Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/07/2013 10/02/2010

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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

 Well-established partnerships with parents and other providers, contributes greatly in meeting children's needs. All adults effectively share information which provides good levels of consistency in children's learning and development.  Children are confident, happy, and sociable in the childminder's care. They have formed strong bonds and attachments which has given them a firm base from which they make good progress in relation to their starting points.  Children are confident communicators because the childminder is skilful in asking appropriate questions and by extending children's language development by introducing new words.  Children's good behaviour demonstrates that they feel safe and secure. The childminder gives high priority to teaching children how to use tools safely.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not hold a current paediatric first aid certificate.

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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 spoke to the childminder and interacted with children throughout the inspection within various rooms of the home

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the resources and equipment provided and how effectively they are organised to support children's play and learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a selection of information and documentation relating to the children's safeguarding, welfare and developmental progress.  The inspector and childminder jointly observed a child-led activity.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2000 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The whole of the ground floor, one first floor bedroom the rear garden are used for childminding.

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Information about the setting

The childminder visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently two children on roll, both of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 ensure an appropriate first aid qualification is held.

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

 provide more detail in the child protection information shared with parents, to clearly cover the use of mobile phones and cameras in the setting.

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who attend

Children are motivated and interested in activities which enable them to make good progress. The childminder is skilled in engaging the children in their play and learning. For example, she chats to the children while they are exploring the cars, asking them what the fire truck does, how many vehicles and what colours. The children describe the sounds, the colours and who is driving. They show enthusiasm about learning because they receive praise and recognition for their accomplishments. For example, children choose an activity putting smooth pebbles into the toy vehicles. Children persist in working out and solving the problem of them falling out. The children are praised as they manage to wedge the pebbles inside and they drive the vehicle away with a secure load. The childminder responds with encouragement which gives the children self-esteem and confidence in persisting in tasks. Children learn through a wide range of play activities which the childminder provides

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who attend

ensuring that all the areas of learning are covered. Young children are making very good progress in the prime areas of learning. They are confident, communicate well, and display very competent physical skills. Good partnerships with parents ensure that children quickly settle into the childminder's home. Parents are engaged in their children's learning. For example, they share information on children as soon as they start which gives the childminder an accurate starting point from which she continually observes and monitors children's progress. Parents are well informed about their children's progress through the childminder's detailed observations and assessments of children. The information is recorded with photographs and annotations clearly linked to the area of learning.

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who attend

The childminder is good at using incidental opportunities to expand children's learning. For example, when a stray peacock visits the garden every day for a few weeks, the children learn how to feed it and to be safe near it. They learn about the different colours and that male peacocks are the bright ones. Children remember the incident and recall what happened through the childminder's photographs. The childminder's good practice promotes children's understanding and memory as well as learning new vocabulary.

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who attend

Children regularly participate in physical exercise. They walk and run in parks and play areas. They regularly use toys and equipment in the garden. Children choose from a broad range of tools and equipment, which are suitably challenging, enabling them to develop their physical skills and abilities. Children's high levels of confidence, self-esteem and independence show that they have the skills they need to be ready for the next stages in their learning.

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

Children are very happy and confident in the childminder's care. They display strong attachments to the childminder and spontaneously show affection. They freely choose toys from the playroom and bring them into the lounge, using the whole floor space to explore the movement and sounds of the cars. Children use cutlery appropriately to feed themselves and can easily reach their accessible drinks when they are thirsty. They competently step up onto the dining chair to eat a yoghurt after cleaning their hands. This shows that children are competent in their self-help skills appropriate to their age. The childminder supports this by only intervening if asked, for example, with the initial peeling of the lid. This gives the children the time to try for themselves, promoting their self- esteem and independence. Children are competent at managing their personal needs relative to their age. This is due to the childminder's good skills in supporting children's

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

independence, especially in personal care tasks, such as, toileting and dressing.

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

Children behave well because the childminder gives the children clear and consistent messages about what is safe and acceptable behaviour. Children gain an understanding of risk through exploring their environment, and their confidence shows that they feel safe in the childminder's home.

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

The children's emotional well-being and welfare are supported by good care practices. Children's understanding of eating healthily is enhanced by the provision of activities and opportunities. For example, children help plant and tend strawberries and tomatoes, help tend and harvest cherries, peppers and courgettes. The childminder provides home cooked meals for the children which further encourages children to adopt a healthy attitude towards their diet.

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

The childminder provides a welcoming, and well-resourced environment where children settle quickly and are happy. She has established close working partnerships with parents to ensure that she has a good knowledge of the children's likes and dislikes, health needs and abilities, right from the start. The childminder gives high priority to promoting children's personal, social and emotional development which enables them to have the skills and feel confident to move on in their development. However, the lack of a first aid qualification, means that children's well-being is not fully assured.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. She effectively provides a wide range of activities and resources that enable children to make good progress in all seven areas of learning. She is effective in monitoring the activities she provides to ensure that children receive a broad range of experiences which support their good progress towards the early learning goals.

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provision

The childminder's knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements is generally effective. She has updated her child protection training and safeguarding knowledge to ensure that her procedures keep children safe. The childminder's explanation regarding the use of mobile phones and cameras in her home lacks clarity, she is therefore unable to be fully clear when explaining this to parents and visitors. All adults working or living in the home have been checked to ensure that they are suitable to be in contact with children.

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provision

The childminder is aware that she has let her first aid qualification lapse. She has provided a valid reason for this lapse, and is making arrangements to renew her qualification. The childminder has taken four previous qualifications and so knows the basics to ensure children's safety in an emergency. The childminder practises evacuation procedures with the children and conducts regular risk assessments of the premises and any outings to ensure children are safe.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and other settings are established. They contribute strongly to meeting children's needs and ensuring that any interventions would be obtained early. The childminder works closely with professionals in children's other settings by sharing relevant information confidentially and enabling children to receive consistency in their development and learning. For example, the childminder meets with the children's key person every three months to complete reviews of their progress which ensures that relevant information is shared and children's needs are met.

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provision

The childminder is sufficiently ambitious about improving the setting. For example, she usually updates her knowledge and training on a regular basis and she has made significant improvements to her practice since the last inspection. For example, she has produced a wealth of records and information which support her good practice. She has established a good system for monitoring and observing children's individual progress. She effectively uses this information to provide for children's next steps in their learning, taking into account their age and stage of development. She prioritises the prime areas of learning for children under three-years old and effectively tailors children's activities to meet their individual learning needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure an appropriate first aid qualification is held (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure an appropriate first aid qualification is held (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 149299 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 890565 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 2

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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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