Childminder in Kingston upon Thames

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/11/2014 01/10/2009

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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 has a strong understanding of children's social and emotional needs and meets these exceptionally well. Children are very happy and receptive to the childminder's kind, gentle and friendly approach and show high-levels of emotional security.  The childminder has effective systems in place to assess, track and plan for children's progress. She supports their physical development particularly well through planned indoor and outdoor activities, and their communication and language development by engaging them in stimulating conversations that encourage critical thinking.  The childminder works in close partnership with parents, and children's nursery and school teachers, to meet children's individual welfare, learning and development needs. She ensures that information about children's learning and development is very well shared.  The childminder has a positive attitude towards ongoing development to improve

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder's planning for home-based outdoor play and learning is not fully developed to include all areas of learning.

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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 play indoors and in the garden, and involved the childminder in the process  The inspector discussed the childminder's practice with her.  The inspector sampled a range of the childminder's records and documentation.  The inspector spoke to two parents and took full account of their views

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2000. She lives with her husband and three adult children in Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey. The premises are situated between New Malden and Kingston town centre. The childminder is able to provide before and after school care for children attending Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School. The ground floor of the home is used for childminding and there is a secure garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has six children on roll in the early years age range, three of whom attend full-time school. The childminder also cares for two children age over eight, before and after school.

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

 make more use of the garden to support all areas of learning. For example, consider ways to support literacy and maths, and provide for children to engage in science experiments.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of child development and how children learn through play and practical experiences. She has established effective procedures for assessing children's starting points on entry, for tracking and planning for their continuous learning, and for completing the progress check on children between the age of two and three years. The childminder shares all the information she gathers with parents and with children's nursery, or school, teachers, if they attend these settings. This good level of communication means that children receive consistent, but complementary, support from their different settings. For example, when children show reluctance to use pencils in school, the childminder takes them to parks with sand pits so they can use their fingers and sticks to practise marking out their name.

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who attend

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals and so are well prepared for school. The childminder provides a good balance of adult-supported activities and opportunities for children to initiate and lead their own play. For example, on the day of inspection a preschool age child concentrated for a lengthy period while creating his own representation of his mummy, using connecting building bricks. The childminder made positive comments and asked questions to encourage the child to think how to represent the face using the solid bricks. She also prompted the child's thinking about size and balance, resulting in them determining 'It's a bit tall'. Questions such as these effectively challenge children to think for themselves and to use language to reason and produce something that is completely their own work. The childminder used a similar skill later on to enable a child to retrieve a toy golf club that had got stuck in the washing line.

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who attend

Consequently, the child stood on tiptoe and reached up high to knock it down. The sense of achievement etched on the child's face was heart-warming.

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who attend

The childminder takes children on outings to exciting and interesting places, to support their learning and development. For example, they went London to experience the thrill of playing on a giant, wooden, pirate ship, followed by a ride on the London Eye to observe all the famous landmarks. Children learn about and handle animals through regular visits to the farm and local pet shop. Although children engage in a very good level of physical play in the garden, there is less opportunity for them to access areas of learning such as maths and literacy, or to engage in science-based experiments.

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who attend

The childminder helps young children build their vocabulary by naming objects and repeating words they say properly, without correcting children. She encourages their listening and attention during stories, and when singing rhymes, by encouraging children to act them out and use props. For example, older children build a wall using bricks and pretend to be horses, when they sing the 'Humpty Dumpty' rhyme. The childminder introduces young children to creative design, with simple activities such as making sheep using cotton wool. As they get older, she plans small-scale projects, such as making a robot out of card and foil.

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

Parents describe this childminder as 'caring, attentive, good humoured, energetic and creative in filling children's time'. They say children have excellent relationships with her and her family. The childminder's home is warm, welcoming, well maintained, and equipped with toys and learning resources to meet children's individual needs. Her settling-in procedure is particularly well thought through to minimise any parent-child separation anxiety. For example, she first arranges to meet parents and children a few times at stay-and-play groups, which is neutral territory for children. She uses this opportunity to find out all about children's personalities, care routines and capabilities. Parents then bring children to visit the childminder in her home and, after a couple of short visits, they begin to leave children with her for increasing periods. The childminder models kindness and is described by parents as being exceptionally fair and gentle in the

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

way that she manages minor squabbles between children. Relationships between the children are much like that of siblings. Older children look out for younger children, who are always keen to be with them, and children are generally very kind and caring towards each other. The childminder successfully teaches children about safety. For example, she promotes fire safety through stories and practising the evacuation procedure. She teaches children how to climb trees safely, to use knives, cross roads and what to do if they ever got lost.

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

The childminder provides children with very good opportunities to engage in physical activity. For example, she helps them to progress from riding trikes to two-wheeled bikes with stabilizers. She takes them to parks, where they confidently climb trees and balance across rope bridges. They enjoy visiting indoor soft play centres and playing football and golf with her in the garden. Children are reminded to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. The childminder eats with children and talks to them about healthy foods. Parents say she is very successful at persuading children to eat vegetables and try new things. The childminder prepares children both practically and emotionally for school. For example, she takes them to community stay-and-play sessions to get used to socialising with larger groups of children, she teaches them how to put on their on their own shoes and how to feed themselves, using cutlery properly.

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provision

The childminder's knowledge and understanding of the welfare and learning and development requirements is secure. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is well tracked and planned for. Children's welfare is safeguarded well. The childminder carries out effective risk assessments on her premises and has suitable procedures in place for keeping children safe on outings. All required records and documentation are maintained. The childminder is clear about the procedure to follow if she is concerned about a child's welfare. The childminder organises her time and space well to provide children with a variety of activities and experiences that enable them to develop their knowledge and skills.

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provision

The childminder has well-established and effective processes in place for working in partnership with parents and the other settings children attend. She keeps parents informed about children's daily experiences by sending them photographs and videos. She also notes down any special moments to celebrate, such as when children learn a new word or master a new skill. The childminder provides parents with clear information about the early Years Foundation Stage. She also passes on what she learns herself, from her daughter who is studying child development, and from training. As a result, to support the development of children's speech and language, everyone is making sure they use proper words, for instance 'dog' not 'doggy'.

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provision

Following the last inspection, the childminder renewed her child protection training. She attended a workshop to help her implement processes for completing assessments on children, including the progress check for two-year-old children. As a result, she is now using these effectively. The childminder also attended an 'Autism awareness day'. The childminder has been through some difficult family circumstances recently, but has remained entirely focused on providing children with good quality care. There has been little time for completing a comprehensive self-evaluation. However, the childminder reflects on her practice daily and is always looking for ways to extend children's learning. For example, she has strengthened her strategies for supporting children's speech and language. Furthermore, she has identified a priority for improvement, which is to create a digging and growing area for children in the garden. The childminder is extremely

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provision

passionate about childcare and is clearly an effective childminder, with good capacity for sustaining continuous improvement.

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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 131931 Local authority Kingston upon Thames Inspection number 842902 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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