Childminder in Leicester

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/01/2015 17/03/2011

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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

 The childminder establishes close, emotional attachments with children in a caring environment. Consequently, children feel safe and develop a sense of security and belonging.  The childminder works appropriately with parents to exchange information about children's care routines. This promotes a smooth transition as children move from home and into the childminder's care.  Children's safety and welfare is suitably promoted as the childminder has an adequate understanding of child protection issues and procedures. She completes daily checks on the premises and risk assessments to help minimise potential hazards.

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It is not yet good because

 Observations and assessments are not fully effective to enable the childminder to identify and plan for children's next steps, so that she can help them makes as much progress as possible.  The childminder does not maintain a robust two-way flow of information with parents regarding children's learning and development.  Self-evaluation is not completely effective in ensuring that all areas of practice are reflected on. Consequently, priorities for improvement are not always identified or addressed.

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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 checked evidence of the childminder's suitability and looked at a selection of policies, procedures and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times during the inspection and conducted a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector toured the areas of the childminder's home that are used for childminding purposes.

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Inspection activities

 The views of parents and carers were taken into account from comments noted on the childminder's own parent feedback forms.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1993 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her three children in a house in Leicester. The whole of the ground floor, and bathroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a pet rabbit. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently four children on roll, two of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round from 7am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 regularly observe children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles and use this information to tailor planning to children's individual next steps in learning

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must:

 improve both teaching and learning by providing play and learning opportunities that challenges children and provides them with a balance of purposeful, adult-led and child-initiated activities.

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

 develop arrangements to ensure a regular two-way flow of information with parents in order to further support them in guiding their children's learning at home

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

 use self-evaluation more effectively to prioritise areas for improvement, in order to improve the quality of the provision.

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who attend

Children are happy and settled. They enjoy their time with the childminder and participate in a range of activities both within and outside of the home. She has begun to record children's achievements noted through her observations of them as they play and learn. However, these observations are carried out infrequently and the childminder does not fully identify what children can do, which means that she is unable to adequately track and monitor children's progress. As a result, children's next steps in learning are not accurately identified and teaching is variable as the childminder is unclear of what to do next. The childminder works with parents and obtains information from them about children's developmental starting points when they first attend. However, arrangements to maintain this flow of information are less successful. This means that parents are not always suitably informed and do not know whether their children are gaining a satisfactory

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who attend

range of skills ready for the move on to school. The childminder is aware of when to complete the progress check for children between two and three years.

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who attend

The childminder communicates and supports children's developing speaking and listening skills sufficiently through looking at books and talking during every-day routines and activities. However, teaching on occasion requires improvement. For example, the childminder does not always position herself well to fully engage babies attention during activities. This results, in lack of eye contact and babies losing concentration and turning away from her. Children enjoy creative activities and they have opportunities to explore a range of media through planned activities. For example, they explore the texture of corn flour. Children make marks with their fingers and watch intently as it drips from their hands to the table. Children have suitable opportunities to develop their physical skills. Young children who are learning to move are appropriately supported, as they are provided with the space and opportunity to explore the environment in their own time. For

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who attend

example, the childminder creates a safe place for children to sit and manipulate a collection of rattles. In their own time they crawl to the other end of the room stopping to examine toys and equipment on the way. Children have regular opportunities to socialise in the local community and this aids their understanding of communities and people. They visit local parks and enjoy feeding the ducks on a regular basis which contributes to their awareness of nature and animals.

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

The childminder is caring and affectionate towards the children. Consequently, children form strong attachments. This has a positive effect on their confidence and emotional well-being. The environment is safe and well maintained. Toys and resources are suitably organised, in storage units and boxes. Children explore the environment with increasing confidence and make some independent choices about what they would like to play with. The childminder works with parents in order to find out children's individual needs. Consequently, children settle quickly and benefit from the consistent support that they receive. The childminder is fully familiar with children's individual routines and preferences. For example, she knows when and how young children like their mid-morning milk. She attends to their intimate care needs with sensitivity and care, which contributes to children's' sense of security and confidence. The childminder responds positively as

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

babies confidently vocalise their needs, recognising when they are tired, hungry or cross. The childminder is aware of the benefit of effective partnership working and how this helps to provide children with continuity in their care and learning. Although not caring for children that attend other setting at present, she has established links with local schools and other settings in order to support children emotionally with the smooth transition from one setting to the next.

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

Children are supported to develop an understanding of the importance of physical exercise because the childminder builds opportunities for outdoor play into the daily routine. Children make use of the childminder's garden and regularly visit local parks. As a result, they learn how to take simple risks and increase their physical skills as they use large fixed equipment. The childminder practises emergency evacuation and talks to children about the importance of this. Consequently, children are learning how to keep themselves safe. The childminder regularly visits local groups providing children with opportunities to meet and play with others. This contributes to their personal, social and emotional development. For example, it provides a firm base for their general well-being, and helps ensure they are prepared for their future learning, including their move to school. The childminder has realistic expectations of children's behaviour and has an ethos of praise and

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

encouragement. Older children are encouraged to contribute to simple house rules. This helps them to learn to take responsibility for and manage their own behaviour. Children develop a clear understanding of developing a healthy lifestyle. The childminder promotes children's understanding of healthy lifestyles through daily routines, such as washing hands before eating and after visiting the toilet. Children bring packed lunches from home and the childminder stores these appropriately. All of the required documentation is in place to ensure that the childminder has a clear understanding of the children's dietary and health needs. Babies' individual needs are discussed regularly with parents and arrangements for the preparation of milk feeds is agreed accordingly.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable understanding of her responsibilities regarding the safeguarding of children. She has a sound knowledge of child-protection arrangements and the action to be taken should she be concerned about a child in her care. She has prepared a safeguarding policy and procedures and has considered how to manage the appropriate use of mobile phones and cameras in her setting. Positive steps are in place to make sure her home is safe and to minimise hazards in order that children play in a secure, safe environment. She carries out daily visual checks on the premises and equipment and supervises children appropriately. Risk assessments are in place for all areas of the childminder's home and for outings. The childminder has completed paediatric first-aid and safeguarding training and has a suitable first-aid kit to further promote children's safety. Documentation and records are appropriately organised and

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provision

reviewed regularly. This includes systems for recording information about children's specific needs and the necessary parental consents.

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provision

The childminder has made some improvements since her last inspection, including implementing appropriate systems to record existing injuries. She has forged positive relationships with parents and is confident in sharing details about children's care and welfare needs. However, arrangements for sharing information about children's learning and development are less successful. In addition, the childminder has made some attempts to observe what children can do and to track their progress in all areas of learning. However, these arrangements are not sufficient in order to effectively monitor the educational programme. Therefore, planning is not yet effective in helping children make consistent progress in their learning and development. The childminder has completed and maintained all of the necessary mandatory training, such as completing a paediatric first-aid training course. This contributes to her ability to take the necessary

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provision

action in the event of an accident and promote children's safety and welfare. However, self-evaluation is not used effectively in order to identify areas for improvement, gaps in knowledge and understanding and how this will be addressed.

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provision

The childminder has positive relationships with parents and understands the benefits of working together. She ensures that she keeps parents appropriately informed about their child's care through daily verbal feedback. The childminder has recently introduced a communication book which further supports a two-way exchange of information. Parents are encouraged to share what they know about their child when they first start to attend, so that the childminder is able to meet their care needs, plan the environment and help them settle quickly. Parents comment positively in written references about the childminder's caring approach and how as a result their children's confidence has increased.

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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 258224 Local authority Leicester City Inspection number 876599 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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