Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 6 May 2015 24 June 2009

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 The well-qualified childminder plans a range of interesting activities, and adapts these to ensure they suit the needs of all children. She demonstrates good-quality teaching, as she maintains children's attention and extends activities. For example, the childminder plays a song associated with fish on the computer and shares pop-up books with children following an activity about sea creatures.  Partnerships with other providers are well established as the childminder attends local network meetings to keep herself up to date. She works closely with other childminders to share ideas and resources, and continues school projects to offer children consistency in their learning.  Children enjoy many outdoor experiences, such as, interesting local walks, daily park visits and using the recycling bank. For example, children view trains from the nearby bridge and discuss the direction that they take and where they might be going. These

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This provision is good

experiences promote children's good health and raise awareness of the environment in which they live.  The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She ensures all access points to the premises remain secure and is aware of her responsibility to protect children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The childminder occasionally does not gather as much detail as possible from parents about children's learning at home when they start at the provision. Therefore, she is not able to use this information to further support her early planning for children's next steps in their learning.  On occasion, younger children are unable to freely access writing materials to continually support development of their early literacy skills.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 focus more precisely on increasing the detail of the initial information gathered from new parents about what their child already knows and can do, to further support accurate assessments of children's starting points  maximise opportunities for children to practise their developing literacy skills by, for example, providing easily accessible writing materials for all children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's general play, and the snack and lunch time routines.  The inspector observed adult-led activities, and discussed the intentions and learning outcomes with the childminder.  The inspector sampled the childminder's documentation including policies, her self- evaluation document, training certificates and children's files.  The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussions on the day, a telephone conversation and recently completed feedback.  The inspector saw evidence of the suitability of all persons living on the premises and other documentation in relation to the safeguarding and welfare requirements.

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who attend. This is good

The childminder has a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is very aware of children's interests and provides resources to support their imagination through role play. The childminder uses home-made flashcards to support children's learning. She encourages them to match question cards to picture cards, enabling them to secure their understanding of life cycles. Currently, children are observing the growth of tadpoles and are caring for sunflowers that they have planted. The childminder offers regular praise, promoting children's positive attitude to learning. This is a key skill in their preparation for school. The childminder understands the importance of building strong partnerships with parents and keeps them fully informed of the activities children take part in. This allows them to extend the learning at home. However, information initially obtained from parents links more to children's care than learning. Therefore, the childminder is not able to

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who attend. This is good

maximise her good-quality assessments to establish accurate starting points for each child. Nonetheless, she completes regular observations of the children in her care, and precise ongoing assessments, to provide suitable challenge and support their good progress.

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good

Children have developed affectionate relationships with the childminder, and seek reassurance and comfort as needed. This supports their emotional needs. The childminder helps children to understand their own feelings and those of others. For example, she takes them to age-appropriate groups to support their understanding of how to play cooperatively in larger group settings. Children learn to keep themselves safe as the childminder teaches them about the dangers of strangers. In addition, children initiate the fire practice and assess the best exit route, dependent on the fire location. The setting is stimulating for each child and well resourced, with vibrant displays. However, on occasion, younger children are unable to freely access the writing materials to make marks or develop their finer physical skills further. Children's good hygiene is promoted as children use separate hand towels and clean their teeth after eating. Children behave well and

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good

older children take responsibility as they sign an agreement to follow the house rules and confirm that they are clear about the childminder's expectations.

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provision is good

The childminder has gained a childcare qualification since her last inspection and has successfully addressed her previous recommendation. This shows her commitment to developing her practice. The childminder monitors the educational programmes and children's progress using approved childcare documentation. This ensures early intervention is sought quickly. The childminder has a professional development programme in place and recently completed training to support children's communication skills. This has helped her to develop a language-rich environment. Furthermore, she uses self-evaluation effectively to highlight her priorities for improvement, such as introducing a welcome pack for new parents to support these relationships further.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY309664 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 856658 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 24 June 2009

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2005 and lives in Hitchin. She operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder holds a relevant childcare qualification at level 3.

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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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