Childminder in Shropshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/07/2013 16/11/2010

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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

 Children are not adequately supervised on outings and there is no daily record of their attendance to ensure their safety at all times.  Action has not been taken to minimise risk in relation to children's access to medication and the security of the garden to ensure their safety and well-being.  The educational programmes do not adequately support all areas of learning and development in enough depth and breadth. The childminder does not consistently provide a challenging and enjoyable experiences for all children, resulting in younger children not engaging in activities and showing poor levels of interest.  Self-evaluation is poor and does not identify the strengths and weaknesses of the provision or identify targets for improvement that will benefit the children.  Parents are not fully enabled to support their child's learning and development at home.

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It has the following strengths

 Children's healthy lifestyles are fostered through the provision of fresh fruit and drinking water and spending time in the fresh air on a daily basis.

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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 both the indoor and outdoor play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation; attendance records, the complaints log, policies and procedures and the records of the suitability of adults.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the childminder and took into account the views of children spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged 8 and 11 years in a house in Bridgnorth in Shropshire. The whole of the ground floor, the upstairs bathroom and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has no pets. The childminder attends various toddler groups. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently seven children on roll, six of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 keep children safe at all times while on outings, by minimising risks and hazards, particularly when near roads

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must:

 carry out a thorough risk assessment to assess any risks to children's safety, and review the risk assessment regularly, to identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis; make sure the garden is secure at all times and that children are unable to access medication in the kitchen

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must:

 ensure a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance are fully maintained at all times

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must:

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

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must:

 ensure the implementation of planned purposeful play through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity

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must:

 engage parents and carers in guiding their child's development at home.

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

 implement rigorous and effective systems for self-evaluation that inform the setting's priorities and are used to set challenging targets for improvement.

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who attend

Children make inadequate progress within the Early Years Foundation Stage because the childminder does not fulfil her responsibilities. Consequently, learning and development requirements have not been met. The educational programmes do not cover all seven areas in sufficient depth and breadth or incorporate planned, purposeful play and a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities, to extend children's individual learning. Consequently, some children lack enthusiasm for learning and lack interest in the activities made available. This results in younger children in particular often walking over older children's floor activities and investigating things, such as the standard lamp in the lounge. This is because their interests are not fostered and, thereby, their needs not met. Also, there is a lack of planned adult-led activities to ensure purposeful play to sustain all children's interest. The childminder does not consistently use observations and assessment

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who attend

to recognise all children's progress, understand their needs and plan tailored activities. Consequently, all children, in particular, younger children, are not supported sufficiently to help build on what they know. In the absence of making the link between what is observed and how this can be incorporated into adult-led activity, the childminder is not fully aware of the measure of exactly how much progress all children make.

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who attend

Older children look forward to their peers coming back from nursery, and show they have missed them as they say 'do you want spaghetti for your lunch' and 'you are my best friend'. However, younger toddlers do not show sustained levels of interest in their play and in what is available. This invariably leads to disputes between the younger and older children, which impacts on all children's personal, social and emotional development. Overall this, therefore, impacts on children's learning in all areas of their development.

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who attend

Generally, the childminder provides opportunities for children to use various equipment to support their physical skills, including playing ball games and riding their trikes in the garden. The childminder takes children on outings to places of interest, such as the park and ball pits, where their physical development is generally fostered. Older children like to build train tracks with their peers and show interest when the childminder engages with them. However, the childminder does not consistently engage with the younger children and place enough emphasis on increasing their communication and language and interest in the resources. This is often due to the lack of planning and the unclear learning intention of activities for all children. Children take part in creative activities as they visit toddler groups throughout the week. Younger children's interests, however, are not supported by the childminder because she is not fully aware of what their own individual

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who attend

Parents and carers are informed about their child's activities and achievements. However, as children's needs are not fully met, the information they receive is limited because it is not fully informed through meaningful observations and assessment of children's individual interests and learning. This impacts on how well parents can support their child's learning at home.

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

Although children's behaviour is managed satisfactorily indoors, their safety and well-being is compromised during outings. This is because, although beyond their maturity and understanding, at times they walk ahead of the childminder and are not always safely restrained near roads. As a consequence, children's supervision is ineffective, putting themselves and others at risk.

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

Children are provided with healthy snacks, such as a variety of fruit and water or squash, and they make choices about what to have for lunch. Relations are generally warm and children show a sense of belonging. At times, such as lunchtime in the garden, children are beginning to show a sense of attachment to the childminder and one another as they laugh and giggle. The children are beginning to be aware of hygiene practices through routines as they wash their hands before eating and after visiting the toilet. Nappy changing procedures meet hygiene requirements and children's needs. The childminder ensures the children access the garden daily for fresh air and games, such as football, which supports their healthy lifestyle. First aid requirements are met. Although the childminder has an awareness of children's personalities, she fails to take into account their individual interests and developmental next steps in learning. This hinders their

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

progression across all areas of learning and, thereby, their readiness for school.

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provision

This inspection took place following concerns received in relation to lack of supervision and risk assessment. This concern prompted a full inspection. Other concerns include the lack of security of the garden gate and access to some medication within the kitchen area. The inspection found that the childminder has failed to meet the safeguarding and welfare, and the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, children's well-being, safety and welfare are compromised and they are not fully prepared for school or their next stage of learning.

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provision

The childminder acknowledges that since the last inspection, and in particular more recently, she has not been fully active in ensuring all children's needs are fully identified and their safety and well-being given a high enough priority. For example, potential risks have not been assessed or minimised in the indoor and outdoor areas and, in particular, on outings, have not been fully identified or minimised to keep children safe. As a result, numerous specific legal requirements are not being met. A lack of monitoring of the provision, including the educational programmes, results in inadequate outcomes for children in their learning and development, well-being and safety.

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provision

Since the last inspection, progress has been limited. For example, risk assessments do not identify potential risks. This seriously compromises children's safety and well-being. The childminder is not focused adequately on improving the service offered through well- focussed improvement plans. Consequently, any actions taken have been ineffective in securing improvement.

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provision

The childminder has knowledge of whom to contact in relation to making referrals with regard to child protection. There is a range of written policies and procedures in place, which are shared with the parents. However, many procedures, such as risk assessment and health and safety of children, are not successfully implemented in practice. Although the childminder keeps records of accidents, other records, such as children's attendance, are not maintained. There is some information exchanged with parents at pick-up times, such as child's activities and outings, each day. Relationships with other settings that the children attend continue to develop.

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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 receiving childcare are kept safe from harm (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  keep a record of the following and retain them for a period of two years: 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)  keep a record of the following and retain them for a period of two years: a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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 EY253993 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 926675 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 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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