Hector, Kimberley

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/03/2014 15/02/2010

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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 the children with interesting activities covering all areas of learning which are carefully planned from children's interests and next steps.  Partnerships with parents are strong. The childminder communicates daily with parents to keep them fully aware of their children's care and achievements, and she actively seeks to involve them in their children's learning. This shared approach supports children's needs well.  The childminder talks to children and models language and provides children with support in learning new words. Consequently, children are making good progress in their communication and language skills.  The childminder ensures that all children are safeguarded. She is fully aware of her responsibility to protect children from harm, and completes regular risk assessments to keep children safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to provide children with further opportunities to learn about the wider world and other cultures and their traditions.  The opportunities for children to make choices and select their own activities are not yet fully maximised because some resources are not visible for children to select from to access independently.

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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 took into account the views of parents and carers documented in compliment letters.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's development records, evidence of the childminder's suitability and a range of other documentation, including the safeguarding procedures.  The inspector reviewed and discussed the childminder's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the childminder's house and talked with the childminder and children at appropriate times.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and childminder jointly observed and discussed children's learning and development during a planned activity.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2009 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her two children aged six and eight years in a house in Weldon, a village close to Corby, Northamptonshire. The whole of the ground floor, upstairs bathroom and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has guinea pigs and fish as pets. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops, library and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently seven children on roll, four of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of Northamptonshire Childminding Association.

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

 increase the opportunities for children to learn even more about the wider world by providing more experiences for them to find out about other cultures and their traditions

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

 enhance the organisation of resources to make them more visible to children, enabling them to make further choices about their play and select toys and equipment independently.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and the prime and specific areas of learning. She uses this knowledge to inform her planning and teaching as she provides interesting and challenging activities for children. Consequently, children make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder completes regular observations and assessments on children to identify next steps in their learning and she shares these with parents to help them support their children's learning at home. She communicates with parents regularly to find out about children's learning and interests at home and uses this information in meaningful ways to plan challenging and interesting activities. For example, the childminder extended one child's specific interest in dinosaurs to plan various activities to enthuse him to learn, for example, making dinosaur's footprints in paint, talking about size, shape and differences in dinosaurs. The childminder

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who attend

also encourages children to find out more about their interests and role models being 'a thinker' by safely using the internet with children to view pictures and find out more information. This helps children to develop their own thinking skills and know how to find out ways to find out the answers to things that they do not know the answer to.

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who attend

Children have good opportunities to develop their skills needed for writing. The childminder uses various means of messy play, which provides children with many opportunities to explore and make marks. For example, when playing in the purple moulding sand, children make marks in the sand and observe the marks that they make. The childminder extends this and draws the children's initials in the sand using her finger and talks to the children about the sound that the letter makes. This helps children to develop the early skills needed for literacy development. The childminder supports children well in their communication skills. She encourages children to extend their vocabulary by introducing new words, such as 'squeeze' and 'squash' and repeats these words slowly to help children to become confident in their speech. When children master new words, the childminder provides them with warm praise which children respond positively to. This

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who attend

effective support for children's communication and self-confidence contributes to them being well prepared for the next stage in their learning, and their eventual move on to school.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's personal, social and emotional development well. The childminder talks to them about the daily routines so they know what is coming next while allowing them ample time to complete their current activity. She enables them to share and to work together because she spends time watching and encouraging them to consider others during their play. Older children support younger children, and show care and concern for them and talk about their feelings. The childminder meets up with other childminders and takes children to groups to give children opportunity to spend time in larger groups. She takes children on regular outings around the village to visit the park and attends groups to help children develop their knowledge of the local community around them. The childminder helps children learn about some celebration and festivals with children, however, there is scope to further develop the opportunities for children to

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who attend

learn about the wider world and other cultures and their traditions.

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

The childminder has good procedures to gather detailed information from parents when children start so that she is aware of children's needs, interests and abilities. This enables her to offer children the appropriate support, resources and activities. The childminder ensures that she is fully aware of children's preferences and usual routines and incorporates these into her daily care. For example, one child is dropping his afternoon sleep, so the childminder provides him with 'quiet time' to rest and wind down ensuring that he still has opportunity to recharge. Children form close attachments with the childminder, which helps them to feel emotionally secure. As a result, new children settle quickly and enjoy their time at the setting. The childminder knows the children in her care well, and provides a warm and well-resourced environment. Children show that they feel safe and secure as they move around her home freely and confidently. The childminder

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

provides a variety of activities covering all areas of learning promoting children's development widely. However, children do not fully benefit from being able to make choices over their play and setting up their own activities as the childminder stores other resources out of sight in cupboards. This means that children then have to ask if they want something out that is not available for them to easily access as not all resources are visible to children.

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

Gentle positive encouragement by the childminder supports young children in understanding and managing their behaviour. She encourages sharing and taking turns, for example, as the children wait patiently to wash their hands at the sink. The childminder promotes children's health and hygiene well. Children wash their hands before eating and after toileting and have their own hand towels. She encourages children to manage their own personal needs relative to their age and older children are able to wash their hands independently. Children understand the need to wash their hands to 'kill the germs' and enjoy smelling the strawberry scented soap that they use. The childminder encourages children to eat healthily. She works closely with parents to ensure they provide children with well-balanced packed lunches. When children are less keen to eat, the childminder makes meal times fun and enjoyable and encourages children to try new

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

foods and rewards them with their favourite activities after lunch. This ensures that children benefit from a healthy diet.

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

Children have formed a strong bond with the childminder and look to her for help and support. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and confident with her. For example, she thoughtfully displays the children's artwork around her home at children's level, which children proudly refer to and confidently tell others about their work. This helps children to develop a sense of pride. Children are provided with fresh air and physical activity daily at the local park, or for a short walk around the village. When on outings the childminder talks to children about their safety and encourages them to think about road safety and to walk by the buggy. They practise their social skills as they mix with others at the toddler group and the childminder gives them freedom to explore their environment and move around independently. This supports them to develop the skills required for future learning and also prepares them for the move to pre-school or school.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, and has a clear understanding of how to safeguard children and protect them from harm. She has a good awareness of signs that would cause concern, and clearly understands how to make a referral to the appropriate authority. The childminder carries out regular risk assessments of her premises to ensure that children's safety is prioritised and that they are kept safe from harm, and she addresses any actions identified promptly. For example, she has recently identified that the decked area in her garden was slippery when wet, and she has addressed promptly by covering with a non-slip coating to minimise the risk to children.

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provision

The childminder has a positive attitude to her work. Since last inspection, the childminder has achieved a level 2 qualification in early years, and has attended short courses to improve her systems for observing and assessing children's development. This has increased her knowledge on how children learn and she now has clear systems in place to monitor children's progress. This helps to ensure that children make good progress in their learning with her and are ready for the next stage of learning. The childminder has a thorough self-evaluation, which is accurate and well used to drive improvement. Through this, she has identified the need to make resources more visually available for children to select from to help them develop their independence in selecting activities. She seeks children's views in shaping her provision through regular conversations and by asking them each day what they would like to do.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are strong and the childminder makes good use of the information that parents provide her with. For example, she has worked closely with parents and other professionals to help provide a child with support in their speech development. The childminder also works closely with other settings to find out what children are learning about and their next steps and uses this information to aid planning of activities in her home. This ensures that children receive a consistent approach to their learning which helps them to make progress well in their development. The childminder works very closely with parents to involve them in their child's learning and activities. Their written references provide positive comments about the care and learning their children receive while in the childminder's care. Parents state they are 'very pleased with child's progress made', and that 'children enjoy the fun activities provided'.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 EY393124 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 879176 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 7

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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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