Childminder in Hertfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/07/2013 06/01/2009

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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 does not have a sufficient understanding with regard to implementing child protection and complaints policies and procedures. This does not protect the well- being of children in her care. She lacks knowledge of the learning and development requirements which impacts on her ability to provide suitable experiences and support children's learning in her care.  The childminder does not make sure that all areas accessible to children are safe. This means that children are at risk of harm while in the childminder's care.  Partnership working with other providers does not include the exchange of information regarding children's development. This means that children's continuity of learning is not fully supported.  Facilities provided for children to wash and dry their hands increase the risk of cross- infection. As a result, the good health of children is not always promoted and their

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This provision is inadequate

understanding of effective and hygienic practice is not always enhanced.  The way that the childminder reflects on the service she provides is not effective. This results in her not identifying improvements or training, which are needed to ensure that legal requirements are met.

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It has the following strengths

 Children have opportunities to develop physical skills during time spent at toddler activity groups and on visits to local parks.

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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 children taking part in activities in the living room, conservatory and part of the garden. The inspector also viewed the whole of the outdoor play area used by children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked through a range of documentation, including children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a wide range of discussions with the childminder during the inspection and at feedback. She also spoke to and interacted with the minded children attending.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2000 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two adult children in a house in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire. The whole of the ground floor, one bedroom and the rear garden are used for childminding. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. The childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently six children on roll, of whom five are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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enforcement action:

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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enforcement action:

devise a policy and procedure to safeguard children in line with the guidance and procedures of the relevant Local Safeguarding Children Board. Ensure this includes what action would be taken in the event of an allegation being made against a member of the household, and the use of mobile phones and cameras

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enforcement action:

devise a procedure for dealing with concerns and complaints from parents and/or carers if they believe the provider is not meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements

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enforcement action:

ensure risk assessments are reviewed regularly, that they identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis and how the risk will be removed or minimised. Ensure these are implemented effectively in practice.

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must:

 improve the daily experience of children in the early years setting by updating training, skills and knowledge of Early Years Foundation stage

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must:

 promote the good health of children by ensuring children adopt and learn about good hygiene practices to ensure the risk of cross-infection is reduced

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must:

 use observation and assessment of children in order to effectively plan and shape learning experiences, and to ensure that children are provided with sufficient accessible resources to promote future learning and development

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must:

 enable a regular two-way flow of information with parents and/or carers and between providers if a child is attending more than one setting.

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who attend

The childminder has an insufficient understanding of the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She undertakes visual observations and assessments of children and uses these to assess their stage of development. However, learning experiences provided are not always effectively matched to the individual needs of children. For example, the childminder does not ensure that young children have easy access to a sufficient range of resources. This restricts development and does not ensure that children are fully supported to make adequate progress in their learning. The poor organisation of resources means that young children are often unable to access them independently. This creates a dependence on adults; for example, as they hold out their arms, communicating their interest in toys which are out of reach.

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who attend

The childminder holds discussions with parents about their child's achievements at pick up and collection times. This exchange helps parents to support their child's development at home. The childminder has implemented the progress check at age two for the relevant age group of children. This provides some monitoring of children's progress ensuring that any concerns regarding their level of development are identified along with the need for additional support.

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who attend

At times the childminder encourages young children to take part in learning activities by using intonation and sounds with her voice to successfully attract their attention. For example, she makes a slurping noise as she pretends to take a drink using role play equipment. At times young children show curiosity and use physical skills as they pull themselves to standing, to take a look at what the childminder is doing. However, children's interest is not fostered because the childminder focuses on learning which is beyond their abilities. For example, children successfully press some of the buttons on battery operated role play equipment. However, the childminder persists in requesting that they follow her actions by pressing a more difficult button, to produce the sounds of a real microwave oven. This does not support children's confidence and willingness to have a go, and as a result, they become frustrated, pushing her hand away. The childminder's lack of

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who attend

understanding with regard to effective learning means that children are not enabled to explore and enjoy achieving what they set out to do.

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who attend

Young children enjoy placing items into a role play microwave oven, shutting the door and then opening it to take it out again. They demonstrate sustained interest as they continue to repeat this process using various items near to hand. However, this play is interrupted by the childminder who fails to sensitively fit in with their ideas, preferring to impose her own. For example, she replaces resources children are holding, which she considers are 'too big to fit', such as a teapot. This, along with children's limited access to resources inhibits active learning, which in turn stifles development. As a result, children's critical thinking and independent learning is not sufficiently supported. The childminder provides opportunities for children to develop physical skills during time spent at toddler activity groups and on visits to local parks. This enables children to access play equipment on a larger scale than is possible indoors, helping to develop coordination and balance.

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

Children form affectionate relationships with the childminder. However, a limited understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, impacts on the childminder's ability to provide care practices which are consistently sound. Information is gathered about each child's personal care and some areas of development prior to their placement. This ensures that the childminder has sufficient information to adequately support children's well-being as they move into her care. However, the childminder's lack of understanding regarding planning to meet individual needs, impacts adversely on children's independence. For example, she does not adequately encourage children's independent participation in activities of their choosing. This impacts on young children's behaviour and independent thinking; as a result, they are, on the whole, compliant with the childminder's requests. This does not sufficiently support future

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

learning, such as moving on to nursery school.

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

The childminder talks to children about keeping safe. For example, during a role play activity she tells children that a pretend oven is 'hot, hot, hot' when she switches it on. Children of all ages move freely around the childminder's home showing confidence, demonstrating they feel safe and secure in her care. However, the childminder has failed to implement adequate safety measures with regard to children's access to hazards in her home. This places them at risk of harm and results in children gaining a false sense of security.

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

The childminder is registered with her local authority environmental health department and has completed food hygiene training. This ensures that she is aware of good practice issues with regard to the storage and preparation of food. However, hand washing and drying procedures do not support good health or teach children about basic hygiene practice. This is because very young children are not supported to wash their hands at pertinent times, and the provision of a communal towel for hand drying increases the risk of cross-infection between both children and adults. Children are provided with opportunities to access fresh air, for example in the childminder's garden or when accessing local parks. This helps them towards developing some understanding about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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provision

The childminder shows an inadequate understanding of how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has failed to put in place required policies and procedures, such as safeguarding and complaints. This does not protect the safety and well-being of children. Furthermore, this was raised as an action at the previous inspection and so demonstrates the childminder's lack of commitment to continuous improvement. While the childminder has undertaken a risk assessment of her premises, she does not demonstrate a sufficient awareness of how to identify and minimise risks to children. For example, children have access to stairs, trailing wires and alcohol stored at low-level. As a result, their safety and welfare is not adequately protected. These are all breaches of the welfare requirements and of the requirements for the Childcare Register. The childminder holds a paediatric first aid qualification, which

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provision

means that she is adequately trained to provide emergency treatment to children in the event of an accident.

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provision

The childminder has an inadequate understanding of how to effectively implement the learning and development requirements. This was also raised as a recommendation at the last inspection and has not been sufficiently addressed. Consequently, educational programmes continue to be inadequate because they do not sufficiently meet the needs of children attending. Partnerships with other settings children attend in parallel are inadequate. This is because the childminder has failed to actively promote a two-way exchange of information regarding children's learning. As a result, children's continuity of learning is not effectively supported. Parents report that they receive verbal feedback from the childminder regarding their child's development. They also comment, 'If my child is happy, I am happy'.

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provision

The childminder's self-evaluation is ineffective. She has failed to implement an action and recommendation raised at her last inspection. The childminder does not seek the views of parents and children and has not recognised any additional areas for improvement. This has resulted in further and continued breaches of welfare requirements regarding children's welfare and safety as identified above. This shows the childminder's extremely weak understanding of the purpose of self-evaluation, including the identification of training needs.

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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:

 put in place 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)  put in place a written statement of procedures to be followed in relation to complaints which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent makes in writing or by email (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment at least once in each calendar year and immediately, where the need for assessment arises. Ensure all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  put in place 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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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 put in place a written statement of procedures to be followed in relation to complaints which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent makes in writing or by email (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment at least once in each calendar year and immediately, where the need for assessment arises. Ensure all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (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 123895 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 870962 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 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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