Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/08/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children show positive attitudes to learning as they are effectively supported and helped by the childminder to gain the skills required to make good progress in their development and learning.  Children's individuality is valued. The childminder takes time to get to know each child and positively responds to their individual needs. This ensures children develop a strong sense of belonging and are happy and secure in the childminding environment.  The childminder gives children lots of praise and encouragement for their efforts and achievements. This develops children's self-esteem and helps them to become confident in what they do.  Children benefit greatly from a childminder who has good organisational skills and who shows a strong commitment to providing a high quality service. She has a positive attitude to her own professional development and recognises that continued training will help to extend her knowledge and enhance her skills.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Ways of engaging parents in their children's learning through encouraging them to share children's achievements from home are not maximised to enable the childminder to enhance children's learning experiences to the optimum.  The organisation of resources is not maximised in order to encourage children to make independent choices in their play.

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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 and kitchen.

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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 were taken from parent questionnaires and references.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and two children aged six years and one year in 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 shops and parks on a regular basis. There are currently four children on roll including two in the early years age group. The childminder operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, 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 ways to engage all parents in their children's learning through providing further opportunities for them to share information about their children's achievements at home

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

 maximise opportunities for children's independence to be fully promoted through reviewing the environment to ensure resources are easily accessible and children can make more independent choices in their play.

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who attend

The childminder has a thorough understanding of how children learn and develop. She uses this along with her knowledge of individual children's abilities, likes and dislikes when planning activities and play experiences. She does this through gathering from parents detailed information about their child's background, needs and starting points during the settling-in period. This enables the childminder to gain a good understanding of children's routines, needs and abilities. She then effectively uses this information to capture children's interests as she plans a range of activities and play experiences to promote their learning.

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who attend

The childminder ensures children make good progress in their learning as she regularly observes and assesses their development across the seven areas of learning. This enables her to then plan for the next stages in their learning. The childminder works closely with parents to meet children's development needs. For example, children's development books called 'learning journals' are sent home every two weeks so parents can look at them in the comfort of their own home. The childminder also organises regular summary meetings with parents to review their children's progress and attainments and this is developing well. However, there is room to enhance opportunities for parents to actively contribute to their children's learning journals, such as encouraging them to share with the childminder observations from home of what their child has been doing. This helps develop a culture of working together to promote and extend children's learning to the very optimum.

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who attend

The childminder ably supports children's developing language skills. She repeats words and sentences for young children to try to say and praises them when they repeat the word back. She uses eye contact to engage children as she talks with them and interprets their babble. They enjoy sitting on the childminder's lap and looking at interactive books and excitedly turn the pages so they can press the button to find out what the next animal noise is. They delight in repeating the animal sounds. With older children the childminder asks open-ended questions. This encourages children to think, such as when they discuss the events from an outing the previous day which they recall with relish.

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who attend

Children enjoy playing with wooden shape sorters and concentrate hard as they try to 'post' the correct shape through the corresponding hole. This helps develop children's fine motor skills and promotes their hand to eye coordination. The childminder encourages children to concentrate and persevere in their play and this helps them to acquire the skills to be ready for the next stages in their learning, such as when they start to attend pre- school, nursery or school. The childminder organises the environment so it is child friendly and welcoming and overall children's independence is promoted. For example, from a young age children take an active role in tasks such as, feeding themselves, hand washing and putting on their own shoes to play outside. Children are able to play with a varied range of resources and make some independent choices. However, this is not developed to the very optimum to enable them to easily initiate their own play at all times so they

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who attend

learn to become keen and active learners.

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

The childminder works closely with parents to support children's all-round development and emotional well-being. She places a strong emphasis on gathering detailed information from parents on children's routines so she can tailor support, activities and resources effectively. This information, which is initially gathered from new parents, enables children to quickly settle as she is well-informed and able to meet their individual needs effectively and this positively helps the change over when new children start. The childminder is a good role model to children as she is calm and patient with them and responds well to their requests. She understands the importance of providing children with a fun environment where they can feel safe and secure and confident to try new experiences. Consequently, children develop strong emotional attachments to the childminder and her family and display a very happy demeanour. They show through their behaviour that they

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

The childminder has high expectations of behaviour and children behave well. She deals with it in a positive manner with regular praise and encouragement which develops children's self-esteem. Children learn about appropriate behaviour from the childminder as they regularly discuss how their behaviour can have an impact on others. She encourages them to play cooperatively, learning to take turns and to be kind and helpful to others. Older children spontaneously help younger children in their play and this is recognised and acknowledged by the childminder. Recently, children have enjoyed making a 'house rules' poster. This is used as a regular discussion point and as a gentle reminder for children about what is acceptable behaviour. Children enjoy explaining the rules to visitors which develops their sense of belonging. The childminder works closely with parents to provide a consistent approach and she is alert to responding to children's different personalities.

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

Regular encouragement from the childminder contributes effectively to children developing high levels of self-esteem which enables them to feel valued and safe in the childminding environment.

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

The childminders home is arranged to enable children to play safely. She helps children gain a good awareness of keeping themselves safe with consistent, age appropriate explanations. For example, with younger children the childminder supports them as they learn to negotiate and manage a small step into the garden. Older children learn to manage risks safely, such as when they use scissors, closely supervised by the childminder, when making a picture and using art and craft materials. They discuss the potential hazards and talk about how to ensure they don't hurt themselves. This help raise children's awareness of possible dangers and enables them to understand the consequences of their actions.

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

Children's good health is promoted well through sensible routines and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. They learn about healthy diets and the benefits of eating nutritious foods and receive a healthy, balanced diet. Children enjoy helping to make nutritious meals to eat, such as pizzas, selecting healthy toppings. This encourages children to try new foods as well as encouraging them to make healthy food choices. Children have grown produce in the garden, such as tomatoes, taking an active role in caring for them and then picking them when ready so they can be used as part of a nutritious diet. Children follow well- established hygiene routines, which reduce the risk of cross infection and therefore keeps them healthy. They know they must always wash their hands before eating and older children are good role models for younger children as they are able to confidently explain the reasons why. Children develop self-confidence in their physical skills as they

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

participate in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities with an emphasis on fresh air and the importance of exercise. They are learning that exercise can be fun through activities such as going for walks, playing in the garden and regular visits to children's parks.

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provision

The childminder has an in-depth knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is fully aware of her responsibility to meet the requirements of the framework and her secure knowledge underpins her good practice. The childminder also has a secure knowledge of child development as she has a childcare qualification at level 3 and previous experience caring for children. She successfully transfers these skills to provide an organised and safe learning environment for the children she cares for. This is the childminder's first inspection since registering and she strives to provide high quality early education and care. To do this she understands the importance of continuous professional development and has made good use of training opportunities. For example, she has been proactive in seeking out appropriate short courses and has undertaken a varied range of workshops that will have the most impact for children. She enjoys training

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provision

and is keen to continue developing her skills to enable her to carry on effectively supporting children in their care and learning. The childminder uses her good organisational skills to evaluate her practice and this enables her to have a clear picture of what her key strengths are, as well as the areas she wishes to develop further to ensure children's care, learning and development are fully promoted. For example, she monitors the quality and consistency of the educational programme as she tracks childrens learning to ensure they are making good progress across the seven areas of learning. To sustain continuous improvement the childminder has implemented a self-evaluation process which includes seeking the views of parents through the provision of written questionnaires. Parents feedback is extremely positive. The childminder also seeks the views of children and their feedback is also highly complementary.

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provision

The childminder understands the importance of purposeful relationships with parents and the value of effective communication systems to do this. For example, the effective two- way sharing of information through the use of a daily diary means children's individual needs are supported well. She also texts parents daily updates and a newsletter is under development for information sharing. Partnerships with other early years providers is working well. For example, the childminder has gone with parents to meet with the children's teachers which helps develop relationships and promotes continuity in children's care and learning. She has links with the nearby children's centre and receives weekly email updates of the services available. The childminder networks closely withb her friends who are also childminders, which she finds to be very beneficial for support as they share ideas and good practice which benefits children and develops her service.

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provision

Children are safeguarded. The childminder has a good range of policies and procedures which are implemented consistently to successfully maintain children's safety and welfare. She has a thorough knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures. For example, she knows what to do and who to contact in the event of a concern, as she has recently completed child protection training. She also understands her responsibility to protect children. The childminder prioritises children's safety and maintains a safe environment for children. She ensures they are safe and secure in the setting, supporting them in their play and supervising them closely. She ensures all areas are well-organised and all potential hazards are identified and minimised with risk assessments established which take account of all areas children have access to. Consequently, children's safety is promoted.

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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 EY457695 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 903416 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 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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