Childminder in Blackburn with Darwen

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/11/2014 19/05/2009

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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 values and treasures each child in her care and they enjoy warm, close relationships and lots of fun.  Children enjoy a wide range of interesting activities and outings because the childminder uses her good knowledge of the children to plan for their needs and interests.  The childminder understands how to protect children from harm and the children show in their behaviour that they feel safe and secure with her.  The childminder, co-childminder and parents work well together to support children. As a result, they are happy, confident and settled.  The childminder is passionate about her job and committed to continuing to develop her practice. She works very effectively with her co-childminder and, between them, they deliver a strong service to children and families.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder is not always as successful as possible at tailoring information sharing to best suit each family, so some parents are sometimes less well-informed about their child's recent 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 and spoke to the children, the childminder and the co-childminder at appropriate opportunities.  The inspector had a tour of the areas of the premises available for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder and co- 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 discussed her self-evaluation and improvement plans.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from information included in the childminder's own parent surveys.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2001 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and their two children in Darwen, Lancashire. Her husband is also a registered childminder and they work together from the same property. The whole of the ground floor and an upstairs bathroom are used for childminding and there is an enclosed outdoor area available for outside play. The family have a pet cat. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. She minds with her husband and they currently have eight children on roll. Of whom, seven are in the early years age range and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round, from 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder has an appropriate childcare qualification at level 3 and is a member of the

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Information about the setting

Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. She is a member of an approved local childminding network and is able to provide funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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

 work with parents to tailor information sharing strategies to best suit each family, to ensure all parents are very well-informed of their child's recent progress, to enable them to support their child's learning at home even more.

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who attend

The childminder's teaching is good. She has a strong understanding of how to deliver the different areas of learning, so children enjoy a wide range of activities, outings, games and experiences, which meet their needs well. The childminder knows each child and plans for their learning based on their interests and preferences. She follows the children's lead in their play, for example arranging the room when they want to do a puppet show. The childminder makes it accessible to all the children by suggesting that they use the story line of a favourite book. She has clear targets for children's learning within activities, which focus her and her co-childminder's teaching. As a result, children make good progress with their learning while having lots of fun. The childminder uses conversations effectively to develop children's thinking skills. For example, she encourages them to recall past events and solve problems, through her skilful and natural questions. Consequently,

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who attend

children are keen to learn and frequently demonstrate their curiosity and knowledge.

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who attend

The childminder regularly assesses children's development, particularly those children for whom she takes lead responsibility. She makes sure they are all making good progress towards the early learning goals and that all areas of learning are covered in interesting ways. Consequently, children are developing all of the key skills for the next stage of their learning and their move to school. When she identifies an area where a child needs some additional support, she undertakes training to improve her knowledge and skills, in order to be able to help them catch up with their peers.

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who attend

The childminder works closely with her co-childminder to share information with parents. They use a variety of methods to share information on children's interests and development, including conversations, online diaries and photographs. This enables the parents and the childminders to work together to support children's learning. The childminder's methods work very well for some families, but are not as effective as possible for others. Consequently, some families do not receive information about their children's progress as frequently, which means they do not have as much information to support children's learning at home. The childminders work together to complete the progress check for children aged between two and three years. They share these with parents, so they have a clear understanding of their child's development at this age and can easily share the information with other professionals, such as health visitors.

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

Children enjoy warm, close relationships with the childminder because she shows that she values and treasures each of them. She encourages them as they try to do things for themselves, so they are learning to be confident and independent in their self-care. The childminder provides children with lots of opportunities to make choices throughout the day and respects their decisions. As a result, they enjoy their time and develop their self- esteem. She gives children calm explanations and encourages them to think about fairness, so they learn to share well with each other. They show in their behaviour that they feel safe and secure with her and they have lots of fun playing with her.

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

The childminder works closely with her co-childminder to create a welcoming, child- friendly space with a wide range of resources for children to choose from. Consequently, children enjoy making choices about how to spend their time. Children also enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities and outings, such as regular visits to local parks and groups. These outings provide good support for their emotional and physical well-being. For example, they learn to socialise with other children and adults, and learn to climb and explore larger spaces safely. The childminder helps children to learn to keep themselves safe, with appropriate explanations and supervision. She provides children with plenty of opportunities to enjoy exercise and fresh air and she prepares healthy meals and snacks, which they enjoy. The childminder makes sure children do not have sugary snacks or drinks between meals. Her practice helps children to develop a good understanding of a

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

Children are supported well when they move to the setting because the childminders work together with parents. They encourage them to use settling-in visits, so that children build good relationships with both of them quickly. The childminder helps children as they prepare to move on to school, for example, by talking and reading stories about school, to build their confidence. Children are developing all of the skills and confidence they will need for their move to school. This is because the childminder and her co-childminder work well together to provide good support for all aspects of their well-being.

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provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, she promotes children's learning well and protects them from harm. The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of the indicators of abuse, and knows what to do if she has concerns about a child in her care. She works closely with her co-childminder to assess and manage risks to children's safety. Consequently, children are supervised well and kept safe from harm. The childminders have a comprehensive set of polices, which support their good practice. These are shared effectively with parents, so that they have a clear understanding of how the setting is run.

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provision

The childminder and her co-childminder work closely together as a strong team, and their different strengths complement each other well. This has a positive impact on the well- being of the children and the progress which they make. They regularly review children's development and work together to plan activities. The childminder is well-qualified and a member of an approved childminding network. This supports her professional development through training, sharing good practice and professional support. She welcomes professional feedback and acts on advice to make improvements. The childminder works together with her co-childminder to evaluate the service they provide, and particularly the environment they provide, to support children's learning. They make changes as a result, for example updating the displays on the wall to support older children more effectively. The childminder is passionate about her job and demonstrates

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provision

an enthusiasm to continue to develop her practice and the provision for children.

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provision

The childminders work together to build strong relationships with families, which provides good support for children. Parents state in the childminder's parent surveys that they consider the setting to be very good. They are very happy with the care children receive and the progress that they make. The childminder works together with other professionals when she takes and collects children from school and nursery. She promotes better understanding of children's needs by sharing information between settings.

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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 503809 Local authority Blackburn Inspection number 855517 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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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

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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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