Childminder in Southend on Sea

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/01/2013 25/06/2010

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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

 Too little regard for the safety and organisation of the premises, equipment and routines results at times in lack of sufficient space, poor supervision and exposes children to hazards from unsafe equipment.  Accurate records for children's attendance are not always maintained, which compromises their welfare.  Weaknesses and areas for development are not identified and acted upon, resulting in too little focus on improvement and raising standards, or keeping pace with changes to requirements.  The childminder has insufficient understanding of how to promote children's learning and development. As a result, children are not provided with challenging activities and given choices to develop their learning and encourage creativity and critical thinking.

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It has the following strengths

 Children receive warm, affectionate care and turn to the childminder for reassurance.  Parents appreciate the flexibility offered by the childminder, enabling them to meet their varying work and study demands.

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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 held discussions with the childminder and observed routine care and activities with children present.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector interacted with children in the playroom and the outside area and observed the lunchtime routine.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including children's assessment records, certificates, some policies and procedures and risk assessments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to a parent and took into account written views of parents and children submitted in advance of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1990 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

She lives with her husband, who is also a co-childminder at the same address and one adult child in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The whole house is used for childminding and the bathroom is on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is currently minding 13 children, six of whom are in the early years age range, all are cared for part-time. The childminder walks or drives to the local pre-school and school to take and collect children. The family has a tortoise.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure that spaces, including outdoor play spaces, equipment and toys are safe for children to use and fit for purpose by implementing a health and safety policy and procedure which identifies and deals with all hazards

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

implement a clear policy for assessing any risks to children's safety which will identify aspects of the environment which need to be checked on a regular basis, and how hazards and risks are removed or minimised, and review it regularly

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must:

 make sure staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. Decide how to deploy staff, so that children's needs are met and they are adequately supervised  develop knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements, so that children are provided with challenging and enjoyable experiences in all areas of learning, based on observation and assessment of their individual needs, for example, by using guidance, such as 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage'  keep documentation to meet requirements including an accurate daily record of the hours of attendance for all children cared for on the premises  develop understanding of the characteristics of effective teaching and learning and provide opportunities for children to self-select from a wide range of resources so that they can be active learners and develop their creativity and critical thinking

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must:

 take steps to allow children who have English as an additional language to use their home language in play and development and support their language development at home  foster a culture of improvement by developing a system for self-evaluation that identifies weaknesses and areas for development, including where necessary, training to ensure that the safeguarding and welfare requirements and the learning and development requirements are understood and fully met  review organisation and use of available indoor space to ensure that space requirements are fully met for the number and ages of children attending.

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who attend

Not all children make sufficient progress in their learning and development because activities are not based on precise observations and assessments of their levels of ability and do not have regard to their interests and ideas. They have too little choice of resources and are not encouraged to develop their imagination, creativity and critical thinking. While toys and resources are available and the childminder rotates the selection, those put out at any one time are too few in number, limited in scope and do not provide enough choice or variety for the children attending.

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who attend

The childminder has insufficient understanding of how to ensure that all children learn and develop to their full potential. Activities, such as play dough are offered without any clear learning intentions and are not differentiated to take into account children's different stages of development. For example, babies are given the same tools and dough as older children and left to play without sufficient encouragement and support to explore and develop their skills. Children view a book of alphabet sounds and enjoy mimicking the animal noises and movements, but other books are out of reach and they are not able to explore and use them either independently or with support.

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who attend

Outside, the garden is sectioned off and children use a concrete area for riding bikes and scooters. However, the youngest children have too little to do and in some cases are exposed to hazards as they access equipment, which is unsafe, such as a slide with no safety surface beneath. While there is a wealth of equipment and resources in storage and lockup units, the youngest children, who are pre-verbal or who do not speak English well, cannot ask for items. This means that they have limited options throughout the day to stimulate them and develop their skills and knowledge. In addition, she does not provide opportunities for children, who have English as an additional language to use their home language in their play to support their language development at home.

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who attend

The childminder makes observations of children as they play and uses photographs to illustrate their engagement in activities. These form the basis of a learning journal, which parents can access. While this serves as a record of what children have done, it does not routinely inform the next stages in learning or contribute to planning for individual children. Therefore, it makes little contribution to supporting their progress.

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who attend

Educational programmes do not adequately cover the seven areas of learning as the childminder has a poor understanding of the prime and specific areas and is unable to match children's needs with precise and focused activities based on their individual needs. Consequently, children do not make sufficient progress in all areas of learning and development.

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who attend

Babies have an optional daily diary in which the childminder notes their activities and routine care and some parents respond by adding information about what the child has done at home, providing a useful two-way flow of information.

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

Children are generally settled and form attachments to the childminder and the co- childminder, who works alongside her. The childminder finds out about children's medical and health needs. She ensures that they are cared for appropriately by following routines and care plans where these are in place. For example, for children with skin conditions or other allergies and health requirements. Children have snacks and meals provided, which include some fresh fruit and drinks of water or milk. Some parents supply packed lunches, which are stored until they are required.

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

The layout and use of the premises and organisation of some routines means that the children are not consistently under the supervision of the childminder. For example, when she leaves the room to prepare food in the kitchen or takes one or more children to the bathroom upstairs, the others are left unattended. This results in children's behaviour deteriorating and possibly putting themselves at risk. Additionally, the number of children cared for, is sometimes greater than the available floor space allows for in the back room. This breach of requirements results in children having too little space to move freely and safely and make choices about what they wish to do.

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

The settling-in time allows children to become familiar with new surroundings and what they can expect when they attend. Younger children visit the schools and pre-schools when older children are taken and collected, so that they gain an understanding of the different settings they may move on to.

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

Children have limited opportunities to develop independence and make choices about what they eat as their food is presented by the childminder ready plated. They are given their coats and shoes for outdoor play instead of seeking them themselves and expected to play with the limited range of toys set out for them. As a result, children sometimes become disinterested and behave in a disengaged and mischievous way.

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provision

The childminder has an understanding of child protection matters and how to refer any concerns she may have regarding children's welfare. However, there are breaches of welfare requirements that have an impact on children's safety and welfare. For example, several children are cared for on a casual basis without records of their attendance or secure and clear parental contracts in place. As a result, children are not safeguarded by the appropriate implementation of all the necessary policies and procedures. The childminder has insufficient understanding of the revised learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and is not able to monitor children's progress effectively. Consequently, children do not make adequate progress towards the early learning goals.

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provision

The childminder does not maintain regular, rigorous and effective risk assessments of the premises and equipment to eliminate or minimise risk. As a result, children are at risk from unsuitably assessed equipment, for example, the slide in the concrete yard, which has no safety surfaces in place to protect children from injury when they fall.

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provision

The childminder abandoned the self-evaluation process after losing confidence in her understanding of what it should contain. Therefore, there is no effective identification of weaknesses and no action plan to ensure improvements are carried out. This has also resulted in insufficient knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and how she organises and plans her practice to meet these.

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provision

Parents' and children's views are sought by way of a questionnaire. These are positive with parents praising the flexibility they enjoy, enabling them to meet workplace commitments. Older children list the activities they enjoy. The childminder endeavours to take any suggestions from parents on board.

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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 children are kept safe and free from harm (Welfare of children being cared for)  ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purposes of childcare are safe and suitable for children (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment)  keep a daily record of the names of all children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (Records to be kept)  ensure that children are kept safe and free from harm (Welfare of the children being cared for)  ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purposes of childcare are safe and suitable for children (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment)  keep a daily record of the names of all children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (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 506294 Local authority Southend on Sea Inspection number 898952 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 10 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.

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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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