Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date 24 April 2019 Previous inspection date Not applicable

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This is a provision that requires improvement

n The childminder does not provide an effective balance between child-initiated and adult-led activities. Teaching requires improvement to ensure that children are suitably challenged to make better progress. n Children do not have broad opportunities to judge risks for themselves during play because the childminder does not consistently give them clear explanations about why certain types of behaviour and resources are not safe. n The childminder does not gather all relevant information about children to enable her to best meet their needs from the outset of minding arrangements.

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It has the following strengths

n Children are settled and happy in the childminder's care. She is warm and positive with them, and they have clearly built close relationships with her and her family. n The childminder supplies a wide range of resources that children can choose from in order to take into account their interests, likes and dislikes. She encourages children's independence skills well and they are able to take responsibility for simple self-care tasks. n The childminder understands her responsibility to protect children from harm. She is fully aware of local procedures to refer concerns about children and she has kept up to date with recent changes to reporting procedures.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date ensure that you plan and provide a suitable balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities in order to give children sufficient challenge to promote their best progress. 01/06/2019

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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

n develop the range of information gathered from parents when children first start and on an ongoing basis, and use this to support them n enhance children's understanding of how to assess, judge and manage risks during everyday activities.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to the childminder at appropriate times during the inspection and observed the childminder and children playing together indoors and outdoors. She spoke to children about things they like to do at the childminder's home, to take account of their views. n The inspector reviewed a range of documentation that the childminder uses to support her practice, including policies and procedures, suitability documents and records about children.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

This is the childminder's first inspection since registration and she is still developing some aspects of her practice. For example, the quality of teaching is not strong enough for children to make their best progress. She shows a good commitment to improving her practice and is aware of areas where she needs to improve. For example, she is keen to make changes to her assessment systems to better assess children's progress. She has kept up to date with changes to local area procedures to report concerns, especially in relation to the 'Prevent' duty. Safeguarding is effective. The childminder fully understands her role and responsibilities to recognise and refer any signs that children are at risk of abuse or neglect. She has worked hard to promote good relationships with parents, although she recognises that she does not gather a full range of information about children's backgrounds when they first join to help her better meet their needs.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The childminder does not consistently provide enough challenge to enable children to make the progress they are capable of. She does not plan to build on things they can already do, to help them swiftly reach the next stage in their learning. The childminder promotes children's literacy development well. For example, children enjoy reading a range of fiction and non-fiction books, and laugh as they point out things they see in the pictures. She encourages younger children to hold the book the right way up and turn the pages for themselves. Children delight in finding new pictures and making sounds of fish as they look at a book about under the sea. The childminder supports children to develop their physical skills as they climb up the steps to a slide and push themselves down.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

The childminder has risk assessed her home and restricts children's access to unsafe areas, such as a passage down the side of her home that is reached by concrete steps. However, she does not consistently help children understand why this would be a dangerous area to access, or help older children understand why they cannot use some resources around the younger children. This means that children do not always learn how to judge risks for themselves during play. Children's independence skills are strong. They take responsibility for their self-care needs and know to wash their hands to keep themselves healthy. Even the youngest children are able to put their own shoes and coats on, ready to play outside. On the whole, children behave well and are kind to each other as the childminder is an effective role model.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Despite weaknesses in the quality of teaching, children are broadly achieving as expected for their age and stage of development. They enjoy playing imaginatively with the childminder as the act out everyday scenarios, such as making a cup of tea. They enjoy playing with the mud kitchen and they bang on the pots and pans to make lots of different noises. Children are able to explore the natural world outside. For example, they blow bubbles and watch the effect the wind has on these. Children are developing some skills that will support them as they move on in their learning, such as at school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY539215 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10089796 Type of provision Childminder

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Childminder Age range of children 1 - 5 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Registers

The childminder was registered in 2017 and lives in Knebworth. She operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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Registers

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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Registers

procedures set out in the guidance Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Registers

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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Registers

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Registers

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Registers

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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