Childminder in BarnetOfsted inspection, 16 Dec 2014

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/12/2014 28/02/2011

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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 develop strong emotional attachments with the childminder. Therefore, they are comfortable and secure in the childminder's home.  The childminder promotes positive behaviour consistently and has clear boundaries and a sensitive approach, appropriate to children's age and stage of development.  The childminder promotes children's health well, as they benefit from a healthy range of food and have regular opportunities for exercise and fresh air outdoors.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not always use her assessments of children's learning and development with full effect to plan for the next steps in their learning.  The childminder lacks an understanding of the process for carrying out a progress check at age two. This is a breach in the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements.  Occasionally children do not have time to answer questions or think because the childminder intervenes too quickly.  Children have limited opportunities to experience messy play freely to support their creativity.

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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's activities and the childminder's, and her assistant's, interactions with them.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of relevant documentation, including children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the childminder and her assistant and invited the childminder to conduct a joint observation.  The inspector reviewed parents' feedback by sampling written documents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1992. She lives with her husband in a four-bedroomed property in Friern Barnet, in the London Borough of Barnet. The childminder's daughter is registered as her assistant. The childminder uses part of the ground floor and one of the upstairs bedrooms and toilet for childminding purposes. Children have access to a garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She offers full- and part-time care from 8am to 7pm, which takes place before, during and after school and in the school holidays. There are currently two children on roll in the early years age range who attend on a part-time basis. The childminder takes children to school and collects them, and takes children to the park, libraries and play groups.

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must:

 develop an understanding of the requirement to review children's progress in the prime areas of learning, when they are aged between two and three years, and provide parents with a written summary of their child's development

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must:

 ensure that assessments of what children know and can do are used consistently and effectively to plan for their next steps in learning.

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

 give children sufficient time to think and respond during conversations, at all times

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

 provide more opportunities for children to freely experience messy play, to enhance their creative development.

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who attend

The childminder has a suitable awareness of the learning and development requirements, but is not clear about all the revised changes. She has been minding for many years and, as a result, she has gained a suitable awareness of child development. The childminder observes and assesses children's development and progress. However, she does not always use the information gained from these assessments to effectively plan for children's future learning. For example, she is not currently using any tracking systems to clearly identify children's next stages of development and learning. As a result, the childminder does not plan children's next steps in their learning effectively. Furthermore, the childminder lacks understanding of the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. This means she does not formally identify, as required, children's strengths or any areas where children's progress is less than expected.

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who attend

The childminder adequately promotes children's language skills. She constantly speaks to younger children throughout activities which helps with their early speaking skills. However, on occasion, the childminder intervenes a little too enthusiastically, which does not always give children enough time to think or respond during their play. The childminder and her assistant provide a good range of resources and children make their own decisions about what they would like to play with. For example, younger children explored with the natural objects they found in the wicker baskets, which they moved from one hand to the other, feeling the different textures and sizes. In addition, younger children benefit from some planned creative play activities. For example, they explored with paints using brushes while creating interesting artwork. However, the childminder offers fewer opportunities for younger children to explore freely with messy play activities,

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who attend

Children enjoy physical activities both indoors and outdoors, in all weathers, which means they benefit from fresh air and exercise. They use a variety of equipment such as a slide, push-along toys and balls to practise and extend their physical skills. During the inspection, children showed great delight in trying to catch the bubbles around the garden. The childminder and her assistant develop children's curiosity about their world by taking them to the park and play groups to socialise with other children. The childminder and her assistant provide children with a variety of multicultural resources, such as dolls, posters and books. Children also celebrate festivals from around the world throughout the year. This helps children develop awareness and understanding of the world around them as the childminder and her assistant teach them about different cultures, beliefs and diverse needs. The childminder provides many toys which younger children learn how to

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who attend

turn on and off to learn how they work. This supports their understanding of early technology as well as teaching them repetitive words, sounds and numbers.

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

The childminder and her assistant provide a well-resourced, secure and welcoming environment, with spacious areas for indoor and outdoor play where children play safely. The childminder's home is well organised and resources are very accessible in child-height storage units and shelves. This helps children to feel in charge of their own play and become independent. Children's behaviour demonstrates that they feel safe in the childminder's home. For example, younger children used comfort objects from home and snuggled up to the childminder and her assistant. The childminder and her assistant gather sufficient information of each child's background and needs from their parent when children initially start at the childminder's home. However, the childminder does not use this information effectively to plan children's next developmental milestones in their learning and development.

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

The childminder and her assistant manage children's behaviour in an appropriate manner suitable for the children's age and stage of development. They acknowledge children's achievements through frequent and meaningful praise and encouragement. Consequently, children have a sense of pride for their achievements and behave well. Children practise regular evacuation drills to help them to become familiar with the procedures, so that they learn to leave the premises quickly and in a safe manner. This also helps to raise their awareness of safe practices in an emergency.

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

The childminder and her assistant follow consistently good hygiene practices to promote children's well-being. She supports younger children by encouraging them to wash their hands independently after playing outside or before eating their meals and snacks. As a result, children begin to become independent in their self-care skills. Through discussion, the childminder demonstrates how she promotes children's healthy lifestyles. For example, she prepares healthy home-cooked meals and snacks that meet children's nutritional needs, and shares her menus with parents.

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provision

The childminder and her assistant understand their responsibilities relating to safeguarding and child protection. They have attended training to update their knowledge in this area and know the procedures to follow if concerns regarding children's welfare arise. The childminder and her assistant are vigilant in their supervision of children and conduct risk assessments to help them identify potential hazards. The childminder effectively implements a number of policies and procedures. These guide her practice and she shares them with parents. She checks the work of her assistant to ensure that policies and procedures are implemented consistently and that her interactions with children are effective.

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provision

The childminder's knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements is not yet fully secure. She has not kept up to date with the revisions to the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, she does not have an understanding of the requirement to carry out progress checks for two-year-old children. Furthermore, she does not have effective monitoring and tracking systems in place to effectively plan for children's next steps in their learning. Consequently, any gaps in children's learning are not clearly identified. In addition, this is a breach in the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. Nevertheless, the childminder demonstrates a reasonable capacity to improve. She acknowledges that there is room for improvement and she is keen to continue working with the local authority to improve the quality of her provision.

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provision

The childminder understands the value of working effectively with parents and carers. She informs parents of their children's care and routines each day. Past letters of recommendation and praise from parents commend her care of their children. The childminder has a suitable understanding of the need to work in partnership with any other agencies or settings if the need arises.

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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 147166 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 814116 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 2

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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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