Squires, Michelle

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 April 2015 29 April 2009

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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 is knowledgeable about the children in her care. This enables her to provide fun, high-quality learning experiences for children, both indoors and outside, that reflect their individual interests and abilities. As a result, children are highly motivated and make good progress in their learning.  The childminder provides children with a welcoming, family environment where they safely learn through play. They are happy, settled and share warm and trusting relationships with the childminder and each other. This has a positive effect on their emotional well-being.  The childminder has a high regard for children's safety. She has a secure knowledge of safeguarding issues and supervises children well, in order to keep them safe.  Children make good progress in their communication and language development. The childminder consistently provides a narrative to activities. She engages children in

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This provision is good

conversation and introduces new words to strengthen their vocabulary.  The childminder establishes effective partnerships with parents. She shares information about children's learning and development, and invites parents to add their own comments to children's records. As a result, parents are well informed and extend children's learning at home.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The childminder occasionally misses opportunities to extend children's creative and critical-thinking skills, through providing children with ample time to think for themselves, in order to test their own ideas.  The childminder does not constantly provide a print-rich environment to fully support children's interest in letters and words.

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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

 enrich children's creative and critical-thinking skills even further, by enabling them to answer questions with more than one possible answer, giving them time to think about and formulate their own responses  build on older children's emerging interest in words and letters, by providing even more examples of print within the indoor and outdoor environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the rooms where children play, and outdoors.  The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector looked at activity planning, records of children's learning and a selection of policies and records.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the childminder and viewed her self-evaluation and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of the views of parents provided through written testimonials and information recorded in their children's assessment records.

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who attend. This is good

The quality of teaching is good. There is a strong focus on making learning fun, and all children are highly valued as individuals. The childminder provides a stimulating, child- centred environment where they flourish. She plans activities that engage children for extended periods of time, helping to develop their concentration and perseverance. For example, children eagerly decorate small buckets with their choice of stickers, filling these with soil, planting seeds and taking great care to water. As a result, children develop their coordination as they use small tools, are creative and learn about the natural world. The childminder generally uses questioning well, to challenge children's thinking. However, she does not always allow sufficient time between questions for children to think about and share their ideas, to extend their critical-thinking skills. There are some examples of print in the environment and children access books independently, but there is scope to

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who attend. This is good

increase the variety of text, signs and labels to support children's emerging interest in words and letters. The childminder prepares children well for their next stage in learning, by introducing counting, shape and colour recognition, and early writing into activities.

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good

The childminder provides a caring and nurturing environment, where children are very happy and settled. They have time to play independently, accessing a broad range of interesting resources, both indoors and outside. The childminder also takes children to a variety of organised groups or on walks locally. This teaches children about the local community and extends their confidence as they meet and play with other children. The childminder also teaches children safe practices, such as crossing roads, so they learn to identify risks for themselves. The childminder is a very good role model. Her calm and consistent approach helps children understand positive ways to behave, such as sharing with their friends and gaining mutual respect for each other. Children's good health is promoted well as they develop their understanding of good hygiene, learn about healthy eating and spend a great deal of time being physically active outdoors.

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provision is good

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibility to meet, and implement, the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She monitors the practice of her assistant who understands, and works to, the childminder's clear policies and procedures. The well-qualified childminder demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous professional development, for the benefit of the children attending. She links with other childminders to share good practice and invites parents and children to give regular feedback. As a result, the provision for children is continually improving. Parents provide very positive comments, in particular, that their children are very happy and that the childminder is instrumental in supporting children's progress. The childminder effectively tracks children's progress and encourages parents to contribute their own observations of children learning, so that this is a shared process.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY236707 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 870046 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 14

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 29 April 2009

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2002 and lives in Thorpe St. Andrew, Norwich. She operates all year round, from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder holds a relevant childcare qualification at level 3. She occasionally works with an assistant.

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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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