Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/06/2013 28/10/2008

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early years provision

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 Assessment of children's developmental stage is accurate and records reflect children's personalities and characters well. This shows they are making progress towards the early learning goals.  The childminder has friendly and positive relationships with parents. This enables children to make secure attachments that support them in making steady progress in their learning and development.  The childminder has a secure understanding of how to promote the safety of the children in her care. She has assessed the risks to her premises well and has minimised these so children are able use all areas of the downstairs safely.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not consistently plan all of the adult-led activities so that they link precisely to individual needs. As a result, some adult-led activities are too challenging for children to make the most of the intended learning opportunities.  The childminder does not fully support all aspects of developing children's independence to enable them to manage their personal care needs. Children do not routinely learn about hand washing with soap and water and the childminder does not make the most of opportunities to help them learn to use a potty.  Priorities and plans for improvement are not fully developed to identify priorities for improvement that will have the biggest impact on children's ongoing learning.

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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 sitting room, dining room, kitchen and garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the provider had conversations at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation related to the management of the setting, children's progress and self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from questionnaires provided by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2005 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with husband and two children aged six and 12 years in a house in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The whole of the ground floor, one upstairs bedroom and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family have cats, fish, hamster and a dog.

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Information about the setting

There are currently five children on roll, three are in the early years age group who attend for a variety of sessions and two are school-age children who attend before and after school. The childminder is open all year round from 7.15am to 5.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, except for family holidays. She attends a childminder group and the local children's centre, visits local parks on a regular basis and collects children from the local school.

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must:

 plan activities that closely link to children's interests and abilities to ensure they benefit fully from what is offered.

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

 increase children's independence skills further by consistently supporting them with potty training and hand washing using soap and water

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

 develop self-evaluation to identify weaknesses and to set targets to improve the provision for children.

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who attend

The childminder has a sound knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage which enables her to provide a mostly suitable range of activities for young children. As a result, children are learning to communicate and to make friends. They join in games together and learn to share the toys. The childminder helps them to develop their understanding of numbers by counting with the children. She encourages them to think for themselves by asking questions and giving children time to answer. Children choose most of their activities which means they are interested and concentrate appropriately.

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who attend

The childminder uses the settling in sessions to find out children's likes, dislikes and what they can do. This gives her a baseline from which to start her assessments. She observes and assesses children well, and identifies their next steps. However, this does not always lead to precisely planned activities that are closely matched to each child's individual needs. The childminder sometimes has expectations of children that are unrealistic and as a consequence, children do not then gain maximum benefit from some planned, adult-led activities.

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who attend

Much of the children's play centres on imaginative games including dressing-up and using small world toys. This allows children to use their imagination to create stories based on their own experiences. When they play with the wooden train, they talk about the places they are passing and stop to go to the shop. The childminder supports this play by asking questions and commentating so children gain a wider vocabulary, which they in turn use in their play. She makes good use of local groups where children can explore their need to be creative with different materials, such as, paint, glue, sand and water.

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who attend

The children are making steady progress in their learning and development. The childminder has completed the progress check at age two and has involved parents appropriately. This means children are meeting their milestones and gaining most of the necessary skills for the next stage in their learning and that parents are fully informed.

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

The childminder provides well for children's emotional needs. Strong relationships are established with the well-thought out settling-in periods. This means children form good attachments that support their sense of well-being. Children generally behave well because the childminder uses consistent strategies and lots of reminders to take care and be kind to each other.

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

Effective use of local play areas and parks supports the childminder in meeting children's needs to be active and outdoors. As a result, they enjoy an active lifestyle that promotes health and they learn to take risks in an appropriate environment. Children are offered a variety of food, some of which they help to prepare. This helps to develop children's understanding of healthy eating providing opportunities for them to use equipment safely, such as wooden spoons and knives when they mix and spread ingredients.

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

Children's routines are well-known and the childminder checks frequently with parents for any changes needed. However, the childminder is not consistently supporting children's development in all aspects of self-care to help them become independent and secure all the necessary skills for the next stage in their learning. They are becoming confident in managing their clothes and shoes. However, the childminder usually cleans their hands with wipes so they have fewer chances to practise hand washing using soap and water. Additionally, they do not have well-established opportunities to regularly use the potty. Children have an appropriate variety of toys, which they can easily reach. This means they are happily choosing want they want to play with.

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provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of how to safeguard children. She is aware of the possible causes for concern and how to report child protection issues. This ensures children in her care are well-protected. By risk assessing her home, any outings and seeking appropriate consents for activities from parents the childminder provides a safe environment. This means children can play safely and steps are taken to minimise accidents.

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provision

Most aspects of learning and development are secure so the childminder supports children in making steady progress towards the early learning goals. Although sometimes planned activities are not fully matched to children's individual levels of understanding. The childminder is aware of how to work with other settings to support children should the need arise. Relationships with parents are secure and information about children's care, learning and development are exchanged regularly to provide continuity of experience.

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provision

The childminder reflects on her practice and is aware of her strengths. However, she is not identifying areas that need to be developed to secure improvements for children. She listens to parents and children and seeks their views on her provision. The childminder has done some training to ensure she keeps up-to-date with practice and therefore, shows a satisfactory capacity to improve.

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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 EY100398 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 877299 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 5

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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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