Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 March 2015 6 July 2009

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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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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Requires improvement The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 The childminder does not record the hours of children's attendance. Therefore, children's safety is compromised because there is no record of who is present at any one time.  The childminder does not gain enough information about children's cultural backgrounds and use this in planning activities and experiences. Therefore, opportunities to extend children's knowledge of their individual identity and diversity are not maximised.  On occasion, the childminder does not always give young children time to allow them to explore and investigate for themselves before intervening in their play.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder establishes strong partnerships with parents. She gathers information about children's learning to support her in identifying their starting points, in order to enable her to plan for their development.  The childminder attends regular training which supports her in evaluating her practice effectively and setting targeted action plans to improve the service that she offers to children and their families.  The childminder builds close and warm attachments with children, which supports their emotional well-being.  The childminder uses a varied range of teaching methods to consolidate and extend children's learning and provides activities that enable older children to be ready for their move on to nursery and school.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 maintain a record of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance.

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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

 make the most of opportunities to find out about children's cultural background and use this to inform the planning of activities and experiences. Therefore, promoting individual children's sense of identity and all children's awareness of diversity  maximise opportunities for young children to explore and investigate for themselves before offering support if required.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 keep a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  keep a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed general play and the snack and lunch time routines in the main room. She talked with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at evidence of the suitability of household members and a range of other documentation. First-aid and safeguarding training certificates were viewed.  The inspector held joint discussions with the childminder in relation to observations of the children's play, learning and progress.  The inspector reviewed the childminder's self-evaluation.

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who attend. This is good

The childminder plans activities and experiences that reflect children's interests and that engage them for extended periods of time. All children enjoy their time in her care and are making good progress. The childminder is aware of children's individual stages of development and learning styles, and adapts her activities accordingly. She provides them with plentiful resources, enabling even young children to make choices about their play. For example, the childminder recognises children's interest in pouring from one container to another as they decorate biscuits. She takes the lead from the children as they repeat this action and she provides additional containers and a jug. However, on occasion, the childminder does not allow young children the time to explore and investigate because she intervenes too readily and shows them what to do. Effective partnerships with parents and other early years settings that children attend contribute to the continuity of learning

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who attend. This is good

between home, the childminder's and nursery.

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requires improvement

Children confidently express their needs. For example, one child communicates his frustration at not being able to climb on a ride-on toy. The childminder gently encourages him to keep trying until he succeeds. Young children develop independence as they use plastic cutlery to feed themselves. The childminder supports children's good health and encourages them to try different foods. Children practise good hygiene procedures and have daily access to outdoors where they can run around and climb. Consequently,they are developing an awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The childminder provides resources which reflect positive images of diversity, however, she does not maximise opportunities to foster children's understanding of diversity. This is because she does not always find out enough about children's cultural backgrounds and use this information in her planning, so that they can learn even more about their own identity.

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provision requires improvement

The childminder has a secure understanding of child protection and the procedure to follow if she has concerns. She uses risk assessments and daily checks to ensure the areas used by children are safe and secure. The childminder has met the recommendations from her last inspection. Future plans include devising a questionnaire to gain parental views to support her in her self-evaluation. The childminder uses several guidance documents to help her monitor children's progress. She recently attended a moderation course. This highlighted the benefit of carrying out peer observations with other childminders to identify and then address any weaknesses in practice. Generally, the childminder has a clear knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. However, she has failed to meet one of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The childminder does not keep a daily record of the hours of children's attendance at the setting. Consequently,

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY298977 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 856475 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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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2005 and lives in Brookmans Park. She operates from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term-time only.

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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

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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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