Childminder in Sheffield

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 300306 Inspection date 16/02/2011 Inspector Patricia Webb

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Type of setting Childminder to 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. 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has been registered since 1997. She lives with her husband and teenaged son in Frecheville, Sheffield. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding with toilet facilities on the first floor. Children have access to the upper part of the rear garden, adjacent to the house, for outdoor play. The family have some guinea pigs.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time, three of whom may be in the early years age range. There are currently nine children on roll, of which four are in the early years age group. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children's safety and welfare are compromised as the childminder has not taken sufficient steps to ensure that the premises are suitable for childminding. She demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of how children learn and develop and has begun to engage in the evaluation process. However, whilst children are broadly occupied and settled, their overall enjoyment and use of the environment is hindered as a result of poor organisation. Some legal requirements are not met with regard to information on children's records and parental consents.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 ensure that the necessary information is obtained from parents in advance of a child being admitted to the provision (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. This also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 16/03/2011

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further?

 ensure that written parental permission is requested for each child, at the time of a child's admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 16/03/2011

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further?

 ensure that the premises are safe and secure and 16/03/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 steps are taken to prevent unauthorised entry or exit (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. This also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register)  ensure that the premises and environment are safe, and suitable for purpose by taking all reasonable steps to identify and minimise hazards to children (Suitable premises, environment and equipment. This also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register). 16/03/2011

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop the process of evaluating the impact of the provision in meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements and prioritising areas for immediate development to bring about systematic and effective improvement

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the early years provision

The childminder is quietly spoken and engages suitably with individual children to help them settle. She shows an understanding of the learning and development elements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, recording observations and assessments of children's progress and sharing these with parents on a daily basis. The childminder understands her role in responding to child protection concerns and the adults in the household have undergone relevant checks to assess suitability. However, children's overall safety and welfare is significantly hindered as a number of hazards in the home have not been sufficiently considered in the risk assessments. The premises are not always kept secure to prevent unauthorised entry or exit. The smoke detector is not maintained in reliable working order, parts of the home are untidy, cluttered and dusty, and the loose tread on the stairs poses a tripping hazard. There are chemicals and toiletries such

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the early years provision

as mouthwash and deodorant sprays within children's reach in the bathroom. Such oversights place children at risk of harm or injury.

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the early years provision

The childminder speaks with parents to discuss children's individual needs although she does not always keep a record of the details of some children prior to them attending. This has the potential to impact negatively on how a child's needs can be effectively met. She has included reference on the format of contracts regarding seeking parental permission for emergency medical treatment. However, where a parent declines this process or requests additional arrangements to be considered, the childminder has not recorded the specific details. This impacts on how a serious injury or accident to a child may be managed swiftly and effectively.

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the early years provision

The childminder has undertaken an evaluation of her provision although it is somewhat overly optimistic in its assessment. It is not robust enough to identify significant weaknesses in the provision or work towards improvement. She has had support in the past from advisors in the Early Years development team of the local authority. This has helped the childminder in collating the observation and assessments of children's learning and progress. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are broadly occupied as they show some sustained concentration in their activities. For example, a child painstakingly creates a pattern on the frame, using the tiny plastic beads and the childminder explains that she will seal the pattern using the iron when the child is out at nursery. The observations are pertinent and the childminder has started to link the progress to the areas of learning in order to track their development. Some children's interests are noted and planned for although the limited information recorded about children's personal needs and abilities hinders how effective this planning can be for individual children. The childminder has started to make suitable links with providers in other settings some of the children attend, referring to topics and themes which she endeavours to carry through in her own provision. This helps to offer some consistency in children's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is able to support children suitably in developing their language and communication skills. Where a child's speech is still developing, the childminder carefully and sensitively paraphrases the child's conversation, enabling the child to experience the correct pronunciation without feeling corrected. This helps to promote a child's self esteem. Children have adequate opportunities to gain awareness of the diversity of society. They access books and toys depicting positive images and celebrate various cultural and religious festivals. Children also have opportunities to learn about their past heritage as they visit an interactive science museum and the coal mining museum. Overall children's behaviour is positively managed. The childminder encourages the older children to interact with the younger ones and records indicate how sustained play takes place at times. A recent role play session involving 'police' and 'doctors' lasted for over two hours

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and outcomes for children

and children from three years to 11 years shared the play and engaged well. The childminder has clearly linked much of the observation of this play to the relevant areas of learning, particularly noting the social interaction and consideration shown by each of the children.

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and outcomes for children

Currently, parents provide children's main meals as packed lunches and the childminder reminds them about the use of cool packs to prevent spoilage of certain food items. Children enjoy fresh fruit and nutritious snacks as part of their daily routine, and discussions prompted by the childminder inform them about healthy eating. Children gain an understanding of the benefits of following satisfactory routines for attending to personal care. The childminder has information for parents regarding managing illness and infectious diseases. The lack of detailed information from parents hinders how effectively such issues may be managed. The childminder's limited attention to security, safety and organisation gives children and their families a false sense of security. Consequently children's awareness of their own safety is not effectively promoted as the premises are not suitably organised. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 4 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 4 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 4 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 4

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 4 The extent to which children feel safe 4 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 4 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 4 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 4

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Records to be kept; Suitability and safety of the premises and equipment) 16/03/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 Take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Records to be kept; Suitability and safety of the premises and equipment) 16/03/2011

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