Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY349312 Inspection date 12/10/2011 Inspector Carole Lyne

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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 was registered in 2007. She lives with her husband and daughter aged seven years old. They live in Chiswell Green, a suburb of St. Albans, Hertfordshire. The whole ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding, this includes a playroom. Children do not generally access upstairs, there is a downstairs cloakroom. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. There are no pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children. At the time of inspection, one child aged one year old was being cared for. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder has an excellent understanding of child development. She fully understands the Early Years Foundation Stage so provides a wealth of activities and resources to support the individual development of all the children in her care. She considers the interests of the children when planning activities and they are making excellent progress, in relation to their starting points, in all areas of their development. She has very secure relationships with the children and the care of each child is exemplary. She demonstrates a very high commitment to working with parents and carers which greatly enhances the outcomes for children. The childminder demonstrates the drive and capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 developing information sharing with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure continuity of care and learning for children.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded very effectively by the childminder. She has a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding and accesses regular training to continually reinforce and further develop her knowledge. She has detailed policies to underpin her practice in this area. The childminder has a high regard for safety and continually risk assesses her home environment, the garden and outings, including her daily walk to school. Consequently, children play safely at all times. She ensures that all parents are made aware of her responsibilities. She has excellent settling-in procedures for children which helps them to feel safe and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 secure at all times and children are happy and willing to explore their environment fully.

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the early years provision

Children's development is greatly enhanced by the child-centred learning environment, particularly in the playroom. Children are readily able to access a very wide range of resources and are able to enjoy these opportunities in a very comfortable environment. The childminder deploys her time very effectively, giving children time to explore, but also giving excellent support in their play, by asking questions and extending their learning opportunities. She is passionate about the development of children and respects their individual personalities. She is particularly keen to follow children's interests when planning activities to increase their engagement in play.

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the early years provision

The childminder actively promotes equality and diversity. The children have opportunities to discuss the cultural differences of the children in the group, such as diet and the reasons for this. The childminder provides excellent resources and makes children aware of various festivals throughout the year, which increases children's understanding of difference and consideration of others. The childminder learns appropriate vocabulary from individual cultures to support children's understanding and development and is fully aware of the cultural needs of individual children in her care. The childminder has exceptional knowledge of all children's backgrounds and a full understanding of the diversity of the cultures represented. As a result, this increases children's self-esteem and confidence as they feel valued.

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the early years provision

There are excellent partnerships with parents and carers. Parents are given a very full induction pack when they start. Very effective diaries are written daily by the childminder and parents write very informative comments as well. The childminder views engagements with parents as essential to the children's learning. She asks them to answer questionnaires and these were available to be viewed as part of the inspection process as evidence that parents are extremely happy with the care their children receive. Well-established links with other current providers, for example, the local children's centre and a toddler group enhance the children's learning opportunities. However, she will need to develop information sharing systems with the school once children attend apart-time.

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the early years provision

The childminder recognises that self-evaluation is the key to continuous improvement. She is very reflective during her practice really looking carefully at children's play and reflecting on the opportunities and activities that can be used to extend and develop individual children's learning.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides a very stimulating and welcoming environment for children and their families. The children are very confident and relaxed in the setting due to excellent relationships with the childminder. The children are taught about road safety in preparation for their daily walks to school and this leads to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 good behaviour as they have a full understanding of what is expected of them. Many opportunities are provided for children to use a wide range of tools appropriately, such as, cooking utensils, cutters and rolling pins for play dough. Children are confident to ask for any resources they need as the quality of interactions between the children and the childminder are exemplary.

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and outcomes for children

The children thrive as the childminder collects detailed information on the individual health, cultural needs and routines of all children before they attend and ensures these needs are incorporated into her provision. When children have cultural dietary requirements, these are incorporated into the menu planning. Children are encouraged to go outside in the fresh air daily. They are regularly taken on outings to the park and toddler group. Children also have free access to the garden which is also well resourced across all areas. Recently the children have particularly enjoyed collecting the different shapes, sizes and colours of leaves. They also enjoy using resources, such as, the trampoline, large balls and climbing frame which are excellent for developing their physical skills. Children are able to pick fruit and vegetables, such as tomatoes and blueberries, which helps to develop the children's understanding of how things grow. Children are extremely

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and outcomes for children

well nourished because healthy snacks and meals are prepared for the children each day, for example, for lunch on the day of the inspection, the children thoroughly enjoyed the pasta with home-made cheese sauce and broccoli followed by fruit.

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and outcomes for children

The children are enthused to learn and readily participate in activities. The childminder puts children's interests and needs at the forefront when planning activities for the children. This ensures that developmental needs are consistently met to a high standard for all children. The children chose toys independently and become actively engaged in these activities with outstanding support to develop their skills further, for example, the children have an interest in balls, so the childminder has provided balls of different textures and sizes to give them more choices and introduced some skittles to extend their skills. This is encouraging children to develop good concentration skills. The childminder effectively models mathematical language of size, shape and colour when talking to the children during activities. Children are clearly enthused about reading as they regularly select independently from the wide selection of fiction, non-fiction and sensory

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and outcomes for children

books and enjoy reading stories with the childminder. Children's learning is greatly enhanced when they are taken to the toddler group where there are a range of creative activities on offer, as well as music sessions. The themes used in these sessions are often followed up in the childminder's planning. It also gives the children opportunities to meet and play with other children, which further helps their social development. This is valued greatly by parents. The childminder observes children regularly and takes photographs as evidence. She is constantly assessing their development and using this to plan the next steps during activities and the children are making excellent progress in all areas.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder concentrates on developing good self-esteem in children by praising them exceedingly well for trying new activities, achievements and good behaviour. Some of the children have discussed rules with the childminder and these are displayed in the playroom, giving the children a very good understanding of the expectations for behaviour. Children's behaviour is excellent. Children show This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 respect for resources as clear boundaries are set about carefully putting resources away when they have finished with them 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 1 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 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1

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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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