Childminder in Stockport

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/11/2014 09/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 3 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 an excellent knowledge of how children learn. She provides a rich, varied and imaginative educational programme, with precise assessment and planning for individual children. Consequently, children consistently make excellent progress in relation to their starting points.  Children are highly confident and show an excellent level of independence for their age, as a result of the childminder's practice and a carefully organised learning environment. They show superb cooperative skills when playing together.  The childminder is highly skilled and sensitive and helps children to form extremely close emotional attachments and feel very secure within the setting. This provides an exceptionally strong foundation to enable them to develop their independence and motivates them to explore.  The childminder demonstrates an excellent knowledge and understanding of her responsibility to ensure children are kept safe and protected from harm. The rigorous

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This provision is outstanding

implementation of robust policies and procedures successfully promotes children's safety and well-being.  Partnerships with parents and other early years providers are very strong and make a highly effective contribution to meeting all children's individual needs. Self-evaluation and reflective practice is used extremely effectively to continuously raise standards and drive improvement for the children.

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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's activities in the playroom and garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder at appropriate times and talked to children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents including a sample of policies and procedures, planning, observation and assessment systems and children's individual learning records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and the qualifications of the childminder and discussed the self-evaluation process.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from written feedback in questionnaires obtained by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008. She is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder lives with her partner, who occasionally works as an assistant, and two children in the Cheadle Heath area of Stockport, Cheshire. The whole of the ground floor and one bedroom and bathroom facilities on the first floor are used for childminding purposes. The childminder has two dogs and a cat as pets. There are currently seven children on roll, two of whom are within the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder takes children to and collects children from the local nursery and school. She operates from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6.30pm, all year round, with the exception of two weeks in May, one week at Christmas and bank holidays. The childminder receives support from the local authority.

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

 consider using photographs of family and significant people and places in children's lives to further enhance the settling-in process and to help children as they prepare for new experiences.

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who attend

The childminder has an excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and a thorough understanding of how children learn best. The whole ethos of her practice is based around children learning through play and well-planned, enjoyable and challenging experiences. As a result, children receive a very high quality learning experience from the exceptionally skilled childminder whose teaching skills are superb. The childminder provides a calm nurturing, caring environment where young children thrive and develop to their full potential. Consequently, children make consistently rapid progress in relation to their starting points. The environment is highly stimulating and exciting and organised well to enable children to make independent choices about what they want to do. For example, toys are stored in small baskets and boxes, which are attractively labelled with pictures and text to help children to select and replace them. This promotes excellent

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who attend

independence skills. Resources and activities are chosen, planned and creatively used to maximise children's development across all areas of learning. Consequently, children are thoroughly engaged in planned, purposeful play that keeps them interested and motivated to learn. For example, they squeal with excitement and delight as they play golf outdoors and clap and cheer as they successfully hit the ball into the hole.

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who attend

The childminder places an extremely sharp focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and supporting their physical, personal, social and emotional development. As a result, children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their learning and eventually, school. Children develop extremely good social skills because the childminder teaches them to play cooperatively with each other, take turns and share resources when carrying out activities. Older children are superb role models for younger children and relationships between them are very strong. For example, young children watch older children making models out of dough and try to copy their actions. Children's communication and language development is supported exceptionally well by the knowledgeable and experienced childminder. She intuitively tunes in to the individual sounds and words that children use to express themselves. The childminder provides a

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who attend

running commentary as children play and helps them to expand on what they say by introducing new words and more complex sentences. Furthermore, she quickly identifies children who have speech and language difficulties. This means that she can seek out timely interventions from external professionals if necessary and every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Children develop excellent physical skills because the outdoor space is accessible to them every day. For example, they dig in the soil, ride wheeled toys and have the space and freedom to run around and play ball games. In, addition, children access the local parks and playgroups where they use large climbing equipment. As a result, children gain the skills, abilities and attitudes that provide them with an extremely firm foundation for their future learning.

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who attend

Observations and assessments are sharply focused and precise and give an excellent picture of children's current learning. The childminder has an excellent knowledge of what children can do and how she is going to help them move on to the next stage of their development. Information is obtained from parents on entry and the childminder uses this, along with her own observations to maximum effect, to establish an extremely detailed account of children's starting points. As a result, children's unique developmental needs and interests are catered for. Children have a very detailed assessment book to show planning for the next steps in their learning and tracking sheets that evidence their rapid progress. This means that any gaps in children's learning can be quickly identified and rapidly closed. Consequently, all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential and no child is disadvantaged. Parents are fully involved in their children's learning, which

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who attend

makes a significant contribution to meeting children's individual needs. They access children's learning records at any time and are provided with a summary of their activities and progress on a regular basis. Parents contribute to assessment records and share significant experiences, interests and observations of their children's achievements at home. The childminder provides suggestions and activities to help parents to continue to support their children's learning and development. For example, she discusses new words and milestones that children have achieved in the setting so that parents can build on children's learning at home. This results in extremely strong links between home and the setting and means that partnerships with parents are highly effective. The childminder also makes excellent links with other early years providers and schools to ensure continuity of care and education and that their needs are effectively met.

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

Children share very positive relationships with the extremely skilled childminder who is caring and sensitive to each child's individual needs. They are confident and content in the childminder's home and actively seek her out for comfort if they are tired or need reassurance. The childminder spends time talking to parents in detail about their children's likes, dislikes and daily routines. She provides a highly effective settling-in process to ensure every child feels especially secure. However, the childminder has not yet fully considered using photographs of significant people and places in children's lives to help them prepare for new experiences and further enhance the settling-in process. The childminder has excellent procedures in place to support children as they move on to school. For example, she creates a role-play activity, when children dress up in school uniforms, sit down for the register and participate in short structured activities. This is a

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

highly effective way to help children learn about the expectations of school life and prepares them exceptionally well for future learning.

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

The childminder is always nearby to offer support and encouragement. This results in children being confident to try new things and participate in the high quality resources and exciting activities the setting has to offer. The childminder helps children to develop a strong sense of belonging and fosters their self-esteem as she praises them when they achieve a task. Children's artwork is attractively displayed on the walls, which results in every child feeling valued and respected. As a result, children's emotional well-being is extremely well supported. The childminder role models excellent hygiene practices and teaches children to wash their hands before eating and after they use the bathroom. She provides children with their own colour-coded hand towel to reduce the risk of cross contamination. Children demonstrate through routines that they have an excellent understanding of the importance of regular exercise, a healthy diet and attending to their

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

own personal needs. Physical exercise is positively promoted on a daily basis and children are involved in activities such as playing football, throwing and catching bean bags, regular walks and visits to local parks. The childminder provides children with excellent opportunities to rest and relax when they need to so that they are consistently refreshed and re-energised. She ensures that children are offered an excellent range of nutritious snacks and meals and encourages children to try new foods and textures. The childminder talks to children about food that is good for their bodies and helps them grow to teach them the importance of adopting healthy eating habits.

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

The childminder manages children's behaviour exceptionally well. She uses highly effective distraction techniques and clear and consistent boundaries to help children understand about appropriate behaviour. The childminder is calm and patient in her interactions and acts as an excellent role model. Any minor disagreements are dealt with according to children's age and stage of development and their level of understanding. Children demonstrate their understanding as they independently share resources and play together harmoniously. As a result, children's behaviour is consistently excellent. The childminder places a strong emphasis on the safety of children and effectively supports them to develop their understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, she talks to children about stranger danger and teaches them the rules of road safety when out walking. The childminder also organises opportunities for children to practise evacuation

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

procedures to teach them what to do in the event of an emergency. She gently reminds very young children about safety in the house, such as sitting at the table properly and tidying up resources so that they do not trip over them. Children display high levels of confidence with day to day routines and understand the procedures in place to ensure they are kept safe.

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provision

The childminder gives safeguarding a very high priority and is fully aware of her role and responsibility to ensure children are protected from harm. She has an excellent understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect, who to contact and what to do in the event of any child protection concerns. An extensive range of policies and procedures successfully underpin daily practice and regular reviews of these are carried out. Accurately maintained records also ensure children's welfare is meticulously protected. Security systems, such as, locked doors and gates and the vigilant vetting of visitors, ensure that children cannot leave the premises unsupervised and are kept safe from unwanted intruders.

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provision

The childminder has an exceptional knowledge of the educational programmes and consistent and highly accurate monitoring ensures that children experience a broad and balanced curriculum. She is very experienced and her skills are successfully translated into practice, which has a superb impact on child's learning and development. Systems for monitoring educational programmes, individual planning and assessment are robust, so that children receive a rich and varied learning experience based on their individual needs. In addition, the extremely precise system for monitoring assessments and tracking children's progress means that the achievement gap is rapidly closing.

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provision

The childminder monitors her assistant's performance through role modelling good practice, observing his interactions with the children, mentoring and coaching. She discusses his training needs and organises for him to attended relevant courses that wil help to improve his knowledge and skills. For example, he has attended first-aid training and is booked on a safeguarding course. The childminder has explained the policies to him to ensure he has a good understanding of the procedures to follow and a secure knowledge of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Self-evaluation is rigorous and highlights the strong emphasis on maintaining high levels of achievement for all children. The childminder has worked incredibly hard to improve her practice and has fully addressed the recommendations from the last inspection. This is particularly evident in the childminder's excellent knowledge and understanding of the observation and

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provision

assessment process and how to plan for children's next steps in their learning. Children and parents are involved in the self-evaluation process through questionnaires and discussions. The childminder is dedicated and passionate about her role which she demonstrates when she talks with great enthusiasm about the children in her care. She has extremely high expectations and is fully committed to improving learning outcomes for all children. The childminder continuously reflects on her practice, and evaluates the environment and the resources to ensure children's individual developmental needs and changing interests are met. She identifies her own professional development training needs and is highly committed to continue to update her knowledge and skills. For example, she sources information on new initiatives from various internet websites, works very closely with the other childminders to share good practice and ideas and welcomes

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provision

Parents are provided with a comprehensive range of information about the childminder's service. For example, they receive regular newsletters, access the parents' notice board and have continuous access to clear policies and procedures. Consequently, partnerships with parents are exceptionally strong. The childminder establishes outstanding relationships with parents, other providers and schools. Consistent communication sharing and strong links with the local nurseries and schools help ensure that children are supported exceedingly well as they move on to the next stage in their learning. Parents are highly complimentary about the childminder and the care and education their children receive. They comment that children learn new things every day and are impressed at how much progress children make, especially with regard to their speech and language development and social skills. Parents comment that children thoroughly enjoy their time

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provision

at the childminder's home and benefit emotionally from the childminder's patience and sensitivity.

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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 EY373737 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 878679 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 7

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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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