Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 6 May 2015 1 November 2011

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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 quality of teaching is good. The childminder provides an interesting range of high- quality and challenging learning experiences for children, both inside and out. As a result, children are motivated and eager to explore.  Children develop a love of books. There is a wide range of books attractively displayed for children to freely choose from. Children take books to the childminder and they share warm story times together.  The childminder allows children to take considered risks and consequently, they develop skills in keeping themselves safe. For example, the childminder shows them how to use tools, such as knives safety and encourages them to use tools independently.  The childminder has established strong partnerships with parents. They use written documentation, thank-you cards and questionnaires, to express their very high levels of satisfaction with the care and education that the childminder provides.

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This provision is good

 Children's sense of well-being and belonging is strong, because the childminder forms secure emotional attachments with them. This contributes to children feeling very settled and secure.  The childminder demonstrates an excellent understanding of how to protect and safeguard children. Through the implementation of excellent policies and procedures, she actively promotes children's safety and welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The childminder does not always promote children's learning about healthy food to the highest level. For example, she does not always engage children in conversation about the fruit they are preparing for snack, or consistently give children opportunities to grow fruit and vegetables.

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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

 enhance children's good learning experiences even more, for example, by giving them opportunities to grow fruit and vegetables in the garden and by talking about the healthy food that they eat.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the childminder engaging in activities with children and talked with her about children's learning.  The inspector viewed the areas of the premises and garden used for childminding.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of the suitability of household members, and a range of other documents, including the safeguarding policy.  The inspector took account of information from parents as recorded in written documents, and of the childminder's self-evaluation form.

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who attend. This is good

The childminder's quality of teaching is good. The childminder demonstrates a strong passion for, and commitment to, providing children with a stimulating and child-centred environment where they are able to flourish. For example, children engage in role play as they use the pretend doctor's set or dress up as builders. The childminder provides children with a wide variety of puzzles, and they show a good awareness of space and shape as they fit the pieces together. The childminder bases many of her activities on topics, such as healthy eating. However, she does not always use these good activities to promote children's learning to the highest level. For example, as children make fruit salad, she does not always talk about the fruit with them, and there are few opportunities for children to grow fruit and vegetables in her garden. The childminder uses both spontaneous and planned observations to inform her strong assessments. As a result, she

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who attend. This is good

demonstrates a precise knowledge of each child's starting points, their stage of development and the progress that they make. Consequently, children make good progress in preparation for their move to nursery and school.

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good

Children are very confident and self-assured. They form strong, emotional attachments with the childminder and are relaxed in her welcoming home. Young children seek out the childminder for cuddles and reassurance. They benefit from her warm interactions and she finds their toys, when they need them for comfort. Children play and learn together extremely well and their behaviour is excellent. The childminder teaches children about expected behaviour through the use of consistent messages. This is evident in the feedback from the older children's use of questionnaires. For example, they talk about the need to tidy toys away before taking more out. Children are supported well in developing the skills that they need to adopt a healthy lifestyle. They are provided with healthy meals, and the childminder involves them in the preparation of these. The childminder's use of the garden and local parks enables children to have fun and provides wonderful

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good

opportunities for them to use their physical skills.

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provision is good

The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of the learning and development, and the safeguarding requirements. She is confident about child protection procedures, which protects children's welfare. She uses effective systems to monitor the educational programme and children's progress. The childminder demonstrates a determined drive to continuously develop her practice. She attends training courses and accesses further training online. She ensures the courses are relevant to her practice. For example, she has recently undertaken training on supporting children's communication skills. This has enabled her to more effectively meet each child's individual needs. The childminder includes the views of parents and children in her effective self-evaluation, and acts on these for future developments.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY348767 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 863240 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 11 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 1 November 2011

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2007 and lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire. She operates all year round from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Thursday, except for bank holidays and family holidays.

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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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