Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY401163 Inspection date 27/04/2010 Inspector Naomi Brown

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Type of setting Childminder 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 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 rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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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.

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Introduction

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).

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Introduction

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.

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Introduction

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. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the childminding

The childminder lives with her husband and two children aged six and two years in St Albans, Hertfordshire within walking distance of the town centre. The house is on three floors and both ground and first floors are used for childminding and older children have some access to children's bedrooms on the second floor. There is a secure rear garden available for outside play. There is level access to the house. The family has no pets. The childminder currently has two children on roll. She is registered to care for four children under eight years; of these, not more than two may be in the early years age group, and of these, not more than one may be under one year at any one time. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy, secure and confident in the setting. The childminder has established a warm and caring environment in which they can make choices from a good range of activities which meet their learning needs. The childminder is clearly committed to improving outcomes for children through further training and personal development which enhances her practice. The childminder is skilled in finding out about children's individual needs and working closely with parents and other settings which allows her to offer a service that is responsive to the needs of its users.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 further develop opportunities for children to make their own marks, for example, writing their names on their work that is displayed in the setting  further develop self-evaluation systems to reflect all aspects of practice

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the early years provision

Children are well protected as the childminder has a thorough knowledge and understanding of child protection and safeguarding children. The childminder also carries out clear risk assessments of her setting and for outings which further enhance children's safety in her care. The childminder has worked hard to produce detailed policies and procedures which clearly set out the steps she will take to safeguard children and these are shared with parents. This demonstrates the childminder's commitment to keeping parents fully informed about her provision. Parents also receive daily feedback about the provision and a daily diary that is shared between the parents and the setting which enables effective information sharing. The childminder has also approached other settings that children attend This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and established good systems to share information between both settings.

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the early years provision

Consequently, continuity of care for all children is good and this enhances their progress and safety in her home.

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the early years provision

The childminder plans a good range of activities to promote equality and diversity and her position as a strong role model encourages children to learn about the world around them and be respectful of others' cultures and beliefs. Resources are of good quality and are deployed well and all minding areas are inviting to children. The well stocked playroom encourages children to access resources independently from the range that fully meet children's individual needs.

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the early years provision

The childminder is well organised and has a good awareness of children's individual needs, likes and dislikes. She has a strong commitment to improving her practice. This is shown in her readiness to access further training, her strong relationship with other local childminders and her development officer. She has carried out a self-evaluation of the setting and assessed what she feels she needs to improve and what she is doing well. However, this does not yet consider all aspects of her provision, for example equality and diversity and this is an area for further development. Parents and children are involved with this evaluation by answering questions asked by the childminder. She is responsive to her users and ensures that everyone is involved in how her setting operates.

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and outcomes for children

Good settling procedures and the childminder's careful and warm attitude towards them encourage children to feel secure in the setting. She explains to the children about the correct ways to move around the room and how to handle resources correctly. The childminder offers children constant reassurance while they are with her and this helps them feel settled and welcome in her home. All activities help the children to develop skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder uses clear systems of observation and assessment to evaluate children's progress and to plan their next steps for learning. Observations are detailed and related to the six areas of learning. This enables the childminder to plan individually for each child, recognising their uniqueness and allowing their different abilities and stages of development for each individual child are taken into account. This underpins their strong progress in the setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children are able to adopt healthy lifestyles through the nutritious snacks and meals that are provided by the childminder. Children go on outings to local garden centres, farms and parks, as well as meeting with other childminding groups in the local areas. This encourages them to develop their physical skills, experience a range of outdoor areas and to become confident in wider social groups. They have access to the childminder's secure garden which has an outdoor kitchen, bikes and ride-on's and children are enjoying growing their own plants and vegetables in pots. The childminder gently reminds children to wash their hands before they have a snack and after they play outside. The childminder's home is very hygienic and clutter free and this helps to protect children from cross contamination. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children enjoy well thought out activities which they enjoy immensely. The

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and outcomes for children

childminder is very responsive to children's individual needs and takes time to extend activities, some of which are spontaneous. For example, children enjoy looking at a picture book with the childminder. They point to different objects and the childminder asks a good range of open questions to promote their development as critical thinkers. She responds to their pertinent questions with clear explanations and these often lead to lively discussions which spark the children's interests. Children enjoy cutting, sticking, painting and drawing. However, much of the work that is displayed in the setting is adult lead with pre- cut shapes and children have not attempted to write their names on this work. As a result there is room to further develop opportunities for children to make their own marks. Children enjoy creative play with a range of materials, paper, glue, pens, pencils and playdough. They enjoy using a range of materials and textures

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and outcomes for children

to create collages of outings they have been on and projects they are taking part in. For example, children have made collages about a recent trip to a garden centre where they saw lots of fish, including eels and they have decorated pictures of these. The childminder is calm and talks to the children at a level they can understand. As a result, children are well behaved and are polite. She is a strong role model and they are learning to manage their own behaviour from her example. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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