Childminder in Lewisham

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY418759 Inspection date 26/05/2011 Inspector Pamela Bailey

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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 registered in 2010. She lives with her two teenage children in the London Borough of Lewisham, close to shops, parks and public transport links. The whole of the childminder's home, with the exception of the bedrooms, is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time; of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding four children in this age group; some of whom attend on a part time basis. The childminder takes the children to the local park and library.

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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 welfare, learning and development are not adequately promoted because the childminder has insufficient knowledge and understanding of many aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Therefore, the childminder is in breach of a number of the specific legal requirements; many of which relate to documentation. Children are not challenged in all areas of their learning and development effectively overall. Not all processes are in place to ensure effective engagement with parents. The lack of self-evaluation means the childminder does not have an accurate appraisal of her setting and what she needs to do in order to secure future improvements.

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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?

 carryout a risk assessment for each type of outing and review it before embarking of each specific outing (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 09/06/2011

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further?

 make sure fresh drinking water is available at all times (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 09/06/2011

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further?

 ensure that there is a balance of adult-led and freely- chosen or child-initiated activities, delivered through indoor and outdoor play (Organisation) 09/06/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  keep a record of the following information for each child in your care; full name, date of birth, the name and address of every parent and carer who is known to the provider, which of these parents or carers the child normally lives with and emergency contact details of the parents and carers (Documentation) (also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 09/06/2011

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further?

 keep a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and a record of their hours of attendance (Documentation) (also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 09/06/2011

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further?

 keep a record of the risk assessment clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation) 09/06/2011

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve daily routines so that children learn the importance of good personal hygiene at all times  provide opportunities for children to become familiar with the evacuation routine in the event of an emergency  invite parents who supply meals and snacks for their children to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious snack and drinks  improve the range of resources and activities to promote positive attitudes towards diversity and where necessary help children to value aspects of their own and other people's lives  improve the two-way flow of information with parents to promote a shared understanding of children's individual needs and involve parents in supporting their child's learning and development, inviting them to contribute views and suggestions about the provision  make systematic observations and assessments of each child's achievements, interests and learning styles and use these to identify

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further?

learning priorities and plan motivating learning experiences for each child  develop an effective self-evaluation process to monitor and improve the standards of the provision and use this as an ongoing assessment to secure future improvements.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is not sufficiently promoted and safeguarded. The childminder has adequate knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and she has taken some reasonable steps to ensure risks and hazards to children are minimised. However, not all records are effectively maintained to ensure the safe and efficient management of the setting and to meet the needs of the children. This poor management of records demonstrates a number of specific legal requirements relating to documentation are not being met. For example, the childminder does not keep essential records of risk assessments of her home, and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 daily records do not reflect the names of children looked after on the premises or their hours of attendance. Furthermore, the childminder does not ensure that she records all the necessary information for each child in her care.

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the early years provision

The childminder shares information about the service she provides with parents through her policies and procedures. Parents receive information about their child's day through verbal discussions. However, not enough is done to build effective partnerships with parents to develop knowledge and understanding of each child's individual welfare and learning needs. Opportunities and outcomes for children are limited because there is insufficient attention to identifying children's starting points and learning needs. The childminder's lack of understanding of children's achievements and the next steps in their learning means that appropriate challenges are not routinely set for the children, and parents are not encouraged to be involved in supporting their children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder does not ensure that she gains information from parents with regard to culture or religion so that she can help each child to develop a positive sense of identity, value themselves and respect differences in others. Children have few opportunities to develop their understanding of the society in which they live in. Of the limited range of resources available inside the childminder's home, none reflect positive images of different culture, gender and disability. The childminder lacks knowledge and understanding of different customs and practices, and how to promote children's understanding of differences. There are insufficient toys and resources to support and challenge all children's learning towards the early learning goals and the environment does not reflect or promote positive attitudes to diversity.

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the early years provision

Although the childminder is motivated to improve her childminding practice through on-going training, she has not put in place plans to achieve her aims. There are no systems in place to monitor and evaluate the provision. As a result, the childminder fails to identify a number of significant issues and is therefore unable to focus on or prioritise areas in need of improvement. None of the minded children currently attend other provisions implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, the childminder is unaware of the requirement to share relevant information with other providers where children attend to fully promote children's care, learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

The range of adult-led and freely-chosen or child-initiated activities delivered through indoor and outdoor play is to narrow. This breaches a specific welfare requirement to ensure every child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience, tailored to suit their individual needs. Children have limited access to toys and resources that are stimulating and well balanced for all ages and stages of development. There are no systems in place for observation, assessment, planning or tracking children's progress in order to ensure that the needs of all children are identified and met. As a result, children become easily This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 bored, reluctant to participate and are not continuously challenged in their learning towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled and receive lots of warmth and affection. Their confidence and self-esteem are increasing as they respond to praise and encouragement from the childminder, which impacts on their behaviour. Children are gaining an understanding of what is expected of them and build positive relationships with adults and their peers. Children's early communication skills are developing well. The childminder engages in playful interaction, talks to children at all times and acknowledges their means of communication. Activities such as story time are used well to encourage use of language, help children to recognise different objects and animals, and introduce number and colours. Children respond positively making themselves understood through sounds, words and gestures.

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and outcomes for children

Children have insufficient opportunities to express themselves through imaginative play, explore different textures through creative activities and natural materials or practise their pre-writing skills through a range of mark making activities. Babies and toddlers learn to control their own body gaining physical skills appropriate to their age and stage of development. They participate in games, such as throwing a soft ball and retrieving it, and use building blocks in their play. Young children investigate and explore interactive toys and become absorbed in pushing buttons and moving their body to the different sounds. However, older/more able children have fewer opportunities to extend their physical skills, such as building and construction, finding out how things work or exploring information technology.

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to develop some appropriate personal hygiene routines. They are encouraged to wash their hands after using the toilet but do not learn the importance of washing hands at other times, such as before eating to prevent the spread of infection. Children benefit from some nutritious meals provided by their parents. However, parents also provide snacks of crisps, sweet biscuits and sugary drinks which do not encourage children to develop healthy eating practices or understand foods that are good for them. Fresh drinking water is not readily available for children to help themselves and the childminder does not offer water to all children as a healthy alternative to drinks. This is a breach of a specific welfare requirement, which is in place to promote children's good health. Children are beginning to learn how to keep themselves safe when on outings. They learn about road safety and the importance of using pedestrian crossings whenever

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and outcomes for children

possible. However, children have fewer opportunities to learn about safety inside the home. For example, the childminder does not practice the emergency evacuation procedure with children so that they become familiar with the routine in the event of an emergency. 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 under the Early Years Register (Records to be kept) (also applies to the voluntary part of the childcare Register) 09/06/2011

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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 under the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Records to be kept). 09/06/2011

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