Smart, Janis

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/10/2014 17/11/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder's home is welcoming and toys are readily available, which encourages children to make choices about their play.  The childminder has a suitable understanding of how to promote the health and safety of children. She conducts daily checks to her premises, so children are able to play safely indoors and outside in the garden.  The childminder provides children with healthy snacks of fruit and freshly prepared cooked meals, which help them to develop an understanding of being healthy.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder has not kept up to date with changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage. She lacks sufficient understanding of complying fully with all of the welfare requirements, in particular maintaining accident records and the learning and development requirements. In addition, she does not fully reflect on her practice to improve outcomes for children.  The childminder does not use the information from her observations to shape children's future learning experiences.  Children do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their mathematical understanding through everyday 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 the childminder's and assistant's practice and observed the children as they played.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection about the systems she has in place for observation, assessment and planning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled the documentation the childminder uses to support her practices, including the self-evaluation documents.  The inspector spoke to the childminder's assistant about her role.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1980. She lives in West Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. The childminder uses the ground floor of her home for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder's daughter works as an assistant. The childminder is currently caring for five children, of whom three are in the early years age range. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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must:

 develop a secure understanding of implementing the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage, to promote learning for all children

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must:

 ensure information gained from observations is used to shape children's future learning and to support them in making good progress

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must:

 ensure that a written record is maintained of all accidents, injuries and the first- aid treatment given to children.

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

 improve opportunities for children to use counting and numbers to fully promote their mathematical development

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

 review the current systems for self-evaluation to fully identify the strengths of the provision and areas for development, in order to improve outcomes for children.

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who attend

The childminder has some understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, but is not clear about all the revised changes. She has been minding for many years and as a result, she has gained a suitable awareness of basic child development. However, the childminder's quality of teaching is not sufficient to help children make good progress in all areas of their learning. The childminder uses her knowledge to plan a suitable range of experiences for the children, which mostly take account of their individual interests. She records observations of children's achievements, together with many photographs of children at play. However, she does not always use the information she gains from these effectively to shape their future learning based on what she observes.

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who attend

The childminder has sufficient awareness of allowing children time to make choices about their play, but also knows when to intervene and offer suggestions to motivate them. Children enjoy some individual attention and play for some time with the trains and railway tracks. They are supported in building up the tracks and make the tracks stretch across the kitchen floor. This encourages them to use their imaginations and talk to each other as they push the trains along. The childminder and her assistant support children's communication and language, as they repeat and model words children are using. However, the weaknesses identified in the childminder's current teaching practice means she does not fully promote children's mathematical understanding. For example, she does not always encourage their development of problem-solving, numbers and counting skills.

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who attend

The childminder understands the importance of children having daily fresh air and makes good use of her garden. She ensures the outdoor area is well set up with a variety of outdoor play equipment. The childminder and her assistant make use of local playgroups and outside play areas to extend children's learning in the outdoor environment. These experiences enable children to enjoy regular physical exercise which keeps them healthy.

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who attend

The childminder ensures she has sufficient information from parents about children's needs and interests to support the settling-in process. This enables her to settle the children and involve parents in their children's day. The childminder uses the settling-in period to gather a range of information from parents to help her establish children's starting points in their learning. This helps her to plan how she will help children to make progress. The childminder provides verbal feedback every evening and shares her observations with most parents to ensure they are aware of their children's development.

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

The childminder provides a secure and safe environment in which children can explore. All relevant safety equipment is in place to help the childminder keep children safe and no hazards are accessible to the children. The childminder carries out daily safety checks to make sure the home and venues outside of the home are safe for children. Children are beginning to understand about risk through taking part in tidy-up time. However, the childminder does not ensure that she keeps an accurate record of all children's accident. This compromises children's welfare.

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

The childminder provides a well-resourced, stimulating, home environment, where children can easily choose from a full range of suitable play resources and equipment. She has dedicated the ground floor of her home for the children's use and this enables them to have easy access to the toys. The childminder meets children's individual dietary needs. She has a secure understanding of nutrition and the need for children to have a varied, healthy and balanced diet. The childminder provides healthy snacks and freshly prepared cooked meals. Children know why it is important to wash their hands and happily follow good personal hygiene routines.

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

Children are settled and content with the childminder. She provides a loving and calm environment, offering lots of reassurance throughout the day, which supports children's emotional security. The childminder and her assistant work well together and offer individual attention to the children. Children behave as expected for their age and the childminder uses effective strategies to deal with any behavioural issues as children settle into her environment and develop socially.

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provision

The childminder has a general understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, she provides a safe and secure environment, which is thoroughly risk assessed. The childminder also demonstrates a clear awareness of the safeguarding procedures to follow if she has a concern about a child in her care. The childminder and her assistant hold relevant first-aid certificates, which enable them to deal appropriately with children's minor accidents. However, the childminder does not keep a record of all accidents that occur. This compromises children's overall welfare. This is a breach of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements and the associated requirements of the Childcare Register.

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provision

The childminder has many years' experience, and although she has a suitable understanding of child development, she has not kept herself up to date with the revisions to the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. As a result, she lacks confidence in her knowledge. Therefore, she is not able to fully promote all the areas of learning effectively or make accurate assessments of children's development to shape their future learning experiences.

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provision

The childminder evaluates her practice and supervises her assistant appropriately. However, she has not identified all the current weaknesses in the provision. This means her systems for driving improvement are not fully effective in raising standards and improving outcomes for children. However, she recognises she has not been proactive in updating her knowledge and intends to address these issues quickly.

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provision

The childminder works well with parents. She has a suitable settling-in time so that she can develop an awareness of the children's needs. She keeps parents informed every day about their children's progress. The childminder is well known at the local school and has plans to get together with the teacher to share information about children's care and learning. As a result, the childminder meets children's needs appropriately in partnership with others.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that a record of all accidents which occur on the premises where childcare is provided is maintained (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that a record of all accidents which occur on the premises where childcare is provided is maintained (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 156478 Local authority Camden Inspection number 987026 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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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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