Childminder in Manchester

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/12/2014 11/11/2008

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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 demonstrates a secure knowledge of how to safeguard the welfare of children in her care and manage concerns of this type. She manages risk effectively to help keep children safe by minimising any hazards.  Children learn to behave well as a result of the consistent practice of the childminder. They are confident and are acquiring the self-help skills needed for their next steps in learning.  The childminder establishes children's starting points in learning when they begin to attend and provides activities which have an accurate level of challenge in order to help them make good progress in their learning.  Effective partnerships are established with parents to support children's care and learning. The childminder understands the importance of working in partnership with other agencies to support continuity whenever this is needed.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always maximise the support for children's learning using their interests, or use these to the best possible effect to help them engage with activities they do not readily choose independently.  The childminder occasionally does not make the maximum use of some opportunities to challenge children's thinking and speaking skills when she asks them questions.

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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 viewed the areas of the premises used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the qualifications of the childminder, along with evidence of the suitability of adults living or working on the premises.  A joint observation was carried out by the inspector and the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined samples of documentation related to children's welfare and learning, used by the childminder when caring for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the childminder discussed the childminder's knowledge of areas, such as safeguarding and supporting individual children's learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the childminder discussed the ways in which the childminder evaluates her provision and seeks the views of others to inform this.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2001 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner, their two adult children and her adult niece in the Newton Heath area of Manchester. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding, with toilet facilities on the first floor. Access to the home is via the front door or a ramp and double doors provide easy access at the rear of the property. There is an enclosed rear garden for outdoor play. The family has a pet dog which is not routinely on the premises during childminding hours. The childminding provision operates from 7am to 6pm on weekdays all year round, apart from family holidays and bank holidays. The childminder is qualified to level 3 in childcare. There are currently eight children on roll attending for a variety of sessions, of whom four are in the early years age range. The childminder is accredited to deliver early funded education to

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Information about the setting

three- and four-year-olds. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and the local authority's childminding network. The childminder receives support and advice from the local authority.

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

 enhance the use of resources to support children's interests and to help children to engage with activities they do not readily select independently, to maximise their learning

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

 maximise the use of questions in order to build on the existing good practice for challenging children's thinking and speaking skills.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of the areas of learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, she offers a broad, interesting and challenging range of activities which is based on children's observed needs and interests, as well as information from their parents. Children make good progress towards the early learning goals as a result of planning which is individual to their needs and is based on frequent and robust assessments of their learning. Assessments are precise and cover all areas of learning, so that the childminder can quickly identify any emerging gaps in children's development and address these in order to minimise any future difficulties. The progress check for children between the age of two and three years has been implemented as part of the robust assessment process and parents make contributions to these checks, as well as to the ongoing planning for their children's learning. The childminder obtains information from

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who attend

parents about their children's learning and development when their children begin to attend her setting, so that this can be used to form initial plans to further their development. It also provides a starting point for assessment of their progress. As a result of the childminder's effective assessment, planning and teaching, children develop the skills needed for their next steps in learning.

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who attend

All areas of learning are thoroughly covered by the childminder's planning, in order to support children's good progress. The childminder demonstrates an effective understanding of how to plan activities that support children's learning in several areas and that sustain children's interest. The childminder has an understanding of the importance of using children's interests and preferences in order to sustain their attention during activities, particularly for babies and toddlers. This provides the basis for them to later concentrate on more complex or longer tasks when they attend school. For example, when children are interested in the hose pipe, the childminder encourages them to unwind this and praises them when they make a sound like the water spray. Although, she does not consistently build on this interest by incorporating first-hand experiences to enhance children's learning. For example, she does not turn on the hose pipe to enable children to

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who attend

fill the large bowls and trays in the garden with water. The childminder also does not make the best use of children's interests to draw them to explore resources they choose less readily, such as role-play areas, to support their developing imaginations further. However, children enjoy their learning experiences, which motivates them to make further efforts and this enhances their progress, as they sustain interest in their chosen play. The childminder recognises that some children learn best outdoors and plans activities based on children's interests which can be used in both the indoor and outdoor areas. For example, when walking babies show an interest in throwing and kicking balls, the childminder provides experiences that build on this. She provides cause and effect toys that enable them to see a ball rolling down from a chute indoors and also shows them how to roll balls down a small slide outdoors. The childminder uses positional language,

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who attend

such as 'up' and 'down' as well as colour names and numbers during these activities. This is so that babies become familiar with these words as the basis for later knowing their meaning, as part of their earliest experiences in mathematical learning.

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who attend

Children have daily opportunities to make marks using a variety of resources in order to support their development of the skills needed before learning to write. For example, babies are encouraged to explore paint with their hands and to make marks with chunky crayons. The childminder offers babies a broad range of objects to handle and explore, in order to further develop their manipulative skills. She also uses these exploratory activities well to introduce more new words to babies and they respond to her good practice by using two word utterances to find out more names for objects around them. For example, they say 'What's that?' and point to objects for the childminder to name for them. This shows that they are motivated learners as a result of the childminder's efforts to teach them the tools for communication. The childminder also asks babies questions about pictures in the books they look at together. This enables the childminder to find out which

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who attend

names of objects, such as 'bells' or 'tree' that they have remembered, as she asks them to point to these. However, occasionally she does not make the best use of these opportunities to enhance their emerging speaking and thinking skills. Children learn about other cultures and countries through a variety of activities. For example, they learn about Chinese New Year by enjoying foods, dressing up and music. This promotes their learning about diversity and the wider community.

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

The childminder obtains detailed information from parents about how she can best support children's good health and well-being, prior to children joining. She seeks information about children's dietary needs and their routines, in order to provide continuity of care and support their welfare. The childminder also obtains information to support children's emotional well-being, such as how to comfort them if they are tired or unsettled. She shares her policies and procedures with parents to ensure that they understand how these are used to promote their children's welfare in the childminding setting. Children's emotional well-being is supported effectively when they are joining the childminder's setting. This is because the childminder works with their parents to provide a programme of increasing visit times, based on how children are settling and their developing confidence. Parents and the childminder exchange information daily about

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

children's well-being, which supports continuity of care for children. This also enables parents to stay well-informed about their children's care and the activities they have participated in each day. As a result of the close partnership working between parents and the setting, children are settled and confident. They demonstrate this by engaging the childminder's attention frequently, as they have secure emotional attachments to her. The childminder has a comprehensive understanding of the importance of preparing children emotionally for their next stages in learning. She understands the importance of exchanging information with other settings children may attend, when this is needed, in order to support continuity of their care. The childminder has methods in place to support this and maintains links with other local settings that children have attended in addition to her own, in order to facilitate any future partnership working needed.

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

Children choose from a broad range of resources for outdoor physical play on the premises, including multiples of some items, such as slides and climbing frames. This is so that all children are consistently challenged appropriately for their ages and stages of development to enhance their whole-body control through exercise. The childminder also takes children on outings to local parks and playgrounds. Consequently, children also have very good opportunities to learn about taking reasonable risks in physical play. The childminder provides nutritious home-cooked meals to ensure that children receive a balanced diet in her care. Fruit and vegetables are promoted at snack times as healthy choices, so that children begin to learn about the foods that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Children are able to meet their need for drinking water at all times as their beakers are easily accessible. This helps to build their independence skills. Children also

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

share the responsibility of tidying up with the childminder, in order to enhance the opportunities for them to make a positive contribution. They learn the satisfaction to be gained from helping others by carrying out small tasks, such as collecting the post from the porch with her. This develops children's self-esteem as the childminder praises them for their efforts, which enhances their emotional well-being.

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

The childminder has effective procedures in place to minimise any risk from cross- contamination, such as during nappy changes. She helps children to learn about maintaining good personal hygiene, such as washing their hands before eating and keeping their noses clean. She teaches children about road safety and 'stranger danger' when on walks in order to develop children's future independence for managing their own safety. The childminder implements a policy which emphasises the use of positive strategies for managing children's behaviour. This includes adults acting as good role models for children so that they learn appropriate behaviour and manners. She is consistent when teaching children boundaries for their behaviour from the earliest opportunity, so that children begin to learn to manage this effectively for themselves.

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provision

The childminder has a comprehensive knowledge of the procedures she should follow in the event of any safeguarding concerns regarding children, including if an allegation is made against herself or her family. She keeps this up-to-date and has all required policies in place, including those about the use of mobile phones and cameras on the premises, in order to protect images of children from being misused. All adults living or working on the premises have been checked for suitability. The childminder has a valid paediatric first-aid qualification, which enables her to deal with minor accidents and injuries correctly. The childminder obtains written permissions from parents in order to work in partnership with them regarding a range of matters, including administering medicines to children. She completes and implements effective risk assessments for the premises and all outings in order to identify hazards and minimise these to promote children's safety. These are

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provision

regularly reviewed to ensure they continue to be effective and meet the needs of children attending. The childminder completes daily checks of the areas of the premises used for childcare, in order to minimise risks to children. All required documentation is in place to support the safe and effective running of the childminding setting and she implements her policies effectively to support children's care and learning.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This enables her to plan activities which meet children's learning needs by providing the correct levels of challenge that enable them to make good progress. The childminder has a comprehensive understanding of the importance of frequent observations and assessment of children's progress. As a result, she is able to make accurate plans for their future learning and respond quickly to changes in children's observed interests or address any emerging gaps in their learning. The childminder gathers information about children's interests and any observations of their progress from their parents, in order to support her planning for children's future learning. She monitors the breadth of her observations and assessments to ensure that the educational programme covers all areas of learning to enhance children's progress and

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provision

meets their individual needs. The childminder has a thorough understanding of the importance of working in partnership with other agencies and settings involved with individual children's welfare and learning when this is needed.

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provision

The childminder obtains parent's views regularly through both verbal and written means in order to inform evaluation of her practice. Children are asked what they like to do in the setting, in order to use their views to enhance the provision. The childminder also makes use of the information provided by advisory staff from the local authority to inform her evaluation and enhance her provision. She identifies areas of practice where she needs to enhance her skills and knowledge, therefore, demonstrating a purposeful approach to her professional development. For example, she attends short courses regularly to enhance her practice for supporting children's learning in specific areas, such as their communication and language skills. In addition, all recommendations from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed in order to enhance practice. The childminder therefore demonstrates a firm commitment to continually developing her skills and

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provision

practice in order to promote children's well-being and learning.

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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 EY103747 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 869632 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

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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