Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY409371 Inspection date 08/08/2011 Inspector Susan Ennis

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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 assesses 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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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 registered in 2010. She lives with her two children aged seven and 10 in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. The whole of the childminder's house is used for childminding purposes and there is access to a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder provides care on each weekday during term-time and school holidays. She is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of three children in the early year's age range. When working with an assistant this number may increase to six children in the early years and there are currently seven children on roll in this age group, attending on a part-time basis. She also offers care to children aged over five years and this provision is registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register share the same facilities as those on the Early Years 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

The childminder offers an extremely safe, secure and welcoming environment in which all children thrive and where their development is consistently promoted. Her flexible planning ensures that the children's interests are followed and that they enjoy their time with her. The childminder builds trusting relationships with parents, offering a continuity of care for all concerned. Through reflecting on her practice, the childminder has a clear picture of her areas for improvement. She is therefore able to make effective changes to improve the daily care and experiences for the children she looks after. She demonstrates a high commitment to her childminding and is enthusiastic about making and sustaining improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the use of information gathered about children's learning to enhance their good progress towards the early learning goals and consistently share this information with the parents and other settings attended by the children.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a very high level of commitment to promoting and maintaining children's safety. She has a robust understanding of the procedures regarding safeguarding children, having attended additional training to increase her knowledge and has all the relevant documentation in place for reporting This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 concerns. She ensures that anyone coming into contact with the children is suitable to do so and has arranged emergency cover should she ever be unable to care for the children herself. Children are cared for in a very secure environment in which their safety is of paramount importance at all times. The home is checked on a daily basis and comprehensive risk assessments are regularly carried out on all areas used by the children. The childminder is also very vigilant about the use of cameras in the setting. When she takes photographs of the children she uses

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the early years provision

the same printing facility, having first obtained written permission from the parents to do so. She also has agreement to forward photographs via the parents' mobile phones. She then ensures that any photographs that she has stored are deleted within seven days protecting the children's safety and welfare. Children's safety is also given the utmost priority when out and about with the childminder. She carries their emergency details scanned onto her phone, as well as a hard copy that she and her assistant carry in their outing bag together with a first aid kit. The children also wear high visibility wrist straps which contain the childminder's contact details in case they become separated from her at any time.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a high level of awareness regarding anti-discriminatory practice, enabling her to provide a service which is inclusive for all children and families. She works closely with parents to ensure that she understands each child's background, needs and beliefs. She is experienced in working with other agencies to ensure that all children's individual needs are comprehensively met and offers a consistency of care, often caring for the same children since they were young babies. The childminder effectively helps children learn and understand about the society in which they live and the wider world. For example, she took them to a Diwali festival and has resources including books, play figures and musical instruments reflecting the diverse world in which we live. Parents are also encouraged to share their culture with the children, for example, on returning home from a visit to their home country, they bring food for the children to taste

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the early years provision

Children's individual development is well promoted because the childminder has effective procedures in place to support, monitor and evaluate their progress. The wide range of available resources is well used and the inclusive, child-friendly environment is conducive to children's learning. Designated play space is fully fitted with low-level storage to enable the children to freely select which toys they want to play with and space within the house is efficiently used to, for example, enable the older children to play with more age-appropriate toys out of reach of the younger ones. Children are also able to free flow between the indoors and outside areas, developing their physical skills as they use their movements to make the swing go faster or play with the water tray. The childminder also makes active use of the local amenities. She regularly takes the children to parks and toddler groups to broaden their experiences and socialise with their peers.

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the early years provision

An effective partnership with parents ensures that relevant information is shared. Organised documentation ensures that parents are fully informed about the childminder's policies and procedures, detailing her working ethos and good practice. She also holds an annual barbeque where the parents and children have an opportunity to meet each other in a relaxed and social atmosphere. Daily interaction, news letters and the occasional sharing of the children's development This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 files help to keep the parents informed about their children's day. However, this is an area for further development to make the parents feel fully involved in their children's learning and developmental progress. The childminder is aware of her responsibilities as far as sharing information with other settings attended by the children and agrees that again this is an area for further progress to ensure that a

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a genuine commitment for her work and regularly attends further training to improve her knowledge and the outcomes for the children. She regularly seeks parent's views about her practice and makes changes to her practice where appropriate to do so. For example, a conservatory is being built to provide more play space for the children and more resources are now stored inside, enabling the children to more easily access them independently. Parents demonstrate their satisfaction with the childminder through recorded comments, such as, 'My childminder is fantastic. My child loves her and always asks for her. They have come on in leaps and bounds' and ' The childminder offers an excellent standard and quality of care. Her ability to understand, look after and entertain children is second to none'. The childminder continuously reflects on her daily practice and makes plans for the future. She regularly updates the self-

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the early years provision

evaluation form and uses this as a working document to identify her strengths and areas for improvement, giving her a good overview of her practise as a whole.

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and outcomes for children

Children are consistently offered a wide range of opportunities that support them in making good progress across the six areas of learning and development. The childminder flexibly plans activities around the children's interests and free play choices. For example, following a short holiday break, the childminder ensures that the children's favourite toys are provided to make them feel settled and reassured. Also, when children become slightly distressed by their parent leaving, they are successfully distracted by the childminder singing their favourite rhyme to which they quickly join in with the actions. The Childminder asks parents to complete an 'All About Me' sheet when their children start with her. This includes information about the children's home life and likes and dislikes. However, this information is not consistently used to inform future planning for children's progress. The childminder records children's development by using achievement folders,

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and outcomes for children

photographs, observations and the Early Years Foundation Stage development sheets to demonstrate their progress. However, children's next steps are not consistently identified and it is difficult to see how these are incorporated into planning or when they are achieved by the children. Therefore, children's development is not optimally promoted.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder uses her good knowledge of child development to plan activities to progress children's learning. For example, they develop their knowledge and understanding of the natural world as they participate in a theme about mini beasts. They go for a walk to the local common, looking at insects through a magnifying glass and use their number skills to count how many legs the creatures This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 have. They enjoy listening to a story about a ladybird and use their creative skills to make spiders from paper plates. Younger children develop their understanding of cause and effect as they press buttons on an activity, waiting for the hatch to pop open. When it does they find this very amusing and repeat the action to consolidate their growing understanding. They also use their developing physical skills to roll over on their mat and reach for the toys provided.

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and outcomes for children

Children's emotional development is consistently promoted as they develop secure and trusting relationships with the childminder and their friends. They are pleased when other children arrive and often ask where they are playing so that they can go and join them. The childminder acts as a positive role model and assists the children in learning and making the right decisions. She knows the children very well and helps them learn the expectations and boundaries in place. For example, she discusses the house rules, such as, using their quiet voices inside and being kind to each other on a regular basis. Strategies, such as collecting beans in a jar in return for being helpful and kind encourages the children's positive behaviour and gains them a treat of a trip to the cinema. Children are also becoming aware of helping others as they make cakes to sell for charity and take part in a sponsored walk.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and hygiene is exceptionally well promoted as the childminder takes active steps to minimise the spread of infection and develop children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle. For example, children know to wash their own hands before snack and after using the toilet. They develop their understanding further as they discuss themes about living things and enjoy activities, such as, fruit and vegetable printing, making their own sandwiches and talking about their bodies. They learn about healthy eating and where food comes from as they grow leeks, potatoes, carrots and parsnips in their vegetable plot and make meals, such as home-made pizza. Children are very much encouraged to think about their own safety and that of others. They discuss road awareness when out and about and learn to think about the safest way for them all to cross the road. They take part in role play scenarios as they, for example, dress up as a lolly pop person and help

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and outcomes for children

each other across the road and talk about people who help us. They also become aware of their own feelings as they discuss the unsettling sensation they may get in their tummy if they are worried about something and draw a 'helping hand' of those they feel safe and able to talk to. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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 1 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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