Childminder in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/01/2015 09/01/2009

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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 2 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 good knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard children. She knows the action to take if an allegation is made against her or a member of her family. Also, she has detailed policies in place to underpin her very good practice.  Children are happy and confident to explore their surroundings. The childminder has developed good attachments with the children, so that they feel content and secure. Consequently, their emotional well-being is promoted well.  The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements. She uses this knowledge very well to promote children's progress through developmentally appropriate activities. In particular, children's communication and language development is given high priority by the childminder.  Partnerships with parents, other professionals and providers are well established. The childminder recognises the importance of liaising closely with them to fully support

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always organise snack times well enough to fully promote children's hygiene practices and ensure their well-being.

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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 had a tour of all areas used for childminding, including the rear garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children playing indoors and outside. She engaged with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of children's assessment files and progress tracking information and discussed these with the childminder. She examined a wide range of written policies and documents, including safeguarding, complaints, accident and medication forms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the childminder and members of her household, her self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1992 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her adult child in a house in Stoke-on-Trent. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently four children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round, from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 enhance the organisation of snack times, so that children's good hygiene practices and well-being continue to be promoted, for example, by separating play and eating areas.

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who attend

The childminder has a very good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She uses this very well to provide children with an excellent range of adult-led and child-initiated activities. These provide children with a good amount of challenge and stimulation. The childminder notes children's interests and plans activities that will further develop their interest and learning. For example, children enjoy exploring using their senses as they investigate different toys and resources hidden in a wicker basket that is filled with shredded paper. The childminder explains that this is an activity that children enjoyed at a local children's centre and one in which she has developed further by adding photographs of their family members. Children are engrossed and fully engaged as they search through the shredded paper and examine toys and resources. The childminder is close by to support their learning and teaches younger children the names

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who attend

of simple shapes, such as stars. She supports their early language skills as they try to pronounce new words and utter single words to the childminder. Children are encouraged to sing their favourite nursery rhymes and enjoy a wide range of action songs. They sit with the childminder and look at a range of books as the childminder explains to them how to handle books carefully. Children develop their physical skills as they move around the childminder's home and are encouraged to explore their surroundings. They pick up toys and resources and closely study these, before experimenting with rolling balls and learning how different shapes fit into one another. Consequently, they make good progress as the quality of teaching is good.

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who attend

The childminder monitors children's progress as soon as they enter her provision. She uses regular observations and discussions with parents to determine children's starting points. Children's next steps in learning are accurately identified and targeted through well planned activities. Assessments are precise and children's development is linked to the seven areas of learning. The progress check for children aged between two and three years, is completed well and shared with parents and other professionals, so that they continue to be well supported. These good systems to monitor children's learning and development means that they make very good progress. Consequently, they are acquiring the necessary skills and attributes required for their next stage in learning, such as the move to nursery or school.

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who attend

The childminder understands the importance of liaising closely with parents, other providers and professionals to support children in their learning. She discusses their changing interests with parents, so that she can extend children's learning through activities, which interest and challenge them. The childminder is aware of how to obtain additional support from other professionals to support children. She has established good relationships with local teachers, which enables her to discuss what areas of learning they are focussing on with older children. This means that she is able to complement their learning by adapting current themes and topics to support their progress. Parents and reception teachers commend the childminder on her caring nature and her dedication to providing children with good quality learning experiences.

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

The childminder is kind and caring. She has established very secure bonds with the children to support their emotional well-being. As a result, children are confident and secure in the presence of visitors. They are very happy and relaxed in the company of the childminder. Children play very well together. There is a good family atmosphere between the childminder and the children. They go to her for cuddles and sit on her lap to listen to stories. The childminder knows the children very well and she is always close by to supervise or to intervene in any disputes over toys. She manages children's behaviour very well by gently explaining to them what is acceptable behaviour and distracting younger children with alternative toys. The childminder actively encourages all children to take turns, share their toys and to be considerate to others. This means that they are beginning to be prepared for their future learning, such as the move to nursery and

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

school. The childminder reminds children not to place small items in their mouths and allows them to explore the outdoor environment, so they can become aware of assessing risk. For example, younger children carefully master climbing down the small step to the outdoor area. As a result, children learn how to manage their own safety.

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

The resources in the indoor and outdoor area are very good and provide children with a good level of challenge and stimulation. Children are able to access these independently and explore their environment. This promotes their independence and self-help skills. Children enjoy being outside and benefit from being in the fresh air, where they engage in physical exercise. They have access to fresh drinking water and the childminder labels their beakers with their names, so they can identify their own. She talks to the children about eating healthily and reinforces this when playing with 'pretend' food. This means that children are learning about being healthy and adopting healthy practices. The childminder takes children to the local children's centre on a regular basis, so they can socialise and mix with others. This helps to promote their confidence and self-esteem.

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

On the whole, the childminder adopts good hygiene practices. For example, she encourages children to wipe their own hands with wet wipes prior to snack time and ensures their noses are wiped clean, disposing of tissues hygienically. However, snack times are not always organised well enough to fully promote children's good hygiene practices. For example, children sit on a play mat and eat snack from a paper towel placed on the floor. This means that children become distracted with toys lying around and intermittently play with these while eating juicy fruits. At times, the pieces of shredded paper from the earlier activity, stick to the fruit and have to be removed to avoid the children ingesting these. As a result, there is room to improve the organisation of snack times to fully promote children's good hygiene practices and ensure their well-being.

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provision

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She has robust practices and procedures in place to safeguard children effectively. The childminder obtains visitor identification and politely reminds them about her policy regarding mobile telephone and camera use. She understands the action to take if an allegation is made against her or a member of her family. The childminder has a good knowledge of the different types and symptoms of abuse and knows who to contact to promote children's welfare. Regular fire drills and daily risk assessments are carried out to fully promote children's safety.

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provision

Partnerships with parents, other providers and professionals are well established. The childminder provides parents with regular information regarding their children's development. She uses informal chats to support parents with different aspects of childcare and discusses how children's progress can be supported at home. This means that children are well supported, so that they make good progress.

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provision

The childminder has successfully addressed the previous recommendations from the last report. She now ensures that parents are given lots of opportunities to contribute to their children's assessments and she regularly shares their learning records with them. The childminder has worked hard on providing children with lots of different ways to learn about different cultures and ways of life. She actively involves the children in this by labelling a map of the world and encourages them to make links as they play with different dolls that relate to different countries. The childminder seeks parents' views regarding the quality of her provision to identify areas to improve. Parents comment that they are extremely happy with the care provided and commend the childminder on the way that she shares information with them. The childminder has a wealth of experience in early years and supplements this with various courses to ensure the quality of teaching

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provision

remains good. As a result, children make good progress and they are well supported in their 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 224580 Local authority Stoke on Trent Inspection number 866179 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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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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