Home Childcarer in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 August 2015 19 May 2011

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Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Requires improvement The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 There are some inconsistencies in the arrangements for safeguarding children. This means children's safety and well-being are not promoted well enough.  Assessment and monitoring of children's learning is not thorough enough. This means the childminder does not consistently share accurate information with parents about their children's progress.  Links with other settings the children attend are not well established. This does not fully promote continuity in the children's care and learning.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder provides a suitable range of activities to help children learn and achieve. Her caring and gentle approach enables children to feel happy and enjoy their time with her.  Since the last inspection, the childminder has converted her garage, which means children have more space to play. She has a spacious garden where children can exercise and enjoy being active.  The childminder builds positive relationships with parents and works appropriately with them to meet children's needs. Written references from parents highlight positive views about the care that children receive.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 attend a child protection training course to gain more up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues and procedures  implement effective procedures for conducting the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years.

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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

 monitor children's progress more closely to fully understand children's levels of development and to identify and address any gaps in their learning  build effective partnerships with other settings the children attend, to share information and promote continuity in the children's care and learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 attend child protection training in order to identify and act on any indications that a child may be suffering from harm (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  devise and share with parents the written statements of the procedures for safeguarding children and complaints (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  devise and share with parents the written statements of the procedures for safeguarding children and complaints (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playroom and the garden.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.  The inspector spoke with the children and talked to the childminder about her practice.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and sampled a range of other documents.  The inspector took account of written references from parents.

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who attend. This requires improvement

The childminder interacts positively with the children and helps them to make steady progress in their learning. She talks to, and plays alongside, the children as they explore the weight of objects in water. This promotes children's communication and problem- solving skills. The childminder stimulates children's imagination when they pretend to visit the moon in a rocket. She encourages children to listen to stories and she provides resources to promote their early writing skills. This helps children to develop some of the skills they need to become ready for school. However, some aspects of teaching lack rigor. As a result, there are gaps in the assessment of children's learning. The progress check for children between the ages of two and three years is missing for some children and conducted late for others. This means parents do not consistently receive accurate and timely information about their children's level of achievement. Furthermore, the

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who attend. This requires improvement

childminder does not establish strong links with other settings the children attend. This does not fully promote consistency in the children's care and learning.

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requires improvement

Children have fun with the childminder and they enjoy her attention and support. Their behaviour shows that they are comfortable and confident in the childminder's care. However, weaknesses in the childminder's knowledge of requirements mean children's well-being is not consistently well promoted. The childminder takes positive steps to keep children safe when they play outside in the sun. She promotes children's good health, for instance, by encouraging active play and offering healthy choices of food. Children enjoy outings in the local area and attend playgroups with other children. This helps them to develop their social skills.

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provision requires improvement

The childminder does not keep a close check on making sure she continues to meet the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. As a result, some of her procedures for ensuring children's safety, welfare and learning are not fully secure. The childminder has not attended safeguarding training for a number of years. This means she has not kept up to date with current guidance and procedures for keeping children safe. However, she does have a basic awareness of some of the indicators of abuse and she understands her duty to report any concerns about the children. This goes some way to protecting children from harm. The childminder takes on board feedback from parents to help her consider areas to improve. She reviews her setting and adds new resources to promote children's learning. However, she does not robustly track children's progress, which means she cannot quickly identify and address any gaps in their development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 402480 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 984520 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 13 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2001 and lives in Northwich, Cheshire. She operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for 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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