Garrett, Michelle Frances

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/04/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder provides a welcoming, nurturing environment where children form secure attachments with her and her family. This results in children who are emotionally secure and happy and confident in their surroundings.  Children's language development is effectively promoted. This is because the childminder places a sharp focus on engaging children in conversation through asking open-ended questions to develop their speaking and listening skills.  Children show enthusiasm for learning because the childminder plans a range of stimulating, play experiences and activities that use their interests and developmental abilities. This results in children making good progress towards the early learning goals.  The childminder is vigilant about children's safety and teaches them the skills they need to keep themselves safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for children to explore the sensory experience of colour and texture through a wide range of media and materials are not maximised.  Ways of actively engaging parents in their children's learning are not developed to the optimum.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the living room and large hallway.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection and made observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documentation including children's development records, a selection of policies and children's records.  Views of parents were taken from parent questionnaires and references.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged 10 years and four years in Tring, Hertfordshire. The whole of the property and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family have a cat as a pet.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools, nurseries and pre- schools. She visits shops and parks on a regular basis. There are currently four children on roll including three in the early years age group. The childminder operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 extend opportunities for children to explore colour and texture to encourage and enhance their creative and sensory development

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 maximise ways to engage all parents in their children's learning through providing further opportunities for them to share information about their children's achievements at home.

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who attend

The childminder has a good knowledge of how children learn and provides a range of fun and interesting play opportunities and activities to help children make good progress in their learning and development. She understands that every child is unique and she works hard to ensure she knows the children in her care well. One way this is achieved is through the initial settling-in visits for new children and their parents when the childminder gathers important information about the children, including their starting points. This enables her to then ensure play experiences build on children's interests and developmental needs and are adapted to meet the individual developmental needs of each child.

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who attend

The childminder monitors children's learning. Each child has their own development book, called a 'portfolio' which shows their achievements through the use of observations and photographs. The childminder links this with the seven areas of learning and uses this information to carefully assess their development so she can effectively plan for the next stages in their learning. Consequently, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Parents and carers are kept well-informed about their child's progress and achievements through daily conversation and they are encouraged to look at their child's portfolio. Opportunities for parents to contribute to these, through sharing information about their child's learning at home, are not maximised to support children's learning to the very optimum.

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who attend

The childminder provides a good balance of adult-led activities and encourages children to lead and initiate play and learning for themselves. This enhances children's enjoyment and readily encourages them to make choices and decisions for themselves. Children can freely access a range of resources that engage their interests, such as making 'traffic jams' with cars on the car mat. The childminder supports children in their play and extends their thinking as she talks with them about the different types of vehicles. She fosters their language development as she engages children in conversation, asking open-ended questions about what is happening to the people in the cars. Younger children's early communication skills are also promoted well. For example, they enjoy looking at animal pictures in a book and have fun as they make the different animal noises. The childminder repeats individual words and praises children when they repeat the words back.

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who attend

Children are encouraged to use their imaginations and to express themselves creatively. They enjoy creating sounds when making music or using their imaginations when taking the 'baby' for a walk in the pram. Children use a range of art and craft materials, such as, when they make cards to celebrate someone's birthday. They enjoy drawing and enthusiastically draw pictures of rainbows and talk knowledgably about the different colours. Children have fun exploring some different media and materials, such as paint or playdough although opportunities for children to use all their senses to engage in a full and varied range of messy play activities have not yet been fully explored. Through a range of resources children's mathematical development is promoted. For example, when playing with jigsaw puzzles or shape sorters the childminder reinforces children's understanding of colour, shape and numbers. Children learn about the local community

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who attend

through regular outings, such as, a visit to the library to select books or a visit to the farm to see the new born lambs. Children develop the ability to socialise with others through regular attendance at a toddler group. This helps them to acquire the skills needed for the next stage in their learning, such as starting pre-school or moving on to nursery or school.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The childminder helps children gain a good awareness of keeping themselves safe. Consistent, age appropriate explanations help raise children's awareness of potential dangers and help them to understand the consequences of their actions. For example, the childminder reminds children of the potential dangers when playing in the park, such as not trying to go up the slide the wrong way as they may fall and injure themselves. They talk about road safety when out walking, such as, discussing why it is important not to stand too near to the end of the kerb when waiting to cross the road. Children are learning about people who help to keep us safe, such as, the 'lollipop man' who helps them to cross the road safely when going to school. Children are confident and motivated in their play and show enthusiasm for learning. Their independence is encouraged and they happily make choices in their play as they explore

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

the environment with self-assurance. Children are effectively supported in their play with regular praise and encouragement from the childminder which develops their self-esteem and enables them to feel valued in the childminding environment. They behave well as they are encouraged to learn simple house rules, such as, to listen and to be kind to others. They develop an understanding of how to share and take turns, such as, when they play simple matching games with the childminder. Consequently, children learn how to play cooperatively.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The childminder works in close partnership with parents to support children's all-round development and emotional well-being. This particularly helps aid transitions, such as, when new children are settling-in. The childminder works flexibly and this means children settle at their own pace. Children develop strong emotional attachments to the childminder and her family as each child and their family are made to feel welcomed and they have their individual needs effectively met.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The children's awareness of the importance of health and hygiene is encouraged through gentle reminders and regular routines. They are learning about the importance of personal care routines, such as, hand washing before eating and using paper towels to dry hands. This promotes children's good health as it minimises the risk of cross infection. All meals are freshly prepared and children receive a variety of nutritious foods which encourage them to eat a healthy diet. The childminder teaches children about the positive benefits of engaging in physical exercise, such as talking about the importance of walking and the impact it has on their bodies. They enjoy fresh air when they take part in daily exercise and enjoy playing in the garden and regular visits to the park.

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provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge of how to protect children's welfare with safeguarding procedures that are robust. She ensures she keeps up-to-date with current safeguarding guidelines through training and has a range of written policies and procedures in place to ensure children's welfare is protected. The childminder prioritises children's safety. For example, she is fully focussed on children's needs throughout the day and ensures they are closely supervised. She maintains a safe environment and carries out risk assessments to ensure potential hazards are identified and minimised.

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provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge of child development as she has a childcare qualification and a wealth of experience caring for children. This gives her a very good understanding of how children learn and she effectively transfers these skills to provide a well-organised, safe learning environment for the children in her care. She has a secure knowledge and understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and is fully aware of her responsibility to meet all of the requirements. The childminder has developed good systems to monitor and evaluate her own practice and is fully aware of her key strengths and areas she wishes to develop further. This includes seeking the views of parents through the use of parent questionnaires and she speaks with children to gain their views also. The childminder monitors the quality of educational programme as she tracks children's learning and development to ensure they are making

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provision

good progress. The childminder understands the importance of professional development and is keen to continue to develop her knowledge through training. She has undertaken a variety of short courses and workshops and has identified further courses she wants to complete to develop her skills to continue to support children well in their care and learning.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good, with purposeful relationships between the childminder and parents. For example, the effective two-way sharing of information through the use of a daily diary means children's individual needs are supported well. The childminder works in partnership with others. She has developed effective links with a local children's centre, through which she has accessed some training, and has plans to do more. She networks with other childminders and finds this beneficial, as it is good way of sharing experiences and good practice. She liaises with other early years settings children in her care attend, such as, the local nursery and school and this promotes continuity in children's care and learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted 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.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY456495 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 894455 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 4

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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