Childminder in Liverpool

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/01/2015 13/01/2011

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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 consults parents about their children's capabilities and care needs when they first start attending. She shares ongoing information to involve them in their children's learning.  The childminder fosters children's emotional well-being effectively as she develops warm and caring relationships with them.  The childminder has a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse. She has devised an appropriate procedure to follow, in order to report any concerns regarding children's welfare through the correct local reporting channels. This means that she has sufficient knowledge to protect children from harm.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not always consider children's existing interests when planning activities or allow them to fully explore their own ideas. As a result, children are not always motivated to learn.  Children sometimes become bored and their good behaviour lapses as the childminder does not make effective use of the learning environment to create an attractive and engaging space, which promotes their independence and curiosity.  The childminder does not consistently follow good hygiene routines or talk to children about being healthy. As a result, she does not effectively minimise the risk of cross- infection and children's good health is not always promoted.

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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 conducted a joint observation with the childminder and observed activities in the indoor and outdoor area. The inspector sampled children's learning records.  The inspector took into account the views of parents recorded by the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times during the inspection and reviewed her self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documents, such as policies, procedures, risk assessments and evidence of the childminder's qualifications, including paediatric first aid.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed evidence of the suitability of the childminder and other adults living at the childminder's home. She had a tour of the areas used for childminding.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and one child in a house in Mossley Hill, Liverpool. The whole of the ground floor, upstairs bathroom 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 six children on roll, four of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates term time only, from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 ensure each child receives learning experiences, which are appropriately challenging by consistently using information collected through regular observations, in order to effectively support their good progress towards the early learning goals.

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

 support children to follow their own interests by reconsidering the arrangement of resources to create an engaging and stimulating environment and by providing more time for them to explore their own ideas during play

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

 develop children's understanding of being healthy and effectively reduce the risk of cross-infection by consistently following hygiene routines and by talking about healthy choices.

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who attend

The childminder does not always consider children's existing interests when planning activities or allow them enough opportunities to fully explore their own ideas. For example, she observes children's play and records their achievements regularly. However, she does not consistently use this information to plan for children's next steps to provide interesting and challenging activities based on their existing interests. As a result, children are not always motivated to learn, to ensure they make good progress towards the early learning goals. When children first begin attending, the childminder consults with parents regarding her initial assessment of children's skills and capabilities to ensure it is accurate. She has appropriate arrangements in place to share information about children's learning, including the progress check for those aged between two and three years, to promote parents involvement in their learning. The childminder's assessment arrangements are sufficient in

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who attend

ensuring that areas of learning, which are less than expected are identified. Therefore, interventions can be secured where appropriate.

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who attend

The childminder has an appropriate understanding of how children learn and develop. However, she does not always use effective teaching skills to fully support children's problem-solving skills by providing ample time for them to explore their own ideas. She sometimes over directs children's play, in order to achieve an outcome. For example, the childminder instructs each child to stack blocks in size order, to build a tower. This means that children sometimes lose interest in their play as their critical thinking and problem- solving skills are not fully promoted. Children generally enjoy their time with the childminder, however, as she interacts playfully with them. Younger children's early communication is promoted as the childminder uses simple words and phrases to encourage repetition. She encourages children to think about matching pairs using photographs and familiar toys and praises them when they match two corresponding

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who attend

objects. This means that children receive appropriate support to develop the attitudes and dispositions, which they need for their next stage of learning or future move to school.

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who attend

The childminder provides a balanced curriculum. Children enjoy regular outings to soft- play sessions, playgroups and the local children's centre. They explore the natural world as they plant flowers or play in the local park. Their physical coordination skills develop as they learn to throw or kick balls and balance on different surfaces. Children explore different musical instruments and delight in the sounds, which they can produce. Imaginative play is well promoted as children build train tracks and explore small-world play sets. Children listen to the childminder reading familiar stories and enjoy lifting the flaps on favourite books to promote their early literacy.

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

Children's good behaviour sometimes lapses as the childminder does not make effective use of the environment to create an attractive and engaging space to promote their independence and curiosity. For example, children can access a small selection of resources in the indoor area, which are safe and appropriate for the ages of the children attending. However, the childminder stores many of the toys out of reach, which means that children are not always able to follow their own interests and sometimes become bored. In the outdoor area, the childminder provides a few resources at a time, which engage children for a short period before they begin to lose interest as the environment is not stimulating. However, the childminder manages their behaviour appropriately. For example, she role models turn taking by helping children share the resources equally between them, which means that they develop an understanding of her expectations.

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

The childminder does not always consistently follow hygiene routines or talk to children about being healthy. For example, children are not always supported to wash their hands before meals and the childminder does not always discuss healthy foods or the importance of keeping hydrated with them. As a result, she does not effectively minimise the risk of cross-infection and children's understanding of being healthy not always promoted. However, she does provide healthy meals and snacks, such as fruit or rice cakes. She ensures her menu adheres to children's individual dietary requirements and that they can freely access their own drink throughout the day. The childminder's home is clean, which helps to promote children's health. They have opportunities for regular exercise in the outdoor area and at weekly physical play sessions. Children also benefit from this as they learn about taking safe risks with the support of the childminder. She promotes children's

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

understanding of keeping themselves safe appropriately by providing clear and consistent messages to improve their awareness of hazards.

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

The childminder fosters children's emotional well-being effectively as she develops warm and caring relationships with them. Her settling-in procedure is appropriate and flexible to support individual children's needs. She understands the importance of asking parents for relevant information about their children's routines, likes and dislikes, so that she can get to know them well. As a result, children, including those who have recently started attending, are comfortable and developing confidence at the childminding setting. She praises and encourages children throughout the day, for example, as they help her to tidy away the toys or while they feed themselves independently. Consequently, she effectively supports their self-esteem. She promotes children's independence through daily routines, such as when they begin potty training, to help them to develop their self-care skills. The childminder has appropriate systems in place to share information about children who

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

attend other settings, in order to promote consistent care routines. She demonstrates that she supports children's emotional well-being effectively, in order to prepare them for their next stage in learning or a move to school.

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provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse. She has devised an appropriate procedure to follow, in order to report any concerns regarding children's welfare through the correct local reporting channels. This means that she has sufficient knowledge to protect children from harm. The childminder has other systems in place to help to keep children safe. For example, she completes risk assessments for outings and the indoor and outdoor environment to ensure she is aware of any hazards, in order to minimise them effectively. The childminder keeps her front door locked to prevent unauthorised access and visitors are asked to sign in. She has had appropriate vetting checks conducted to verify the suitability of adults living at her home. The childminder maintains her records of accidents, existing injuries, children's attendance and medications, which have been administered. This helps to promote children's health and

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provision

The childminder has an appropriate understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She monitors the educational programmes using children's individual learning records, in order to identify any areas of development that are less than expected and promote learning across all seven areas. She uses information from parents in her assessments of children's progress on a regular basis. This enables her to secure interventions for children whose development is less advanced than expected. The childminder maintains an appropriate level of information sharing with parents regarding children's daily activities to promote a consistent approach between their home and the childminding setting. Parents comment that they are happy with the progress their children have made since they have started attending and with the level of care provided by the childminder.

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provision

Since her last inspection, the childminder has started to evaluate her practice more regularly. Her self-evaluation has highlighted some relevant priorities for improvement. For example, the childminder has already identified that the learning environment, particularly the indoor environment, could be more interesting and stimulating for children. She is in the process of creating a photograph book to help children to select any resources that are stored out of sight, which they wish to play with. The childminder aspires to improve. She is exploring further training, in order to develop her knowledge further, as well as developing her systems for recording information about children's achievements. The childminder is proactive in organising and undertaking appropriate training courses and is part of a local childminding network. She meets with other childminders regularly to share ideas and practice. The childminder demonstrates the capacity to make and sustain

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provision

improvements to achieve better outcomes for the children in her care.

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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 EY415879 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 955061 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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