Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 March 2016 23 October 2012

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Children enjoy a wide variety of fun, educational experiences each day. The childminder has high expectations of what they can achieve. She remains well informed by talking with parents about the learning and achievements their children make at home. She uses this knowledge well, along with her own observations, to plan interesting activities that build on children's existing skills and abilities.  The childminder establishes good relationships with parents, organising settling-in visits so the children become used to her setting. This helps them to settle more quickly and boosts their confidence and feeling of security. Children greet others happily as they arrive and are keen for them to join in their play.  Children have very good opportunities to explore, inside and outside. Children extend their self-help skills as they make their own choices about what they want to explore from child-height storage boxes. This helps to promote their independence.

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This provision is good

 Children's knowledge about healthy eating is extended as the childminder chats with them about their favourite foods. She is vigilant in making sure that they eat the main part of their meal first and provides a balanced diet to help them thrive.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 While the childminder is attentive in making sure that required training, such as paediatric first aid, is always updated on time, her attention to widening her professional development in relation to teaching and learning is not organised as meticulously.  The childminder gathers information about children's learning and development. However, she has yet to set a consistently effective way to make the very best use of this information.

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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

 embed the system for tracking progress, in order to more accurately identify even subtle variations in children's continuing progress  extend the use of further training opportunities to strengthen existing knowledge and teaching skills.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact of this on the children's learning.  The inspector observed and discussed a planned activity with the childminder.  The inspector checked relevant documentation, including the suitability checks of the childminder and her husband.  The inspector took account of the childminder's self-evaluation process along with written feedback from parents.  The inspector spoke with the children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The childminder knows about the different types of abuse and what action to take if she has a concern about a child in her care. The childminder makes sure that her home and garden remain safe and secure to protect the welfare of each child in her setting. Since the last inspection, the childminder has introduced questionnaires to gather parents' ideas. She uses this information to continually extend the service she offers. Parents speak very highly of the flexible support provided and the excellent learning opportunities their children enjoy. Partnership working with other settings now helps to support continuity of learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children develop mathematical thinking as they explore weight while playing with sand and pebbles. They learn that the more sand put onto the scales, the quicker that side lowers. Children enjoy using shaped spatulas, handling them competently to make wavy lines in the sand. Adding glitter, they watch in delight as it sparkles while floating back into the tray. Children compare and sort by size. They experiment with placing pebbles into the scales and working out which is heavier. Children use their senses as they play. They place smaller pebbles into a lidded pot, then listen to the sound as they shake it. They extend this further by checking if they can hear the sea in shells and recall doing this with their family at the seaside. Children's language skills are encouraged as the childminder asks open questions and always provides time for them to think and then respond, no matter how long it takes. Children make very good progress and embed the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

skills they need for the next stage of learning and their eventual move on to school.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Relationships between the childminder and children are extremely good. She is an excellent role model, helping the children to learn about and use appropriate behaviour with others. They quickly learn to be considerate. For example, when a child arrives later in the day, that child is warmly invited to join in the existing play. Children develop their understanding of similarities and differences as they learn about other cultures in the wider world, or meet new people in the local community. They talk happily about the people who make up their family and refer confidently to members of the childminder's family. Children enjoy regular opportunities to play outside. Activities include running, stretching and using larger apparatus to support them to develop strength, balance and coordination.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are motivated and interested in the wide range of challenging activities planned for them by the childminder. They display the positive characteristics of effective learners as they think critically about what they are doing. Children extend their vocabulary when sharing ideas about what they see and feel. For example, they learn to make bubble mixture and then chase the resulting bubbles when they begin to float away. The childminder provides interesting and appropriately challenging experiences that help children to achieve the next steps in their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY436683 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1037081 Type of provision Childminder Day care type Childminder Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 11

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 23 October 2012

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2012 and lives in Bishop's Stortford. She operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, 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 reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Telephone number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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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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