Childminder in Croydon

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/03/2013 19/02/2009

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

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This provision is inadequate

 The childminder has insufficient knowledge and understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements and is unable to implement the areas of learning effectively or to organise the environment to support children's learning and development.  The childminder has insufficient knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Risk assessments are weak and children are not sufficiently protected from all hazards.  The childminder's assistant does not hold a current paediatric first aid certificate.  The childminder does not have sufficient knowledge of safeguarding and policies and procedures are not in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) guidance.  The childminder does not maintain a written record when she administers medication, which compromises children's health.

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It has the following strengths

 Children understand the importance of physical exercise and a healthy diet, they manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully.  Children behave well and share good relationships with one another.  Children are happy and at ease in the company of the childminder, which supports their emotional well-being and aids the development of trusting relationships.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 the areas used for childminding.  The inspector observed the interaction between the childminder and the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed with the childminder the recommendations made at the last inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector took account of written references from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1992. She lives with her husband and adult daughter in a four bedroom house in a residential area of Croydon. The kitchen and hallway on the ground floor are the main areas used for childminding. The garden is available for outdoor play and children sleep in an upstairs bedroom. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently four children in the early years age group on roll. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and the Croydon Childminding Network. At times she works with her husband who is her assistant.

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must:

 take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children by restricting their access to hazards, particularly the hot cooker

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must:

 improve knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements by considering children's individual needs and interests to plan challenging and rich learning experiences for children, across all areas of learning, implementing each area of learning through planned, purposeful play, ensuring ample opportunities for child-initiated activities

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must:

 ensure the premises and play space are fit for purpose by providing stimulating and accessible resources, arranging flexible indoor and outdoor space where children can explore, build, move and role play, allowing children to have time and freedom to become involved in activities and uninterrupted time to play and explore

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must:

 ensure secure knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and the procedures to be followed to safeguard children from abuse or neglect

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must:

 implement an up-to-date policy and procedures for administering medication and maintain a written record each time medicine is administered to a child

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must:

 ensure assistants who have sole charge of the children for any period of time hold and maintain a paediatric first aid certificate

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must:

 foster a culture of continuous improvement by using self-evaluation to identify key priorities for improvement that will improve the quality of the provision for children.

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

 improve opportunities for children to develop their literacy skills by allowing natural opportunities for children to experiment with writing and writing equipment

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

 improve children's concentration by keeping background noise to a minimum; use the television briefly for particular purposes and by providing a comfortable area where children can rest or relax

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

 develop further the links with other settings the children attend to promote continuity in children's learning.

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who attend

The childminder has an unsatisfactory knowledge of the learning and development requirements. The childminder's lack of understanding of how to implement the areas of learning and development, mean there are insufficient activities and experiences to encourage children to have their own ideas and choose their own ways to do things. This was a recommendation made at the last inspection. This failure impacts on the overall progress children can make.

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who attend

The childminder shares information with parents and is making use of relevant guidance, such as 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' to help her in this process. Children enjoy a variety of planned activities in the home and during outings. The childminder uses observational assessment to track children's achievements. However, she does not use this effectively to accurately identify the next steps in children's learning or to specifically plan activities to encourage their individual development. As a result, the activities at times do not offer children sufficient challenge to help them make as much progress as possible given their starting points. Furthermore, the childminder pitches some activities inappropriately and they are not always suitable for the age and ability of the children. For example, there are limited resources to encourage children to write and draw freely, meaning there are less opportunities to experiment with pre-writing skills and

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who attend

for creating their own pictures. Instead, children complete workbooks and the childminder holds the pencil with the children to form letters as they are not able to do this. This means children are not freely allowed to experiment and develop their pre-writing skills.

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who attend

There is a range of basic resources such as puzzles, dolls, electronic games and construction toys some of which reflect cultural diversity. The children play in the kitchen. Although the hallway is also available for children to use there are no resources or play spaces organised to encourage them to use this area. Children access the resources from the floor, table or storage box. This space alone is not a suitable learning environment because it lacks space, organisation, and stimulation. Children cannot sit and relax. There are no soft furnishings and children sit on the floor, hard chairs or the childminder's knee. Although there are some resources to support children's imaginative play, for example, a tea set and a till, the lack of space restricts their active play and creativity. Furthermore the television is on constantly, except for at mealtimes. As a result, children do not show high levels of involvement or concentration in their play and learning. Although children

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who attend

welcome the input of the childminder most activity is adult-led meaning children do not have sufficient opportunities to initiate their own play or develop their own ideas. This limits the progress children make and does not help them gain all the necessary skills they will need for their future learning.

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

Children are happy and share a warm loving relationship with the childminder and her assistant. They enjoy playing games with the childminder, for example, they build a tower of bricks together and count them as they play, and they share books and sing familiar rhymes. The childminder has a very gentle, caring approach and she promotes children's positive self-esteem through praise and encouragement. She reminds children of the house rules and takes time to explain to them about why certain behaviours are not safe, which encourages them to think about the consequence of their actions. Children behave well and demonstrate they understand the rules. However, the childminder's lack of knowledge of safeguarding means that children's safety and welfare cannot be assured.

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

Children develop a satisfactory understanding of healthy lifestyles, because they have a healthy balanced diet of home cooked foods, they follow routine hygiene procedures and enjoy opportunities for outdoor physical play. The childminder involves children in the lunch preparation and they are aware they need to wash their hands before helping. Children are encouraged to develop their self-help skills, for example putting on their own shoes and learning to do zips and buttons. They help with tasks like tidying away the resources and food preparation, which helps them learn about taking some responsibilities.

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

The childminder talks to the children about healthy eating as they make a homemade pizza together. The childminder provides a menu and she ensures children have the recommended five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day. Children have daily opportunities for physical exercise, as they use the garden where they can run around and ride bikes. They visit parks, the library, and local children's centre. Children share good relationships with their peers and they show care and concern for one another, for example, when children arrive from nursery, the children already present run to them and put their arms around them to give them a warm welcome.

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provision

The childminder has an insufficient knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, she is not sufficiently meeting the learning and development requirements or the requirements for safeguarding children's welfare. Measures in place to safeguard children are inadequate as the childminder's safeguarding knowledge is out of date. Furthermore, she did not fully address the recommendations set at her last inspection to record details of medication administered and to update her safeguarding practice and implement a policy for safeguarding children. Consequently, her knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures is still not up to date and not in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance. The childminder does not know the correct action to take in the event of a safeguarding concern or in the event of an allegation made against her. This is a breach of a legal requirement and puts children's

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provision

welfare at risk. The childminder maintains an up-to-date first aid qualification so she can attend appropriately to children in the event of an accident. However, her assistant who sometimes has sole charge of the children when he collects them from school does not have a paediatric first aid qualification. This is a breach of a legal requirement. The childminder keeps a record of any accidents that children have and she obtains consent from parents to administer medication. However, she still does not maintain a record of administered medication and this is a breach of a legal requirement. The childminder does not meet the requirements of the Childcare Register as she does not record medication administered to children or have a safeguarding policy in place.

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provision

The premises are clean and welcoming and there are some safety measures in place to promote children's safety. For example, safety gates restrict children's access to the stairs. The childminder completes a risk assessment for the home and for outings; however not all risks are sufficiently addressed. There are no measures in place to restrict children's access to the cooker when it is switched on. The childminder deals with this through supervision. However at times, she does not supervise the children closely enough in the kitchen as this is used as the main play area. This poses a potential risk of serious harm as children can access the hot oven. The childminder keeps accurate records of children's hours of attendance and shares her policies with parents. She communicates regularly with them and provides updates of their daily care. Parents report they are very happy with the care their children receive. They state the childminder provides a varied and

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provision

nutritious diet for the children. The childminder has links with other settings the children attend, but this is not fully in place for example, they do not share planning information. The childminder has undertaken some training since her last inspection, for example Early Years Foundation Stage training and she has put systems in place for monitoring and evaluating practice. She identifies priorities for improvement; however, they do not reflect the key weaknesses in the setting or fully address the recommendations made at the last inspection.

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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 and 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 (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a record of any medicine administered to a child who is cared for on the premises and retain for two years (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep and 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 (Voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a record of any medicine administered to a child who is cared for on the premises and retain for two years (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 action. 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 124398 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 846259 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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