Childminder in East Sussex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/11/2014 24/11/2009

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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 forms strong attachments with children, which helps them feel secure and supports their emotional well-being.  The childminder has high expectations of children and a secure knowledge of how they learn. This means that children make good progress across the seven areas of learning and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.  Relationships with parents and other professionals are good, which helps to ensure children's learning and welfare needs are well supported.  The childminder is clear about her role in safeguarding children and is aware of the action to take and who to contact should she have any concerns regarding their welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not seek detailed information from parents about what their child knows and can do when they start at the setting, to help the childminder to enrich the planning for children's individual needs so they make good progress.

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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 and kitchen.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the childminder's understanding and knowledge of individual children with her.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's learning journeys, policies, and accident and medication forms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents from their written feedback of the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2006. She lives with her husband and their two adult children in Lewes, East Sussex. The whole ground floor is used for childminding and the enclosed back garden is available for outside activities. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder operates from 8am to 6pm for 48 weeks of the year. She currently has eight children on roll, seven of whom are in the early years age range. The childminder attends local play centres and care groups on a regular basis, and is an active member of the local childminding network. She supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The childminder holds a relevant qualification at level 3.

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

 gather even more detailed information from parents about what their children know and can do when they first join the setting, to support planning for their child's individual learning needs.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning because the childminder promotes their learning and development well. She has a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of how children learn and develop. The childminder provides a good balance of child-led and adult-led activities and the playroom is well organised so that children can access the toys easily and independently. Children enjoy choosing from an extensive range of stimulating and exciting resources. For example, children enjoy exploring toys that help to develop their technology skills by pushing buttons and listening to the sounds of the alphabet or to songs they can sing along with.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's mathematical development by helping them to investigate shape and space using puzzles, construction kits, stacking cups, and creating collage pictures. Children count cars as they take them from the toy box, and join in with nursery rhymes that the childminder reads and sings to them. Babies and young children enjoy selecting books that are age appropriate, and they concentrate for extended periods as the childminder shares the stories and rhymes.

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who attend

The childminder is particularly understanding of babies' needs and offers them a loving, supportive and positive time. This means that babies bond with the childminder because she is highly responsive to them. She talks to them about what they are doing and asks them questions, giving them time to reply. This helps babies to use their voices and practise sounds, which effectively supports their early communication skills.

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who attend

Children have daily opportunities to be in the fresh air and have plenty of exercise. For example, the childminder takes children to play centres, farms and parks. This contributes greatly to their physical health and well-being, and offers them good opportunities to explore their community and to learn about their environment. The childminder supports children's social skills by taking them to group activities, where they have the opportunity to play with a larger group of children.

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who attend

The childminder provides parents with extensive information about their child's progress through the use of daily diaries and learning journals. She uses her assessments to plan for children's next steps in learning and shares this with parents verbally. The childminder collates information from parents about children's care routines and likes and dislikes prior to starting. However, she does not seek detailed information about what their child knows and can do when they initially join the setting. This means that the childminder does not have all possible information available at the earliest opportunity to use in planning the education programmes for individual children. Nevertheless, the childminder plans a wide range of stimulating activities which are adapted to suit all children's stages of development. This, combined with good quality teaching, ensures that children are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

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who attend

The childminder completes the progress check for two-year-old children and shares this with parents and other settings that children attend. This provides them with an accurate assessment of children's progress and identifies any gaps in their learning, which the childminder then addresses through careful and effective planning.

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

Babies and children flourish in this loving, home-from-home environment because of the safe, supportive care they receive from the childminder. They demonstrate confidence and emotional security in their surroundings. For example, they engage happily with the inspector, verbally and non-verbally. The childminder has created a friendly and welcoming environment for all children she cares for within her home. This ensures that they form strong bonds and attachments to her. Equally, this supports parents to form positive relationships with her too, and parents describe their appreciation of her support during the settling-in period, and through weaning and toilet training.

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

The childminder knows the children well and is able to attend quickly to their needs. For example, she ensures there are two similar toys for the children to play with alongside each other, to avoid confrontation or upset. The childminder obtains information from parents regarding children's care routines and medical and dietary needs. She puts clear procedures in place to meet these needs, and supports their good health and well-being at all times. The childminder gives a high priority to children's overall safety in the home and when outside. She has made her home and garden safe and uses appropriate safety equipment, such as a safety gate across the kitchen and stairs, to minimise accidents.

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

The stimulating, well-resourced environment promotes independence and confidence as children access the resources themselves. Children show good levels of independence and the childminder has high expectations. For example, babies are developing good self-care skills as they learn to feed themselves and wipe their faces afterwards. Older children independently wash their hands after craft activities and before eating. The childminder gives children lots of praise and encouragement, which builds their self-esteem and prepares them for their next stage in learning and school.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is well aware of how to respond if she has a concern about a child in her care. The childminder completes regular risk assessments of all areas used by children, including those outside of the setting. She has clear policies and procedures in place that are thorough and very well thought out.

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provision

The childminder successfully monitors children's learning and development, and regularly summarises their progress. She addresses any identified gaps in learning and seeks help where necessary from outside agencies. This means that all children make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder continually builds on partnerships with other professionals, such as other local childminders, nurseries and schools. These links help the childminder to support children in adapting to changes ahead when they are ready to move on to a nursery setting or school.

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provision

The childminder's self-evaluation procedures are good. She has recently taken part in the local authority quality assurance scheme and regularly completes reviews of her practice alongside a local authority support worker. The childminder shows dedication and a strong commitment to the service she offers. She forges good relationships with parents through clear lines of communication, her understanding approach and her friendly attitude. The childminder seeks feedback on her provision and parents are unanimous in their positive comments. They are very happy with all aspects of the care she provides. One parent said, 'When I drop (my child) off in the morning I feel really confident that she will be safe and well-cared for during the day and that she will enjoy herself'. Another parent stated '(My child) always comes home having done exciting activities or having been taken somewhere special'.

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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 EY331767 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 834690 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 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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