Childminder in Reading

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/04/2013 10/03/2010

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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 has a poor knowledge and understanding of ensuring that the people living in her home are suitable to be in the proximity of children. As a result some adults living in the home have not undergone a disclosure and barring check, which poses a significant risk to children's safety and wellbeing.  The childminder has insufficient knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard children. This puts children at risk in the event of a child protection concern.  The childminder does not observe and assess children's progress, including when they are between the ages of two and three years. She does not plan challenging activities to help children make progress in their learning, particularly for communication and language, physical, and personal, social and emotional development.  The childminder has not fully developed partnerships with parents and other early years settings that children attend. This means continuity in children's learning is not

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This provision is inadequate

fully promoted.  The strengths and weaknesses of the provision are not suitably identified to make ongoing improvements to the provision.  Resources are not labelled so children know what is in storage boxes or where toys belong.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder greets children and shows care towards them, which enables children to feel settled and emotionally secure.  The childminder provides a welcoming play environment for the children.

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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 activities in the playroom and observed premises in the home used for childcare.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at a selection of paperwork available.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1991. She lives with her husband and two adult children in an end-of-terrace home near the centre of Reading in Berkshire. All of the home may be used for childminding, and there is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is currently caring for seven children; of these three are within the early years age group. The childminder offers care on a full time and part-time basis.

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must:

 supply the required information to Ofsted to enable suitability checks to be carried out for any person who is likely to have regular contact with children (including those living and working on the premises)

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must:

 put in place and implement a policy, and procedures, to safeguard children and gain knowledge of how to identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and neglect

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must:

 improve knowledge of the learning and development requirements in order to observe children's learning and assess their progress across the seven areas in relation to their age and stage of development and use this information to plan the next steps for each child's development and to review children's progress between the ages of two and three years

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must:

 improve knowledge of the learning and development requirements to ensure that each area of learning and development is implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity, particularly the programme for communication and language, physical, and personal, social and emotional development

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must:

 foster a culture of continuous improvement by using self-evaluation to inform the setting's priorities and to set challenging targets for improvement

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

 help children develop logic and reasoning by labeling resources with pictures or shapes of objects to enable them to identify where things belong

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

 improve the systems for working in partnership with parents and other early years settings the children attend, to promote continuity in children's care and learning.

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who attend

Children's learning and development is not effectively supported. The childminder has a poor understanding of the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means she fails to support and challenge the children's development in line with the seven areas of learning. There are poor levels of adult interaction, which hinders the children's ability to develop and make progress in their overall learning and especially in communication and language. The planning for the children is weak as the childminder fails to carry out planned activities. For example, the childminder had dough ready for the children but then stated they could not play with it.

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who attend

There are poor systems in place to obtain information from parents regarding children's starting points. As a result, the childminder is unable to provide activities and resources for the children that meet their individual needs. The childminder does not suitability observe and assess children's progress. This makes it difficult for her to see where children are in relation to their development and plan for their next steps. In addition the childminder has no understanding of the requirement for undertaking the two year old progress check, and despite having children in her care aged two she is not able to demonstrate how children are progressing. The childminder has discussions with parents about their child's care and backs this up with daily dairies. However, there are no systems in place to keep them fully up to date with their child's progress. This does not fully promote continuity in children's learning and development

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who attend

The childminder creates an appropriate learning environment which allows the children to have free choice of the play resources, which supports their independence. However, resources are not labelled with pictures and words to help children easily identify where the toys are kept. This does not fully support their logic and reasoning skills. Children appear comfortable in the childminder's home and explore the range of resources and activities available to them. They like to play with the music recorders, shape sorters and engage in imaginary play on the mobile phones. The childminder watches the children at play, however does not intervene or challenge inappropriate behaviour in a suitable and consistent manner. This has a direct impact on their personal, social and emotional development as they find it hard to share resources and struggle to develop positive relationships. As a result, children do not acquire the skills and attitudes necessary to

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who attend

prepare them for their next stage in learning and school.

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who attend

At times the childminder communicates to the children in their play, for example when they play on the phone. However, this interaction is not consistent and the childminder does not support children's communication and language appropriately. For example, she asks limited closed questions such as 'where is the phone?' and 'do you want a drink?', which only requires one word answers. As the childminder does not model or encourage new language children do not develop within the expected bands for their ages and stages of development.

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

Overall children develop suitable attachments with the childminder. Children readily seek assistance from the childminder during their play and at times received adequate support. They are clearly comfortable in her care and confidently go to her for a cuddle. The childminder supervises the children well and children are able to move around the childminder's home freely and use the toys and resources available to them. The childminder does not always manage children's behaviour consistently or in a way that helps them learn right from wrong. When children climb on a chair or table the childminder tells them to get down and does not offer any explanation as to why they should not behave in this way. This does not help children learn how to keep themselves safe as part of their physical development.

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

The childminder has a current first aid certificate and has a first aid box with appropriate contents. This means that the childminder is able to act in the best interest of the children in the event of a minor incident. Hygiene procedures are in place to promote and support children's good health.

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

The childminder provides a range of balanced snacks and meals, and drinks are freely available to children who sit in child sized furniture to eat and drink socially. All children are able to rest and sleep according to their individual needs and there are suitable facilities to rest and sleep. Children keep healthy and active through the childminder's use of the outdoors, for example as they play in the garden, visit local play parks and walk to school. However, the childminder does not always respond to the children's interests, for example, as they express their wishes to go outside and play. This does not fully support them in developing a positive attitude towards fresh air and exercise.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward following actions set by Ofsted during a previous investigation visit. Areas to be considered during this inspection related to safeguarding and suitability checks. The inspection found that the childminder does not have a suitable knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Children's welfare cannot be assured as the childminder has failed to ensure that Ofsted is supplied with information that has been requested to enable suitability checks on family members, who are over the age of 16 years, to be completed. This is a clear breach of safeguarding and welfare requirements that have an impact on the safety and well-being of the children in the setting.

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provision

Overall, the childminder has a basic understanding of the possible signs and symptoms of child abuse. However, she has insufficient knowledge of the procedures to follow should she have a concern about a child's welfare in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Although the childminder has a safeguarding policy and procedure in place, this is not current or in line with requirements. The childminder is unable to demonstrate how children are safeguarded and what procedures she would follow in the event of a concern. This has a detrimental effect on the welfare and well-being of the children. Despite this, the childminder has risk assessments in place and has carried out safety checks on her home, garden and outings. This shows that she is mindful of minimizing hazards in the children's environment.

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provision

The childminder forms suitable partnerships with parents. Together they fill out suitable registration forms and consents to allow the childminder to take children out on outings for example. The childminder takes children and collects them from local playgroups and schools. However she has not fully developed partnerships with these early years settings the children attend. This as a result means she cannot fully support children's transitions and maintain consistency in their care and learning.

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provision

The childminder has no methods in place to evaluate her practice, and this means she is unable to identify any weakness in her practice. Recommendations from the last inspection have not all been met, which shows that the childminder is not fully committed to enhancing her setting. The childminder has not attended any training with regard to the learning and development requirements and does not have a sufficient knowledge of how to help children make progress. This means the educational programmes are not challenging and children are not making sufficient progress in their learning. Breaches within statutory requirements regarding safeguarding and written policies are not in place. For example a procedure to safeguard children. This also means that the childminder is failing to comply with the requirements of the Childcare Register.

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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)  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)

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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 117003 Local authority Reading Inspection number 912453 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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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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