King, Margaret

King, Margaret

Unique reference number (URN): 129481 Address: 11 Heath Brow, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1JL Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 17/07/1992 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: King, Margaret Jean

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children develop a love of reading with this childminder. Younger children show good skills in recalling phrases from familiar books. Children show that they remember the things that the childminder has taught them. During a conversation about trips and outings, children join in to recall eagerly and explain the measures in place to keep themselves and their friends safe on walks. Older children explain the letter sounds they have been working on. They confidently read a range of simple words and explain what those words mean.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children show high levels of focus and attention during activities. When they start a puzzle, they see this through to completion. For example, children regularly complete complex puzzles and word games. Children independently wash their hands after messy play. They know how and when to ask for help. Children show skills in turn taking while playing in the garden. After a short play in one car, children swap over and have a turn in the other car. These skills support children for successful later learning, including moving on to school where appropriate.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is ambitious and builds on what children already know and can do. The childminder uses her comprehensive knowledge to support children to make progress in all areas of learning. A balance is found between adult-led and child-led play. Teaching is consistently high quality and is evident at every opportunity. During an adult-initiated activity, the childminder models clear language as she reads aloud to the group. After this, children develop their understanding of shape, space and measure as they work collaboratively to help the childminder to create a house for the characters in the story to live in.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Sometimes, during independent play, children struggle to overcome minor conflicts, such as when children take a toy from one another. The childminder quickly intervenes and supports younger children to understand why their friend is upset. This intervention supports children to develop their personal, social and emotional skills. However, due to the childminder's consistent approach to this, sometimes older children, who demonstrate effective skills in communication and language, can rely on the childminder to intervene instead of attempting this for themselves first.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children, including those who face barriers to their learning, are challenged effectively to have a go at activities just beyond their current abilities. This supports them to develop their resilience. The childminder has previous experience of teaching children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She confidently talks about how activities could be adapted to meet different needs. During group activities, the childminder adapts her teaching effectively to support older and younger children to be equally involved.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder prioritises celebrating all children's heritage and cultures, and through this creates a culture of acceptance in her setting. The childminder looks further than just the celebrations that are important to children attending the setting. She considers celebrations that they will be exposed to in the local area or through extended family. She takes time to learn about these and embed them into her daily and weekly plans for the children. This supports children to learn about a broad range of cultures and traditions.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder strategically finds out what children can already do and what they need to do next from the earliest opportunity. Settling-in sessions and discussions with parents support broad next steps to be in place prior to children starting. From here, ongoing assessment supports the childminder to refine these next steps. Regular observation, paired with the childminder's vast experience of supporting children who face barriers to learning, mean that emerging needs are identified quickly and accurately.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Progress checks at age 2 are thorough. Where children are not meeting developmental milestones in any area, targeted action plans are put in place. The childminder signposts parents to external professionals such as doctors and health visitors as soon as emerging needs are identified. While awaiting professionals' feedback or the outcome of referrals, the childminder implements a graduated approach to support children. Larger goals are broken down into achievable steps and worked on over time. The childminder recognises the value of input from external professionals to ensure that support is specific to each child.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children benefit from consistent routines with this childminder. Children know to put their shoes and coats in the designated space on arrival. Before mealtimes, older children independently wash and dry their hands. Expectations for children are adapted in line with their age and abilities. For example, the childminder goes with younger children to support them to wash their hands effectively before mealtimes.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Effective partnerships with parents support children's attendance. Parents comment that their children ask to see the childminder at the weekend and are eager to attend. When the childminder suggests an adult-led activity, children run over, excited to join in with her play. Photos of the children are displayed by the front door. This promotes a sense of belonging for the children.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

On occasion, when older and younger children struggle to share resources during free play, the childminder's intervention does not always stretch older children to further their personal, social and emotional skills by considering ways to manage these situations for themselves. For example, when children want to play with the same small-world animal, the childminder gets more animal toys out instead of encouraging children to share the resources currently available. While this intervention does support children to quickly get back to their play, it does not fully support all children to develop their skills in waiting or sharing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children enjoy their time with this caring childminder. They show confidence to play independently but also enjoy engaging in regular conversation with the childminder. Children are supported to understand and express their emotions. When younger children get upset during the day, they go to the childminder for cuddles. Sometimes, older children get upset when younger children take their toys. They call on the childminder to help. Interventions look to support children to understand right and wrong and to quickly engage children back into play. To strengthen this further, the childminder should look to support older children to develop the skills to attempt to manage this independently before then seeking help when needed.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children enjoy lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills outside. In the garden, children enjoy using their legs to push themselves around in toy cars. Regular walks in the local community build children's gross motor skills.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Care routines take into account children's privacy. A new downstairs toilet has been added to allow children to learn to use the toilet independently. Support from the childminder is adapted to meet each child's individual needs and abilities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children enjoy hearty home-cooked lunches. Individual dietary needs are catered for well. The childminder encourages children to listen to their bodies and stop eating when they're full. Because of this, some children choose not to have pudding. Children know to sit at the table and are encouraged to use their cutlery to eat. Younger children practise drinking water from an open cup.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates an ability to reflect on her setting and make improvements as needed. A recent change to the layout of the play space has created opportunities for children to access a separate room to do quiet activities and support self-regulation. Children with developing physical skills can now access resources with ease. These changes support children with barriers to learning to access all of the opportunities available.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has not yet identified how to further support all children to become increasingly independent when managing simple disagreements during play as a focused priority for improvement. However, the childminder is committed to continuous development and has shown a dedication to acting on suggestions from previous inspections or local authority visits.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder understands where her service fits within the context of the family. She offers flexible care arrangements that support families to choose, where possible, their hours to best suit their needs. For example, families can access term-time-only contracts. She takes time to get to know families and creates effective working partnerships with parents. Parents comment extremely positively on the high quality of care that their children receive.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is mindful of her own wellbeing and now works with assistants to support her early in the morning and in the afternoons. This decision supports the childminder's workload alongside supporting a consistent routine for younger children during school runs. She ensures that both herself and any assistants she works with complete all mandatory training as required. On top of this, the childminder accesses regular refresher courses and does her own reading to keep her knowledge up to date. The childminder shows good understanding of updated government guidance documents and shares information with her assistants where required.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children develop a sense of belonging with this childminder. They benefit from an inclusive culture where different beliefs and traditions are celebrated. The childminder takes time to learn about the families she supports and uses this to inform her planning. All children are supported to have a turn at taking on simple responsibilities, such as being the snack monitor. This helps children to develop a positive sense of self.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children develop a love of literacy, reading and stories. Children show an interest in the words, letters and sounds in books. They enjoy their learning and want to know more. Parents comment that their children show literacy skills beyond their expectations by the time they start school. Communication and language is supported well for younger children. Children enjoy stories one to one with the childminder. They practise their language skills as they join in with familiar phrases. The childminder takes every opportunity to introduce mathematical concepts. She encourages counting and recognising shapes. Older children accurately count images in stories. Younger children confidently use blocks to create structures.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children benefit from regular walks in nature. 'Welly walks' in the local woodland allow children to challenge their gross motor skills. They walk, run and jump along the paths and up the hills with their friends. Parents comment on the impressive road safety measures that children follow when on outings. Children learn how to keep themselves and their friends safe when walking alongside roads and at road crossings. While out, the childminder encourages children to notice the changing seasons. Together, they play spot the difference, comparing what they can see today with what they have previously observed.

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Next steps

The childminder should consider how to ensure that older children are becoming increasingly more independent when managing minor conflicts or disagreements during play.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder during the inspection and sought the views of parents.

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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection 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

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Address:

11 Heath Brow Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP1 1JL

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:15 - 18:30

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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1 to 10

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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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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 . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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