Childminder in Southwark

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/05/2013 13/06/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: Met 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

 Play space is compromised for the children in the early years age range due to sharing it with several older children.  The childminder failed to notify Ofsted about an assistant, breaching the legal requirements.  The childminder has an inadequate knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Systems are not in place for the childminder to observe children's learning and development or plan activities to extend their learning.  There is no accurate daily record of children's times of arrival and departure.  The childminder has not sought written parental permission for children to take part in outings.

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It has the following strengths

 There is an adequate range of resources for children when they are made accessible.  Children are offered a satisfactory range of healthy snacks and regular outdoor play to promote a healthy lifestyle.

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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

 There were no children or the co-childminder present during this inspection.

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Inspection activities

 Discussion was held with the childminder about her understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  A tour was taken of the areas of the home used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 Documentation was reviewed, including policies and procedures and the attendance register to ascertain how many children are attending.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2003. She lives with her husband, two teenage children and two grown up children, in a four bedroom flat in the Elephant and Castle area of Southwark in South London. The flat is on the first floor of the building and the living room and playroom are the main areas of the home used for childminding. There are local parks, playgrounds, drop-in groups and a library within walking distance. The family has a pet cat.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She has three children on roll in the early years age range. The childminder works alongside her co-childminder, who resides at the same address.

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must:

 ensure the indoor space requirements are adhered to in order to meet the needs of the children

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must:

 notify Ofsted of any changes to person(s) living or working on the childminding premises, such as assistants

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must:

 improve knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements and Safeguarding and Welfare requirements in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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must:

 consider the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child and use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development

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must:

 provide a daily record of attendance for all children

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must:

 obtain written parental permission for children to take part in outings

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

 make toys and resources easily accessible at child height, to ensure everybody can make choices to initiate and extend their own play and learning.

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who attend

The childminder has an inadequate knowledge of the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has not attended any training and as a result, is not familiar with the seven areas of learning. Consequently, children cannot make satisfactory progress. Systems are not in place to observe children's progress or to plan exciting, challenging activities to meet their interests or development needs. In addition, processes have not been implemented to complete the two year progress check. As a result, parents are unable to share the assessment to promote children's progress health check.

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who attend

There were no children present during the inspection. The childminder demonstrated through discussion how she provides toys and resources for the children to play with. The childminder explained that she supports children in feeling comfortable in her home. She builds relationships with the children to support the settling in process and to build children's confidence. The childminder explains how she helps children learn the house rules, including sharing the toys and taking turns. Opportunities to visit toddler groups and drop-in sessions provide further opportunities for children to develop their social skills and meet their local community. However, written consent has not been obtained from parents to take children off the premises for outings.

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who attend

The childminder explains how she talks to the children about what they are doing and how she asks them questions to support their learning. She demonstrates through discussion how she supports the younger children to extend their vocabulary by repeating what the child has said and making it into a sentence. The childminder explains how she uses simple, short sentences to aid younger children's understanding and develop their communication skills.

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who attend

The childminder describes how she takes children to the park or the communal garden area for children to enjoy outdoor play. The park provides large play equipment for children to climb and balance on, developing their spatial awareness. The childminder provides balls for the children to throw and catch or encourages dancing indoors to support physical play. The childminder describes how she offers children access to building bricks, or the use of pens and pencils to support their fine physical skills.

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who attend

The childminder explains how she points out animals or vehicles when taking children outside. She talks to the children about what they can see and about the journey they are taking, to support their knowledge of their environment. Toys that reflect different cultures or disabilities are made accessible by the childminder, alongside bi-lingual books. Consequently, children's different cultures are valued and promoted. The childminder explains how she generally speaks in English to enable all children to understand what is being said. However, she tries to promote children's home language and is able to speak in her own home language to some families.

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who attend

The childminder demonstrates through discussion how she talks to the parents on a daily basis to keep them informed about their child's day. She shares her written policies with the parents and obtains written consent for the taking of photographs. Parents complete basic details about contact information, including any dietary requirements. This enables the childminder to identify any particular needs for each child.

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

The childminder describes how she encourages children to become independent by washing their hands and putting on shoes and coats when going outside. She explains how she encourages children to behave well and provides reminders about why some behaviour is not acceptable. The house rules are in writing but kept in a file. The childminder explained she talks to the older children about being kind to each other and sharing the toys.

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

Children are offered a satisfactory range of healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit and have access to their drinks at all times. The childminder obtains children's dietary needs from the parents and takes account of children's religious needs and allergies when planning food. Hygiene procedures are in place with children being encouraged to use soap and to dry their hands on paper towels to prevent cross infection. The childminder demonstrated through discussion how she keeps children safe in her home by putting measures in place such as the stair gate across the kitchen doorway. She has made the glass doors in the playroom safe and has fitted locks to cupboards that children must not enter.

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

The childminder has a suitable range of resources although these are not easily accessible due to the storage available. The toys are stored in storage boxes, but are not well organised, making choices more difficult for the children. For example, books are spread amongst several boxes, and bricks mixed in with musical instruments and small world toys. The childminder does not use labels for the boxes and therefore children put the toys in any available box. This limits children's independence and their ability to initiate and extend their own learning or ideas through free selection.

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

The childminder explains how she prepares children for their next move to pre-school or school. She encourages children to become independent in personal care skills, such as visiting the bathroom. She demonstrated through discussion how she encourages children to develop skills such as sitting and listening to a story and encourages children to eat properly at the table. The childminder stated she would talk with the parents regarding the child's move to another provider.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward following concerns regarding the numbers of children being cared for by the childminder and the numbers of assistants working alongside the childminder. During the inspection, the paperwork demonstrated there were a large number of school-age children attending after school with three children in total attending over the course of the week in the early years age range. There is limited space in the home and therefore the numbers of children attending impact on the available space for the early years children. The childminder was registered to work with a co-childminder. However, the childminder failed to inform Ofsted about another member of the household working as an assistant, breaching the statutory legal requirements.

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provision

The childminder has an inadequate understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. She is not familiar with the revised framework and has no procedures in place to support children's learning through observations or assessment. Consequently, children's learning is compromised in the early years age range. The childminder feels she keeps children safe and provides activities and toys for them on arrival. However, she is unable to explain what children's next steps in their learning are and as a result, there is no monitoring of the educational programmes.

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provision

The childminder implements her safeguarding policy adequately and shares it with the parents. She has written information about safeguarding and protecting children, including contact details for outside agencies. The childminder has a complaints policy in place providing parents with information about how to complain should they have any concerns about the care their children receive. All adults within the household hold suitability checks, with one member of the household working as a co-childminder. The childminder has a fire risk assessment in place and stated she has risk assessed her home. However, she demonstrates a lack of understanding about the safeguarding and welfare requirements. For example, by providing an accurate daily attendance record with a list of all the children attending.

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provision

The childminder does not have a system of monitoring her provision or activities for children. She has not carried out any form of self evaluation to enable her to identify any strengths or areas to prioritise for development. Consequently, weaknesses have not been identified because of the childminder's lack of knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, legal requirements are not being met.

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provision

The childminder stated she has introduced herself to the teachers at the local schools where she collects children from. However, she relies on her co-childminder to collect from alternative schools. The childminder stated she understands why information should be shared between providers, although systems are still being developed.

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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:

 obtain consent from parents for their child to be left with the childminding assistant for no longer than two hours per day, such as school collection times. (compulsory part of the childcare register)  implement a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance. (compulsory part of the childcare register)  obtain consent from parents for their child to be left with the childminding assistant for no longer than two hours per day, such as school collection times. (voluntary part of the childcare register)  implement a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance. (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 EY275346 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 918441 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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