Childminder in OxfordshireOfsted inspection, 2 Mar 2012

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 134735 Inspection date 02/03/2012 Inspector Melissa Cox

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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 2001. She lives with her husband and three teenage children in their home in Didcot, Oxfordshire. The whole of the ground floor of the property is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years, of these only three may be in the early years age range at any one time. There are currently five children on roll in the early years range. The childminder provides care for seven children in the Childcare Register age range. The family have pet rabbits.

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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 are not adequately safeguarded. Several welfare requirements that relate specifically to safety are not being met. Children make insufficient progress in their learning and development as the childminder has a limited understanding of the learning and development requirements. Links with parents and others supporting children's care and education are not strong enough to ensure that children's individual needs are met. Children enjoy being with the childminder and are able to select from a range of toys and resources. Self-evaluation procedures are ineffective overall. The lack of an effective monitoring system means gaps in the childminder's provision are not identified or tackled which has led to the breach of several legal requirements. The capacity for ongoing improvement is poor.

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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?

 provide the following information for parents: details for contacting Ofsted and an explanation they can make a complaint to Ofsted should they wish (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 29/03/2012

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further?

 carry out a full risk assessment for each type of outing (Safeguarding and promoting children' s welfare) 29/03/2012

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further?

 take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children by having a clearly defined procedure for the 29/03/2012 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 emergency evacuation of the premises (Suitable premises, environment and equipment)  conduct a risk assessment, review it regularly and identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis. Maintain a record of these particular aspects and when and by whom they have been checked (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) 29/03/2012

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further?

 undertake sensitive observational assessment in order to plan to meet young children's individual needs (Organisation) 29/03/2012

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further?

 plan and provide experiences which are appropriate to each child's stage of development as they progress towards the early learning goals (Organisation) 29/03/2012

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further?

 ensure an effective safeguarding children policy and procedure is implemented (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 29/03/2012

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop the range of resources that help challenge children's thinking and help them to embrace differences  undertake regular self-evaluation to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children  develop partnerships with other providers and external agencies to identify learning and developmental needs and provide the best learning opportunities for each child.

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the early years provision

Safeguarding procedures are inadequate. The childminder has a poor understanding of her responsibilities to safeguard children. Although she completes daily safety checks, she does not have secure systems in place to risk assess her home or garden, which includes a swimming pool, large play equipment and a trampoline. This compromises children's safety. In addition, she has not kept a record of risk assessment as required. The childminder is unaware that she has to risk assess outings and regularly takes children to local parks and groups. She does not have a clearly defined procedure for evacuating the premise in an emergency. The childminder has a limited understanding of child protection procedures and is not aware of the correct procedure to follow if she has a concern about a child in her care. This puts children's welfare at risk. Some documentation, including a number of policies and procedures are in place, but these have not been reviewed

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the early years provision

to ensure they meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, or are consistently applied. In addition the childminder has failed to provide parents with information should they wish to make a complaint and is not secure in the procedure to follow. These are breaches of specific legal requirements and compromise children's welfare. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children do not make suitable progress in their learning. Planning and use of available resources are inconsistent, resulting in children not achieving goals in their learning and development. The lack of assessment and planning limits the childminder's effectiveness in identifying children's differing abilities and in providing challenging experiences to narrow the achievement gap for these children. The selection of toys is not adequate to support children's learning and development, with children having access to a very limited selection that reflect

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the early years provision

positive images of diversity and help them embrace differences in the society they live. Children have some opportunities to access activities outside the home, for example at music and movement groups, but these do not sufficiently engage children as there is no clear learning outcome.

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the early years provision

The childminder has established relationships with parents of minded children. She informally provides information about her childminding service and gives them additional verbal feedback about their child's activities and routines, on a daily basis. Some information about children's development and progress is exchanged with parents such as examples of artwork and brief notes of some observations. Parents state that they are happy with the care provided. Systems for two-way information sharing with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage have not been developed which limits the continuity of care offered to children.

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the early years provision

The childminder shows little capacity to evaluate her provision. She has not addressed all of the recommendations from the last inspection. She has not carried out an accurate appraisal of her effectiveness or identified where there are areas in need of improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children make little progress towards the early learning goals because the systems used to record their progress are ineffective and do not identify their current stage of development. Observations are not carried out frequently enough nor do they contain sufficient information to inform planning and assessment to identify children's individual needs. As a result, the childminder does not effectively plan relevant and motivating experiences for children. However, children are mostly happy and settled and have formed suitable relationships with the childminder. Children have opportunities to play with the limited resources on offer and they are supported by the childminder to explore books, musical instruments and to develop their physical skills. The childminder offers some appropriate interaction with children, for example, at one point she sits on the floor with the children and talks to them. This helps children feel included. Children initiate their own play and ideas

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and outcomes for children

from the toys on offer such as taking part in a whole group activity based on a favourite nursery rhyme. The childminder follows their interests and provides some support to their learning, such as talking about colours or pointing out numbers. However as childminder has a limited understanding of how experiences, activities and outings contribute to children's progress, there are times where children's play is not sufficiently challenging or purposeful. This results in children becoming This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 bored and restless.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides appropriate guidelines to children about their behaviour, such as, being kind to each other, although on occasions older children become restless due to the lack of engaging activities on offer and their behaviour becomes more challenging. Some resources are available for children to access adult- directed arts and crafts activities and they enjoy gluing on pieces of paper and adding glitter to make colourful pictures. However, there is insufficient glue and children lose interest as they have to wait their turn. The childminder supervises children closely and promotes their understanding of their own safety, such as not running in the hallway. However, children gain little awareness of how to keep themselves safe in an emergency because they do not have opportunities to practise the emergency evacuation procedures.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has details of children's dietary requirements to support their health and children eat food that has been provided by their parents. Children have regular access to drinks and enjoy snacks from their lunchboxes. There is limited opportunities for children to explore healthy eating, for instance during activities or discussions. The children are not supported to learn about good hygiene procedures and hand washing routines are not reinforced. Children are able to access the outdoor area as they participate in games, ride on bikes and explore the garden area as they climb, run or use wheeled toys. 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

 ensure that a written statement of procedures is kept in relation to complaints which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent makes in writing or by email (Procedures for dealing with complaints) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 29/03/2012

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment at least once in each calendar year and, immediately where the need for an assessment arises, ensuring that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 29/03/2012

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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)(also applies to the voluntary par of the Childcare Register) 29/03/2012

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 make available to parents written copies of the complaints procedures (Providing information to parents) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 29/03/2012

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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 compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment/ Procedures for dealing with complaints/ Arrangements for safeguarding children/ Providing information to parents) 29/03/2012

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