Belmont, Nicola Jane

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/11/2014 09/11/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 The childminder and the co-childminder are actively involved in children's play, supporting their language and communication skills very well.  Children are very happy and settled, and learn good social skills which enable them to develop strong relationships with others.  Strong partnerships with parents and outside agencies means that the childminder is able to support children's all-round care and development needs well.  The childminder provides a safe and secure environment where children can play freely, and she teaches children about how to keep themselves safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children do not have many opportunities to decide whether they wish to play indoors or outside to enhance their physical development and decision making skills.  Sometimes adult-led creative tasks are too prescriptive. Children do not always have opportunities to think creatively and express themselves using a variety of media and materials.

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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 the children at play indoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the provision at appropriate times throughout the inspection with the childminder and the co-childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled paperwork, including suitability documents, children's files and policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sought the views of parents through comments made in children's files and letters of recommendation.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder has been registered since 2011. She lives with her two sons in a house situated in Shaftesbury, Dorset. Children use a lounge, kitchen/diner and toilet downstairs and two bedrooms, a bathroom and a playroom upstairs. There is a garden area at the back of the house for outside play. The childminder registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder cares for children weekdays and also offers overnight care for two children. There are currently 10 children attending in the early years age range.

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

 extend opportunities for children to move freely between indoors and outdoors to further enhance their decision making skills and physical development

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

 extend opportunities for children to independently select and use a wide range of media and materials in order to represent and express their own creative ideas.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's learning well through her genuine involvement and interactions as they play. She shows a keen interest in what children have to say, asking them to talk about their experiences and reflecting on past events. This encourages children to be confident communicators and use an increasingly wide range of vocabulary. For example, they talked about animals that they previously looked at in books. This stimulated conversations and led the childminder to teach the children the sign language actions for the animals. These methods of communication help all children to understand and learn about different ways of interacting with each other. The childminder teaches the children to participate in group activities and these focussed times support many areas of learning. For example, children counted each other at registration and the childminder asked 'How many people are there in your family?' Children sung along to the days of the

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who attend

week song and talked about the weather. This focussed learning helped them to understand the world and promoted their mathematical development. This is further stimulated throughout the session as the childminder and the co-childminder skilfully home in on individual learning. Children learned about colours, size and comparison when they prepared their snack. During the creative tasks, the childminder offered direction for children create a rainbow. However, the resources, intervention and direction limited the children's opportunities to think creatively and express themselves. Children did not have the chance to create their version of the rainbow using their own ideas. There are many opportunities for children to engage in imaginary play and use technological toys to support their play scenarios. Children are confident and active learners as they explore and find resources that support their ideas and interests. As a result, the children are

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who attend

motivated and excited to learn and are supported wholeheartedly by the childminder and co-childminder. Although the children have plenty of space to move around and develop physically, children did not play outside on the day of inspection. They are not encouraged to make decisions about when they play outside. This limits the opportunities for children who learn better outside and reduces opportunities for them to enjoy the benefits of space and fresh air.

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who attend

The childminder and co-childminder work together to gather detailed information about children's learning from parents prior to them starting. She updates this by gathering significant comments from parents and other early years settings children attend, to make sure there is accurate and current information. This, along with frequent observations as children play, helps her to plan and provide activities. These planned tasks reflect children's interests and build on what they already know and can do. This supports children's all-round development and prepares them well for the next stage in their learning. The childminder monitors children's progress closely, helping her to identify and address any gaps in their learning. She completes the required progress check for two- year-old children, sharing information with parents and other professionals as necessary. Parents are fully involved in children's learning. They receive daily feedback from the

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who attend

childminder about their children's activities, and meet with her to discuss children's learning records and next steps on a regular basis. The childminder offers communication that suits different parents best; some use a daily diary and some use daily observation sheets to share information. This ensures she is fully supportive of what works well for each family. This encourages everyone to be involved in supporting children's learning at home.

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

Children settle well in the welcoming family home environment. They form strong bonds with the childminder and the co-childminder, as they work together to exchange information about children's individual care and learning needs well. These individual care needs mirror parents' wishes and this gives children a secure base to nurture during their settling-in period. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement from the childminder as they play, which gives them confidence to explore and experiment. The childminder teaches children how to share and take turns. This helps them to form good relationships with their peers and increase skills that will help in the next stage of their learning, such as going to school. The childminder encourages children to become independent; they prepare their snack using tools which support their emerging self-care skills and confidence.

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

The childminder follows effective procedures to help keep children safe. She organises them well and reviews them regularly to make sure the environment is suitable to meet the needs of the children. The childminder teaches children about road safety when they are out in the local community. She explains to them how they prevent trips and falls as they help her to tidy away toys they have finished playing with. This means children are becoming aware of keeping themselves safe. The childminder follows good practices that support children's health and reduce the risk of cross infection. Children benefit from having healthy snacks and meals. This inspires them to make positive choices in their diet to promote their long-term health and well-being.

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

The childminder provides children with a good range of interesting, stimulating toys and resources. Many of the toys are easily accessible and in the play areas around the house giving children easy access and much choice. Children go on walks in the local community and this supports their physical development and increases their awareness of the local community. Children take part in celebrating festivals and events from around the world, and access a range of resources and equipment that increases their understanding and respect of diversity.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements for both learning and development, and safeguarding and welfare. She has effective systems that help her and her co-childminder to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the provision in meeting individual children's needs. The childminder has regular visits from the local authority and uses the feedback she receives as part of her self-evaluation process. There is an emphasis on teamwork, the childminder is organised and efficient, and this is a result of rigorous reflection and a commitment to improving the provision. Recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been addressed with commitment and enthusiasm. The childminder monitors her key children's progress in all areas, and plans activities effectively to help each child reach their full potential. There is a genuine drive to improve the provision continually and the childminder ensures her

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a definite understanding of her role and responsibility with regard to safeguarding children. She is fully aware of possible signs and symptoms that may give her cause for concern. She is clear about the procedures she must follow if there is a concern and this keeps children safe. The childminder regularly updates the policies and procedures, demonstrating how she keeps the provision efficient and she shares these with parents. For example, she has and implements robust policies about the restricted use of technology such as mobile phones, cameras and social media, to help keep children safe.

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provision

The childminder establishes confident, professional working relationships with parents. She encourages them to share what they know about their child, so that she fully understands and can respect children's individual needs and families' preferences. She informs parents about daily events and provides them with information about the types of activities children have enjoyed through discussions or written records. The childminder establishes good links with others who provide care for the children. She shares information about her observations and children's routines, helping them all to work consistently to support individual children's needs.

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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 EY426921 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 845388 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 10

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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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