Ferguson, Melanie

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 May 2015 21 October 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 childminder promotes children's physical development well. For example, the younger children enjoy pulling themselves to standing and climbing on the furniture. The childminder prompts them how to get down by turning themselves around. They give big smiles when they are successful at this.  The children love to be outside. As they play with a push-along bubble machine they investigate how to make it work. The childminder helps them to begin to understanding mathematics as she talks to them about big and small bubbles and they watch with interest as the wind carries the bubbles over the fence.  The childminder encourages children to be quiet and listen to the sounds in the environment. This helps children develop good listening skills. They are excited when they hear a loud sound which they know is a helicopter. Indoors, the childminder whispers as they look together for the fly they can hear buzzing.

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This provision is good

 The childminder is confident about her role in safeguarding children and is aware of the action to take and whom to contact should she have any concerns regarding their welfare.  The childminder takes account of the views of parents and children in her regular reflections of her practice. She acts on their requests, such as widening the range of resources that are available to the children returning from school. This helps her to maintain the already good standards of care and education she provides.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The childminder does not always provide opportunities for the younger children to explore natural materials, to help them to begin to investigate using all their senses.

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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 young children's good development even more by providing opportunities for them to explore more resources made from natural materials, such as wood.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the childminder engaging in activities with children and talked with her, at appropriate times, 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 viewed the childminder's self-evaluation form.

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who attend. This is good

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children have free access to toys and resources, which allows them to make choices and to initiate their own play and learning. For example, children are excited to press buttons and lift flaps on toys, and they watch the flashing lights with interest. This is an effective way of introducing children to early technology. However, there are fewer opportunities for the younger children to explore a range of natural materials using all their senses. For example, most of the toys freely available to them are plastic. The childminder regularly observes and assesses children's learning and she shares the progress children make with parents. Furthermore, the childminder consistently finds out what children do and achieve at home to maximise her support for their learning. Consequently, she effectively supports children to gain the skills necessary for their next

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who attend. This is good

stage of learning, such as at nursery or school.

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good

The childminder provides a caring and nurturing environment where children are happy. She has a thorough settling-in procedure and bases this on each individual child's needs. This helps children to settle with her quickly. Furthermore, the childminder supports the older children to become familiar with the new babies. Consequently, children develop a caring disposition and enjoy helping her. The childminder is aware when babies are tired and her careful organisation of their belongings and comforters ensures that they settle to sleep calmly. Children have daily access to the garden where they use equipment to develop their physical skills and have fun in the fresh air. Children plant vegetable seeds and regularly water them. These experiences support children well in developing the skills that they need to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

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provision is good

The childminder demonstrates a strong drive to continuously improve her knowledge and understanding of how children develop. For example, she sources training on topics, such as observation and assessment. Consequently, she has increased her confidence in observing and assessing children's learning. The childminder holds a relevant qualification at level 3 and this impacts positively on her knowledge and practice. She very effectively monitors her teaching strategies and assessments of children's learning. This ensures she identifies gaps in learning and that she effectively reduces them. The childminder's strong partnerships with parents, and with other settings that children attend, encourage regular sharing of information and extend children's learning even more. The childminder has a secure knowledge of how to keep children safe. She continually reviews risks in the environment and on outings. The childminder shares her policies and procedures with

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provision is good

parents when they register with her. This enables parents to understand how she meets all legal requirements.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY269972 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 860743 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 21 October 2011

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2003. She operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder holds a relevant 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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