Childminder in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10 March 2015 21 November 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

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

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 The childminder prepares children well for their next stage in learning, such as school, by maximising opportunities to teach personal and social skills, which increase children's confidence and self-esteem.  Children have close warm relationships with the childminder. They demonstrate this by snuggling in to enjoy their favourite books, as she promotes good communication and literacy skills.  The safeguarding and welfare requirements are well embedded into the daily routines. The requirements are implemented through well-written policies and procedures, keeping children safe and well protected.  The childminder is highly effective at fostering children's emotional well-being. She has a wide variety of resources that enable children to explore their feelings and express their thoughts.  The childminder works well in partnership with parents to ensure children's care and learning needs are fully met.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The childminder does not fully maximise additional opportunities to enable all children to choose independently from the wide range of activities available.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 devise even more methods of supporting children's freedom of choice in activities and experiences, for example, by creating photograph books showing the available range of toys, resources and equipment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed the premises inside and outdoors, talked with children and discussed aspects of policy and practice with the childminder.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.  The inspector checked the qualifications of the childminder, along with evidence of her suitability and that of her assistant.  The inspector viewed a range of documents, including relevant policies and procedures, risk assessments, accident and medicine records and the childminder's self-evaluation form.  The inspector viewed a range of references and testimonials from parents and carers, taking their views into account.

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who attend. This is good

The childminder is warm, sensitive and caring. She has a good understanding of how children learn, building and extending on their experiences from home. Children enjoy learning about growth and decay by observing how plants grow in different light conditions. Children anxiously wait for the lemons to grow so that they can pick them and sample their taste. The childminder promotes good communication and language skills as she asks children questions that encourage them to think. Children enjoy reflecting back on their experiences as they share their learning file. The childminder promotes memory and recall by asking questions about past experiences reflected in the photographs. The childminder has a wide range of fact and fiction books that children enjoy reading. This promotes children's literacy skills, helping prepare them for future learning, such as in school.

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good

The childminder ensures that the environment is well resourced inside and outdoors. Children's safety and well-being is effectively promoted because there are different areas for older and younger children to play. The majority of the toys and the equipment are easily accessible so that children can independently choose. Occasionally, children ask for specific items to enhance their own play. However, this is not as easy for younger children or those children who have more difficulty in communicating. The childminder is very sensitive to the needs of individual children. She establishes very strong bonds and attachments with children. She listens perceptively and observes their body language. This helps her identify any issues and supports children emotionally. As a result, children feel confident and self-assured as they play. The childminder teaches children to keep themselves safe and to be aware of hazards in the environment. For example, she invites

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good

the fire service personnel and police officers to come to her setting and talk with the children.

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provision is good

The childminder works effectively as a team with her co-childminder and assistant. They share good practice, discuss areas of improvement and develop documents, policies and procedures. The childminder is well-qualified. She regularly attends training to improve her skills and practice, helping to maintain standards in the setting. The childminder observes children regularly and completes the progress check for children aged between two and three years. This helps her to identify gaps in children's learning and enables intervention to be sought as necessary. The childminder is self-reflective and identifies her strengths and priorities for improvement. She liaises closely with parents and carers, obtaining feedback and sharing children's progress. She gathers information from parents and carers about any cultural, language, medical or dietary needs. This helps to ensure that all children's needs are fully met. The childminder liaises well with local nurseries and

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provision is good

schools. This supports children in ensuring continuity in their care and education.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 317116 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 868406 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 16

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 21 November 2011

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 1983 and lives in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria. She operates all year round, from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder works with an assistant and a co-childminder. The childminder cares for children who have English as an additional language. The childminder holds a National Vocational Qualification at Level 3.

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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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