Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/05/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children enjoy a wide range of toys and resources and activities to support their learning and development in different environments.  The childminder plans small group times, enabling children to enjoy singing and action songs. She also uses signing to complement the spoken word to support children's early communication.  The childminder is caring and children respond well to her calm, gentle manner. This aids their emotional well-being, making them feel safe and secure.

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It is not yet good because

 Risk assessments of the home do not fully include all aspects of the environment, in particular the sleeping arrangements for children.  The childminder's assessments of children's learning do not precisely show children's achievements to enable her to shape individual learning experiences.  Although the childminder obtains initial settling-in information from parents this is not detailed enough to make sure she is fully aware of children's specific routines or habits.

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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 completed observations with the childminder, co-childminder, assistant and the minded children present in the playroom and dining room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminders jointly at appropriate times throughout the inspection about the systems in place for observation, assessment and planning.  The inspector sampled documentation the childminder uses to support her practices.  The inspector read the parents' comments from parental questionnaires.  The inspector discussed the process of self-evaluation with the childminders jointly.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2012. She lives with her parents and two adult siblings in Whetstone, in the London Borough of Barnet. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play, with a purpose-built play room. The childminder works with her mother who is also a registered childminder and an assistant who care for the children equally. There are currently eight children on roll, of whom seven are in the early years age range. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder holds a recognised childcare qualification.

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must:

 improve risk assessment to ensure it includes the supervision arrangements for when children are sleeping

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must:

 ensure children's developmental progress is assessed accurately to clearly identify and support their next steps of learning.

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

 strengthen systems to establish key information about children's specific needs and routines when they are settling in to enable each child to build relationships and to support their emotional development.

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who attend

The childminder has a suitable knowledge of the seven areas of learning and provides a range of activities that interest and engage children. The childminder and co-childminder work together observing the children and make on-going assessments of their development. However, the assessments are not accurate enough to clearly identify individual children's strengths or areas where progress is less than expected.

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who attend

The childminder makes positive use of small group times where the emphasis is on children developing their listening skills as they join in with favourite songs and rhymes. Both childminders and the assistant use signing to complement the spoken word and this supports very young children's early communication. Children show great interest in the musical instruments and shake and bang these, exploring the different sounds each one makes. Children enjoy building with the bricks and are supported by the childminder as she uses mathematical concepts as they build saying 'let's count one, two, and three'.

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who attend

Children have worthwhile opportunities for outdoor physical play by playing in the garden and visiting the park or toddler groups. The childminder's routine is flexible enabling children to choose to play outside as they wish. They also enjoy indoor physical play as they have fun jumping into the ball pool and wriggle around, hiding among the balls.

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who attend

The childminder keeps parents informed about their children's progress through the use of daily diaries and verbal feedback. Parental comments obtained in questionnaires indicate they are happy with the service provided.

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

Children enjoy a warm and close relationship with the childminder. Overall they are settled and comfortable in her care, and confident and friendly when visitors arrive. The childminder asks parents to share information about their child's care needs prior to their placement. However she does not ensure this information covers all aspects of a child's routines. For example, she does not ask for the intricate details of how a child is settled for a sleep so that she can mirror the routines used at home. As a result some new children become unsettled during this time.

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

The childminder encourages children to share and take turns to play with favourite toys. She also has some doubles of toys to enable young children to use the same resources, which helps reduce conflicts. For example, when one child shows interest in stirring with the spoons, other children can also access additional spoons and bowls enabling them to join in.

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

The childminder gives careful attention to the children's health and well-being and she has a sound understanding about healthy eating. She provides healthy snacks of fruit and a home cooked lunch. Children sit together in their highchairs, which helps to develop their awareness of being safe while eating and promotes a social time. The childminder encourages their independence during mealtimes as the children learn to feed themselves.

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

The home is safe and secure. All safety equipment is in place and no hazards are accessible to the children. The emergency procedures are practised to develop children's understanding of safety. However, the childminder has not fully risk assessed the sleeping arrangements for children. They sleep in the front room of the house with a baby monitor connected to the playroom. However, this results in them being left occasionally for short periods alone in the house due to the childminder moving between the home and the outside playroom. This compromises their overall safety.

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provision

The childminder shows a sound understanding of her responsibility to meet the learning and development requirements. She has a sound knowledge of the characteristics of effective learning to support young children to have the desire to investigate, concentrate and try out new ideas. She has an awareness of planning experiences through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated play, and is aware of completing the two-year-old developmental check when required for children when they are aged between two and three years to monitor their early development.

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provision

The childminder shows a sound understanding of meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She is aware of the safeguarding procedures to follow if she is concerned about a child to protect their welfare.

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provision

The childminder holds a recognised childcare qualification and has experience of working with young children. She has a sound understanding of using self-evaluation to assist her in monitoring and addressing areas for development to improve the quality of the provision for children. The childminder also works closely with the co-childminder and assistant completing peer observations on each other's practices. They then feed back about their strengths and weaknesses to help with their professional development and, in turn, the outcomes for children.

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provision

The childminder understands the importance of working in partnership with other providers and currently shares information with the local school where children attend and this promotes continuity of care.

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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 EY452843 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 888378 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 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

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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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