Childminder in Northumberland

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16 July 2015 24 August 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

 Children are cared for by a competent, longstanding and well-organised childminder who clearly enjoys working with them. Consequently, children's overall care, learning and development are very well supported.  The childminder helps children prepare well for school. She provides activities that help them to move on in their learning and encourages them to be independent as they do more things for themselves.  The childminder has strong partnerships with parents and nursery staff. These are well established and support continuity of children's care, learning and development successfully.  The childminder teaches children effectively in all areas of learning. She provides lots of positive interaction and builds on what children do and say. This successfully promotes young children's language development, so that they make good progress in this area.  Children have formed close bonds with the childminder. Consequently, children feel safe

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This provision is good

and secure and are very happy and settled with her.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The children, on occasion, do not have free access to drawing and writing implements during everyday play.  The childminder does not always extend the opportunities for children to access natural materials for messy and sensory play.

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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

 provide even more opportunities for children to use drawing and writing implements, in order to further develop their control and precision when making marks  extend the opportunities for children to access more messy, natural and sensory play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed and discussed routines and activities in the living room and kitchen.  The inspector looked at the childminder's training certificates, children's learning journals, the self-evaluation form and a sample of policies.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability of the childminder and other household members.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers from information provided in parents' letters.  The inspector spoke to the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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who attend. This is good

The childminder is an effective teacher as she is well aware of the different needs of children within similar age groups. Therefore, she plans activities that follow their individual interests and provides lots of one-to-one attention. This keeps children motivated and supports their learning through play. For example, to help children's mathematical skills she uses coloured bricks so that children successfully match them up, name colours correctly, begin to count in context and use mathematical terms, such as more. The childminder uses individual learning journals that capture children's development over time. These show how children have made good progress with her. Children develop good hand-to-eye coordination as they use a range of electronic toys successfully. They know how to turn them on and off and press and slide buttons to achieve their aim. However, opportunities for children to freely use drawing implements

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who attend. This is good

are not always in place to further support their early writing skills.

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good

The childminder uses community facilities well, such as soft play, parks and toddler groups, which helps to support children's social skills and physical development. They also have good opportunities to play outside in the garden and use art, craft and drawing materials at groups. Overall, the environment is well resourced with a good range of manufactured equipment. However, there are few opportunities for children to explore natural materials, such as sand and water. The childminder works well with parents to ensure that children bring nutritional food in lunchboxes to promote their good health. Children have excellent relationships with the childminder. They are happy, settled and confident, and seek her out for spontaneous cuddles. The childminder is always responsive and ensures that children's emotional needs are well met. She is gentle and caring and deals with children's behaviour appropriately. She explains how actions may

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good

hurt someone's feelings and uses good distraction techniques and positive praise. This helps young children learn right from wrong and consider the needs of others.

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provision is good

The childminder has a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and implements her policies and procedures well. She has attended various training sessions since her last inspection, which ensures that she keeps up to date with current practice. She has a good understanding of child protection and safeguarding and is aware of what to do if she has concerns about a child's welfare. The childminder provides a welcoming, safe and secure home, which is regularly risk assessed. She reviews activities and monitors what she does through effective self-assessment to support continuous improvement. She regularly shares the children's daily diaries and learning journals with parents. Consequently, parents and the childminder exchange a good two-way flow of information, which supports children's care and learning successfully.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 506947 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 869312 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 24 August 2009

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 1993 and lives in Cramlington, Northumberland. She operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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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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