Blitz, Lorna Frances

Blitz, Lorna Frances

Unique reference number (URN): EY412826 Address: 22 Acacia Avenue, Birstall, LEICESTER, LE4 4HA Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 04/08/2010 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Blitz, Lorna Frances

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Achievement Strong standard

All children have a genuine love of learning. They are curious and inquisitive due to a culture well established and modelled by the childminder, which is inclusive of children's individual needs. As a result of the high-quality teaching that is focused on high levels of consistent communication, children's language and vocabulary flourish. Children can be heard holding long conversations with one another. They listen and respond clearly to each other. Children act out stories they have heard. They use props and can be heard recalling lines from the stories in their play. Children are highly confident communicators and express their needs with ease.

p.2

Achievement Strong standard

Children show their developing understanding of mathematical concepts, such as weight, as they pick items up and tell the childminder that they are 'heavy'. They are confident to point out numbers they see in the environment as they play. Children develop an awareness of safety. They confidently tell visitors the rules as they prepare to leave the house. For example, they say that they have to hold hands to stay safe as they walk to and from school.

p.2

Achievement Strong standard

Children are extremely well prepared for their next stage of learning, including school. They make excellent levels of progress from their individual starting points, which is noticed by parents.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children show their strong attachment to the childminder, frequently seeing her as part of their play. They happily approach her should they need support or reassurance. The childminder is emotionally available to children and encourages them to understand a variety of emotions through the use of pictures and language.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop a high level of understanding around their personal health and wellbeing. For example, while children play imaginatively, they serve biscuits to the childminder. She prompts them, to encourage them to find something to balance their food choices. Children are confident to find pieces of fruit to make their pretend meal more balanced to support their bodies. Additionally, children benefit from purposefully planned experiences, such as toothbrushing to encourage them to participate in and understand healthy hygiene practices. Outdoors, the childminder encourages children to move their bodies in different ways. For example, they walk like a giraffe, elongating their necks and taking large strides. This helps to enhance children's physical development.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder works closely with families to tailor children's routines to fully meet all their care and educational needs, such as dietary requirements and sleep arrangements.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has a detailed understanding of child development. She uses this knowledge to implement her well-planned curriculum effectively, through highly skilful interactions for each individual child. The childminder is highly reflective of her practice and identifies areas of the curriculum that may be more effectively taught on outings. For example, she takes children on outings to the local lake to search for litter to teach them the importance of caring for the natural environment and the impact they can have on it.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder consistently introduces children to new knowledge. She understands that this can happen in any interaction, even unplanned ones. For example, children use their physical skills to competently control their bodies to pretend to be police cars. The childminder asks them to think of other vehicles that use sirens and flashing lights. When children recall an ambulance, the childminder assesses children's understanding through further questions. Additionally, she offers praise for children's efforts, which supports their personal, social and emotional development. Children identify that ambulances are for if 'someone is poorly'. The childminder extends this even further, giving reasons, such as someone might have fallen or been in a car accident. This approach to learning not only introduces children to new knowledge but strengthens their current knowledge.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder skilfully and consistently uses a wide range of vocabulary with children, including integrating mathematical language throughout the daily experiences children have. For example, as she reads to children, she encourages them to recognise numbers and count how many they can see.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

During the settling-in process, the childminder gathers detailed information from parents. This supports her to understand children's backgrounds, routines and stage of development. The childminder tailors each interaction to meet children's individual learning and/or wellbeing needs. The childminder is very aware of circumstances that families and their children can experience. Due to this, she is able to swiftly identify any barriers to learning and, coupled with her accurate assessments of children, make adaptations to her environment and interactions and/or refer to other professionals when needed.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder supports children to understand and respect each other's similarities and differences. She encourages children to feel pride in what they have and can do, even if it is not the same as their friends.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has made consistent links with the local school, pre-school and other childminders. She communicates with them regularly to share strategies, which embeds consistent approaches for children's learning and development. Additionally, the childminder provides regular updates about children's next steps and learning to parents. Parents comment on the positive impact that this has made on their children's social development and independence skills.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is extremely committed to enhancing and contributing to children's lives to improve their outcomes and readiness for the next stage of learning. She has brilliant oversight of her provision and is fully aware of the limitations in the experiences she can provide within her home. Therefore, she complements her effectively planned curriculum in her home with experiences and visits to the local community to further children's learning.

p.3

Expected standard

The childminder not only prioritises children's wellbeing, but her own. She has created links with other local childminders, who provide each other with peer support for mental wellbeing, as well as sharing ideas. The childminder regularly reviews what she offers children. If she feels that there are any areas that could benefit her practice, she swiftly identifies this and attends relevant training. This supports her to remain up to date and helps her to implement changes quickly to benefit children's learning.

p.4

Expected standard

The childminder has a thorough understanding of what can impact children's learning. Her ethos to support all children and meet their individual needs shines through in discussions. It is clear that any decision the childminder makes is in the best interest of the children.

p.4

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder builds respectful and trusting relationships with children, where they feel valued. Children know that the childminder is readily available as a source of comfort and support if needed. The childminder has created a warm and nurturing environment where children clearly understand the well-established, clear routines. For example, at mealtimes, children understand they need to select their items from their packed lunches and take them to the table. They do so with little support from the childminder. Additionally, the childminder works closely with parents and children are punctual and attend well. The childminder encourages children to build an awareness of when to use manners. For example, when children pass toys to their friends, she reminds them to thank each other. Children are supported to understand different emotions. For example, while the childminder reads, she points to pictures and identifies the emotions that animals show. This prompts children to

p.4

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

begin to use emotional language. For example, they point out when animals are happy.

p.4

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are supported to build their confidence to interact with their peers. They regularly engage together. However, children are not consistently supported by the childminder to understand that their actions can have an impact on others, and therefore they repeat unwanted behaviours.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are happy and confident; they can be heard frequently giggling and joyfully singing to themselves and with their friends. The childminder models positive interactions and shows children how to take turns with toys. This helps children to build positive relationships with their peers. Children show their friendships with their peers; they regularly talk about other children's likes and dislikes, who are yet to arrive at the childminder's home. Despite this, children do not fully understand their impact on others because the childminder does not always give explanations consistently.

p.5

Address:

22 Acacia Avenue Birstall LEICESTER LE4 4HA The childminder builds strong partnerships with parents. She values the information she gathers from parents and uses it to make effective adaptations to her activities in order to meet the needs of all children. The childminder prioritises children's attendance. She has processes in place to support families, while being flexible. For example, she meets parents on the school run to drop off their children, or adjusts times of sessions to meet the needs of families to support children to attend.

p.6

Address:

The childminder has created a culture of learning. Every interaction is full of new knowledge and communication, which supports children to make ongoing progress in their learning. Children have fun as they learn. They show high levels of engagement across a range of activities that the childminder purposefully plans. The childminder frequently exposes children to a variety of conversational skills. For example, as children sing and create new versions of the song, the childminder joins in and prompts with humour. Children giggle and begin to tell their own jokes with each other, repeating and testing new ways of being funny.

p.6

Next steps

The childminder should consistently inform children's behaviour development, to enable children to make the right decisions when interacting with their peers.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection.

p.6

About this inspection

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. Type: Childminder

p.6

About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 17:30

p.7

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.7

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.7

Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

p.7

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.8

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.8

Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.8

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8