Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 31/10/2012 24/03/2011

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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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Children are placed at potential risk as the childminder allows people whose suitability has not been checked to have unsupervised access to them.  The childminder does not ensure that records are easily accessible and available for inspection nor seek prior agreement from Ofsted to remove them from the premises.  Insufficient rigour with risk assessments and hygiene practices results in potential risks to children's safety and health.  Updated methods of monitoring children's progress have not been established to support children's ongoing learning and development through the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Self-evaluation does not effectively identify or address weaknesses at the setting.

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It has the following strengths

 Children enjoy a wide variety of meaningful, fun activities to support their learning and development.  The childminder provides warm and attentive care to the children, supporting gentle transitions. Consequently they are happy and relaxed in her care.  Positive and trusting partnerships are established with parents. Effective communication aids continuity of care and supports children's learning and development.

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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 playroom, the quiet/sleep room and the garden.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at photographs and displays and the limited documentation available, such as accident and medication records and a selection of policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and her co-childminder and the suitability of members of the household.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and of a reference written by a parent.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2007. She lives with her husband and adult son in Haverhill, Suffolk. There is one small step to access the premises and a toilet is available in the play room. A dedicated, purpose designed playroom is used for the majority of childminding activities. Children also have access to the adjacent kitchen and to a quiet/sleep room. A designated paved section of the garden is available for outside play. The family has two dogs, six cats and three rabbits in a separate area of the garden.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She works with her daughter, who is also a registered childminder, at the setting address. Together with her daughter, she is currently minding 13 children, all of whom attend part-time. She also cares for children aged over five years. The childminder offers care all year round, from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, except for family holidays agreed in advance.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association. She walks or drives 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 people whose suitability has not been checked do not have unsupervised contact with children being cared for  ensure records are easily accessible and available and seek prior agreement from Ofsted to keep these securely off the premises  maintain, and have readily available, a daily record of the names of children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance.

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

 improve the rigour and effectiveness of risk assessments and hygiene practices to minimise health and safety risks to children

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

 implement an effective method of monitoring and promoting children's progress through the prime and specific areas of learning and utilise this to aid planning for individual children's learning and development towards the early learning goals

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

 utilise self-evaluation more systematically and effectively to highlight strengths and to swiftly identify and promptly rectify weaknesses or areas requiring improvement.

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who attend

The childminder has a sound knowledge and understanding of child development. In September she attended a training workshop covering the revised Early Years Foundation Stage, however, a system has not yet been implemented to monitor and promote children's learning and development in the prime and specific areas of learning. The childminder gets to know children well, through discussions with parents and her own observations, in order to ascertain their starting points and capabilities. She has a sound understanding of how to encourage children's learning and development through a broad range of fun and engaging first hand experiences. Displays and photographs on the wall reflect some of the meaningful and worthwhile activities undertaken with the children, such as playing in the snow, bubble painting, outings and cookery. However, no records were available to demonstrate individual children's progress towards the early learning

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who attend

goals. Parents express that they have previously seen learning journey records covering their child's progress, however, these were not available at the setting.

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who attend

The wealth of easily accessible toys and resources is predominantly suitable for children under five years and offers a suitable level of challenge to encourage children's progression. School aged children present are mostly content to play with toys designed for younger children. Children's physical development is well promoted as they have regular access outside, visiting local play parks or playing in the garden. They develop their coordination and skill on ride-on toys and gain confidence as they climb and use the slide. Photographs show children exploring a broad range of different media as they play with shaving foam, play dough or coloured spaghetti. Counting and cookery activities help them begin to understand aspects of mathematics. They explore the world around them on outings, for example, visiting ducks at a nearby pond and help to grow plants in pots. Children help themselves to books from the selection readily available concentrating on

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who attend

the pictures and activating the sound pads. They have regular opportunities to practise pre-writing skills and develop their manual coordination as they make marks with water on the patio, paint with brushes and use crayons.

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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. She offers parents the opportunity to bring their children for increasing amounts of time to enable the children to get used to the setting and form attachments with her and her daughter. A baby, who has recently started at the setting, is comfortable and at ease with her. He clearly feels secure and contentedly falls asleep in her arms. The childminder gets to know children well and is attentive to their individual needs. Children are confident and developing positive self-esteem, happily sharing their thoughts and requests with the childminder. Children's behaviour is very good. They are tolerant of one another and children of varied ages comfortably play alongside one another. They happily take turns and share toys, with minimal reminders and interventions required from the childminder.

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

Children's hygiene is not adequately promoted. Although visual prompts are on the wall, children are not encouraged or reminded to wash their hands prior to snack. Therefore, children's understanding of the importance of good hygiene habits is not reinforced through the routine or reminders. The childminder does not wear gloves or always wash her hands after changing a nappy, which increases the risk of cross-contamination. Children require adult support when washing their hands at a high level sink and to access a bar of soap in a dish kept out of reach, which limits their independence. Parents provide packed lunches for their children and these are appropriately stored in the fridge until required. The childminder promotes healthy eating by mostly offering healthy and nutritious snacks. Children are regularly offered beakers or cups of squash to ensure they are well hydrated. Children benefit from regular exercise and outdoor play experiences in

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

the garden or at local play areas. They gain an understanding of road safety as it is practised on outings and learn how to keep themselves safe as they manoeuvre ride-on toys and negotiate obstacles outdoors.

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provision

The childminder has attended safeguarding training and she and her resident family members have had Criminal Records Bureau checks. However, the childminder enables some children to have unsupervised contact with a person whose suitability has not been checked. This is a breach of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and potentially puts children at risk of harm. The childminder has not supplied information to Ofsted to enable them to undertake the required checks. She has a written safeguarding policy, although this has not been updated to include current requirements such as the use of cameras and mobile telephones in the setting. The childminder undertakes a risk assessment of her home, however, this is not undertaken with sufficient rigour to maximise the protection of children. For example, bleach within children's reach, in the toilet, presents a potential

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provision

hazard and the key is left in the front door within reach of children, which could compromise security. The fire routine is practised regularly with the children to ensure they are familiar with the procedure and that it works effectively.

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provision

The childminder understands her responsibility to meet the learning and development requirements and to monitor and plan for individual children's progress. One example of a previous method of monitoring was available for inspection. The childminder recently attended a workshop concerning the revised Early Years Foundation Stage, however, revisions have not yet been implemented in the setting.

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provision

On the day of inspection very limited documentation was available for inspection. Accident and medication records are available and well maintained using a National Childminding Association record book. No personal records about the children, such as a parent's name and address, details of who has parental responsibility or written parental consents were made available for inspection. No record of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance was available. Failure to hold these documents or have them available is a breach of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Some documentation had been removed for updating, however, no prior agreement with Ofsted had been sought to keep essential records off the premises.

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provision

The childminder works closely and collaboratively with her daughter, who is a registered childminder working at the same address. She discusses practice with her daughter and reflects informally on her practice. Parents' and children's views are sought verbally and through questionnaires to make some improvements and adjustments. An Ofsted self- evaluation form was completed prior to her previous inspection in 2011. However, self- evaluation is not systematic or sufficiently rigorous to identify weaknesses or promptly rectify areas requiring improvement, for example, to ensure legal requirements are met and to maintain children's safety at all times. Limited evidence was available to demonstrate that the recommendations from the previous inspection have been addressed.

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provision

The childminder develops positive and trusting partnerships with parents through regular verbal communication regarding their child's welfare, learning and development. Parents' comments, received during the inspection, are positive. Parents feel well informed about the care given to their children by the childminder and her daughter. They state their children settled well, enjoy attending and are making good progress. The childminder works closely with other settings children attend, to ensure continuity of care and to promote their progress and well-being.

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provision

The childminder has all the necessary equipment to support her care of children such as highchairs, buggies and travel cots. A broad selection of good quality toys and resources is readily available to the children in low level storage enabling them to make their own choices and selections. The childminder has a positive attitude to diversity and values children's individuality. She helps children to respect one another's similarities and differences through discussion and by using books, and opportunities such as holidays, to broaden their understanding. She works closely with parents of children who have special educational needs and/or English as an additional language to offer support to help each child progress. Some of the activities and resources positively reflect diversity, such as play people figures, and activities celebrate and recognise different festivals and cultural events throughout the year. For example, children dressed up for a Halloween party.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that any person having unsupervised contact with children is suitable to be in regular contact with children and an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check has been obtained through Ofsted in respect of that person (Arrangements for Safeguarding Children)  keep the required records and ensure they are retained for a period of two years (Records to be kept)  take action as specified in the Compulsory Childcare section (Arrangements for Safeguarding Children and Records to be kept)

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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 EY356364 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 889911 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 9 Number of children on roll 13

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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. 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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