Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/05/2013 22/03/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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 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 individual care, learning and development needs are effectively met by a childminder who has good organisational skills. This means children are positively supported, play confidently and are motivated, active learners.  The childminder prioritises children's safety and ensures that all aspects of her practice keep children protected from harm.  The childminder makes very good use of the local area and amenities to support children's social skills.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance further opportunities for children to explore the sensory experience of colour and texture through a wide range of media and materials, in particular paint.  Opportunities for children to access and independently look at books are not maximised.

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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.

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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 and children were taken from feedback sheets and references.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2009 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with two of her children, who are 10 years and 17 years in Highfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. The whole of the property and the rear garden are used for childminding.

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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 parks on a regular basis. There are currently three children on roll in the early years age group. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6.30pm, 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:

 review the organisation of the environment so children can independently look at books.

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who attend

The childminder has a secure understanding of how children learn. She provides a child- friendly environment, giving all children the opportunity to make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder considers the children's age, stage of development and interests when planning future play experiences. She talks with parents during their initial settling-in visits to gain children's starting points. This enables her to provide play opportunities that build on children's current achievements, while having fun. Each child has their own development book, called a 'learning journey' which includes observations of children's play with photographs and samples of their artwork. 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

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who attend

goals. Parents are kept well informed about their child's progress and achievements through daily conversations and they have many opportunities to look at their child's learning journey and to share information about their children's achievements at home. Children show good levels of perseverance on self-chosen tasks as they concentrate hard, such as, when they are using their imaginations to 'feed' their babies or when dressing-up as a 'princess'. Children confidently make decisions in their play and are very settled and keen to communicate. The childminder ably supports children's developing language skills as she asks open-ended questions that encourages them to think. For example, the childminder uses conversation at every opportunity to promote children's communication and language development. Consequently, children are supported well to acquire the skills needed for their future learning. Overall, children's independence is promoted. For

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who attend

example, low level storage units enable children to easily access a varied range of resources. However, there is scope to further enhance the organisation of the environment so books are easily accessible and displayed to capture and engage children's interests more. However, children do have regular story times and respond with enjoyment when listening to stories read by the childminder.

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who attend

Children enjoy themselves as they play with the childminder and show curiosity in their play and are keen to explore. Their mathematical development is successfully promoted through daily routines and play. For example, children count their shoes as they put them on their feet when going outside to play. When out walking they count the passing cars and other vehicles and talk about 'big' cars and 'small' cars. Children learn about the local community through regular outings, such as a visit to the post box to post a letter. Children develop the ability to socialise with others through regular attendance at toddler groups. 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.

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who attend

Children are encouraged to express themselves creatively and use a range of art and craft materials. For example, children enjoy drawing and colouring in pictures. They have fun exploring some different media and materials, such as, using chalks in the garden or painting with water. However, 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.

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

Children are happy and content and thoroughly enjoy their time with the childminder. She is sensitive and caring and fully supports children in forming strong, emotional attachments. This provides a solid foundation for their personal, social and emotional development. The childminder works in close partnership with parents to support children's all-round development and emotional well-being. Children settle well because the childminder is fully aware of each child's individual routines. This information is gathered initially from parents and the effective settling-in sessions results in a smooth transition from home into the childminding environment for both parents and children.

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

The childminder manages children's behaviour well and they respond positively to the childminder's clear guidance about what is acceptable behaviour. For example, children are encouraged to play harmoniously together and to show care and concern for each other. The childminder boosts children's self-esteem by using praise and encouragement as a strategy for managing behaviour. Children behave well as they are encouraged to learn simple house rules and they quickly develop a good understanding of how to play cooperatively. For example, they know the rules about only having one child on the trampoline at a time and when asked why are able to say it is to keep them safe. The childminder's home is arranged to enable children to play safely and she helps children gain a good awareness of keeping themselves safe. For example, she sensitively reminds younger children how to manoeuvre themselves safely up and down the high step into the

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

garden. She explains to children why they must not run inside as they may slip and to pick up toys left on the floor in case someone trips and hurts themselves. When out walking the childminder teaches children about the importance of road safety and children know they must hold on tight to the buggy.

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

Children are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyles and their awareness of the importance of good health and hygiene practices is encouraged through regular routines. For example, children are learning about the importance of personal care routines, such as hand washing before eating, to keep healthy. Parents provide their children's meals and snacks but the childminder ensures children eat a healthy diet. Children are learning about the reasons why eating a nutritious diet is important, such as, when they talk about the benefits of eating apples and drinking milk for strong bones and teeth. The childminder encourages children to be physically active, such as when she talks about the importance of walking for building strong muscles. Children enjoy fresh air which has a positive impact on their well-being and enjoy daily exercise as they visit the park or play in the garden. They delight in playing on the swings or going up and down the slide and are proud of

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

their developing catching and throwing skills when they play with balloons.

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provision

The childminder is committed to fully implementing all of the requirements of the Statutory Framework Early Years Foundation Stage. She has worked hard to ensure her knowledge of the framework is secure and this is reflected in her good practice. The childminder has developed effective systems to monitor and evaluate her own practice and this has helped her to be fully aware of her key strengths and the areas she wishes to develop further. This includes seeking the views of parents through the use of parental references. The childminder also gathers children's views through the use of 'feedback flowers' which children love to complete and give the childminder an insight of their opinions of her practice and the service she provides. All comments from parents and children are very positive. The childminder also monitors the quality of her delivery of the educational programme to ensure any gaps in children's learning are identified and

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provision

addressed, so children can make good progress across the seven areas of learning.

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provision

The childminder understands the importance of professional development and has completed a selection of early years workshops. She has good organisational skills which she uses to ensure documentation required for the safe and efficient management of the setting and to meet the needs of children is in place. For example, children's attendance is accurately recorded showing their times of arrival and departure. Also, thorough systems to administer medication, including obtaining written permission from parents and safeguard children's health. The childminder has a secure knowledge of child protection procedures to protect children's welfare as she has recently completed a safeguarding children course. She has a clear understanding of issues relating to safety and children are cared for in a safe and secure home. Close supervision by the childminder and ongoing visual assessments ensures the environment remains safe. Written risk assessments are

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provision

also in place which identify potential hazards and detail how they are minimised to keep children safe.

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provision

Effective partnerships with parents including good communication systems support children well. The childminder welcomes the children and their families into the home and positively encourages good partnership working to ensure children's individual needs are identified and met. She understands the importance of working in partnership with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, 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. She networks with other childminders and finds this beneficial, as it is good way of sharing experiences and good practice.

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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 EY398727 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 879334 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 3

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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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