Childminder in Milton Keynes

Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is outstanding

The childminder provides a varied, exciting and incredibly well-planned curriculum that entices children and stimulates their learning. The childminder and her assistant know children extremely well and use their expert knowledge to plan activities that encourage them to make rapid progress. Children develop excellent communication skills from a young age. They use their sophisticated language to exchange ideas, negotiate and plan their play. For example, children build large towers from magnetic construction shapes and work together effectively. Children benefit hugely from learning about the natural world when they play outdoors and delight in feeding the squirrels and pigeons who visit the garden. Indoors, the childminder, her co-childminder and assistants have decreased the use of plastic toys and place high importance on offering children natural resources that stimulate their senses. Activities include sorting and crushing beans with spices to

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The provision is outstanding

make aromatic potions using pestles and mortar. Children are highly excited by this activity and show their increasing ability to use different types of tools in their play.

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The provision is outstanding

Children develop exceptionally strong relationships with all who care for them. Their behaviour is consistently excellent. Children are developing skills that equip them extremely well for their future learning. The childminder's superb teaching promotes children's high self-esteem and kind and caring attitudes, making them highly sociable and responsible individuals.

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need to do better?

n Children positively thrive in the warm and welcoming environment. They are clearly enthralled by their learning and become deeply absorbed in the experiences that the childminder offers. The outdoor area is highly stimulating for children who enjoy being out in the fresh air. Recent improvements, such as a dinosaur garden, ignite children's vivid imagination. n Children have a wealth of opportunities to develop their mathematical knowledge. In the garden, they read the numbers on a soft dartboard and explore time and space as they run balls through drainpipes. Traditional games, such as 'What's the time Mr Wolf?', embed children's counting skills and spark their sense of fun as they scream with delight, running from the adults who are trying to catch them. n Children learn about themselves, their own identity and their local community in interesting ways. At Christmas, they visit the local care home where they sing

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need to do better?

songs and share stories with the elderly residents. Children also take part in charity and community events as they learn about the differences and similarities between themselves and others. This helps children to develop into highly considerate and empathetic individuals.

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need to do better?

28 February 2020 n The childminder has an extensive awareness of how to maintain a clean and hygienic environment for children, minimising the potential risk of the spread of infection. She encourages children to be independent in meeting their own needs from an early age. Children skilfully serve themselves at lunchtime and are happy to try new, healthy foods. n The childminder is highly organised. She is fully aware of her responsibilities in relation to handling information and following data protection guidelines. She is highly professional and demonstrates an uncompromising drive to continually strive to provide the very best care and education for children. The childminder carries out extensive, purposeful supervision sessions with her assistant. As a result, the assistant says that she is incredibly happy in her work and developing her professional knowledge and skills extremely well. n Relationships with other settings that children attend are exceptional. The

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need to do better?

childminder and her co-childminder work closely with local schools and develop superb continuity for children. The childminder finds out about children's ongoing progress when they start school and use the feedback to continually review and improve the quality of her curriculum. n Excellent partnerships with parents support children's superb progress. Parents know what children are learning and how to support them because they regularly look at children's learning journals, attend parents' evenings and share home learning packs that children bring home each weekend. As a result, parents are able to be highly involved in children's learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The childminder, her co-childminder and assistants place the highest priority on ensuring that children are safe in their care. They all attend regular in-depth training to ensure that they are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Consequently, the childminder has a detailed knowledge of local and national safeguarding issues and readily identifies potential risks to children. She is highly knowledgeable about signs and symptoms that indicate a child might be at risk and knows how to report any concerns to her local safeguarding partners. The childminder's recruitment and monitoring procedures for her assistant are highly meticulous.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 141684 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 10136276 Type of provision Childminder

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Childminder Age range of children 1 to 10 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 26 Date of previous inspection 4 May 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The childminder registered in 1992. She lives in Two Mile Ash and co-minds with her husband. She works with an assistant who has a recognised childcare qualification at level 3. The childminder provides care five days a week, from 6.30am to 6pm, all year round. The childminder provides funded early education for children aged three and four years old.

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Inspection activities

n A learning walk and joint observation was undertaken with the childminder. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n Throughout the inspection, the inspector spoke with the childminder, her co- childminder, the assistants and children. She also read and took account of written feedback left by parents. n The inspector read through required documentation, such as checking evidence of the suitability of the assistants and looking at qualification and first-aid certificates.

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Inspection activities

28 February 2020 We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

28 February 2020 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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