Hage, Nicolette

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/05/2013 21/10/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 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 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children make good progress as the childminder provides an interesting and suitably challenging range of activities.  Children play happily and display very friendly, sociable behaviour in the relaxed atmosphere.  The childminder promotes children's health well, providing nutritious snacks and meals and encouraging good personal hygiene practices.  An impressive range of toys and resources engage children's interest and extend their enjoyment.

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It is not yet good because

 Arrangements to work in partnership with other early years providers are not always fully effective.  The displays do not always celebrate children's own expressive art and design.

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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 viewed all areas of the property used by children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder, one assistant and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the interaction of the childminder, assistant and children during a range of activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a selection of documentation including children's progress records and references from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2001. She lives in Dunton Green near Sevenoaks, Kent. The ground floor and two upstairs bedrooms are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder has two assistants and works with at least one of these each day. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has 12 children under eight years on roll, of whom eight are in the early years age group. The childminder also provides care for school age children. The childminder walks and drives to local schools to take and collect children and attends local toddler and childminding groups. She has a pet dog.

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

 strengthen the arrangements to work in partnership with other early years providers in order to identify all children's needs and help them to make progress

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

 extend opportunities to celebrate children's creativity to help them to gain confidence in their own way of expressing ideas.

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who attend

The childminder offers a broad and interesting range of activities that children enjoy. She very competently assesses their abilities and monitors their rate of progress. This allows her to identify any gaps in their achievement. The childminder consults regularly with parents to keep up to date with children's interests and ensure she is offering suitable challenge. Good arrangements are in place to complete progress checks on children aged between two and three years.

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who attend

The childminder encourages children to think by asking them open-ended questions. She speaks clearly and introduces new vocabulary to extend their language. They listen well to her advice and guidance. Children are developing the confidence to freely share their views. Children chat happily, as they play. They amuse themselves and the childminder by making animal noises as they play with animal figures and look at books. The environment is rich in print, including labels in languages other than English. This creates an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere and increase children's knowledge of the wider world. Children learn about nature through topics such as 'my garden'. They enjoy playing with soil, observing flowers and spotting butterflies. The childminder also supports them well to understand how things work. For example, the magnets used to connect carriages to a toy train engine fascinate a child. The childminder provides good explanations about the

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who attend

properties of magnets. She helps the child identify which metal areas that attract to each other. As a result, the child gains a keen interest in learning through exploration and discovery.

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who attend

There are many opportunities for children to express themselves creatively. Pens and pencils are constantly available for older children to reach independently. In addition, all children enjoy regular opportunities to paint, draw and use chalks on the blackboard. The childminder displays a selection of children's artwork around the playroom. However, this tends to feature the more recognisable pictures or those that link with adult led topic work. This does not fully celebrate the freely expressive work completed by children who are exploring their own ideas.

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who attend

Good opportunities exist for children to develop their physical skills. The childminder provides a range of ride-on toys that help children to develop their coordination. She has a good understanding of each child's physical abilities and offers appropriate support and supervision to keep them safe as they play.

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

Children settle well and form warm, trusting relationships with the childminder and her assistant. This helps them to feel secure and to begin to take considered risks in a carefully managed environment. For example, they independently explore the outdoor environment but are quick to ask the childminder if they want support or attention. Children behave extremely well and the childminder teaches them the importance of good manners. Minor disputes over toys are resolved easily as the children learn to share and take turns.

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

The childminder provides children with tasty, nutritious snacks and meals. Parents comment that she is a very good cook and that this encourages their children to try new things. Hygiene standards in the home are high and children develop good personal care routines. They know to wash their hands before eating and receive sensitive support and encouragement in their toileting, including potty training.

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

The childminder very successfully organises her home to create a stimulating, child- centred environment. Children enjoy spending time in the large playroom and make very good use of the impressive range of resources. They confidently select the items they want to play with and receive good encouragement to explore and investigate.

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

Children's high levels of achievement prepare them well for their move to school. The childminder also helps them to feel emotionally ready by speaking to them positively about their new schools.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward following the childminder's notification to Ofsted about an accident to a child. Ofsted completed an investigation and found that the childminder was not meeting all of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Specifically, risk assessments were found not to be effective, the childminder was not maintaining records of the hours of attendance of children or assistants and ratios were not being met. Welfare requirements notices were set for the childminder to address these issues. In addition, the childminder had not informed Ofsted of changes to her household and it is a requirement to do so. Ofsted issued a warning letter relating to failure to notify Ofsted of changes in the persons aged 16 years or living on childminding premises. The childminder has addressed all of these issues. She has strengthened her risk assessments and has introduced a new system to record the attendance of children

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provision

and her assistants. The childminder maintains required ratios. She is now aware of the need to inform Ofsted of any changes to household members. Ofsted is satisfied that she has met the actions in full.

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provision

The childminder works effectively with her assistants and recognises the skills and experience they bring to her provision. Satisfactory systems and processes are now in place to maintain the required records and to ensure children's safety. The childminder undertakes ongoing self-evaluation and seeks the views of parents to help her to identify her strengths and areas for improvement. She has recently updated her self-evaluation to reflect the actions set by Ofsted. The childminder has clear child protection procedures in place. She understands the procedures to follow should any concerns arise about any child's welfare.

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provision

The childminder is fully aware of her requirement to promote children's learning and development, and does this well. She also effectively monitors the success of her educational programmes. Relationships with parents are strong. They receive a lot of written information about the day-to-day life of the provision as well as about their child's wellbeing and progress. In written references prepared for the inspection, one parent says 'She is an exemplary childminder. She provides an impeccable service with the utmost professionalism and care. The facilities are of the highest standard'. Another parent writes 'I have found her to be caring, thoughtful and resourceful. She puts the children's welfare and safety ahead of everything else'. The success of partnership working with other early years practitioners is inconsistent. The childminder speaks regularly with reception staff at the school attended by some children. However, she does not maintain similarly effective

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provision

relationships with nurseries where care of children is shared. As a result, the childminder has a broader understanding of the learning experiences of some children than she does of others.

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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 EY217304 Local authority Kent Inspection number 912607 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 12

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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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