Childminder in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/07/2013 17/10/2011

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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 limited understanding of the seven areas of learning. This means that she does not effectively plan her educational programme based on the areas of learning and children's individual needs.  Observation, assessment and planning is not used to identify starting points in children's learning or to plan precisely for children's next steps and to ensure that they make the best possible progress in their learning and development.  The sharing of information about children's progress with parents and other providers is not well embedded. This does not support continuity of learning for children.  The progress check at age two does not show children's progress and development in the prime areas and a written summary has not been provided for parents. This does not effectively support children's learning and development.  The childminder does not carry out regular self-evaluation or reflective practice. This

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This provision is inadequate

makes it difficult to establish how changes are continually made to improve the provision further for children.  The childminder sometimes does not extend children's learning as she does not consistently encourage them to try to complete activities themselves.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy and settled as they have strong relationships with the childminder and therefore, they feel safe and secure.

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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 had a tour of the premises and observed children playing.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies and children's records and involved the childminder in a joint observation of an activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through written comments that they left for the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2004 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and child aged 13 years in Saltburn. The whole of the ground floor and the first floor bathroom are used for childminding. The family has a snake and a bearded dragon as pets.

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Information about the setting

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. There are currently seven children on roll, of whom five are in the early years age group, who attend for a variety of sessions and two are school-age children, who attend before and after school. The childminder operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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must:

 improve knowledge and understanding of the seven areas of learning and use this to shape the educational programme provided for children

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must:

 carry out systematic observations of children's learning and use this to assess their progress across the seven areas of learning in relation to their age and stage of development and use this information to identify starting points and to plan the next steps for each child

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must:

 improve opportunities for parents to actively engage in their child's development and learning in the setting and at home by, encouraging parents to share what they know about their child initially and on an ongoing basis and use this information to inform the planning of activities

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must:

 implement systems to share information about children's learning and development with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this information to ensure continuity for children, who attend more than one setting

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must:

 devise and implement an effective process for completing the progress check at age two to enable early identification of development needs, so that additional support if needed can be put into place and provide parents with a written summary of their child's development

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must:

 implement rigorous and effective systems for self-evaluation to inform priorities and set challenging targets for improvement.

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

 extend children's problem solving skills by encouraging them to try to do activities for themselves and supporting them in any problems they may encounter instead of jumping in too quickly and doing it for them.

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who attend

The activities provided for children are generally based around weekly routines, which include visits to local soft play areas, coffee shops and going for walks, along with some free play in the childminder's home. This ensures that children benefit from a variety of experiences that aids their enjoyment. The childminder has many years of experience caring for children and she does have a degree of understanding of her role to provide appropriate activities and to support children's learning. However, these are not always sufficiently purposeful because she has a limited understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, she is not able to effectively observe, plan and assess children's progress effectively against the seven areas of learning. This affects the progress that children can make during their time at her setting and does not demonstrate how they are

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who attend

prepared for the next stage in their learning at nursery or at school.

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who attend

The childminder meets with parents at the start to gather information about children's likes and interests. However, she has not gathered information about children's starting points and an initial assessment of their development has not been carried out. This prevents the childminder from gaining a clear understanding of the progress children are making in her care. The childminder keeps parents informed about their child's daily care through regular verbal feedback, text messages and inviting parents for coffee mornings. However, the lack of observational assessment does not effectively support parents in being involved in their child's ongoing learning and supporting their accurate understanding of their child's progress towards the early learning goals. In addition, although, the childminder explains that she has discussed the progress check at aged two with parents, she has not completed a written summary of children's development in the

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who attend

prime areas. This does not ensure that any gaps in children's learning are effectively identified and means that it is not clear to see how this is used to inform their future learning and development.

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who attend

The childminder is warm and friendly and joins in appropriately with the children during their play. For example, she follows their discussions about ice-creams by providing them with role play shop and food items. Children play with this for extended periods of time, talking to each other about what they making to eat and imitating everyday experiences as they 'make cups of tea'. This promotes their imagination and creative skills. Children clearly enjoy books and select them independently for the childminder to read to them. They develop their communication skills as the childminder encourages them to talk about what is happening in the story and to the name the objects that they see.

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who attend

Children show they are confident in the childminder's care as they make choices about what they would like to play with, for example, asking for the train set. They talk animatedly about the different trains and the childminder does support their language development as she uses words, such as 'big' and 'longest', as they play. However, she sometimes misses opportunities for children to further develop their problem solving skills. For example, she sets up the train track instead of supporting them to do it with her help. The childminder supports children to develop their counting skills as she asks them questions, such as 'what number comes after two?' She also sets up number games to encourage children to recognise written numbers. However, the lack of observational assessment means that it is not clear to see if this adult-led activity is developmentally appropriate and based on children's next stage in learning or interests. This is highlighted

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who attend

as children are clearly not interested in the activity. Nevertheless, the childminder does understand the importance of following children's lead. She quickly abandons the game and follows children's interest in the cards by encouraging them to name the objects, colours and shapes that they can see on them. This further supports their communication skills and supports them in recognising and identifying different shapes. Children have regular opportunities to be physical through daily walks and trips to the beach and the parks.

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

Children are helped to settle as the childminder provides a welcoming environment. She recognises children's needs, such as when they are hungry or wanting to use the potty and she meets these needs well. For example, she provides a calm, relaxed atmosphere as children use the potty for the first time. She has clearly developed good relationships with the children and has developed strong bonds with them. This is evident as they approach her easily and sit happily on her knee. They also receive natural, warm cuddles and appropriate verbal interaction, therefore, children feel safe and secure. The childminder gathers information from parents at the start to meet children's well-being, this includes, their routines and medical needs. She demonstrates a positive attitude towards working closely with parents to ensure that any specific needs that the children may have are supported. For example, the childminder carries out stretching exercises for

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

children. The childminder offers parents and children settling-in periods. This supports them to get to know the childminder and contributes to their sense of belonging when they are in her care. Children attend a range of groups within the community. This helps them to develop their confidence and build relationships with their peers. In addition, they regularly visit the local pre-schools and schools. This helps to familiarise children with other settings in preparation for their later move to nursery or school.

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

Children play in a homely and welcoming environment where they are treated as part of the family. Toys and equipment are age-appropriate, reasonably varied, in good condition and rotated regularly by the childminder. This adequately aids children's independence as they are able to make some choices about their play. Children's good health is suitably promoted as they independently help themselves to their drinks and the childminder provides a packed lunch for them, which includes regular fresh fruit. The childminder uses local parks, walks to school and various trips to provide children with regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise. She talks to them about the importance of washing their hands after using the potty to help them to learn about good hygiene. Children show their good understanding about keeping healthy, for example, they explain that they cannot eat food, which has fallen on the floor because 'it is dirty'.

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

Children learn about how to keep safe as they practise fire drills and road safety and the childminder talks to them about the importance of not talking to strangers. The childminder acts as a positive role model, for example, encouraging children to tidy up and to use their manners. She also offers praise naturally during their play, this helps to boosts their self-esteem. As a result, children behave well in her care.

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provision

The childminder has insufficient knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She does not monitor the activities that she provides or accurately assess the progress that children are making towards the early learning goals. This does not ensure that gaps in children's learning are covered and does not support planning based on children's next steps in learning. The childminder does not have effective procedures in place to share information about children's ongoing learning and development with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This does not support continuity of learning for children. These are breaches of the legal requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

The childminder does not effectively monitor and review her practice. As a result, strengths and weaknesses have not been identified. In addition, the childminder has not fully addressed the actions and recommendations raised at the previous inspection. This includes, developing systems to use observations to track children's progress towards the early learning goals and carrying out self-evaluation. This does not demonstrate a drive for improvement that will raise children's achievements over time. The childminder explains that other actions and recommendations have been addressed, including keeping a record of risk assessments, although, evidence of these was not available at the time of inspection. However, this has not been raised as an action as they are no longer legal requirements.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse, including procedures to follow if she had a concern about a child. She carries out daily checks of her home and uses appropriate safety equipment and procedures to keep children safe. For example, she supervises children at all times and uses safety gates to prevent children from accessing the stairs. All legally required documentation to promote children's welfare is in place, this includes children's details, medication records and a record of attendance. The childminder also holds a current first aid certificate, this means that she could respond to any accidents quickly and appropriately.

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provision

The childminder has developed close relationships with parents and they speak positively of the care she provides. For example, they describe her as providing a, 'safe, fun and loving environment'. The childminder ensures that they are kept appropriately informed about the service she provides as they receive key policies and procedures at the start.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 EY281293 Local authority Redcar & Cleveland Inspection number 819978 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 3 Number of children on roll 5

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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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