Childminder in Staffordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/01/2013 21/02/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 3 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

 The childminder lacks knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements. As a result, children's learning is not fully assessed and they are not provided with an suitable educational programme that helps them make progress towards all the early learning goals, including a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities.  The childminder does not have a sufficient understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, such as the requirement to maintain a current first aid certificate, therefore children's safety and well-being is not supported.  Parents are not encouraged to engage in their child's learning. They are not asked to provide all the relevant information or permissions so children's welfare and learning lack support and consistency.  The childminder does not demonstrate a commitment to continually improve her knowledge and understanding or her practice with the children. This results in

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This provision is inadequate

continued weaknesses throughout the provision.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are well settled and are developing close relationships with the childminder and each other.  The childminder supports children in developing their communication and language skills and personal, social and emotional 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 lounge, dining room and separate playroom.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents/carers included in thank you cards given to childminder upon leaving the setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder about the daily routines, children's individual learning and self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies and procedures which included safeguarding and complaints, children's learning records, childminder's self- evaluation systems and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1999. She lives with her husband and two children aged 16 and 15 years in a detached house in the Stretton area of Burton-on-Trent. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding purposes. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently six children on roll, of whom three are within the early years age group. The childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. She is open all year round from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for family holidays. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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must:

 gain a secure understanding of the safeguarding, welfare and learning and development requirements of the revised Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage to support children's learning, development and well-being effectively  assess each child's starting points and progress across all areas of learning in relation to their age and stage of development. Use this information to identify the next steps in their learning, encourage parents to engage in their child's learning and help them to understand how to support their child's learning at home  develop a secure understanding of safeguarding requirements in particular the use of mobile phones and cameras in the setting and knowing who has parental responsibility for each child. Ensure that relevant information is clearly explained to parents, carers, children and others  ensure a current paediatric first aid certificate is maintained

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must:

 obtain written parental permission for administering medication and keep a written record each time a medicine is administered to a child  develop the educational programme to ensure that all areas of learning are covered in a balanced way, appropriate for the ages of children and that activities provide sufficient challenge  foster a culture of continuous improvement to obtain a clear view of what the setting needs to do to develop and to address actions and recommendations imposed at inspection.

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who attend

The childminder has a poor understanding of the learning and development requirements. Therefore, the educational programme provided by the childminder does not adequately cover all the seven areas of learning. In particular, the childminder lacks confidence in her understanding of the specific areas of learning. This results in children not making sufficient progress towards a number of the early learning goals. The childminder knows generally what children can do and observes them at play during the day. The childminder chooses resources for children to play with based on their interests and some next steps in their learning. However, these plans relate mainly to children's learning in the prime areas, that being, personal, social and emotional development, physical development and skills in communication and language. This means that older children are not benefitting from a more balanced variety across all areas of learning. The childminder does not assess

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who attend

children's progress across all areas. As a result, there are significant gaps in children's learning in areas, such as, literacy, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. In addition, the childminder lacks an understanding of the requirement to complete a progress check at age two years.

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who attend

Although children show an interest in the learning environment that is provided by the childminder, they are not fully supported to develop the characteristics of effective learning. There are few adult-led activities and the childminder does not encourage children to express their creativity and develop their own ideas for doing things for themselves. Some areas of learning lack attention. For instance, Children cannot easily select items independently, such as objects that help to develop their writing skills. The childminder does not provide children with a suitable range of materials and media to explore, such as, sand, water, paint, collage, 'gloop'. Children are not provided with musical instruments to enjoy and be creative with.

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who attend

Children develop their communication and language throughout the day. For instance, while playing with a wooden house, younger children ask simple questions, such as, 'Where cat go'. They are encouraged by the childminder to seek the answer for themselves and go on to discuss events from home, such as having a new bed. Older children use more complex sentences to link their thoughts. They confidently talk about what they wear in bed. All children enjoy sitting with the childminder to read books that they have chosen, some linked to their interests of tractors, helping children to develop interest in the written word. However, older children soon become bored as the story read by the childminder is too simplistic and does not provide enough challenge. Some opportunities are available that help to develop children's skills in mathematics when choosing to play a matching game. Younger children use the cards for a short period of

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who attend

time to count from one to three, before moving onto another interest. Older children are more motivated as they successfully seek the cards to match the pictures. They confidently tell the childminder, 'this is called matching pairs' and explain to the childminder, 'if you win you need to say pair'. This develops their communication for understanding and speaking. The childminder ensures children develop their physical skills. They benefit from walking to preschool, the shops and the park. Children discuss features that they can see in the local community, such as the village church. However, they have limited opportunities to observe and explore the natural world.

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who attend

Useful information about children's care and play is shared with parents verbally. This enables parents to know what type of activities to do at home with their child to support their learning and enjoyment. However, they are not encouraged to engage with their child's learning. They are not provided with detailed information about their child's development and progress across the seven areas of learning or with information that helps them to support their child's learning at home.

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

Children's well-being is not adequately met because the childminder does not maintain the necessary information relating to children's health and safety. In addition, the childminder has not updated her knowledge with regards to administering first aid to children. The childminder treats all children with warm and loving care, helping them to settle well and feel secure. All children respond to the appropriate boundaries set by the childminder with her encouragement and support. For instance, they help to tidy up the lounge by placing resources in their boxes in order to choose new toys to play with. In addition, older children are able to follow simple directions, such as, collecting letters from the hallway posted through the letter box. Children begin to develop their self-esteem and are learning how to keep themselves safe. All children demonstrate friendly behaviour towards each other and all adults. They share resources and are learning to take turns and cooperate

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

Children are learning to adopt appropriate health and hygiene routines. They are provided with healthy options at lunch time, such as, cucumber with their sandwiches and banana and melon for their mid-morning snack. Mealtimes are sociable occasions with conversations being promoted by the childminder. For example, children confidently communicate their likes for cucumber because it is juicy and discuss the picture of a bird displayed on the wall. Children access fresh air and exercise sufficiently well by walking to the shops, local park and preschool. When children start attending a preschool setting, they discuss their new friendships with the childminder who listens and responds appropriately. This develops their confidence and helps to prepare them for transferring to other settings.

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provision

The childminder lacks understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the revised Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, a number of requirements are not being met, which does not protect the safety and well- being of children. For example, she does not obtain written permission from a child's parent prior to administering medication and does not keep written records of any medication that she has given to a child. The childminder does not have a clear understanding about who holds parental responsibility for each child or what this means in relation to keeping children safe. The childminder is confident about the action to take if she is concerned that a child is being abused. However, she does not discuss her safeguarding procedures with parents or children in relation to how to use cameras or mobile phones appropriately in the setting. This lack of understanding does not safeguard

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provision

children adequately and does not support effective partnerships with parents. The childminder is not meeting all of the requirements of the Childcare Register.

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provision

The childminder has a limited understanding of her responsibility in meeting the learning and development requirements. This leads to some aspects of her practice requiring significant improvement. Although she is focused on promoting areas of children's learning for communication and language and children's skills in their personal, social and emotional development, her practice is weak in promoting other areas of learning. This results in children making less progress towards the early learning goals in areas, such as, expressive arts and design, understanding the world and literacy. The childminder is beginning to develop a positive relationship with other early years professionals, such as preschool teachers, when children attend more than one setting. A written daily diary ensures there is a two-way flow of information between both settings and parents. This helps to adequately support the continuity of children's care but information is limited in

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provision

The childminder does not demonstrate a positive attitude towards continually improving her knowledge and skills, or developing the setting. She does not maintain a current paediatric first aid certificate and she does not evaluate her practice effectively or assess the progress children make towards the early learning goals. Although the childminder identifies that she is not meeting all the requirements of the framework, she lacks the motivation to seek support or make the necessary improvements. Consequently, actions and most of the recommendations from the previous inspection have not been improved upon. This results in children's safety, well-being and learning needs not being adequately met. The childminder has improved how she risk assesses the setting and the use of the car with children. All hazards are identified and minimised effectively to ensure children are cared for in a safe and secure environment both indoors and outdoors.

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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:

 keep a record of a parent, guardian or carer's consent for any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises (Records to be kept)(compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that an appropriate first aid qualification is maintained (Welfare of the children being cared for)(compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep a record of a parent, guardian or carer's consent for any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises (Records to be kept)(voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that an appropriate first aid qualification is maintained (Welfare of the children being cared for).(voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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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 209911 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 818119 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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