Childminder 123738

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/10/2014 02/10/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The quality of teaching is outstanding because the childminder makes excellent use of her accurate observations and assessments of children's progress. The childminder effectively uses these to plan and provide activities that enable children to achieve exceptionally well.  The childminder and her assistant have an extremely sharp focus on promoting children's rapidly progressing communication and language skills. As a result, children are confident communicators and use language creatively.  The relationships between the childminder and children are extremely good. Children have close attachments with the childminder, her assistants and her family. As a result, children are thriving. They display the skills and emotional security, which enables them to be well prepared for each stage in their learning and eventually school.  The childminder has an excellent understanding of her responsibility to ensure that the

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This provision is outstanding

safeguarding and welfare requirements are met. As a result, she protects children in her care exceptionally well. She verifies that all adults in the setting have been checked and she checks all areas and equipment daily to ensure that children are safe and secure at all times.  The childminder has established highly effective partnerships with parents, external agencies and other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents and children think highly of her and her commitment to provide first class care and consistency for all children. As a result, children's individual needs are quickly identified and exceptionally well met.

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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 and interacted with the childminder, the childminder's assistant and children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the environment, resources and equipment provided and how effectively they are used 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 suitability of adults, and children's safeguarding, welfare and developmental progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and childminder jointly observed and discussed children's learning and development during a cooking activity with the childminder's assistant.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents through written references and comments.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1999 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and four children, in a house in Bishop's Stortford. The whole of the childminder's home is used for childminding. She uses her garden and takes children to the local park for outdoor play. The childminder works with assistants who help her take children to and collect children from the local school and pre-schools. She operates term time only, from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. There are currently 12 children on roll, seven of whom are in the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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

 enhance further the excellent opportunities for children to adopt healthy eating habits, for example, by growing, tending and harvesting their own produce.

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who attend

The childminder displays an excellent knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, including the characteristics of effective learning. This enables her to provide all children with individually tailored learning experiences. For example, children's enthusiasm for the story of the gingerbread man led to a cooking activity. This resulted in children learning how to beat, mix and knead the mixture, while also extending their vocabulary and creative language. Children using the sieve, to remove lumps, describe it as a sugar net. This shows their creative thinking and use of descriptive language. Such practice results in all children making outstanding progress. The childminder effectively uses the information she gains from observing children and how they learn, to plan and provide challenge for children to help them move on to the next steps in their learning. She does this by engaging children in a range of wonderfully stimulating activities, which

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who attend

promotes all areas of their learning. Teaching is inspirational and is firmly based on her use of precise and sharply focused assessments of children's progress. The childminder actively seeks the feedback and invites comments from parents, carers and key persons in other early years settings that children attend. Information about their progress and abilities are shared with all adults involved with the children. This means that the childminder obtains a broad knowledge of each child and makes sure that any gaps in their learning or development are managed speedily. Consequently, children are happy, confident and very motivated to learn. They self-assuredly experiment and explore the different kitchen tools and cooking ingredients for themselves, which promotes their enthusiasm for learning Children regularly attend local early years activity groups, pre-schools and nurseries. This enables them to begin to engage and interact positively with other children in group

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who attend

situations. This effectively enables children to have the confidence and skills in readiness for full-time school. The childminder and her assistant display skills to gently encourage children to make their own choices and decisions. For example, they decide what thickness and shape they want their gingerbread men, giraffes, elephants and hearts to be when cutting them out. Children show their pride and self-satisfaction when they receive praise from the childminder. This drives children to continue to be keen and eager learners.

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who attend

Outstanding partnerships with parents mean that they are successfully engaged in their children's learning at home. Information is shared daily through discussion and formally through parents' evenings. This makes sure that the childminder has a comprehensive knowledge about the children and their families. Consequently, children thrive because of exceptional consistency in their care and learning. Parents share any milestones, achievements and progress that they have seen at home. As a result, the childminder has detailed knowledge, which enables her to promote children's learning and development to an exceptional level.

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

The childminder's setting is a homely and welcoming environment. Children thrive and respond warmly to her caring and nurturing disposition. This results in children having a very secure base from which they grow, with support and encouragement, to become confident and independent. Children's behaviour is exemplary and they are very content, confident and happy in the childminder's care. They show that they understand about taking turns and working together cooperatively with other children and adults. Their behaviour shows that they display high levels of self-control, which is better than is typical for their age. Children's confidence and self-esteem grow rapidly in the childminder's nurturing and caring environment. They make their own choices and decisions about which of the wide variety of excellent resources and equipment they wish to explore. They regularly play and explore outdoors, enjoying regular fresh air and physical exercise.

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

Children flourish because they benefit from having individually tailored settling-in procedures. These are arranged in partnership with their parents to ensure that the childminder meets the needs of the whole family. Children's routines, care needs and well- being are very successfully promoted. Children have strong and secure emotional attachments to the childminder, her assistants and her family. She displays an excellent knowledge about children's abilities, interests and backgrounds. As a result, children's well-being is exceptionally supported. Children show that they clearly understand the childminder's explanations and instructions. For example, they talk about the oven being hot while they are cooking. This shows that children have a very good understanding of keeping themselves safe and respecting boundaries.

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

Children participate in a wide variety of physical play, exercise and activities, indoors and outside. They have a growing knowledge and understanding about the importance of leading healthy lifestyles. Children routinely wash their own hands and dry them on the warm air hand dryer. They receive home cooked healthy meals and snacks, prepared by the childminder. The introduction of a new all-weather lawn has benefitted children by allowing safe play outdoors in all weathers. However, this has removed some of the opportunities for children to explore mud and soil and to grow some of their own fruits and vegetables in the garden. Outstanding partnerships, and seamless support, enable children to move to other early years settings and on to school smoothly.

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provision

The childminder displays an excellent knowledge and understanding of how to effectively safeguard children. The required Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all assistants and adults in the home are in place. Therefore, children's safety and well-being is protected. The childminder is very clear in her understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, safeguarding and welfare requirements. She has the necessary knowledge, skills and experience, which ensure that she, and her assistants, adhere to local guidance on the procedures to follow in the event of having a concern about the welfare of a child in their care. The childminder regularly attends safeguarding training and ensures that she shares all the information with her assistants. She is very well organised with a comprehensive range of information, policies and procedures. These are provided for parents and assistants, which promotes their understanding of her role and

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provision

responsibility to protect children. Additionally, the childminder carries out robust risk assessments, inside and outside her home, and when on trips and outings. All information about children is securely stored and confidentially shared. As a result, children's welfare and safety are protected.

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provision

The childminder accurately and frequently monitors and evaluates the quality of the teaching, learning and care that she provides. She aspires for high quality in all aspects of her role and values the views of children, their parents and other professionals. The childminder supports all of her assistants in developing their knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They attend relevant training where possible. The childminder's skill in monitoring children's engagement in activities is very well focused. She is able to extend their learning and identify children's needs quickly without inhibiting their enthusiasm for learning. The childminder continues to increase and improve her knowledge and training through networking with other local early years professionals. As a result, she ensures that she is up to date with all developments and changes in early years.

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provision

The childminder has established highly effective partnerships with parents, external agencies and other settings that children attend. She actively takes the lead role in creating links with all key persons in children's lives. This has enabled her to have a holistic picture of the whole child and she is able to quickly and accurately identify children's individual needs. Glowing comments from parents typically show they have high regard for the childminder. They are very happy with the excellent learning and developmental progress their children have made in her care. Both parents and children remark that the childminder and her family are trusted and loved by them. Her outstanding practice is reinforced by well-documented evidence. Consequently, the childminder displays a strong drive to continue to provide and maintain the outstanding levels of care and learning for all children.

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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 123738 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 874768 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 12

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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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