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Introduction 

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable.  The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

 The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.   

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration.

 20/06/2011

Description of the childminding 

 The childminder was registered in 2003 and works with another childminder and an assistant. He lives with his wife, who is also a registered childminder, and their child aged seven years. They live in the residential area of Blyth in Northumberland. The childminder's home is accessed by one step. The whole of the ground floor and the bathroom on the first floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register, and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. He is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight when working alone and no more than seven children under eight when working with another childminder, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. He is currently minding three children all of whom attend a variety of sessions. One child is in the early years age range. The childminder cares for children Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm for 52 weeks of the year. The childminder escorts children to and from the local school. The family has a dog and a cat.

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

  Overall the quality of the provision is Good.

 Children are cared for by a knowledgeable practitioner who is acutely tuned in to their interests and individual stages of development. Children's learning and welfare is strongly supported through comprehensive policies, good relationships with parents, mostly effective partnerships with others and a well-organised environment that mainly promotes children's independence. The childminder has mostly developed a strong understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Good systems ensure that the setting is always continuously improving and the childminder constantly reflects on his practice. The childminder provides a highly inclusive setting where all children are valued for their unique qualities and abilities.

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision

 Children remain free from harm in a well-organised environment. Secure and consistent policies and procedures are used by the childminder to limit risks to children, and provide a safe space for their play. The childminder shows a strong awareness of child protection issues and follows his comprehensive policy to pass on any concerns about the children in his care. He has developed his policy since the previous inspection to make sure that children are continually safeguarded, and has devised a more robust procedure to record any existing injuries. These procedures ensure that children's well-being is continually protected. Children play with a good range of well-maintained toys and equipment that meet their individual needs.

The childminder shows a positive attitude towards developing his knowledge. He has attended several training courses since the previous inspection, such as food hygiene, first aid and child protection and realises the beneficial impact this has on the children in his care. The childminder is able to clearly identify the strengths and areas to improve within the setting. This is achieved through using effective self-evaluation. The childminder looks at areas to improve that will have the most beneficial impact on the children in his care. For example, he has used equipment to set up a shelter which enables children to play outdoors all year round regardless of the weather. The recommendations from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed and further improved the service for the children. A clear record is maintained of the times that assistants are present and children are consistently encouraged to wash their hands before mealtimes. This further contributes towards protecting children's good health and safeguarding their well-being.

Partnerships with parents are clearly one of the childminder's strengths. He places a high emphasis on working successfully alongside the parents to help children make good progress, both at home and in his setting. The childminder respects the parents' wishes and has good systems in place to ensure they are kept fully informed about the care of their children, through letters, text messages and photographs. Comprehensive daily diaries are shared with the parents to maintain a good two way flow of information. The childminder has begun to develop links with others providing the Early Years Foundation Stage for the children in his care. However, these relationships lack information sharing about children's learning and development to provide them with a continuous and consistent learning journey.

The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children

 Children have very good relationships with the childminder. They approach him with great confidence to make their individual needs known. The childminder successfully responds to the children in his care. This results in them being highly valued and respected by the childminder, which contributes towards children developing a strong sense of belonging. Children have built good relationships with others who attend the setting. They happily share and play together in the garden for long periods of time. The childminder plans activities that he knows will help children to develop good social skills, such as board games and lots of toys that can be used for imaginary play. The setting is organised to provide some good opportunities for children to become independent, for example, with attractive low-level storage for books and toys, to allow them to make choices, and coat pegs at child height. However, on some occasions, opportunities to promote further independence are missed. Children behave very well in the setting. The childminder talks to children about house rules which results in them learning about boundaries. A successfully inclusive environment is created for the children. The childminder successfully follows a comprehensive inclusion policy and collects a wealth of information about the children in his care. This results in him competently meeting children's individual needs.

The childminder has developed a good understanding of child development. He completes comprehensive observations about the children's learning to effectively monitor the progress they make in his setting and plan for the children's next developmental steps. However, these are not securely linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance to ensure he can robustly monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals. Written plans remain flexible to meet the children's changing needs and interests. Children make good progress in their time with the childminder. He knows the children exceptionally well and provides a broad and balanced range of experiences that they enjoy. Children delight in playing games that the childminder has devised to help them identify letters, as they collect matching pictures from around the living room with their names on. Good systems have been developed by the childminder to work with parents and promote children's learning at home. He passes on information to parents about things children will benefit from to further secure their learning, such as opportunities to complete jigsaws and develop their mark making skills. The childminder carefully considers how he can encourage children's learning in all areas which are highly focused on their individual interests. For example, children who are not keen on using pencils to draw and write are provided with opportunities to refine their mark making skills by chalking on the fence outdoors or using paints.

Children learn how to remain safe in the setting and outdoors. The childminder practises regular fire drills with the children to ensure they know what to do in an emergency. Learning about safety is very much focused on the individual child. The childminder talks to parents about any concerns that they may have. He then plans opportunities for children to refine and practise their learning any areas that are identified. For example, children are given more opportunities to go on walks in the local community to help them develop good road safety skills. Children have several opportunities to be outdoors during the day. The childminder organises the setting to ensure a free flow from indoors to outdoors is successfully promoted. Children are involved in spontaneous walks with the dog to provide them with plenty of time to exercise and enjoy the fresh air. Children benefit from a fairly healthy menu of foods that they enjoy. The childminder encourages children to learn about good personal hygiene by talking to them about why they wash their hands before mealtimes. This further contributes to safeguarding the children's well-being.

Annex A: record of inspection judgements 

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

 Annex B: the Childcare Register