Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 May 2015 22 June 2010

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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

 Children develop good physical skills. The childminder provides opportunities for them to enjoy fresh air and exercise on a daily basis. Children enjoy time exploring in the community as well as daily opportunities to play outside, where they use a range of age-appropriate equipment.  The childminder provides a warm and welcoming environment where children's emotional well-being is supported. Effective settling-in visits are organised to suit each family. Children form strong bonds and attachments with the childminder and their peers. Consequently, children are happy and settled.  Teaching is good. The childminder knows the children very well and she supports them effectively. She extends their communication and language development by teaching them basic French alongside English. As a result, children make good progress, given their starting points and capabilities.  The childminder promotes children's safety. She completes regular risk assessments

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This provision is good

within her home, and she attends safeguarding training to ensure that her understanding of child protection is up to date. As a result, the childminder meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements.  The childminder has a good relationship with parents and carers. She promotes daily discussions and ensures that parents are able to extend their children's learning outside of her setting. Consequently, children are supported in acquiring the skills they need for future learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The childminder does not fully support the development of children's thinking skills as they play.  The childminder does not promote consistent opportunities to vary activities so that children are introduced to a wide range of different materials.

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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

 help children to express themselves effectively and to develop their own narratives and explanations, for example, by waiting for them to think about what they want to say and put their thoughts into words without providing the answer too quickly  support children to become more deeply involved in activities, for example, by providing new and unusual resources for them to explore and engage in.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed how the childminder reviews her setting. She also discussed how she includes parental feedback to support continuous improvement.  The inspector looked at evidence of the suitability of the childminder's family members, and a range of other documentation, including the childminder's first aid and safeguarding training certificates.  The inspector observed general play and the snack and lunchtime routines in the childminder's home and garden. She talked with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector held joint discussions with the childminder in relation to observations of the children's play, learning and progress.

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who attend. This is good

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She provides children with a range of activities and experiences to support them in making good progress. Children enjoy books and stories and the childminder promotes the use of these to support their speech and language development. The childminder joins in with children as they play and the children engage well with her as she asks open-ended questions to extend their thinking. However, the childminder does not always give children enough time to think and respond before giving them the answers. As a result, opportunities to develop their own narratives and explanations are not maximised. The childminder promotes children's personal, social and emotional development. She congratulates them as they create a range of shapes and objects with dough. Consequently, children are motivated to learn.

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good

The childminder promotes children's personal, social and emotional development and they have good relationships with other minded children attending. They smile happily as their friends arrive and quickly join in with activities. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and mealtime routines. The childminder provides children with a good range of freshly prepared, home-cooked hot food. She ensures that children eat a broad range of fresh vegetables and fruits, to support their well-being overall. The childminder encourages children to be independent. They feed themselves at lunchtime and make choices to play inside or outside when the weather permits. Children learn to use a range of tools, such as when exploring the sand or dough and they create their own games from this. For example, children add cars to the sand and create a racing track as they play imaginatively. However, although the childminder plans for what she knows the children

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good

like, she does not introduce new and unusual activities to maximise their learning.

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provision is good

The childminder ensures that she promotes the safety of children in her care. She has a range of written policies and procedures that she shares with parents. She is aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and knows who to contact if she has concerns about a child in her care. The childminder attends regular training to develop her own knowledge and inform practice. Since her last inspection she has made positive changes to the resources she provides by reflecting images of culture, gender and disability. She researches and attends local networking groups to develop good practice. Additionally, this enables her to ensure that she is up to date with current legislation. The childminder has a good relationship with parents. They communicate on a daily basis and she provides daily diaries and regular photographic updates for parents, throughout the day. Furthermore, the childminder demonstrates a good understanding of why partnership working is

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provision is good

important to promote a consistent approach to children's learning and development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY401471 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 996628 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 22 June 2010

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2009. She operates Monday to Thursday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, all year round, except for bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder has 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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