working to improve the care and education of the children. She is totally dedicated in her approach and fully committed to providing a high level of service for all the children in her care. She is an experienced practitioner, who transfers her skills to her work as a professional childminder. The activities, experiences and programmes that she provides for children are purposeful, innovative and totally appropriate for their age and stage of development. The childminder tracks the progress of the minded children meticulously and any gaps are identified quickly and addressed. As a result, all the children can be involved in their learning and challenged appropriately as they make progress. The children's learning journals provide a consistently accurate and detailed record of their learning experiences and achievements and have clear links to all the areas of learning. The childminder makes appropriate use of

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provision

observations, recording how well children are playing and exploring, actively learning and thinking critically. The childminder's self-evaluation is an open and accurate reflection of her daily practice. She is able to pinpoint areas that she wishes to develop even further. She wishes, for example, to make more improvements to the outdoor play area. As a result, children are supported well to extend their learning and development in a safe environment. She consistently reviews the quality of her teaching and of the children's learning. This approach is exemplary and she has high expectations of her current practice. The childminder is totally committed to extending her own professional development and accesses training on a regular basis. Consequently, children have more opportunities to make progress, according to their relative starting points.

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provision

The childminder has highly effective working relationships with parents and carers. She gives them verbal feedback and completes a daily diary, sharing relevant information about their child's unique care needs, achievements and experiences. This efficient record- keeping ensures that parents make a very strong contribution to effective partnership working for the benefit of their children's learning and development. The childminder has highly efficient arrangements for information sharing with parents, for example, verbally, by text, telephone or email. She strengthens further partnerships in the community by taking the children to visit toddler groups and liaising with other professionals in local children's centres. As a result, children are offered wider opportunities to develop their social skills and learn about the world around them. The childminder uses questionnaires effectively to gauge the views of parents and carers. Cards and letters of support from

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provision

parents speak very highly of the childminder's practice. Comments from these include, 'Our little girl has flourished in your hands' and 'You have helped her to blossom'. Consequently, both the childminder's service and children's care are promoted and celebrated.

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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 EY432892 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 874583 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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