Childminder in Sunderland

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/01/2015 03/03/2009

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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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder has a very good understanding of how children learn and develop. She provides an interesting and stimulating learning environment in which all children make at least good progress.  Children develop extremely secure attachments with the childminder. She is caring and considerate of their individual needs and as a result, children settle quickly, are well behaved and feel safe in the setting.  Positive partnerships with parents and the local school are established, which ensures that children are well supported and receive continuity of care, learning and development.  Children are safe because the childminder has an excellent knowledge of how to keep them well protected and follows very effective procedures for promoting health, safety and welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally, the childminder asks questions or gives instructions, which unnecessarily break the flow of children's exploratory play.  Opportunities for children to engage in play with open-ended and natural resources are not always effectively promoted. This is because most of the toys and equipment are commercially produced and cannot be used flexibly and in a number of ways.

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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 carried out a tour of the areas of the home used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children while they were engaged in activities in the living room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of records including learning information, written policies, risk assessments, qualifications and a selection of other documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the childminder and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2002 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, who works as her assistant and her adult children in Washington, Tyne and Wear. The whole of the ground floor of the house and an upstairs toilet are used for childminding. There is an enclosed rear garden for outdoor play. The childminder attends a toddler and childminder groups. She visits the local shops, cafes, parks and local attractions on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools. There are currently 18 children on roll, 7 of whom are in the early years age range and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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

 enhance further children's already good exploratory skills by giving them time to become fully engrossed in play without unnecessary interruptions

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

 enrich further the opportunities for children to develop their imaginative and exploratory skills by providing them with access to a wider range of natural and open-ended resources.

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who attend

Children are very well-supported to learn and develop across all seven areas of learning. This is because, the childminder provides developmentally appropriate resources in a stimulating environment, which meets their needs. There is a very good balance of adult- led and child-initiated play and children are encouraged to make choices from the wide range of toys, equipment and resources available. As a result, children are happy, interested and motivated to learn. They enjoy spending time independently exploring and investigating their surroundings however, occasionally the childminder asks questions and gives instructions, which unnecessarily breaks the flow of their play and they lose their focus.

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who attend

The childminder values what children have to say, including their early attempts to form words and sentences when they are very young. She provides a talk rich environment to support language acquisition and understanding. She encourages children to verbally share their needs and ideas, giving them time to speak and responding positively by making eye contact, smiling and nodding appreciatively. Consequently, children make very good progress in communication and language. Teaching is good and sometimes outstanding. When it is outstanding the childminder plans activities and experiences, which builds on previous learning, focuses on next steps and provides children with the right balance of support and challenge to maximise their progression. Children enjoy accessing a variety of resources, for example they enjoy chatting to their parents and friends on mobile phones as part of an imaginary role-play game. However, there are a

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who attend

limited selection of open-ended and natural resources and as a result, children's imaginative play is not always fully extended.

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who attend

Observations and assessments show that children are making at least good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas. Assessments are used effectively to track children's progress, identify gaps in learning and plan for next steps. The childminder discusses children's progress with parents on a daily basis and they are encouraged to access children's individual files. These include pieces of work, photographs, observations, assessments and tracking, and are a very good record of children's time in the setting. Parents are very happy with the information the childminder shares with them about their children's progress.

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

Children and parents are welcomed into a warm and stimulating environment. The playroom is extremely well organised and provides opportunities for children to access a broad range resources independently. Colourful displays celebrate children's achievements, the variety of experiences and activities they are involved in and reflect different cultures and needs. Parents happily share information with the childminder about their children's emotional and physical needs and stress how much they value the care and support she gives their children. Children demonstrate their strong sense of security and attachment as they smile and confidently look to the childminder for support, reassurance and comfort. She knows the children extremely well and very quickly responds to their needs. For example, when one child is wary of the inspector she talks quietly to them, keeping them close to her until they feel confident enough to move away.

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

As a result, children are very quickly reassured and settle to independent play. The childminder promotes independence extremely well, even with the youngest children, who are effectively supported and encouraged to do things for themselves. For example, she uses encouraging words to keep children focused while they are cutting up play food and this helps them persevere with the task. Consequently, children feel a greater sense of achievement, develop confidence, resilience and do not become over reliant on the childminder. Children have access to a secure and inviting garden for outdoor play. The childminder helps them to understand about the importance of fresh air, exercise and a healthy diet by talking to them about how to stay healthy and providing healthy food and drinks. As a result, children begin to develop an understanding of how to make healthy choices.

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

The childminder has an excellent understanding of how to support children as they move into and on from the setting. She collects information from parents about children's needs when they start and takes time to get to know them as individuals. She is sensitive to the needs of families and flexible in her approach when organising settling in periods, offering additional support to parents if it is needed. The childminder uses the facilities in the local community to good effect by taking children to different groups and on many outings. Consequently, they learn to adapt their behaviour to different social situations and become confident with other adults and children. They accompany her to drop off and pick up children from school and this helps them to gain an understanding about what school is like. The childminder works extremely closely with the school and parents to support children when they reach school age and as a result, children make the move to school

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

The childminder has an excellent understanding of how to keep children safe. The premises are very well organised, clean and inviting to children. The childminder carries out regular risk assessments of the premises and for outings, which ensure that children's well-being is consistently protected during their time in her care. Children's behaviour is exemplary and effectively supported by the childminder who sets very clear boundaries and gently reinforces these on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, she has very high expectations of all children and as a result, they respond well, are considerate and polite to each other. The childminder uses the indoor and outdoor spaces effectively to promote physical well-being. She encourages children to move around independently and to take some risks in their play, but regularly reminds them about how to do this safely. As a result, they begin to know how to keep themselves safe and are developing an

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

understanding of risk assessing for themselves.

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provision

The childminder has an excellent knowledge and understanding of her responsibility in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and has successfully met the recommendation from her previous inspection. She knows how to safeguard children effectively and has a very good understanding of the procedures to follow if she has concern about a child. She has completed training in paediatric first aid, safeguarding and food hygiene and has a comprehensive set of written policies, which reflect practice and are shared with parents. The childminder undertakes detailed written risk assessments and assesses risk on an ongoing basis to ensure that children are safe in the setting and on outings. The childminder is a very reflective practitioner who is committed to improving her practice, and evaluates her service well. She has targets in place for future development and uses

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provision

feedback from parents and children to help formulate these. For example, she is currently developing a selection of story sack resources in response to the children's love of reading and her desire to link stories to all areas of learning.

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provision

The childminder has a very secure knowledge of the learning and development requirements, how children learn and what she can do to support their learning. She uses observation to accurately assess children's progress and to highlight gaps in attainment. The childminder keeps up to date with changes to regulations and practice by attending courses and through her close working relationships with other local childminders, who attend network meetings, share good practice and training. The childminder ensures that her assistant is kept well informed about changes to requirements and is included in driving improvements as they regularly review practice together.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are extremely good, they speak highly of the childminder and feel that their children's care and developmental needs are effectively met. Parents feel well informed about their children's progress and value the learning journals, which are a comprehensive records of children's time in the setting. A noticeboard keeps parents informed about current regulations and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder has very good links with the local school and they work closely together to support the learning and development of children who attend both settings. As a result, children receive support, which is coordinated and consistent and ensures that their needs are very well met.

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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 EY235032 Local authority Sunderland Inspection number 855813 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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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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