Andrea, Tina

Andrea, Tina

Unique reference number (URN): 2740856 Address: 6 Oak Avenue, St. Albans, AL2 3LG Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 01/09/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Andrea, Tina

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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

The children feel extremely safe and secure in the childminder's nurturing environment. As a result, they are open to exploring and learning, and they achieve very well. They enjoy finding out about new things and can focus and attend for long periods, as activities are engaging and interesting. Children make superb progress across all areas of the curriculum, particularly in their confidence in the setting and their communication and language skills. For example, children repeat new words and match them to objects, such as eggs.

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Achievement Strong standard

All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning, make rapid progress from their starting points. Children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning, including school. They are independent in their self-care, such as managing their coats and shoes, and will confidently ask for help if required.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has created a nurturing and stimulating environment in which children feel extremely safe and secure. This means they are open to learning and can develop confidence and self-esteem in the setting. The childminder has a highly positive approach towards behaviour, which children respond to extremely well. Children learn to use their hands gently, for example, when leading their friends to circle time and sharing resources. The childminder and her assistants have built incredibly positive relationships with the children. Children clearly enjoy their time at the setting. They feel confident to trick the adults and giggle as they do so.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children learn to get along with each other very well, as they are explicitly taught how to treat each other. For example, the childminder reads stories about how to be kind to each other. Children share resources and play alongside each other very well. Older children play together and chat as they play outdoors. The childminder caters to children's individual and personalised needs, which means that those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported in understanding the behavioural expectations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder works closely with parents and carers to help them understand the importance of regular attendance and punctuality.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are high priorities for the childminder and are a strength of the setting. Relationships between all adults and children are extremely effective, particularly those between children and their key person. Children settle quickly due to the calm and gentle manner of the childminder and her assistants. The childminder values all children and clearly recognises their individual needs. This ensures that any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning or wellbeing can develop and learn alongside their peers.

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Expected standard

The childminder encourages and explicitly teaches children to manage their own emotional wellbeing. For example, she reads stories to help them understand and manage their feelings. Children pull different faces in the mirror as they explore various emotions. They learn how to take care of their safety, for example, by walking indoors. Children have many opportunities for physical play outdoors. The childminder provides healthy snacks and works closely with parents to ensure that healthy lunches are provided. The childminder works closely with the parents to support their children's routines of feeding, weaning, and sleeping. She is highly alert to issues of allergies and choking.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has created a highly inclusive and ambitious curriculum that fully meets the needs of the children in her care. She continually reflects on the quality of her provision and makes improvements, such as developing a forest school area in her garden. The childminder prioritises children's emotional wellbeing and happiness in their learning. The curriculum fully covers all areas of learning and builds on children's knowledge. The childminder promotes the importance of developing early reading skills from a young age. Children listen attentively and join in with repetitions as the childminder reads a book about kindness

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The development of language skills and vocabulary is a priority for the childminder. The childminder and her assistants use every opportunity to develop children's vocabulary. For example, when using shakers, they repeat the word 'shake'. Children learn to count by saying the numbers as they pour rice into a pot.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder knows the children incredibly well and uses continual assessment and observations to tailor her teaching to the individual needs of each child. She fully adapts experiences so that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can participate and have the same experiences as their peers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder ensures that individual children's needs are quickly identified and assessed, and there are secure procedures in place to identify children with barriers to their learning. The childminder has a clear plan of action to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or have other barriers to learning receive targeted support to ensure they make progress from their starting points. The childminder and her assistants know the children incredibly well. The childminder ensures that support is put in place, such as by repeating words back to the child, saying what the child is doing and making other adaptations as necessary.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder monitors children's progress through regular observations and assessments. She ensures that the support in place has a positive impact on the child's progress. The childminder works closely with parents and outside agencies when necessary to ensure continuity of strategies and support. The childminder ensures that she regularly attends training to stay up to date with generic SEND issues. This is not routinely specific to the children in her care to ensure support is of the highest standard.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a clear idea of her setting's strengths and a vision of how she wants to improve further. For example, to further support the children's physical development and emotional wellbeing, work has already started on creating a forest school in her large garden. The childminder works hard to ensure that the high standards of education and care are maintained, and resources are well organised and managed. The childminder is highly ambitious for the children in her care and is developing a sound understanding of areas for development, which she addresses as they occur. She continually strives to improve her practice and make decisions that fully support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has excellent communications with her assistants, and they work cohesively as a team. Assistants state that their wellbeing is a priority for the childminder, and they appreciate the openness of the professional relationship. The childminder ensures that standards remain high through regular supervision and quality training. However, training is not always sharply targeted to the specific needs of the current cohort of children.

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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 experience exceptional care and individual attention in the superbly organised and welcoming environment. They establish excellent relationships with the childminder, her assistants and each other. Children display high levels of emotional wellbeing and are clearly safe and secure. This allows them to fully access the wonderful learning activities on offer. Children confidently explore the environment and show high levels of focus during their play. For example, they use their small-muscle skills to scoop and pour coloured rice from a tray to a pot. Children demonstrate developing independence. For example, they use the handwashing station when preparing for meals and slice their toast into pieces. Children enjoy outdoor play and the fun trips to the park and farm that the childminder plans for them. They enjoy learning about the diverse world. For example, they learn about Chinese New Year through decorating horses and listen to stories about Ramadan.

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

Children behave exceptionally well. The childminder and her assistants model kindness, respect and gentleness towards each other and the children. As a result, the children exhibit the same qualities. For example, they hold hands and smile to encourage each other to join in activities like circle time. Young children are encouraged to share resources by using 'gentle hands' and asking for them.

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

The childminder has extremely effective communication with parents and carers, who are exceptionally pleased with the care their children receive. They particularly praise how confident their children have become and how closely the childminder works with them for their child's next steps. The childminder has high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She recognises that with bespoke interventions, children will make more rapid progress. The childminder promotes to parents the importance of attendance and punctuality and has secure procedures in place.

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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Next steps

The childminder should specifically target professional development at the current cohort of children to maximise its impact.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistants and parents during the inspection.

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

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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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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 .

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Urgent improvement

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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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