Cockroft, Nicola Mary

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26 February 2016 Not applicable

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder listens attentively to children about what they enjoy. She uses this knowledge to plan for their future learning. This helps to ensure that children are enthused to play and learn during meaningful experiences that support their continued development and progress.  The childminder forms secure emotional attachments with the children in her care. She knows the children very well and is on hand to ensure they are fully assured as parents leave. The great deal of comfort, support and reassurance that children receive help to nurture their emotional well-being so that they remain happy and settled.  Partnerships with parents are good. The childminder keeps parents informed of their children's time with her through effective systems, such as diary books and newsletters. She is confident to offer ideas for parents to help extend children's learning at home.  The childminder is committed to her role. Her constant evaluations of practice are

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This provision is good

effective in identifying key priorities for improvement. The childminder strongly values what others say and is very clearly focused on providing the best of care and learning opportunities for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Sometimes, the childminder does not offer enough opportunities for children to be active learners and solve problems for themselves.  The childminder does not fully use highly effective teaching methods to extend older children's developing knowledge and understanding of time.

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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

 improve opportunities for children to be proactive in solving problems for themselves  enhance teaching strategies to the very highest levels that support older children to extend their knowledge and understanding of the concept of time.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector toured the areas used for childminding.  The inspector held discussions with the childminder and children throughout the inspection.  The inspector observed children during their freely chosen and routine activities throughout the inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder during a planned activity.  The inspector examined a range of documents. This included evidence of suitability checks, a record of the childminder's training, self-evaluation documents, policies and procedures, and records of children's observations and assessments.  The inspector took account of the views from parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The childminder has attended safeguarding training and has a good knowledge of the procedures to follow to protect a child's welfare. Continued supervision, secure areas and vigilant safety checks contribute to ensuring that children remain safe at all times. Effective monitoring helps to quickly identify and support any emerging gaps in learning for individual or groups of children. The well-qualified childminder is committed to her role. She regularly attends further training to develop her knowledge and skills and is proactive in applying her learning in practice. For example, learning from recent phonics training has been used to broaden the range of activities, helping to better equip children with the skills they need for school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The childminder uses the information from her observations and assessments of children's learning to good effect. Planned activities take into account children's next steps and interests to help ensure they are motivated to play, learn and develop. Children are keen to engage in the wide range of sensory experiences that the childminder provides. The childminder's good use of questions helps children to use describing words, such as gluey and melting, when observing and talking about how materials change shape. The childminder is on hand to provide additional resources to support children when they initiate their own play themes. Children are intrigued by the marks that different resources, such as cars and shells, make when printing and wheeling them through creative materials. The childminder provides innovative ways for children to explore technology to help them expand their communication and language skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

The childminder provides a welcoming, safe and well-resourced playroom for children to access that inspires them to play and learn. Children enjoy the responsibility of carrying out tasks for themselves to develop independence. They take an active role in self- registration and confidently attend to their own toileting needs. This helps to develop their self-care skills in readiness for school. The childminder provides daily opportunities for children to exercise and promote their good health. Children enjoy joining in with ring games outdoors. They learn where their healthy food comes from when collecting eggs from the chickens at the allotment. The childminder teaches children the expectations for behaviour very well. Children respond well to this, demonstrating their excellent sharing skills and friendly behaviour towards others. Good links with local schools and nurseries help to ensure that children's moves between settings are seamless.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including those who receive funded education, make consistently good progress from their starting points. The childminder's good use of funding helps to ensure that any gaps are swiftly closing. For example, recent funding money has been used to redesign the appealing playroom so that children have more opportunities to make their own choices and develop greater independence. This contributes to all children gaining the key skills they need for their next stages in learning, including school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY479377 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 982224 Type of provision Childminder Day care type Childminder Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 1 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2014 and lives in Wigton. Her childminding provision is known as Puddle Ducks. The childminder operates all year round, from 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays. She holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 2. The childminder provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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 reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Telephone number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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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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