Childminder in Luton

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/07/2013 09/01/2012

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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 observations and assessments of children's learning are weak. Children's starting points and next steps are not identified and therefore, they are not adequately supported to make the best progress in the prime and specific areas of learning.  Children's learning is not fully supported as parents are not consistently encouraged to share information about their children's development at home. Similarly, partnerships with other early years settings attended by the children are not sufficiently established to support their learning and development.  A number of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are not met. The childminder's understanding of the consistent practice required to promote the safety and good health of children is ineffective. Therefore, children are not fully safeguarded and their welfare is not adequately maintained.  Priorities and plans for improvement are not consistently identified and do not include

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This provision is inadequate

the contributions of parents. Therefore, the monitoring of practice lacks the rigour to support ongoing improvements to the provision for children.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder is kind and caring and offers a continuity of care to the children, which results in them feeling secure and settled during their time with her.

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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 main rooms used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies and procedures and items made by the children.

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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 1998 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her adult child in a house in Luton, Bedfordshire. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding.

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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.

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Information about the setting

There are currently nine children on roll, four of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She 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 for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 make use of ongoing observation and assessment of each child's progress against the areas of learning; taking account of their starting points, age and stage of development and use this information to identify and plan for the next steps in their learning

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must:

 involve all parents in their children's learning by improving the two-way exchange of information and encouraging them to share and support their children's learning and development at home

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must:

 develop further the arrangements for partnership working and sharing information with other settings that children attend, in order to fully support their learning and development

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must:

 ensure that the premises are clean, safe and fit for purpose. This refers to the storage of equipment and the cleanliness of the carpet areas used by the children

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must:

 obtain information for each child about who they normally live with, the name and address of every parent and/or carer who is known to you and information about any other person who has parental responsibility for the child. Ensure that this information is easily accessible and available to those who have a right or professional need to see them

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must:

 foster a culture of continuous improvement; devise and implement a thorough self-evaluation process, to identify strengths and areas for development.

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who attend

Although, the childminder has a basic understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, her use of this information is ineffective as she is not matching activities to children's individual needs. This means that the play opportunities offered do not sufficiently challenge the children's thinking and progress. For example, children choose to use the solitaire pegs to make a pattern saying 'I can make a rainbow'. They tell the childminder 'I've used all purples and am using the blue ones now'. Although, the childminder praises the children's efforts by saying 'that's beautiful', she does not extend their understanding of the natural world or link their interests by further discussing the rainbow or the weather. This was particularly relevant on the day of inspection as the children had arrived home from the park just before it had started to rain and had shown an interest in the clouds 'blowing over.' Also, when the childminder asks the children how

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who attend

many pegs are left and they guess the wrong quantity, she does not support their use of numbers by helping them to count the correct amount.

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who attend

At the start of the placement, the parents and children are invited for settling-in visits to get to know the childminder and the other children on roll. However, limited information is gained from the parents about what the children can already do and their level of development. This means that accurate assessments of children's starting points are not established leading to weak planning for their future development. Observation and assessment of children's progress is also inconsistent and their next steps unidentified. Therefore, children are not adequately supported in their development and future learning.

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who attend

The range of resources provided basically encourages the children to make independent choices about the activities they want to play with. For example, when they choose to play 'families', they are able to use a large comfy blanket for the 'baby' to sleep under. They select paper and scissors to make money to buy presents for 'Father's Day' and older children practise their sit-ups as they are 'at the gym.' Children regularly enjoy helping the childminder to make play dough and when rice is incorporated into the mixture, it encourages younger children's sense of texture and touch. However, as the childminder does not use these opportunities to link the activities to children's individual learning, they are not sufficiently supported to extend their learning across all areas or in preparation for school.

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who attend

Basic communication with parents means that some information is shared about the children's development. For example, parents are invited into the premises at collection time for a discussion about their children's day. Also, some parents are able to see notes recorded in their children's day book about the activities, which they have enjoyed. However, all parents are not adequately encouraged or supported to share information about their children's achievements at home, so this information cannot be used to plan for their further learning and progress.

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

Children form appropriate bonds with the childminder and feel secure and settled with her and their friends. The childminder is able to offer a continuity of care often looking after the children from a very young age. Children are fond of each other and describe some of their friends as being 'like a sister to me'. At the start of the placement, the childminder ensures that she is aware of the children's likes, dislikes and basic routine. However, there is a breach in requirements as some essential information is not in place for all the children. Also, the documentation that is in place is not easily accessible or available for inspection. Therefore, children's welfare is compromised.

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

Some care practices at the childminder's home are variable and do not adequately support the children's emotional and physical well-being. For example, they are not encouraged to wash their hands before eating and the table is not adequately clean following the morning's craft activity. Therefore, children are not learning about the importance of good hygiene practices. Their independence is encouraged as they make choices about which toppings to have on their crackers and carry their own plates to the table. They are learning where food comes from as they grow potatoes in the childminder's garden and participate in a range of cooking activities, for example, making fish pie for tea. Children enjoy making the most of the fresh air as they visit the nearby park. They test their physical skills on the slide, swing and as described by a younger child 'the swingy net.' Children develop a sound awareness of their own safety and risk because the childminder

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

mostly supports their development. She shows them the correct way to use scissors and explains why these need to be stored out of reach of the younger children. Children regularly take part in the emergency fire drill and the childminder tests their knowledge by asking where they have to wait and who they call in the event of a real fire.

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

Children are learning about the expectations with regard to behaviour and take an active role in reminding each other of the boundaries in place. For example, having been involved in writing the house rules, they tell the childminder when their friend has forgotten to remove their hat when inside. The childminder ensures that everyone is included in the activities and are given choices about their play. For example, she asks younger children if it is their choice to be the 'baby' in the role play game or whether they are in the role because they are told to be. They happily state that they want to be the 'baby' because they get to pretend to go to sleep. Children receive some support in preparation for their move onto other settings. The childminder accompanies them on their visit to their new school and talks to them about the sensory room that she has seen during a stay and play session at the same setting. This helps the children to become

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

familiar and accustomed with the changes ahead.

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provision

Although, the childminder has a basic understanding of most of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage welfare requirements, this is not consistently demonstrated in the day-to-day running of her setting. The childminder has attended training with regard to safeguarding the children and is are aware of the procedures to follow should any concerns arise. She carries the parents emergency contact numbers with her at all times and ensures that anyone coming into contact with the children is suitable to do so. During the inspection, it was found that the childminder is failing to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register to ensure that the premises are safe, clean and fit for purpose. Some storage of toys and equipment poses a risk to the children and the cleanliness of some of the areas used by them is inadequate. This, therefore, means that

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provision

children's welfare is at times compromised.

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provision

At the current time, the childminder's monitoring of the children's development is ineffective and therefore, children's progress towards the early learning goals is not adequately planned for and supported. Also, the childminder's use of evaluating her own overall practice is not sufficient. She does not identify the weaknesses in her practice and therefore, this information cannot be used to improve her setting or performance. The childminder has some awareness of who to approach if targeted support is needed for the children in her care. She builds trusting relationships with the parents and shares basic information with them. However, her partnerships with the other settings attended by the children are not sufficiently robust and they are, therefore, not effective in complementing their learning and development.

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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 the premises and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purposes of the childcare are safe and suitable (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 105163 Local authority Luton Inspection number 925403 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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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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