Edgeworth Carol Jane

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 May 2015 6 January 2011

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Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement 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 have a secure understanding of some aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She does not communicate with other settings that children attend, which means that continuity in children's learning is not fully promoted.  At times, the childminder's quality of teaching is variable and does not always provide children with enough challenge. Therefore, she does not always fully promote children's learning or consistently link her teaching to their individual needs.  The settling-in procedure that is currently in place lacks flexibility to meet the individual needs of all children who may attend the setting.  Babies and young children do not always have access to a wide range of resources, to fully support their exploratory and sensory play.  At times, the childminder provides more able children with the answer to a problem, rather than encouraging them to think for themselves.

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

 Arrangements for self-evaluation are not successful. The childminder does not identify weaknesses and address them quickly.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder understands her responsibility to safeguard children. She has recently updated her knowledge through training and is able to protect children's safety.  The childminder works in partnership with parents to promote children's learning and development.  Children behave well in the setting. The childminder encourages them to help her to tidy toys away after they have finished playing with them. They learn to take care of their belongings and those of others.

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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

 establish effective partnerships and a regular flow of two-way communication with other settings that children attend, so that continuity of learning is promoted  ensure that activities, both adult-led and child-initiated, are challenging and based on children's identified next steps in learning, so that children are consistently supported to make good progress towards the early learning goals.

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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

 develop a settling-in procedure that is flexible and allows children to become familiar with their new surroundings, so that their emotional well-being is fully supported  provide a range of resources, such as natural, household and sensory objects, for babies and young children to freely explore, in order to stimulate their independent learning  develop children's problem-solving skills further, for example, by encouraging them to organise stacking cups in order of size independently, to support good levels of challenge and learning  improve arrangements for self-evaluation, so that weaknesses are quickly identified and addressed.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children taking part in a range of activities, and spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector saw evidence of the suitability checks for the childminder and all members of the household aged 16 years or older.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, policies and procedures.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.  The inspector took account of the views of parents, as recorded in reference letters provided by the childminder.

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who attend. This requires improvement

The childminder's teaching skills are inconsistent. The learning experiences that she provides do not always fully support children's next steps in learning. For example, she does not use appropriate opportunities to teach children to count objects in sequence, in order to extend their mathematical knowledge. Occasionally, some activities lack a good level of challenge, and the childminder is quick to give children the answer to a problem. For example, she tells them when they have put stacking cups in the wrong order, instead of allowing them to think independently. This means that children do not consistently make good progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder has a satisfactory range of resources for children to play with, and older children frequently ask to play with their favourite toys. However, there is a lack of natural and household objects for younger children to play with, in order to develop their exploratory play. The childminder regularly

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who attend. This requires improvement

comments throughout children's play, sometimes asking them questions to extend their thinking skills. As a result, children have good thinking and speaking skills, which they need as they move on to nursery and school.

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requires improvement

At present, the childminder's settling-in procedure lacks flexibility to allow children to attend settling-in sessions, if required. This means that children are not always able to become familiar with the childminder and her setting prior to starting their registered sessions. Consequently, their emotional well-being is not always fully promoted. Nevertheless, the childminder is caring towards the children and they feel comfortable in her care. She regularly praises children when they do something well, which raises their self-esteem. Children have daily opportunities to play outside in the fresh air. The childminder regularly takes them to the local park, which allows them to develop their physical skills. She encourages parents to provide healthy foods in children's lunch boxes. This helps to promote their good health.

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provision requires improvement

The childminder does not fully meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She does not regularly evaluate the quality of her teaching or the activities she provides. This means that she does not always identify areas of practice that need developing, in order to set targets for improvement. The childminder cares for children who attend additional settings to hers. At present, she does not work in partnership with them or share information about children's individual learning needs. Consequently, children's good progress and continuity of learning are not always assured. The childminder has recently completed training about children's learning. Through this training, she has learnt how to assess children's learning and complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. This demonstrates that the training the childminder accesses has a positive effect on her practice.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 129612 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 863958 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 6 January 2011

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 1990 and lives in Hemel Hempstead. She operates all year round from 8am to 5.30pm, 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

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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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