Childminder in Staffordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY103646 Inspection date 13/07/2011 Inspector Lynne Milligan

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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 was registered in 2001. She lives with her two children aged nine and four years. They live in a house in the Western Downs area of Stafford, with schools, shops and a park within walking distance. The whole of the ground floor including downstairs bathroom facilities are used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed rear garden available for outside play. The family has a dog, two cats, two guinea pigs and a hamster.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, no more than two of which may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding two children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder regularly attends local toddler groups.

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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

Practice within the childminder's home is inadequate. She has failed to meet a number of the welfare and learning and development requirements and is therefore not meeting the needs of the children. Her ability to review her practice is hindered by her mis-interpretation of the Early Years Foundation Stage and its aims. Safeguarding is also a significant weakness together with equality and diversity. Her partnership with parents is poor as she provides limited information.

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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?

 implement an effective safeguarding procedure (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 29/07/2011

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further?

 update the risk assessment to ensure it clearly states when it was carried out and by whom, the date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation) 22/07/2011

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further?

 ensure the risk assessments identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis with specific regard to the garden which include the stored fencing, garden membrane and animal 22/07/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 faeces (Suitable premises, environment and equipment)  plan and provide experiences which are appropriate to each child's stage of development as they progress towards the early learning goals (Organisation) 26/08/2011

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further?

 undertake sensitive observational assessment in order to plan to meet young children's individual needs (Organisation) 26/08/2011

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further?

 keep a record of all accidents and first aid treatment (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 22/07/2011

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further?

 promote equality of opportunity and anti- discriminatory practice through the provision of both meaningful resources and a range of activities that help children to develop an awareness of diversity (Organisation) 26/08/2011

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further?

 provide parents with information on the complaints procedure to include the timescales in which to respond to a complaint and details on how the complaint will be investigated, including the outcome (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 29/07/2011

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further?

 develop the self-evaluation process in order to accurately identify the key strengths, along with an action plan as to how any areas for improvement will be effectively addressed (Organisation) 26/08/2011

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 carry out regular fire drills with the children and record, in a fire log book, any problems encountered and how they were resolved  ensure that lighting in the playroom is of good quality and provide adequate facilities for children who wish to sleep  consider registration with the relevant Local Authority Environmental Health Department  obtain the guidance set out in the publication - 'What to do if you are worried a child is being abused'

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the early years provision

Since her last inspection the childminder has not updated her knowledge of the new regulations under the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is not sure if she has the statutory framework document in her possession and wrongly assumes that the Early Years Foundation Stage is all about teaching and taking time away from the children. Due to her lack of training and her attitude to keeping herself up-to- date, the childminder has failed to realise the impact this has had on her provision. Her knowledge of current safeguarding procedures is extremely weak as she makes assumptions about parents and children. As a result, she has the potential to put children at significant risk. She is vaguely aware of whom to report concerns to but is unfamiliar with the responsibility she has. For example, she does not gain This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 any information on any of the children who enter her setting with an existing injury

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the early years provision

and only records those accidents that result in a visible injury. Furthermore, she has no up-to-date guidance on the contact details for specialist safeguarding teams within her area. Each day she carries out safety checks within her home and also completes written risk assessments of all the areas used. However, these are insufficient as they are not signed or dated and do not include any reference to the hazards in the garden which include stored fencing, exposed pieces of the garden membrane which are a trip hazard and the animal faeces outside the rear door. In addition, the childminder does not carry out fire drills with the children as she thinks they will not understand what is happening. Due to her limited knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage she has not used this opportunity to help children to begin to understand the concept of danger and how they can play a role in keeping themselves safe should they need to quickly exit her home.

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the early years provision

The childminder takes on a very reactive approach to working with parents as she only offers advice and information should they request it. The childminder's weak understanding of the regulations limits her ability to accurately inform parents of such procedures as how to make a complaint. As a result they are offered either scant or incorrect advice. She does spend some time at the end of each day, revisiting events so that parents gain an insight into their child's day. This is mirrored through the children's daily diaries. Although none of the younger children currently attend other early years settings, the childminder would tend to leave it up to the parents if they needed her support.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a weak capacity to improve. She has not attended any Early Years Foundation Stage training and is unsure even if she has the Early Years Foundation Stage documents. Her understanding of what is required significantly limits her ability to effectively evaluate her setting. As a result, she has made little or no progress since her last inspection and has not addressed some of the previous recommendations. It was advised that she review the risk assessments in order to minimise the risks in the garden. She has partly done this but has now replaced previous dangers with new ones and has done nothing to address them. Furthermore, she was asked to improve her range of resources in order to provide children with positive images of diversity. At the point of inspection, she had not met this and still only has one jigsaw puzzle. Her understanding of equality is very poor and again she has a reactive response. Her

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the early years provision

approach is to only cater for children's needs if the parents ask her to. Consequently, this hinders her capacity to help children learn about the wider world and how or why their friends celebrate festivals or have certain traditions. In addition, some of the terminology she uses to help children understand differences actually reinforces stereotypes as she has no awareness of her lack of knowledge. This is further compounded as she has not attended any training or kept herself abreast of current issues through such tools as independent research which could improve outcomes for the children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children eat a simple range of foods whilst at the childminder's which include sandwiches and fruit. Drinks are offered regularly and hand washing procedures are satisfactory. Although the childminder is not registered with environmental health nor has she any food hygiene training, she is aware of how to store and prepare food in order to keep children healthy. Daily checks allow her to generally maintain most safety issues and whilst children are out they are asked to stand still on the bus whilst its moving. She reminds children of the rules of her home as she asks them not to climb on furniture or walk over toys. As a result, children are beginning to understand how to keep themselves safe. The childminder has a designated playroom for the children which is poorly resourced. Although toys are rotated, the range on offer is limited and some of it is stored so high up that younger children cannot reach it unless they ask for it. Consequently children's

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and outcomes for children

independence is not promoted particularly well. Furthermore, as the playroom has no natural daylight, the childminder provides artificial lighting but this is inappropriate as the room is quite dark. Low tables and chairs are made available, with slightly larger chairs for children sleep on should they wish to have a nap. This is not meeting children's needs as the facilities are not suitable. The children behave adequately and adhere to the childminder's simple instructions. She offers adequate levels of praise and encouragement which attempt to increase children's self-esteem.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is not delivering any of the learning and development requirements. Her understanding is completely insufficient as she does not know about the early learning goals or what children are learning in relation to them. She has no awareness of how to observe and assess children's play in order to ensure they are developing in the right area and at the correct level for their age or ability. None of the children have had any information gathered about their starting points in relation to their development, so the childminder is not able to effectively plan for each child's individual needs. As a result, she allows children to play with what they want, when they want, and fits this in around her toddler groups. This offers little or no structure to their play. Whilst in the home, she sits with the children and attempts to read books but if they want to skip the pages or not read them, she allows them to do this with no understanding of the many

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and outcomes for children

opportunities she is missing. She is aware that children are, naturally progressing whilst in her care but fails to realise that even if she was not there, they would still learn. Therefore, she is unable to see how important her role is in helping children develop. She does complete daily diaries for the children and these go home so parents are aware of what their children have eaten, the amount of sleep they may have had and what activities they have been involved in.

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and outcomes for children

Children do show that they feel adequately safe and happy in the childminder's care as they sit with their cars and small world people, exploring some basic concepts such as problem solving and numeracy. They know that if they push the car one way it goes backwards and another way for forwards. Children often use one word answers to indicate when the digger is full and if they want it to move. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder presents some support but again opportunities are missed to fully maximise the children's hunger for challenge. 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 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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

 implement a written statement of procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguard the children being cared for from abuse or neglect (Arrangements for safeguarding children) 29/07/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 ensure the written procedure for dealing with complaints includes the procedure to be followed in relation to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent makes in writing or by email (Procedures for dealing with complaints) 29/07/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment, Records to be kept). 29/07/2011

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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 on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Arrangements for safeguarding children, Suitability and safety of premises and equipment, Procedures for dealing with complaints, Records to be kept). 29/07/2011

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