Childminder in Gloucestershire

Overall effectiveness Good

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

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The provision is good

The childminder and her assistant use children's interests to plan meaningful learning experiences. Children are curious about the activities on offer. They demonstrate high levels of concentration and a strong motivation to complete tasks. Adults respond very quickly to children's interests and capture their imagination swiftly. For example, children want to play in the 'rocket tent' and fly to different planets. The childminder counts backwards with the children. They gleefully shout, 'Ignition!' before pretending to fly to Neptune. They pretend to land and put on spacesuits. They remember they will not have oxygen on the planet and that they need heavy boots to avoid 'flying into space'. When they re-enter the den, they ask to return to Earth, correctly identifying the planet from the pictures. The childminder carefully organises and plans an ambitious curriculum that enables children to continually build on their interests, knowledge and skills.

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The provision is good

The childminder offers a warm, welcoming environment for children and families. Children flourish through the secure emotional attachments they have made with the adults that care for them. These strong attachments help to support children's emotional well-being and self-esteem. Fostering children's independence and confidence is a strength at the setting.

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need to do better?

n The childminder weaves mathematics throughout the curriculum effectively. For example, she skilfully introduces key concepts during story time. She gives each child four buttons as the story unfolds. They eagerly join in with well-known refrains and give the buttons away when prompted by the text. Older children begin to use the language of subtraction and addition to identify how many buttons remain, saying, 'Now I have zero buttons left.' n The childminder provides all children, including those in receipt of additional funding, with a considered and well-sequenced curriculum. She builds on what children already know and what she would like them to learn next. However, there are times when planned activities do not match the learning intent. This is not always clear enough, especially for the youngest children. n Children have daily access to fresh air and exercise. They often go for walks to local parks, shops and libraries. They enjoy playing in the garden and develop

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need to do better?

good physicality while at play. Adults provide plenty of encouragement as children practise their physical skills. For example, children jump off low walls and measure how far they can jump with chalks, using their fine motor skills to draw lines on the ground. n Children enjoy healthy, home-cooked food and take part in regular cooking activities. The assistant has a particular interest in health and nutrition. She supports children to learn how to keep themselves healthy. The childminder

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need to do better?

17 November 2023 focuses on children's independence and self-help skills and shares tips to support this with parents. n The childminder is reflective about her setting and aware of the strengths and areas for improvement. She ensures she embarks on additional training to strengthen her provision. For example, she attended an online course with the aim of improving her curriculum on diversity. She seeks to provide children with even more experiences to teach them about the diversity in their community and the world around them. n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents are highly complimentary about the care and education their children receive. Parents say that children's language and social skills in particular make 'rapid progress'. They share that their children 'thrive' at this setting. The childminder shares regular, ongoing assessments with parents. For example, she shares the developmental check for children aged

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need to do better?

between two and three years. n Children learn new vocabulary frequently. The childminder and assistant promote communication and language well. For example, the children use torches to play a game involving a hunt for ghosts in the living room. The childminder introduces new vocabulary, commenting on how ghosts shift from one place to another. Children repeat this new vocabulary in context and share their imaginative ideas about ghosts moving from place to place to visit their friends. n Children behave well. They are kind to each other and develop strong relationships with their peers. The childminder is consistent in her approach and promotes positive behaviour through praise and encouragement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The childminder and her assistant know how to monitor and identify signs and symptoms that suggest a child may be at risk of harm. The childminder can demonstrate her knowledge of how and when to record and report concerns to other professionals, such as the local authority. She knows the correct procedure to follow should an allegation occur against her, her assistant or a member of her household. Regular risk assessments and daily checks take place to make sure children play in a safe environment.

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should:

n sharpen the curriculum intent for planned activities to ensure that this is more precise and well defined to extend younger children's learning n enhance opportunities for children to learn about people and communities different to their own, to further develop their awareness of diversity.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY427147 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10308342 Type of provision Childminder

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Childminder

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inspection

Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 9 Date of previous inspection 27 March 2018

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Information about this early years setting

The childminder registered in 2011. She lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The childminder operates Monday to Wednesday from 8am to 6pm, Thursday from 8am to 5.30pm and Friday from 8am to 5pm, all year round. She always works with an assistant. The childminder holds a level 3 early years qualification. Her assistant holds a foundation degree in early years. The childminder accepts funding to provide early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the childminder received since the COVID- 19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the childminder and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provision. n The childminder and inspector completed a learning walk together. The childminder shared with the inspector what they want children to learn and how they will do this. n The inspector and childminder carried out a joint observation of a group activity indoors. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector sampled written communication from parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

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

17 November 2023 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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