Childminder in Milton Keynes

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/11/2014 29/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder's kind and caring approach means that children are very happy and well cared for.  The childminder knows the children extremely well and her effective systems to plan for their ongoing development means that they make good progress in their learning and development.  Children play in a clean and safe environment where they learn to keep themselves safe through daily routines and activities.  Children benefit from the strong partnerships that exist between the childminder and their parents.  The childminder spends time reflecting on her childminding service to make continuous improvements and, therefore, improve outcomes for children and their families.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not fully enhance children's interest in books, for example, through using additional resources, such as story sacks, props and puppets.  The childminder does not fully extend children's play outdoors by offering more resources to encourage their all-round development.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the lounge.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2008. She lives with her husband and adult daughter in Crownhill, Milton Keynes. The whole of the ground floor of the house and first floor sleep facilities are available for childminding. There is a garden for outside play. The family has a cat. The childminder walks and drives to local schools to take and collect children and she attends the local pre-school groups. The childminder's provision is open all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for family holidays agreed in advance. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is currently minding six children, four of whom are in the early years age range. The childminder holds a National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in Children's Care, Learning and Development.

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

 strengthen children's interest in books by providing different props and resources to engage them

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

 extend the resources outdoors to further support children's imagination and physical play experiences.

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who attend

The childminder's homely learning environment and kind interactions help young children make good progress in their learning and development. Children help themselves to a very good range of quality toys and resources, which are set out in low-level boxes for them to choose independently. The motivated childminder uses effective teaching techniques to promote children's involvement in a variety of worthwhile activities. She has a good knowledge of how children learn and progress, and their individual interests. This means that planned activities capture the children's interest so they are curious to explore and initiate their own learning.

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who attend

The childminder successfully plans exciting activities with a good range of resources to extend children's learning. For example, during the inspection, the childminder set up a tray of cornflour and water mix for children to explore and she used effective teaching techniques such as questioning, suggesting and demonstrating tasks. The childminder introduced discussions about colour, number, size and shape to extend the children's early understanding of mathematics. She also provided good opportunities for babies and young children to develop their communication and language skills as she used repetitive words such as 'drip, drip, drip' and introduced descriptive words such as 'squishy' and 'squidgy'. The childminder chatted to the children during their chosen activities and she gave them time to think and respond. At times, the childminder sits back and observes the children playing, which allows them time to explore and discover on their own.

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who attend

Children observe words and letters in their play environment so they begin to understand that print carries meaning. They enjoy looking at books and listening to stories in the cosy book corner. However, the childminder does not provide additional props and resources to further encourage children's enjoyment of books and to enhance parents' involvement in their children's learning. Children write for a purpose, such as shopping lists, during make- believe play. They show a keen interest in making marks with pencils and crayons in preparation for early writing skills. Children increase their physical skills in the garden as, for example, they ride tricycles and push-along toys. However, the childminder misses some opportunities to enhance outdoor play experiences to extend children's physical development and imagination.

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who attend

The childminder teaches children about the world in which they live. They visit the woods to collect leaves and twigs to make collages, enjoy feeding the ducks, and visit the library. The childminder provides different toys and resources to help children to find out how things work. For example, they use binoculars and magnifying glasses to look at insects in the garden. Younger children find out how things work as they press buttons, wind knobs and pull levers on different toys. Children enjoy celebrating different festivals and play with toys and resources to support their understanding of diversity. The childminder encourages children to be imaginative as they act out story lines with dolls in the doll's house, sing their hat song and wear different hats, make tea, and play musical instruments such as the rain maker. The childminder enables children to become inquisitive and curious learners, and she prepares them well for the next stage of their

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

The childminder establishes close relationships with children so they feel safe and secure in her care. She finds out all she can from parents about their child's needs during the settling-in time to help her meet their needs when they are left in her care. Children are very happy and the childminder's clear explanations and boundaries help young children to begin to manage their own behaviour. The childminder praises the children for the smallest of achievements, which develops their confidence and self-esteem. This prepares them well socially and emotionally for the next stage of learning. The childminder has a good range of furniture and equipment to meet the individual needs of all children, including babies, for example, a high chair, travel cots and nappy-changing facilities.

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

The childminder promotes the children's health and well-being effectively. She is very organised and maintains accurate records of accidents and the administration of medication. The childminder is qualified to administer first aid in an emergency situation and she has a contingency plan in place. Parents provide children's food and the childminder offers regular drinks so that children remain hydrated throughout the day. Children learn good hygiene practices as they wash their hands before eating and after playing in the garden. Children enjoy daily fresh air and exercise. They learn to keep safe as the childminder encourages and supports them to develop their physical skills on apparatus when climbing at the park. In addition, children learn about road safety and stranger danger, and practise the emergency evacuation procedure. Therefore, the childminder successfully promotes the well-being of the children.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Her policies and procedures underpin her good childminding service. The childminder keeps up to date with safeguarding training so she has current knowledge of how to protect children in her care. The childminder carries out risk assessments of her home and other environments that the children use. She takes steps to minimise possible hazards, such as installing safety gates and fire-detection equipment. This helps ensure children are safe and secure. The childminder has good systems to monitor the effectiveness of her provision through self-evaluation, information from parent questionnaires and talking to the children. She accurately identifies her strengths and areas for future development, and has a strong capacity to make continuous improvement. The childminder keeps updated with necessary changes and

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provision

attends training courses to further enhance her knowledge and skills to benefit the children in her care.

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provision

The childminder is very aware of her responsibility to deliver the learning and development requirements. She has thorough systems in place for assessing the children's progress and completing the progress check for two-year-old children. The childminder uses relevant guidance to help her make secure judgements about how the children are progressing to identify their next steps for learning, and she shares this information with parents. The childminder works closely with parents and other early years settings that the children attend to help her complement their learning in her care. Parents access many photographs of their children playing through the on-line secure communication system used by the childminder. This system enables parents to share their child's activities and progress from their home environment so the childminder can extend these in her setting.

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provision

The childminder develops meaningful relationships with parents and she works closely with them to establish individual ways of working. Parents' comments in questionnaires are very complimentary about the service they receive. They praise the childminder for being very calm and loving towards their children and state their children look forward to going to, and playing at, the childminder's home. All of the required paperwork is well- organised and maintained accurately. The childminder provides a newsletter, which also keeps parents up to date about her childminding service. Children are very happy as they have fun and learn through play.

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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 EY382868 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 829813 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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