Childminder in Southampton

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/09/2014 16/10/2008

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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

 Children are happy and settled. The childminder helps children learn to manage their own behaviour and as a result, they build positive relationships with each other.  There is a wide range of clean, age-appropriate toys and play equipment accessible to children, which keeps them suitably interested and engaged.  The childminder regularly shares information with parents so they are well informed about their children's care and well-being.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not make the most of opportunities to model language and introduce new words, to help promote children's communication skills.  Play activities are not always sufficiently challenging as the childminder does not support children to develop their skills and learn to do things for themselves.  The childminder is not always consistent in encouraging the children to develop healthy eating habits.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities indoor and outdoor, and interaction between the childminder and the children during play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a variety of documentation provided by the childminder, including children's learning journals.  The inspector looked at the childminder's systems used to evaluate her provision.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2008. She lives with her husband and three adult children in the Sholing area of Southampton, Hampshire. The premises is accessible for all adults and children via steps or a ramp. All areas of the ground floor and an upstairs bathroom are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has nine children on roll, of these six children are in the early years age group.

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must:

 improve the quality of teaching to strengthen children's communication and language development by providing opportunities that allow children to experience a rich language environment

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must:

 provide greater challenge for children through the play activities by enabling them to learn to do things for themselves, to support their learning and development.

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

 iincrease children's awareness of healthy lifestyles by encouraging healthy eating.

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who attend

Children are happy and settled. Parents are welcomed to stay and settle their children when they first start. The childminder tailors the length of settling-in periods to suit the needs of each individual family. This is reassuring for parents and enables them to share information about their children's particular needs and routines. As a result, the childminder gets to know the children well and this helps them settle quickly. Children take part in a variety of play activities both indoor and outdoor, which cover all areas of learning and offer children suitable play opportunities. The childminder takes children on regular outings around their local community to widen their play and learning experiences. This supports children's development in all areas appropriately. Daily two-way exchange of information means that parents receive regular updates about their child's care and well- being. The childminder has recently updated her observation and assessment systems to help her

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who attend

monitor children's progress. She collates the information in the children's individual learning journals and shares these with parents. This keeps parents suitably informed about their children's achievements. However, in practice the childminder does not always make sure that activities are sufficiently challenging for the children. For example, during a gluing and sticking activity she cut pictures out of a magazine then gave them to the children to stick on paper. This meant that children are not being encouraged to learn to use scissors or to select their own pictures. As a result, children have less opportunity to learn to do things for themselves to help them move onto the next step in their learning.

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who attend

Children move about the play areas with confidence. They enjoy being outdoors and show excitement as they explore the play equipment and activities. They showed control as they used spades and scoops to transfer the sand into the different shapes. Children eagerly told their friends, 'I'm making a sandcastle,' as they filled a container then tipped it upside down to create the shape. This helps to develop their hand and eye coordination. The childminder joins in with the children's play and ensures that they are happy and involved. She talks with the children to promote conversation appropriately. However, she misses opportunities to introduce new words and model language through the activities to build on children's vocabulary. As a result, children do not receive consistent support from the childminder to help develop their communication and language skills. Children are able to see numbers displayed around the room and on occasions, the childminder counts with

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who attend

the children. For example, she encouraged children to see how many shells there are in the sand and they confidently counted two shells. The childminder supervises children closely to help keep them safe in their play. Children take care as they balance and climb on the slide and play on the see-saw with their friends. This helps supports their physical development.

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

Children benefit from the childminder's warm and welcoming environment. They have a trusting relationship with the childminder and are confident to ask her for help when they need it. The childminder's warm and friendly interaction helps promote children's emotional well-being and children are comfortable and secure. The childminder values all children as individuals making sure that they can all participate in the activities. She talks with them about the importance of sharing the toys and play equipment. For example, when two children wanted to play with the same ball she suggested they took turns and passed it to each other. The children cooperated and played together nicely. This helps raise children's understanding of how to behave and about the feelings of others.

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

The childminder follows appropriate working practices and procedures to help protect and support children. She supervises children closely and monitors the play environment to make sure that they can move freely and safely. She gives children gentle reminders during their play, such as not to ride their car on the ramp outdoors as they could fall back and hurt themselves. This helps the children to learn about risks and to develop a sense of personal safety. The childminder practises her emergency evacuation procedures with the children to help them understand what they need to do in an emergency. The children have access to a variety of clean, age-appropriate resources and play equipment. Many are stored in low-level units around the room enabling children to make some choices about their play. Regular use of the childminder's garden and frequent outings means that children get plenty of fresh air and exercise.

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

The childminder teaches children the importance of good hygiene routines from a young age, such as washing their hands before eating. Children know the routines and cooperate well as they use the steps at the sink. The childminder gains information from the parents about children's individual dietary needs so that she can accommodate this when planning meals. She lets the children choose their own foods, but does not always encourage healthy options, for example, providing jam sandwiches at lunchtimes. The childminder has recently updated her first-aid training so that she is confident about what to do in an emergency. She maintains the required documentation to help her support children's health and well-being.

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provision

The childminder has a positive attitude to the ongoing development of her provision and she recognises that there are aspects of her practice she needs to develop further. She has attended various training events to increase her knowledge and skills, such as observation, assessment and planning. She uses suitable systems to help her evaluate her childminding provision. The childminder liaises closely with her Childcare Development Officer and with other childminders for advice and guidance. This support has helped her with addressing previous recommendations from her last inspection. She has implemented new assessment arrangements to enable her to monitor children's progress appropriately. However, she does not make the most of opportunities to support children's learning in all areas, such as communication and language. Children are making satisfactory progress in their learning and development in relation to their starting points. The childminder has

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provision

implemented the required progress check for two-year-old children and has shared this with parents.

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provision

The childminder has an adequate understanding of child protection issues and procedures, and her responsibility to keep children safe. She has a safeguarding policy in place and keeps relevant guidance for reference to enable her to refresh her knowledge. She knows whom to contact in the event of concerns about a child in her care. The childminder carries out risk assessments to help her identify and minimise hazards to children. When planning an outing to a new area she will always do a pre-visit to the venue to check that it is suitable for young children. The childminder uses the required documentation to support children's safety and well-being.

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provision

The childminder establishes effective partnerships with parents. She shares her policies and procedures to inform parents of her practices. She links closely with parents and other early years providers involved in children's care to enable her to support children's developing needs. The use of a daily diary, alongside informal discussion at handover times, provides parents with regular updates about the children's day, such as the food eaten. This successful two-way exchange of information helps provide continuity for children's care and learning. Parents comment positively about the childminder that she is, 'flexible, supportive and accommodates their wishes as parents.' The childminder works alongside parents to support children through the changes when they move onto school.

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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 EY366797 Local authority Southampton Inspection number 1001901 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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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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