Hall, Catheryn

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/03/2013 16/12/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2

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This provision is good

 Children are settled and have formed strong bonds with the childminder and her assistants. This means that children feel happy and are closely supported to acquire the skills they need for future learning.  Children's all-round development is supported well because the childminder provides children with an interesting environment, which enables them to explore and investigate, and helps develop their confidence and independence.  The childminder has a good understanding of how to promote the safety of the children in her care. This means they develop a clear understanding of dangers and how to stay safe when playing indoors and outside.  The childminder effectively uses the views of children, parents and carers when evaluating her setting's strengths and areas for development. This successfully promotes continuous improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to improve the information obtained from parents when their children first start, to enable the childminder to make more consistent and sharply focussed assessments of every child's progress from their starting points.

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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 indoor learning environment and toured the premises.  The inspector held discussions with the childminder, an assistant and the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of the children's development folders and photograph books.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and assistants, risk assessment, policies and procedures and other documentation in relation to health and safety checks.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from questionnaires provided by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2003 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, two adult children and one child aged 13 years, in a house in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex. The childminder uses the whole of the ground floor, one bedroom on the first floor, and the rear garden for childminding. There are two assistants who occasionally work with the childminder in a supportive role.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a local childminding group on a regular basis. She is a member of The Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY).

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Information about the setting

There are currently six children attending who are within the early years age range, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. She walks or drives to local schools or pre-schools to take and collect children. The childminder works all year round from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except for family holidays.

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

 use information from parents more consistently to support individual children's learning and development, this particularly relates to establishing children's starting points with parents when they join the setting.

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who attend

The childminder knows the children well and she provides a wide range of activities which appeals to their interests and holds their concentration. They are given close, individual attention and adult communication is weighted towards listening and open-ended questioning that extends children's thinking and encourages them to develop their vocabulary. The environment is organised to enable children to move around freely, and resources are easily accessible so that children can make choices in their play. A good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities mean that each area of children's learning is effectively promoted.

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who attend

Children's good progress is monitored through a variety of methods of observation, and assessments identify possible next steps in learning. The observations are supported by many photographs, examples of creative work and early writing contained in individual folders and books. Children's achievements are carefully tracked to ensure that there are no gaps in learning. The introduction of the progress check when a child reaches the age of two means that the childminder can quickly identify if a child is falling behind an expected developmental milestone.

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who attend

The childminder has a mainly effective working partnership with parents. Information is frequently shared through the daily diaries. Children's achievements are discussed on a regular basis and parents get to see and comment on their children's development records. Parents also become involved in their children's learning when library books are taken home so that they can share favourite stories. However, there is room to develop the information gathered from parents when children start attending, to ensure that the childminder is consistently informed of all children's starting points. This has the potential to accelerate children's learning and enables her to form a more complete and sharply focussed picture of children's development right from the start.

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who attend

Children are effectively developing the skills they need for future learning. They enjoy experimenting with early writing, using a range of pencils, crayons or chalks. Children's understanding of numbers, shape and size is developed through activities and routines. For example, they count as they slice bananas for lunch and divide and cut play dough into different sizes and shapes. Children eagerly use their imagination to recreate everyday situations with the wide range of accessible home play equipment, for example, they enjoy making pretend meals or playing with dolls. There are regular opportunities for children to express themselves through dance or explore sound and tempo while listening to musical instruments. Children develop a deep understanding of nature and the passing of time as they are heavily involved in growing plants and bulbs. The childminder also makes effective use of local places of interest, for instance, nearby parks, the farm and

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who attend

the zoo, to further enhance the children's understanding of the world.

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who attend

The childminder builds helpful relationships with the key persons at local pre-schools so that she can provide a consistent approach to children's learning. When children return from pre-school, they enjoy relaxed conversations with the childminder, who shows a keen interest in what they have been doing at the other setting. This encourages children to think and talk about their own ideas, feelings and events, developing their speech and language.

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

The childminder and her assistants develop strong, positive relationships with children. They foster a good sense of security and emotional well-being, as they show concern for children's feelings and meet their welfare needs without delay. Information about care routines and individual medical requirements are gathered as children start attending. Children show their confidence as they know where to find their bags and feel welcomed when they see their photograph displayed above their coat peg. The childminder effectively supports children in becoming motivated learners and creates opportunities for them to develop responsibility for themselves during the daily routines, such as, putting on coats and shoes before going outside.

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

The childminder manages the children's behaviour in a positive way, praising them, using distraction and helping them learn to negotiate with one another. As a result, they develop an understanding of other people's feelings and what is acceptable behaviour. Children have daily outings that enhance their social skills. Group activities are used well to give children wider learning experiences and the opportunities to mix with other children and make new friends. The daily trips to the local school playground supports children to gain the skills and confidence to manage the transition to full-time education, when the time comes.

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

Children develop a good understanding of the need for healthy lifestyles. They say when they are hungry and enjoy healthy foods from their lunch boxes. Consistent hygiene procedures are in place and children understand why it is important to wash their hands and keep themselves clean. There are many opportunities for children to develop their physical skills, using apparatus in the garden or on outings to local parks and soft play venues. The children's awareness of keeping themselves safe is growing consistently. They learn about road safety, practise fire drills and demonstrate that they recognise potential danger as they play. For example, they remember to put on oven gloves to take food out of the toy cooker.

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provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge of how young children learn and makes good use of the guidance document 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' to assess and track children's learning and development. She successfully monitors the activities she provides to ensure that children make good progress. The recommendations from the last inspection have been successfully addressed. In addition, the childminder has completed an accurate self-evaluation which identifies her strengths and has well- targeted action plans to support and inspire children's learning. The childminder regularly meets with her childminding colleagues to share ideas and best practice and she attends frequent training events to develop her skills. The childminder encourages all parents, children and their extended family members to share their views as part of the monitoring of the setting. They say they appreciate how the children thrive in the 'home from home'

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provision

environment and have observed lots of improvements in children's learning, particularly their communication skills.

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provision

Children are effectively safeguarded because the childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of her role and responsibility in protecting children. She has a range of clear policies and procedures, which are shared with parents, and the required background checks for assistants are completed. All equipment is checked regularly to ensure that it is safe and clean for children to use. The risk assessments of the premises and garden ensure that possible hazards to children are removed or minimised, and these are reviewed and reflected upon, particularly when issues arise. For example, she has reconsidered and made plans for how she can protect children when undertaking outings in severe weather. As a result, she has implemented a 'bad weather' policy and procedure, which means that children are protected through more rigorous risk assessment and also learn about the extra care that needs to be taken when walking on ice and snow.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are professionally managed and a wide range of written information is readily available. Important certificates and notices are displayed and there is a clearly organised portfolio that includes more detailed aspects of the provision. The childminder is well aware of the importance in maintaining effective relationships with other early years settings, to promote smooth transitions and 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 EY267843 Local authority Essex Inspection number 906396 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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