Childminder in Birmingham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/11/2014 25/05/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder develops kind and caring relationships with the children. This effectively supports their emotional well-being.  The childminder's safeguarding procedures are sufficient. This ensures that children's welfare is protected and children are kept safe from harm.  The childminder broadens children's range of experiences and interactions with other children during their attendance at local groups and visits to local parks.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not always use information from her observations to shape the children's further learning experiences and track their progress. Consequently, the planning of activities is not always sharply focused on children's precise learning needs.  Partnerships with other providers are not sufficiently established to ensure there are opportunities to share information about children's development. This means that children's progress is not fully supported by continuity in their care and learning.  Self-evaluation has not yet been sufficiently developed to identify areas for future development and to improve the learning opportunities for 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 compulsory part 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 and routines in the childminder's home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector asked the childminder questions about her practice at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records, evidence of the suitability of adults living in the setting, safeguarding procedures and a variety of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents' written comments, provided by the childminder, and discussed the childminder's self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder has been registered since 2009. She lives with her husband and two children in the Bourneville area of Birmingham. The whole of the ground floor, as well as the bathroom on the first floor, is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The childminder is currently minding four children, two of whom are within the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions from Monday to Friday, all year round. The childminder supports children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 2.

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must:

 ensure ongoing observation and assessment is used consistently to track children's progress and inform the planning of challenging activities, so that children's experiences are fully matched to their learning needs and they make the best possible progress.

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

 improve partnerships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage so there is a consistent and fully effective two-way flow of information regarding children's development and learning

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

 develop the self-evaluation process to improve the quality of future practice and to focus on supporting and raising children's achievements to a higher level.

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who attend

The childminder has a sound knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She provides a suitable range of age appropriate activities and experiences for children. However, the provision for children's learning and development requires some improvement to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is good. The childminder completes observations and has a general overview of the children's development. However, she does not always effectively use this information to shape further learning experiences and track children's progress accurately. Consequently, the planning of activities is not always sharply focused on children's precise learning needs. This means children make satisfactory, rather than good progress.

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who attend

The childminder is attentive, follows the children's lead and provides them with activities and resources that they show interest in. For example, a child shows interest in a book about people's differences and feelings. The childminder reads the book to the child and talks about differences, such as hair length or eye colour. Children turn the pages of books and lift flaps to look at pictures with interest. As a result, early literacy skills are emerging and children begin to learn about respecting each other's differences. The childminder uses appropriate teaching strategies to help children learn. For example, she sits on the floor with babies and offers lots of eye contact, gestures and supportive language. She sensitively helps children to handle small toys and provides a running commentary about these, which encourages children to respond. She sings songs and encourages children to sing with her. Therefore, children join in, imitate actions and learn new words.

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who attend

Consequently, this supports them to move on in their learning and to be suitably prepared for pre-school and eventually school.

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who attend

During each child's induction, parents are asked about their child's stage of development and favourite activities. This information is then used to aid the settling-in and initial assessment process. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported because the childminder uses picture cards and learns key words in their home language. As a result, these children make sound progress in both their home language and in English. Parents are kept adequately informed about their child's day through informal conversations. The childminder understands the requirement to complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years at the appropriate time, so that she is aware of their progress at this stage. However, at the time of the inspection, the childminder had not been required to implement this in practice as there were no children attending within this age group.

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

Overall, the childminder ensures the well-being of the children in her care. She is kind and caring towards the children, which effectively supports their emotional well-being and sense of security. For example, children naturally include the childminder in their play and approach her for reassurance if they are feeling upset or unsure. Children are supported appropriately during the transition from home into the childminder's care. Parents are invited to attend settling-in sessions and the childminder gathers information about each child's family and background. Information is also gathered about their child's needs before they start. For example, the childminder requests information about sleeping and eating routines. This promotes continuity in the children's care and supports their continual well-being. Consequently, children are happy and settled. Through warm and positive relationships, children are secure and confident and, as a result, have a positive

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

The childminder actively promotes children's independence. She encourages children to do things for themselves, for example, encouraging them to tidy toys away before getting more resources out. Children behave well and benefit from the childminder's praise and encouragement. Babies smile and giggle in response to the childminder as they play and sing together. Appropriate praise is given to support children's self-esteem. Consequently, children view themselves and their achievements positively and are eager to keep trying. For example, children persevere when playing with small balls, spending extended time trying to post the balls through holes and perfecting their skills.

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

The childminder promotes children's health and hygiene through everyday routines and practices, for example, as she cleans babies' hands before they eat. The childminder provides healthy snacks, such as fruit, so children learn to make healthy choices and their independence is encouraged as the younger children learn to feed themselves. The childminder visits local parks, which promotes children's physical development, encourages a healthy lifestyle and allows them to take supervised risks on large play equipment. She also takes children to local playgroups, which allows them to explore their local environment and interact with other people. Older children are supported and prepared for their move on to other early years settings and school. For example, the childminder talks positively to the children about going to school and children being able to make new friends and participate in new experiences.

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provision

The childminder has a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is a safeguarding policy in place, which underpins her knowledge and, as a result, children are kept safe. Before children start at the setting, policies and procedures are shared with parents to ensure they are aware of the practice she offers. The childminder has attended the required safeguarding and first-aid training, which means she has the skills and knowledge to administer first-aid treatment if required. There are risk assessments in place for her home and this helps to minimise risks to children.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a reasonable understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. She has satisfactory knowledge of the areas of learning and attends training courses to improve her practice. For example, she has completed a level 2 childcare qualification to develop her knowledge of child development. She plans activities and resources to ensure children have experiences in all areas of learning. However, she does not monitor the quality of the educational programmes and the children's development thoroughly enough to accurately identify the progress children are making in their learning. Therefore, children are not always challenged sufficiently well through well-targeted activities that focus on the next steps in their learning, which will help them to make the best possible progress they can.

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provision

The childminder has not completed a formal self-evaluation, although she has considered ways of evaluating her provision. For example, she has collected the views of parents and children in order to provide an overview of her strengths and weaknesses. However, self- evaluation is in the early stages of development and is not yet sufficiently focused on improving children's achievements. The childminder places value on feedback from other professionals, such as evaluations of her practice gained through visits from local authority advisers. However, partnerships with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage are not yet fully effective. Some minded children attend more than one setting and strategies for sharing of two-way information about children's learning is variable and requires improvement. As a result, arrangements for supporting continuity in children's care and learning are lessened. This does not always support the best possible outcomes

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provision

for children. The childminder has an effective partnership with parents and understands the importance of sharing information with them. She communicates well and keeps parents informed of their children's development. This ensures parents feel involved in their children's learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY401763 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 875197 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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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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