Bowden Nicola

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/09/2013 10/01/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 has a good understanding of how young children learn and uses this to plan interesting experiences appropriate to their age and stage of development. Children are, therefore, stimulated and their development is well promoted.  The childminder supports children to explore their senses and the world around them by helping them as needed to do what they are trying to do without taking over or directing.  Children feel safe and secure in the childminder's care as she provides a welcoming environment, where they have consistent boundaries and familiar routines. This helps the children build a confident and positive attitude to life and their future learning.  The childminder demonstrates a strong commitment to her childminding and is pro- active in enhancing her professional development to improve her knowledge, understanding and practice.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's interest in simple mechanisms and how they operate is not fully maximised as there is scope to increase the range of resources with knobs, flaps and shutters.  The monitoring of practice does not fully extend to consistently incorporating the detailed views of parents and, therefore, this information does not always assist in identifying areas for further improvement.

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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 all rooms and the outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies, procedures and photographs of children joining in with different activities.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and three children aged 12, 14 and 16 years in a house in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The whole of the ground floor, one bedroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has one cat as a pet.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis and collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently eight children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7.30am 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:

 enhance the range of resources with knobs, flaps and shutters to build on children's interests in simple mechanisms and how to operate them

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

 build on the systems for evaluating practice by more fully involving the contributions of the parents in the process to strengthen the drive to improve so that practice is clearly targeted to help children reach the highest levels of achievement.

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who attend

The childminder has a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of how children learn. She provides a good range of child-initiated and adult-led activities that extend children's learning and school readiness. When children show a desire to make a present for their parent's birthday, the childminder provides china plates on which the children draw their designs. The plates are then placed in the oven to seal the decoration. Those children not using the plates are provided with designs printed on canvas for them to paint. The childminder is on hand to support the children, but does not take over or direct the children's ideas. This means that they are free to express their emerging creative skills with some colouring in the picture perfectly and others covering the whole canvas with a multitude of colours. All receive lots of praise for their efforts building their self-esteem and confidence.

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who attend

The childminder knows the children very well and has high expectations for them all. At the start of the placement she discusses the children's routines and level of development with the parents. She then uses this information, together with her own observations, to identify where the children are developmentally within the prime and specific areas of learning. Effective assessment procedures then help her to identify the children's next steps in progress and to incorporate these into her planning. For example, when younger children struggle with their physical skills, the childminder takes them to the park to build their confidence and co-ordination. She also takes them to groups where they learn to socialise and play alongside their peers. The childminder ensures that she stays close by offering the children the security they need to explore their surroundings.

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who attend

The childminder provides a range of activities that are mostly purposeful and developmentally appropriate. She consistently gives the children choices about their play therefore building their independence skills. For example, when children announce 'I'm going to cook the dinner' the childminder supports their play by asking if they would like the play food and kitchen and where they would like it positioned in the garden. When the children then say 'I'm going to be the cooker' the childminder sensitively extends their understanding of the world by explaining that they are going to be a chef. Most activities provide a good level of challenge that is appropriate to the children's age and stage of development. For example, younger children explore simple mechanisms by pressing buttons to make an animal pop out of a box. The childminder praises their efforts for which she receives a big smile of confidence in return. However, there is scope to enhance

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who attend

children's understanding further of how things operate by providing more resources with knobs, flaps and shutters for them to investigate.

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who attend

Parents are kept well informed about their children's time with the childminder through the regular sharing of the children's learning journeys and the consistent interaction that takes place. The childminder encourages them to share information about the activities they have enjoyed with their children, for example, over the weekend. Therefore, involving them in their children's learning ensures that she is effectively informed about the children's experiences at home. For example, parents tell her that their children have been dancing in a way that they had not seen before. When they ask the children where they learnt the dance, they happily reply 'With my childminder.' This, therefore, means that the childminder is able to use this information to plan for children's next steps in progress and effectively support their further development, including going to school.

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

Children are happy at the childminder's. They form appropriate and secure attachments with the childminder and their friends helping them feel settled and safe. They demonstrate their trust in the relationship as they readily share their excitement about going to visit their friend later in the day and come to the childminder for a reassuring cuddle when they need one. Flexible and thorough settling-in processes ensure that the childminder gets to know all relevant details about the children and that the children and parents are secure with the arrangements from the start. The childminder ensures that her flexible plans accommodate the children's routines, for example, enabling them to sleep more in the day if they have a bad night. The childminder has cared for most of the children since they were very young babies providing a continuity and consistency of care for them and their families, which is very much appreciated by all concerned.

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

The childminder actively supports the children in developing a good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Hand washing is part of the daily routine and the childminder carries anti-bacterial spray with her when out and about, for example, on their regular visits to the farm. The childminder effectively encourages the children to learn about different foods through a wide range of experiences. Children enthusiastically talk about the blackberries that they pick and use to make a crumble that is served with custard. Older children demonstrate their cooking skills as they make spaghetti bolognaise and pancakes for their friends and use their creative skills to make napkins and name cards for the table. Children develop a good awareness of risk and of their own safety because the childminder effectively supports their development. She sensitively notices that younger children have put their shoes on the wrong feet and explains that this could

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

cause them to trip over before helping to put them on the right way. Children are learning about road safety as they know to stop at the driveways on the way home from school and that they must hold onto the buggy in the car park.

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

The childminder acts as a positive role model and helps the children to learn and understand the expectations regarding behaviour. She sensitively supports them in learning the house rules from a young age and good manners are very much encouraged. Children are learning to respect others and celebrations of festivals are incorporated into the planning of activities. They enjoy making and decorating clay divas for Diwali enhancing their use of descriptive language as they explain that the clay is cold while also exploring their use of different materials. Use of consistent boundaries and routines help children to prepare for their transition onto other early years settings. The childminder supports the children by accompanying them on visits to their new setting and encourages their confidence and self-care skills in readiness for the change in environment and expectations.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding the children are strong and well-embedded. The childminder has an effective knowledge of her responsibilities in meeting the welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and has attended additional training to improve her knowledge. She ensures that anyone coming into contact with the children is suitable to do so and is aware of the contact numbers for reporting concerns should they arise. All areas used by the children are constantly risk assessed and procedures are in place to minimise any potential hazards. For example, together with the parents' emergency numbers, the childminder carries a card stating that as she is a childminder, the children with her may not be her own. This means that the children's welfare is protected in an emergency situation. The childminder has a detailed knowledge of the learning and development requirements.

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provision

She monitors the experiences she offers the children to ensure that she helps them make good progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder ensures that she is well aware of the children's abilities and, therefore, their further progress is effectively supported. Ongoing dialogue with parents ensures that they are kept effectively informed about their children's learning and welfare. Any concerns are sensitively discussed and supported intervention from other professionals is sought if necessary. Partnerships with other providers are well-established as the childminder exchanges regular information with the other settings when attended by the children. This enables her to complement children's learning and offer a continuity and consistency of education for them all. For example, when the nursery uses a theme about autumn to encourage children's understanding of the seasons, the childminder takes the children to pick conkers which

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provision

they then take to nursery the following day for show and tell.

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provision

The childminder is pro-active in improving her knowledge and professional development. She regularly attends training courses and describes her completion of the early years degree as giving her a deeper insight into the ways that young children learn and progress. She regularly reflects on her practice to ensure that any changes that are made have a positive impact on the children and their families. However, there is scope to enhance the use of self-evaluation by extending how the views of parents are incorporated into the process to assist in identifying areas for future improvement.

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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 EY254443 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 931661 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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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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