Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/11/2014 18/11/2008

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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 quality of teaching is good. The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how children learn. Her accurate assessment procedures and planning mean that children make good progress in relation to their starting points.  Children are very content and happy within the childminder's care. It is clear that they have established warm and trusting relationships with her and their behaviour is good and managed well.  Children are very well safeguarded. This is because the childminder has robust procedures and safety practices routinely in place to ensure children's welfare is a priority.  The childminder places high priority on keeping parents informed about their children's well being, through text messages and daily verbal communication. As a result, appropriate information is shared and children's care needs are effectively met.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder provides fewer opportunities for children to explore and investigate natural resources to further enrich their independent learning.  There is room to build on the already good partnerships with parents by promoting the importance of home learning for children even further.

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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 had a tour of the areas of the premises used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and spoke to the childminder at appropriate opportunities.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at assessment records and planning documentation used to support children's learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability of the members of the household, the childminder's qualifications and her self-evaluation documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1998 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and three children close to the centre of Nelson, Lancashire. The family have a pet dog and cat. The front lounge, rear yard, bathroom and front bedroom are used for childminding. Activities outside the home feature daily and the childminder visits local childminding groups, toddler groups, local children's centres and parks. There are currently three children on roll, two of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder supports children for whom English is an additional language. The childminder operates all year round from 7.30 to 6pm. She is a member of Children Come First quality assurance scheme.

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

 enhance the resources to further enrich children's exploration and independent learning; for example, by introducing natural items and collections that can be played with in different ways

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

 strengthen partnerships with parents further by focusing more precisely on developing a shared approach to children's learning by providing enhanced information about how they can continue this at home.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. As children attend settling in visits, the childminder ensures she gathers detailed information on children's learning and care needs. This provides her with details of children's likes, preferences and interests, enabling her to plan purposeful and interesting play activities which support children's learning from the start. She keeps detailed observation and assessment files of children's skills. These include a wealth of photographs that capture and document children's achievements. The childminder regularly reviews children's progress and makes plans around their interests and abilities. For example, she provides a varied selection of writing tools and brushes to support children's interests in mark making. The childminder also completes a progress check for children aged between two and three years. This carefully outlines the child's

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who attend

development and enables the childminder to see if there are any gaps in a child's learning at an early stage so she can address these.

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who attend

The childminder purposefully extends children's language and vocabulary while young children play. For example, during a painting activity the childminder repeats words, such as the names of colours and shapes, and children begin to develop language skills as they repeat these and relate them to their painting. The childminder works closely with parents to support children who speak English as an additional language by offering opportunities to use their home language as a way of aiding their developing use of English. For example, the childminder uses bilingual books, flashcards and words to help children communicate their needs. Consequently all children are making good progress as their learning needs are met. Children develop an early awareness of how to use technological equipment. They play mark making and matching games and search for information on a computer tablet. The childminder routinely introduces mathematical concepts into

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who attend

children's play. For example, during play with lentils the childminder talks to the children about empty and full. Children enjoy mark making and have access to a range of mark making resources, such as, crayons, markers and paint. This means that they are developing skills they need in preparation for school.

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who attend

The childminder uses a broad range of activities provided within her local community to cover all seven areas of learning. She regularly takes the children to the library to source a variety of books and attends groups at her local Children's Centre. As a result, younger children are provided with opportunities to play in larger groups promoting their personal, social and emotional development while developing positive friendships at an early age.

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

The childminder has a warm and friendly manner which enables children to settle quickly and form close relationships with her. Her home is welcoming, stimulating and well organised. She helps children settle quickly by offering settling-in visits and increasing the time they are left with her gradually. She works closely with parents, sharing information about their child's care needs and routines to enable her to provide these in her setting. This helps to ensure that children are in a familiar routine and feel secure. She sets time aside each day to talk to parents about how their child has been and discusses any developing needs or changes that are needed to routines. By doing so, she ensures children receive continuity of care between her setting and home.

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

There are many examples of children's own creative work on display alongside photographs to remind children of past activities and friends. This provides children with a sense of belonging and promotes their self-esteem. Children help themselves to a wide range of toys and activities to meet their individual needs and interests. For example, children choose their own art materials to create a colourful collage picture. This supports their all-round development and emotional well-being. Children's behaviour is very good because the childminder gives them encouragement and praise for their achievements, which promotes their self-esteem further and develops their confidence. The childminder sits with them as they play and shows a genuine interest in what they are doing. She is attentive towards their needs and recognises when children are hungry and in need of their snack. Children demonstrate they are very happy in the childminder's care as they

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

spontaneously climb onto her knee to give her cuddles.

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

Healthy meals and snacks are offered and children have access to drinking water at all times. Good hygiene routines are in place, which promote children's good health. For example, before snack time children know to get an antibacterial wipe and clean their hands thoroughly. Although the childminder does not have an outdoor play area, children receive plenty of fresh air and exercise and this contributes greatly to their physical health and well-being. They go for walks and visit the local park to use different large play equipment to challenge them further and learn how to manage risks. This also provides good opportunities for children to explore the community and to learn about the world. Regular outings to the toddler group are purposefully planned to help develop confidence and independence as children become aware of others.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She places a high priority on keeping children safe and, in order to minimise hazards, carries out detailed risk assessments as part of her daily routine. The childminder has a very good understanding of safeguarding and what to do should she have any concerns about a child in her care and how to work with other agencies to protect children.

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provision

The childminder has a very secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Through regular observations, she skilfully tracks children's progress through purposeful observation and assessment. She is able to identify exactly where children are making less obvious progress and plan supportive experiences to address these areas and close any gaps in learning. Each week she plans what children need to learn next, using the previous week's observations so that no child falls behind and all children receive good levels of challenge. Information on children's progress is shared with parents through daily, verbal feedback and text messages. However, information and ideas about how to continue children's learning at home is not consistently provided to ensure a shared approach and continuity in children's leaning.

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provision

Self-evaluation is good. The childminder accesses support from the local authority to help her to evaluate her practice and she works with a childminder co-ordinator to develop and share good practice. She attends regular training courses in order to update her knowledge and skills. For example, training on assessments and learning journals has resulted in effective documentation of children's learning and next steps. The childminder shares her written policies and procedures with parents to make them aware of her practices. She regularly seeks their views to help influence the improvements she makes to her setting. Parents speak very highly of the childminder, commenting that, 'She goes above and beyond' and 'We could not find better.' The childminder also has links with a local children's centre, nursery and school.

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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 308699 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 867824 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 3

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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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