Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/08/2014 20/02/2012

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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

 Children are well supported in their learning and development. The childminder identifies their individual next steps in learning and plans well targeted activities that meet their needs and interests. As a result, children make good progress.  The childminder builds strong and caring relationships with the children, which helps them feel safe and secure in her care. Successful partnerships with parents also promote children's emotional well-being.  The childminder is a reflective practitioner and evaluates her practice well, taking into account the views of parents. This ensures that teaching and learning and care practices are of a continually good standard.  The childminders safeguarding knowledge is robust. As a result, children are kept safe within her care.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 At times, the childminder does not reinforce behavioural expectations in relation to sharing and turn-taking. Consequently, children do not receive consistent messages about how to play cooperatively with their peers and how to solve problems between themselves.  Opportunities for children to develop their self-help skills are not fully maximised. Children are not consistently encouraged to try to do things for themselves to gain independence at the earliest opportunity.

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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 lounge, conservatory and garden.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the children's assessment records, the planning documentation, a range of policies and procedures and the self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the suitability and qualifications of the childminder and other household members aged over 16 years.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector read feedback comments from parents that the childminder had received prior to the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2011 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and three children aged two, five and seven years in Bricket Wood, St Albans. The family has two rabbits. The whole of the house is used for childminding, with a conservatory used as a play room and an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder attends toddler groups and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 11 children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 extend children's understanding of how to play cooperatively with their peers, consistently reinforcing expectations and encouraging children to understand the feelings of others and solve problems for themselves

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

 increase opportunities for children to be more independent, for example, by encouraging them to pour their own drinks and put on their own shoes.

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who attend

Children are happy and settled within the setting. They engage in a range of activities in a well-resourced learning environment that supports learning through play. Children show a preference for outdoor learning and spend the majority of their time in the garden. The car wash role-play activity is very popular and children laugh and squeal in delight. Children use a variety of sponges in bubbly water to clean the large cars, scooter and slides with, before drying them with a towel. As a result, children develop the ability to remain engaged in an activity and learn to take care of belongings. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories both independently and in small groups. The childminder changes her tone of voice when reading stories, which engages the children. She talks to them about what they can see in the pictures and encourages them to engage with her, discussing the characters. She introduces new words to the children, for example, when

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who attend

they are having snack and a child asks what the white part of the satsuma is. The childminder assists the children to widen their vocabulary by explaining that it is pith. She supports children's communication and language development effectively, teaching them how to look at books carefully and showing them that they can retrieve information from print and illustrations. The childminder uses number language throughout play and there are printed numbers in both the inside and outside environments. Children like to count how many objects they have and learn to recite numbers in sequence. This helps to promote children's mathematical knowledge.

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who attend

The childminder has a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements. She uses successful strategies to promote all areas of learning effectively. She regularly observes the children in her care and uploads her notes onto an online tracker system. The childminder evaluates observations and uses the information to track each child's progress towards the early learning goals. From this, the childminder is able to identify areas of learning and development children need additional support in. She uses this to determine children's next steps in learning and her future planning. As a result, the childminder is able to support the children effectively and they make good progress in their learning and development in readiness for school.

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who attend

The childminder works well with parents to meet children's learning needs. Daily feedback and secure access to the childminder's online records means parents can easily see her latest observations and assessments of their child. The childminder encourages parents to share observations from home and supplies them with 'wow moment' forms for them to complete and share with her. She adds these to the online learning journal to form part of children's ongoing assessment. This means parents are very involved in their child's learning and development, which helps children to make rapid progress.

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

The childminder creates strong and caring relationships with the children, and they feel safe and secure in her care. She speaks to them respectfully and, consequently, they enjoy their time at the setting. Prior to children starting, the childminder asks parents to complete an All about me booklet so that she is able to gain a comprehensive understanding of the child and their care needs. As a result, children benefit from continuity of care. Children feel comfortable with the childminder and will happily ask for her support when needed. However, on occasions, the childminder does not always give children sufficient opportunities to develop self-help skills. For example, she does not always encourage them to pour their own drinks, serve their lunch or put on their shoes, helping them to become more independent.

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

The childminder has high behavioural expectations of the children, most of the time. She generally uses effective methods of distraction if there is a dispute between children. However, on occasion, she does not fully reinforce these expectations in relation to sharing and turn-taking. Consequently, children do not consistently learn how to play cooperatively with their peers and the opportunity to develop their understanding that their actions can upset others is not fully reinforced at every opportunity. The childminder regularly praises the children for their achievements, which they welcome. She displays their artwork in the playroom and puts the wow moments from both her setting and home on a board in the conservatory for children to see. This makes the children feel important and valued. The childminder helps children to gain a sense of pride and self-worth. They are confident learners with high self-esteem, this prepares them well emotionally, for their

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

next stage in their learning, such as the move to school.

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

Children have plenty of opportunities to spend time outside in both the garden and when they take daily trips, to the local park or other places of interest. They keep healthy through exercise, for example, by using the trampoline in the garden. The childminder provides a healthy and balanced diet for the children, and gives them the opportunity to make choices about what they would like to eat at snack and lunch times. For example, children are able to choose their fruit and what sandwich fillings they would like. The childminder encourages good hygiene practices and teaches children how to wash their hands properly. Consequently, children learn to be healthy within the setting. Children are also beginning to learn how to keep themselves safe. The childminder completes fire drills with them on a regular basis. As a result, children understand what to do in an emergency.

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provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She meets all of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and, therefore, protects and promotes children's well-being. The childminder's safeguarding knowledge is robust and she is fully aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse that would cause her to be concerned. She understands the procedure that she must follow and who she would report her concerns to.

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provision

The childminder risk assesses activities and ensures that the learning environment is safe and suitable for children to access. The childminder asks all visitors to sign the visitors log and confirm that they have not been left unattended at any time with the children. The childminder employs an assistant on an occasional basis. The children know her well and are comfortable in her care. The assistant has extensive experience of caring for children and has undergone the relevant checks to ensure her suitability. Consequently, children are always cared for by an appropriate adult.

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provision

The childminder is dedicated to her role and attends training courses to build on her skills. For example, she has recently updated her safeguarding knowledge and first aid skills. She is planning to start a level 3 qualification next month to enhance her knowledge of children's learning and development. She has made links with the local children's centre, playgroups and nursery in order to keep herself up-to-date with good practice. She meets regularly with other childminders to share ideas on how to promote children's learning. This ensures that the standard of teaching and care she provides is consistently of good quality. The childminder monitors the performance of her assistant to ensure children continue to receive good quality experiences at all times.

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provision

The childminder reflects on her practice and evaluates its effectiveness in helping children to make progress towards the early learning goals. She identifies any weaknesses in her practice and makes plans for improvements. Since the last inspection, the childminder has made the required changes to her documentation. This means she gathers vital information from parents and provides them with the necessary details for contacting Ofsted should they need to do so. She includes parents in self-evaluation by inviting them to offer her feedback through questionnaires and on her online childcare profile. The childminder then uses this information to evaluate her practice to make further improvements. For example, parents found it too time consuming providing a signature on registers to sign their children in and out of the setting, particularly during busy times. The childminder changed her practice and now signs the children in and out to the minute,

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provision

uploading the details to the tracker. As a result, partnerships with parents are enhanced. Parents hold the childminder in high regard. They state that they couldn't ask for more and would recommend her to others. The partnerships with other settings that children attend are also successful in helping the childminder to maintain continuity in children's learning and care.

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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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY430863 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 874557 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 11

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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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