Childminder in Derbyshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/12/2014 18/12/2008

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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 is caring and sensitive to the needs of the children and consequently children feel emotionally secure and safe in her care. She has a good knowledge of the safeguarding procedures and uses this to keep children from harm.  Children benefit from a wide range of activities, which the childminder bases on their interests and teaches well. As a result, children are continuously engaged in purposeful play and make good progress.  The childminder is very conscientious. She strives to continuously develop her knowledge, skills and service for the benefit of the children in her care.  Parents comment very positively on the progress their children make, and the high quality care the childminder provides.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always fully support children to develop critical and creative thinking skills. This is because she does not build on spontaneous opportunities to ask thought-provoking questions.  The partnerships with other providers who provide care and education for children are not sufficiently well developed to ensure that relevant information about children's care and learning is consistently shared.

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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 held discussions with childminder and spoke to children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector observed activities indoors and in the carport area.  The inspector held a joint observation with childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled relevant documentation, including children's learning records, policies, procedures, the evidence of the childminder's suitability and her self- evaluation documentation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children in Smalley, Ilkeston, Derbyshire. The childminder lives in a bungalow and the children have access to the lounge, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and cloakroom. The rear garden is currently not in use but the childminder uses the front garden and car port for outside play and takes children to local parks. The childminder provides care from Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 5.30pm, all year round, except for the week between Christmas and New Year, bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder is currently minding 17 children, of whom five are in the early years age range. The children attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. She walks to the local schools and pre-schools to take and collect children. She

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Information about the setting

attends the local toddler groups and takes children to the local library and parks. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and receives support from the local authority.

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

 encourage children to develop their critical and creative thinking skills by, for example, using what, where, when or how questions more frequently to enhance their learning

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

 develop further the partnerships with other settings that children attend, in order to improve the sharing of information about children's learning and development.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at this childminder's, because she plans exciting and stimulating activities that interest them. The childminder has a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and understands that children learn best through play. She knows the children well and obtains clear information from the parents about children's preferences and capabilities. She uses this information, along with her initial assessments, to inform her assessment of children's starting points. She continues to teach, observe and assess the children's progress while they play. She identifies children's learning priority and plans challenging activities to enhance their learning. The childminder relates her observations to children's expected levels of achievement in each area of learning, using published guidance. She uses this to track children's achievements and identify any achievement gaps. As a result, she tailors plans to provide children with activities that consolidate and

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who attend

develop their emerging skills. Consequently, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder successfully completes the required progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. She is therefore able to notice when early intervention is needed, so that children receive the appropriate support to meet their learning needs. The childminder involves parents in the children's learning from the start. Parents comment that they are happy with the progress their children are making. The childminder and parents discuss what the children have been doing daily at drop-off or pick-up times. As a result, both know the children's current achievements and interests. Consequently, parents are appropriately supported to guide their children's learning at home.

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who attend

Children are active learners, which helps them to acquire the necessary skills in readiness for school. The childminder's teaching is good. She gets down to the children's level and talks with them continually as they play. She fosters language skills generally well. She is skilled at developing conversations and children are becoming confident talkers. However, the childminder does not make consistently good use of spontaneous opportunities to develop children's critical thinking and creative skills. This is because she sometimes fails to use appropriate questioning to extend children's learning further. Children's physical skills are developing well. The childminder provides many opportunities for children to develop their small-muscle and handling skills. For example, children try and catch butterflies that shoot out of a battery-operated game. They switch on buttons to start the game and unscrew the top to begin again. Children are therefore also learning how to use

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who attend

technology as they develop their problem solving and hand-to-eye coordination skills. The childminder takes children to the park where they use large equipment. They learn to climb and balance to further develop their physical skills. The childminder skilfully builds on children's interest in the outside environment and takes them for walks in the woodland area to learn about the natural world. In addition, she walks around the community to give children a sense of the world they live in. She uses these opportunities to enhance children's learning as, for example, she encourages children to hunt for signs, letters, numbers and shapes in the environment.

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who attend

Children enjoy looking at books and the childminder includes trips to the library as a regular activity. Children see lots of words and labels in the play environment. The childminder uses the beginning sound of words to encourage children to learn about letter sounds and the alphabet. As a result, children know that print carries meaning and they are beginning to become familiar with the alphabet. Children regular use of pencils, chalks, sand and dough and enjoy making marks in different ways and practising early writing. The childminder weaves in mathematical learning as children count while they play. She refers to mathematical language, such as bigger or smaller, long or short as they play with the castle and knights. Consequently, children learn about number, shape and measurement as part of general play. The childminder also teaches particular skills in one- to-one activities according to children's learning needs. For instance, children who can

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who attend

confidently count have special activities to build further on their number recognition skills. For example, they hunt for numbers that have been hidden amongst the toys. Children enjoy using the toys and resources in different ways and use their imagination to create stories. The childminder builds on their ideas by making suggestions to help them extend their play. Children benefit from the opportunities the childminder provides to express their creativity and imagination. Children thoroughly enjoy sticking activities, using different media to create their own pictures. They paint using a variety of tools and play shops and dress up, which build on their imaginations. Children make independent choices about play and the childminder supports them very well to extend their learning.

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

The childminder provides a welcoming environment for the children and shares warm and trusting relationships with them. She effectively supports their emotional and physical well-being and helps them to settle and feel secure in her care. The childminder works successfully with parents to help children settle in and to learn about children's care routines and needs. She provides a daily routine of activities in which she includes each child's own routine. Children therefore move between their home and the childminder's care smoothly, which helps them to settle quickly. The childminder helps children to develop positive attitudes and good behaviour. She is a calm and gentle role model, providing consistent messages to help children learn to play kindly, be gentle and to share. She is kind and sensitive in her approach, providing children with clear expectations and boundaries. She consistently gives the children praise and encouragement and

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

acknowledges their achievements. She promotes children's self-esteem and boosts their confidence. Consequently, children manage their feelings well and their behaviour is good.

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

The childminder provides a safe environment, which is effectively resourced and children can access resources independently. The childminder provides children with a good range of toys, which are stored in floor boxes. This enables children to choose and lead their own play and exploration. The childminder teaches the children how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn not to climb on furniture and how to manage steps safely, and the childminder supports younger children to develop their mobility in safe spaces. They regularly talk about road safety and practise the emergency-evacuation procedure, so that they know how to get out of the house quickly and safely in an emergency. The childminder has suitable systems in place to ensure the home remains secure and children are appropriately supervised at all times.

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

Children are developing healthy lifestyles. They benefit from regular outdoor-play opportunities in which they move in different ways and play in the fresh air. The childminder provides children with healthy, fresh-fruit snacks and nutritious meals, as agreed with parents. Children sit and eat together around the table. This promotes good eating habits and provides happy meal times in which children eat well to ensure they are nourished throughout the day. Children are learning about the importance of hygiene and self-help skills. They independently use the bathroom and routinely wash their hands before snack and mealtimes. In addition, they learn to put their own coats and shoes on for outside play. The childminder takes children to different groups, where they can mix socially with other children away from the childminder's home. She therefore fosters children's emotional development well, as children are supported to help them with

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provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of her responsibility for safeguarding children and takes a methodical approach to managing these areas of practice. She has a good understanding of child-protection matters. She knows what to do if concerns arise about children's well-being or if an allegation is made against herself or her husband. She ensures appropriate vetting checks are made, for example, through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The childminder has attended safeguarding training and ensures that all of the required documentation to safeguard and promote children's welfare is in place. For example, she keeps children's personal details and their record of attendance secure. The childminding provision is safe and secure for children to use and standards of hygiene are good. The childminder makes good use of risk assessments to identify and minimise risks to the children, indoors and outdoors. Children can therefore play and learn in safety.

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provision

The childminder effectively manages her provision and supports children well to make good progress overall, in all areas of learning and development. The childminder is knowledgeable about the learning and development requirements and about how children learn in the early years. As a result, she provides good support to promote their learning. The childminder monitors the educational programmes well so she is able to support all children to make good progress from their starting points and in keeping with their expected stage of development.

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provision

The childminder understands the importance of partnerships, with parents and other providers. She takes positive steps to engage with parents. Parents praise the childminder for the good-quality learning experiences that she provides for their children. They state that she provides a wide range of activities for children and uses good methods to manage behaviour. Parents states that the childminder has clear routines and good knowledge of the children. They feel she is knowledgeable, welcoming and adaptable, offering a service well beyond their expectations. Other written comments from parents indicate they are very happy with the reliable service she offers and feel their children are safe in her care. However, her relationships with other practitioners who provide care and learning at other settings children attend are not all equally effective. Consequently, she is not able to consistently promote continuity of care and learning for children.

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provision

The childminder successfully evaluates her service. She fully understands that self- evaluation is an ongoing process to continuously drive improvement. She has put in place an effective action plan, which clearly demonstrates how she has addressed the actions and recommendations from her last inspection. Improvement plans include the development of the rear garden to provide more opportunities for children to play outside. The childminder takes positive steps in her professional development. She undertakes a variety of training to improve her knowledge and understanding of different age groups, and children's language skills. This has a positive impact on outcomes for children. The childminder reviews her routine and activities to make sure that they suit the children who attend. As a result, children are happy, settled and make consistently good progress towards the early learning goals.

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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 EY367363 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 821166 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 17

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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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