Childminder in Barnsley

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/12/2014 03/07/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children play in a warm, welcoming and homely environment and positive attachments have been formed between the childminder and children. As a result, children are emotionally secure and settle well.  The childminder provides a suitable range of accessible resources, which enables children to make choices in their play. As a result, children are eager to learn.  The childminder successfully identifies and minimises risks within her home and is fully aware of her responsibilities to protect children from abuse and neglect. Consequently, children are kept safe from harm.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder has a limited knowledge of the characteristics of effective learning. As a result, she does not fully consider how to encourage children to explore, investigate or take a fully active role in their activities. This means children are not always engaged or challenged enough to make good progress.  The childminder is not effectively planning the educational programmes to ensure they take account of children's individual next steps in learning to enable children to make good progress in their learning and development.  The childminder's self-evaluation systems are not yet rigorous enough to promote continuous development, and the views of children and parents are not taken into account to inform and focus future improvements.

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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 at play and their interactions with the childminder.  The inspector viewed parts of the home used for childminding and the outdoor area.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documents, including a selection of policies, children's assessment records, and checked evidence of the childminder's suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, one adult child, and two younger children in a house in Darfield, Barnsley. The whole of the ground floor, except for two bedrooms, and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a dog and a parrot as pets. The childminder attends a local playgroup and activities provided by the nearby children's centre. She visits the shops, park and other places of interest with children on a regular basis. The childminder takes and collects children from the local schools. There are currently eight children on roll, of these, two are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round, from 6.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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must:

 increase knowledge of the characteristics of effective teaching and learning in order to plan and provide more activities that encourage children to explore, investigate, think critically and develop their own strategies for doing things

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must:

 develop the planning of the educational programmes to ensure that activities are consistently challenging and effectively meet children's individual next steps in their learning.

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

 implement rigorous and effective systems for self-evaluation, which take into account the views of parents and children, and set challenging targets for improvement.

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who attend

The childminder has a developing understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has adequate knowledge of the prime and specific areas of learning, and how these link to children's individual development. However, the childminder's knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of effective learning is not yet secure. As a result, she does not consider how her provision and delivery of activities can be improved to help children develop the characteristics of effective learners. For example, she does not always think about children's need to explore and investigate, or think critically to get the most out of the learning opportunities. Consequently, some activities, while enjoyable, do not fully challenge and engage children to make good progress. Nevertheless, children are developing some of the skills they will require for future learning. Children's language and

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who attend

literacy development is encouraged, as the childminder constantly talks to children, speaking clearly and repeating words to promote correct pronunciation. They enjoy sharing books together and the childminder engages children as she asks questions about the pictures, and points to key words. Posters of shapes, colours, labels and numbers displayed around the playroom raise children's awareness of print. This helps the children to develop their early literacy skills.

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who attend

The childminder knows children well. Children participate in appropriate activities and are reasonably supported by the childminder to develop their knowledge and skills. Children are given plenty of opportunities to use different media and materials. They are able to experiment with textures by hand painting, sticking and playing with malleable dough. Colours are reinforced through these activities, as children say the colour as they paint their hands red, or they find the orange dough. Children are able to develop physically by using their small muscles. They try pushing the dough through a syringe, use scissors to cut it and press down on the stamp. The childminder uses opportunities during children's play to promote their mathematical development. For example, when children play with a basket of toy food, the childminder asks the children to count how many items they have, and they recite numbers together from one to ten. Opportunities are provided for children

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who attend

to use their imagination and initiate their own learning. For example, children use dressing-up clothes, care for dolls and mimic a conversation on their toy phone. Consequently, children are gaining a range of adequate skills and experiences to support them in their next stage of learning.

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who attend

Parents are kept well informed about their children's general well-being and ongoing progress through regular two-way verbal communications. This ensures that they remain involved and informed about the development of their children. The childminder shares information about activities with parents, which allows learning to be reinforced at home. Since the last inspection, the childminder has made improvements and now records children's learning in their individual learning journal, which contains photographs, observations and assessments of children's individual development. However, while the childminder identifies children's next steps in learning, she does not always transfer these next steps into her planning for future activities. This means that she is not always successful in ensuring the educational programmes are meeting children's individual learning needs, in order to support them in making the best possible progress. Parents are

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who attend

able to access their child's file and discuss their child's development with the childminder. The childminder has not yet completed the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, due to not caring for any children within this age group, but she has updated her knowledge so that she is aware of the requirement to carry this out. She is currently working on systems to implement this check when it is required. This will enable her to identify any gaps in the prime areas of children's learning and development.

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

Children play in a warm and homely environment and positive attachments have been formed between the childminder and children. As a result, children are emotionally secure and settle well. The childminder has a good understanding of how secure relationships promote children's emotional well-being. Setting-in sessions with their parents help children to develop secure attachments early in their care. The environment is welcoming, with displays of children's artwork and photographs in the playroom. A suitable range of accessible resources enables children to make choices in their play, and they investigate these independently and are happy to share their play with visitors. Children attend playgroups where they can build relationships in larger social groups. This prepares them for the larger social environment of nursery or school. As a result, children are becoming emotionally prepared for their next stage in learning.

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

The childminder supports children's understanding of risks. For example, she talks to them about road safety and has practised fire drills so they understand what to do in an emergency. The childminder holds the mandatory certificate in paediatric first aid so is able to deal with minor accidents and emergencies. The childminder successfully identifies and minimises risks within her home by carrying out risk assessments to identify and eliminate and hazards. She is fully aware of her responsibilities to protect children from abuse and neglect. Consequently, children are kept safe from harm in the childminder's care. The childminder acts as a good role model in line with her behaviour management policy. Children's behaviour is managed appropriately and positive strategies to support this are in place. The childminder uses regular praise and encouragement, which promotes children's confidence and supports positive behaviour. Consequently, they are beginning

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

to know what is expected of them and understand simple rules and boundaries.

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

Children's physical well-being and their emerging understanding of healthy lifestyles is supported. Children have daily opportunities to get fresh air, through walks to school, playing outdoors and visiting the local park to feed the ducks or climb on play equipment. This enhances children's health and well-being as they enjoy regular exercise and develop their physical skills. Children's health and self-care routines are encouraged by good hygiene procedures. Hand washing routines were encouraged after going to the toilet and before mealtimes, and children are able to independently dry their own hands using their own towel. Children enjoy a nutritionally balanced menu, which includes fresh fruit and vegetables, and they have regular access to drinks. As a result, children develop a healthy attitude to new tastes and food experiences. Children are able to independently feed themselves, and the childminder provides support and encouragement, which further

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

promotes their independence and self-confidence.

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provision

Since her last inspection, where the childminder received a number of actions to improve and a subsequent monitoring visit, the childminder has shown a commitment to improving her practice and rectify areas of weakness. She has undertaken further training to increase her knowledge and has welcomed support from her local authority childcare development team. All previous actions have been met. However, the childminder has not yet implemented systems to monitor the quality of the educational programmes to ensure they support and challenge children in making good progress in their learning and development. Planning does not always clearly link to children's next steps in learning and the childminder has not ensured that there is sufficient challenge across all areas of learning in order that children make the best progress. Systems for observation and assessment are now in place and the childminder is working on ensuring these systems

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provision

are now embedded into practice. The childminder has worked on an initial improvement plan to meet the actions from the last inspection. However, the childminder's self- evaluation systems are not yet rigorous enough to fully support continuous development, and the views of children or parents are not taken into account to inform and prioritise future improvements.

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provision

The childminder has a sound knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has attended relevant training and understands how to identify possible concerns about a child's welfare. The childminder has written procedures to follow should she have a concern about a child in her care. This helps to safeguard children. The childminder is aware of the importance of ensuring that all adults within the home have the appropriate checks to confirm their suitability to be around children. The childminder maintains all the required documentation and adequately records details of children's attendance, accidents and the administration of medicine. Risk assessments are conducted regularly and recorded so children can play in a safe and secure environment. All of these records effectively support children's safety and well- being.

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provision

The childminder shares positive relationships with parents. They receive daily verbal feedback regarding their children's care needs and what they enjoyed during the day. Parents are shown relevant policies prior to their child starting. Any important information, such as the childminder's certificate of registration and insurance, is displayed for them to see. Parents comment that their children are very happy and enjoy attending, and that they feel it is a friendly and loving environment. The childminder has established links with the local schools and through discussion, demonstrates she has a satisfactory understanding of how she would work with other professionals and agencies to help her support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 EY448102 Local authority Barnsley Inspection number 982802 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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