Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/10/2012 19/10/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Observations are not focussed on individual children's capabilities, achievements and progress in relation to their age and stage of development and do not identify potential next steps to inform planning for their ongoing learning and development.  The childminder's engagement with parents focusses primarily on care needs and there is limited liaison with other settings that some children attend, therefore planning is not effective in matching activities to individual children's learning and development needs.  Self-evaluation is not used effectively to highlight strengths and to fully identify and address weaknesses within the setting.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder has assessed and minimised risks to children, enabling them to play freely and safely downstairs and in the garden. She has a sound understanding of safeguarding and the procedures to follow should she have concerns about a child.  The childminder promotes children's health by encouraging healthy eating habits and offering regular opportunities for regular exercise and fresh air. Children are learning good hygiene habits through regular routines and reminders.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the main downstairs room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the observations and discussed activities with her.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the daily attendance registers, a child's learning journey, planning documentation, the parent folder and a selection of policies and children's records.  The inspector checked evidence of suitability and training of the childminder.  The inspector also took account of the views of a parent spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1989. She lives with her husband in a house in Stowmarket. There is one step to access the premises and a downstairs toilet is available. Childminding is contained to the ground floor. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has no pets. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder offers care all year round from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, except for family holidays agreed in advance. She is currently minding three children in the early years age range, who attend part-time. She also offers care to children aged over five years.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association. She walks children to and from local schools and pre-schools. She takes children to local parks and play areas and to nearby places of interest.

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must:

 ensure that each child's learning and development is tailored to their individual needs, sharing and engaging with parents and other settings children attend, to plan suitably challenging and enjoyable activities and experiences  improve observations by linking them to each child's age and stage of development, and utilise them to clearly identify any next steps and to inform future planning for individual children.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 improve self-evaluation, including comments from parents and children, by undertaking it more systematically to effectively identify and promptly address weaknesses to drive improvement.

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who attend

The childminder has a basic knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has begun to record written observations in a learning journey for one child who has been attending for approximately a month. Observations outline the activities and the areas of learning covered. However, they do not clearly show the child's personal capabilities and progress or identify any particular needs or next steps to inform planning. The childminder writes a plan of weekly activities but these are general activities and are not based on her observations of individual children. Some of the toys and activities provided lack challenge for older children or are not utilised effectively to extend their capabilities and learning. Initial and ongoing discussions with parents, regarding their children's learning and development, are limited. Learning journeys are not routinely shared with parents or their

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who attend

contributions sought. The childminder does not establish each child's starting points and stage of development in order to accurately tailor activities to meet their individual learning and development needs. She has not referred to Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage to help support her in the monitoring of children's progress. She has not maintained any form of ongoing assessment for children who attend other settings.

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who attend

Children's physical development is promoted as they have regular access outside, visiting local play parks or playing in the garden. Soft balls are available to promote children's coordination and skills. Children have some opportunities to explore different media as they play with play dough or use crayons. They explore the world around them on outings and sometimes have opportunities to collect leaves and make collage pictures. Some basic conversation is encouraged as the childminder asks the children questions, for example, the colour of a toy. She occasionally shares books with the children, reading them stories and talking about the pictures.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The childminder supports children in making smooth and gradual transitions from home to her care. Children settle swiftly with her as they arrive and she gets to know them well as individuals. She liaises regularly with their parents over any particular care needs. Children's behaviour is generally good. They are learning tolerance of one another and to share toys, through reminders and interventions from the childminder if required. Their confidence and self-esteem is promoted when the childminder praises them and offers encouragement for their achievements, such as toileting themselves or eating their lunch. Children gain some understanding of safety as road safety is practised on outings and they are encouraged to clear toys from the floor to enable them to move more freely and safely.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are becoming familiar with good hygiene habits through regular routines and reminders. For example, older children wash their hands after toileting and before snack and the childminder uses wipes to clean toddlers' hands. Parents provide packed lunches for their children which are appropriately stored and the childminder promotes healthy eating by offering children fruit or crackers for snacks. Children have regular access to their beakers to ensure they are well hydrated. Children benefit from regular exercise and outdoor play experiences in the garden or at local play areas and through walking to and from local schools and pre-schools.

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provision

The childminder has a sound understanding of child protection issues and is clear of her role and responsibility to protect children. She has attended safeguarding training and has a written safeguarding policy to refer to if she had concerns about a child. The childminder has undertaken a risk assessment of her home and minimises potential risks to children, ensuring hazardous items are not within their reach. The fire routine is practised with the children to ensure they are familiar with the procedure and that it works effectively.

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provision

A good selection of toys and resources is available but most are stored upstairs or in the garage. The childminder gets out a selection or older children are able to request particular items. She rotates and changes the toys during the day to offer fresh interest for the children. However, younger children's ability to self-select toys is limited and they are not fully aware of what is available. The childminder has all the necessary equipment to support her care of the children such as a high chairs, buggies and a travel cot. She recognises children's individuality and supports children in respecting one another. A small number of activities and resources positively reflect diversity, such as play people figures and activities to recognise different festivals throughout the year, but this is somewhat limited.

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provision

The childminder develops positive partnerships with parents through regular verbal communication, mostly regarding their child's welfare. Basic details are gathered about the children and written parental consents are obtained to ensure children are cared for according to their parents' wishes. One parent, whose comments were received during the inspection, expresses their child has settled well and engages in a good range of activities. Two of the minded children attend other nurseries. The childminder offers verbal information to one nursery, which established a link with her and encouraged partnership working. However, the childminder does not proactively explore ways of initiating links with settings which other minded children attend.

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provision

The childminder has completed a local authority approved training course and holds a current first aid certificate. She recently attended a workshop concerning the revised Early Years Foundation Stage but has yet to implement some new practice and documentation. She has recently reviewed and revised some of her documentation, which is well organised. The childminder reflects informally on her practice and completed an Ofsted self-evaluation form just prior to her previous inspection in 2009. However, self-evaluation is not systematic or sufficiently rigorous to identify and promptly rectify weaker areas requiring improvement, for example, monitoring of children's learning and development, developing links with other settings and the deployment of resources. A recommendation from her last inspection to provide opportunities for parents to share their children's achievements from home and add comments to their progress records, has not been

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

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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Setting details

Unique reference number 250798 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 884272 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘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.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

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

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