Childminder in Essex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 July 2017 12 September 2016

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Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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

 The childminder does not provide a range of activities and experiences that help children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world.  The childminder does not make effective use of her observations of children to help her assess their progress and plan precisely for the next steps in their learning.  The childminder has yet to make effective use of ongoing self-evaluation to help her identify her strengths and areas to improve.  Children are not able to easily access a good enough range of resources, such as books, to support their early literacy skills.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder forms close relationships with children and their families. Children are happy, settled and content in her care. Parents are encouraged to share a wide range of information about their children, which helps the childminder to meet their emotional and care needs.  There are good links with other settings, such as the local pre-school and school. The childminder shares a wide range of information with them and the parents, which helps to provide consistency in children's care.  The childminder attends training courses and meets up with other local childminders to help her gather new ideas or seek guidance. She has links with other professionals, such as her childminding support worker and special educational needs coordinators, which provides a source of guidance and support should she require help.

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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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Due Date

 improve the range of activities and experiences to ensure that children develop a good knowledge and understanding of the world 01/08/2017

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Due Date

 develop further the use of ongoing observations to assess children's progress and precisely plan for what they need to learn next. 01/08/2017

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Due Date

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

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Due Date

 make greater use of self-evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses to help raise outcomes for children further  provide more opportunities for children to independently access books.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the children and the childminder.  The inspector observed the childminder playing with the children inside and out in the garden.  The inspector sampled a range of documents, such as children's records and suitability checks of all adults living in the household.  The inspector held discussions with the childminder in relation to observations of the children and their learning and progress.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The childminder has met the action set at the last inspection. However, she does not make effective use of ongoing self-evaluation to accurately monitor all aspects of her practice, such as how she uses her observations of children's current skills and abilities. The childminder has not reviewed her planning to ensure that she covers all areas of learning effectively. She has a wide range of age-appropriate resources, however, at times, they are not easily accessible. Safeguarding is effective. The childminder understands her role and responsibility to protect children and updates her safeguarding knowledge regularly. She knows the signs and symptoms which indicate a child is at risk of harm and what to do to report her concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The childminder observes children and generally knows what they can do. However, she does not consistently assess and monitor their progress to help her plan precisely for the next steps in their learning. The childminder does not consistently help children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, there are not enough opportunities for children to learn about technology. The childminder does not organise books to enable children to easily access them to support their growing literacy skills. Nonetheless, children enjoy creating interesting characters from potato-shaped heads and body parts. They add facial features, feet and hats and think of funny names for their creations, such as 'Mr Buzzy Potato'.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

The childminder encourages children to develop good independence skills. For example, she reminds them that they are 'clever enough' to take care of their own personal care routines, such as handwashing. This helps children to develop confidence in their own abilities and prepare for the next stage of their learning. Children behave well. They are polite and know the routines of the day, such as where to sit at snack time. Children quickly follow the childminder's instructions. For example, they wait while she prepares an activity and listen to her explanation before starting. There are good partnerships with parents, who show their appreciation in the form of written letters and thank you cards.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Despite the weaknesses in teaching, children learn some of the skills they need to prepare them for school. Children take part in activities which challenge their physical skills. For example, they use tweezers to pick up different shaped and sized objects, such as feathers, foam eggs and woollen balls. Children persevere when the objects fall and try again to transfer the feathers and eggs into plastic tubes. They are confident in their communication skills. Children use complex sentences to explain their ideas and what they are doing, such as why they are colouring their paper plane red.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 560114 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1107557 Type of provision Childminder Day care type Childminder Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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Name of registered person

Date of previous inspection 12 September 2016

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Telephone number

The childminder registered in 1999 and lives in Springfield, Chelmsford. She operates all year round from 7am 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

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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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