Childminder in Leicestershire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/07/2013 27/07/2011

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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

 Children's safety and welfare is not effectively promoted as action has not been taken to ensure the indoor and outdoor environment is safe and suitable for children and some policies lack the necessary detail.  Children are not effectively safeguarded because arrangements to ensure that assistants are suitable are not in place.  Children's confidentiality is compromised. This is because systems to securely store individual records and information about children are ineffective.  The childminder's understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements is limited. Systems for observing and assessing children's progress are ineffective, resulting in weak practice which does not match all children's needs.  Children's health is not fully promoted as they are not consistently provided with a healthy, balanced and nutritious selection of meals and snacks.  The strengths and weaknesses of the provision are not clearly identified and the

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This provision is inadequate

childminder has inconsistent systems in place for monitoring and reviewing his practice, resulting in gaps in the provision.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are cared for in a welcoming family home where they can freely access a broad range of toys and resources that, generally, cover all areas of learning.

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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 spoke with the childminder, co-CHILDminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection both indoors and in the garden.  The inspector also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder, co-childminder and assistants and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, planning documentation and the childminder's self-evaluation

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1999 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. He lives with his wife, two adult sons and a younger child aged 16 years. They live in a house in a small town in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire. His wife is also registered as a childminder at these premises and his two older sons are also registered as assistants. Minded children use the ground floor of the house for play and have access to agreed areas of the first floor. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The family has a pet dog.

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Information about the setting

There are currently ten children on roll, five 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.

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enforcement action:

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

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enforcement action:

ensure the safeguarding procedure which includes the appropriate use of mobile phones and cameras in the setting is implemented effectively

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enforcement action:

ensure the premises are safe and suitable for children and fit for purpose, with specific regard to the outdoor pool and display of inappropriate pictures on the first floor

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enforcement action:

ensure you have a clear and well understood policy and procedures, for assessing any risk to children's safety, and review risk assessments regularly with particular regard to the outdoor pool.

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must:

 ensure records are easily accessible and available this is with particular regard to a first aid certificate for assistants who may have sole care of the children

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must:

 ensure that assigned key person tailors children's care to meet their individual needs

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must:

 ensure confidential information and records about children are held securely and only accessible and available to those who have a right or professional need to see them

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must:

 ensure that children are consistently provided with a balance of healthy and nutritious meals and snacks

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must:

 ensure staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children to ensure their safety, and that they are adequately supervised to meet their needs

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must:

 improve the planning of challenging and enjoyable learning experiences by taking into account individual needs, interests and stage of development for each child.

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

 implement consistent processes for self-evaluation in order to identify areas for development that reflects both the setting and the individuality of the childminder's working together.

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who attend

The childminder is not confident in his role and responsibilities with regard to the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, instead relying heavily on his co-childminder to fulfil this aspect of his registration. This results in children making poor progress in their learning. The childminder does not undertake regular or precise observations and assessments of the children in his care. Therefore, is not sufficiently aware of what they can do and need to learn next. An example of this is the conflicting information given through vocal feedback and details recorded in children's individual files. This means that he is unable to plan an appropriate educational programme that adequately covers the seven areas of learning or that provides an interesting and sufficient range of activities that match children's needs. The childminder has developed generally positive relationships with parents. However, the

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who attend

ineffective allocation of key person, results in some confusion as to which adult is responsible for each child. This in turn impacts on how, when and who shares information with parents about their children's progress.

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who attend

The environment is prepared for the children each day, and older children particularly have easy access to a broad range of toys and resources that are reflective of their abilities and interests. For example, they move freely form one activity to another as they colour large pictures indoors, then move to the covered outdoor space to play an imaginary game about 'superheroes'. However opportunities for younger children to make independent choices are less successful. This is because they spend a considerable amount of time being carried by adults and are not given sufficient opportunities to explore the environment and initiate their own play.

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who attend

The childminder has forged appropriate relationships with the children in his care and has some understanding of what they enjoy doing. For example, a favourite game with play dough promotes children's creativity and personal, social and emotional development. They take it in turns to 'model' something out of the dough and then 'guess' what the other has made. However, this activity is short lived as the childminder becomes easily distracted which results in children losing interest and moving quickly from one activity to the other. This means that opportunities are frequently missed by the childminder to extend children's learning in order to build on their progress.

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who attend

Children are adequately supported in their communication and language development because the childminder talks to the children and they have access to a selection of books. Materials to make marks are accessible and annotated photographs and labels with words and pictures help children to understand that print carries meaning. As a result, children are gaining some of the skills required to support their next stage in learning, such as moving onto school. Children enjoy singing favourite action songs and rhymes and show some enthusiasm as they listen to a favourite compact disc of music with the co- childminder. However the childminder declines the opportunity to join in as 'he doesn't know the songs'. This shows the childminder's clear lack of understanding and commitment in supporting children and, consequently, hinders how well they learn and develop.

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

Children are cared for in a busy family environment. They are familiar with the routines and are generally settled in the childminders' home. However, care practices are inadequate because not all statutory requirements are met in relation to children's health, safety and well-being. For example, the key person arrangement is not effective, and the childminder, his co-childminder and assistants are not vigilant enough to ensure that all risks to children's safety and well-being have been minimised and that children develop enough understanding of how to keep themselves healthy.

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

Children are assigned a key person who is either the childminder, his co-childminder or one of two assistants. However, this arrangement is not sufficiently well implemented. For example, young children are passed from one adult to another and are often left to their own devices at key times in the day, such as lunchtime, when they receive minimal support. This results in their care and development not being fully tailored to their individual needs and hinders opportunities for children to build secure and settled relationships. The steps taken to identify and minimise risks to children are not secure enough to ensure that all dangers or possible hazards are addressed and so children's perception of safety is false. Nevertheless, children do have some opportunities to learn to keep themselves safe. A recent road safety theme encouraged children to think about how they can keep themselves safe when crossing the roads and why they should wear seat

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

Children have some opportunities to develop an understanding of healthy lifestyles, but these are inconsistent. For example, children have access to outdoor play and physical activities and understand the importance of hand washing. Older children demonstrate a growing awareness of their bodies and the impact of exercise on their health as they tackle a 'superhero obstacle course'. The childminder talks to parents about children's meals and snacks. However, while the children sit together at lunch, the childminder and his co-childminder do not sit with them and so opportunities to use this time to engage children in conversations about healthy eating are missed. In addition, there is a limited range of healthy options offered to children. For example, on the day of the inspection children were offered jam sandwiches and biscuits for lunch with no other choices given to balance the nutritional value of the meal.

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

Relevant information is obtained from parents about children's individual routines and care needs. For example, the childminder is aware of what children like and don't like and when they are ready to rest. Space has been identified for them to rest where they feel most comfortable and the childminder and his co-childminder make regular checks to ensure that they are safe and settled.

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

Children generally behave appropriately and the childminder has realistic expectations of them. He acknowledges children's positive behaviour and considers responses so that they are reflective of individual needs and levels of understanding. There is an emphasis on praise and encouragement and additional incentives, such as sticker charts, further promote positive behaviour. Children have some opportunities to develop their personal, social and emotional development as they chose what they would like to play with from the broad range of accessible toys and resources. However, the childminder misses other opportunities to promote this area of development through everyday routines. For example, children are served their plated lunch which restricts their opportunities to make independent choices or do things for themselves.

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provision

Leadership and management are inadequate as the childminder has failed to take the necessary action to ensure the safety and welfare of the children in his care. This inspection was brought forward as a result of concerns raised regarding the suitability and use of childminder assistants. The childminder was unable to provide evidence that all assistants hold a current paediatric first aid certificate as legally required under the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Furthermore, effective systems to ensure that any assistants working with children are competent to fulfil their roles and responsibilities are not in place. In addition, clear permission has not been obtained from parents and/or carers to allow children to be in the sole care of assistants. Risk assessments of the premises both indoors and outdoors are not effective in identifying potential hazards in order for the childminder to take appropriate action to minimise them.

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provision

Two examples of this are children playing unsupervised in the garden with access to a large and deep filled paddling pool. Further to this, older children have sight of inappropriate visual images displayed on posters in a room on the first floor.

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provision

The childminder has an adequate understanding of the action to be taken should he be concerned about a child in his care. Together with his co-childminder he has considered his safeguarding procedures which he shares with parents. However, these are not consistently implemented within the setting in order for him to fully safeguard children. This is in specific regard to the poor monitoring of the use of mobile phones by older children within the setting. Alongside his co-childminder he has prepared a selection of policies and procedures to underpin his practice. Records are maintained noting the relevant detail on individual children. However, arrangements to ensure that confidential information is only accessible to those who have a right to see them are not effective. This non-compliance with a number of the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage directly impacts on children's safety and welfare. In addition,

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provision

there are several legal requirements of the Childcare Register that are not met. As a result, children's safety and welfare are compromised by the childminder's poor knowledge of how to keep children safe from harm.

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provision

The childminder has developed positive relationships with parents and, together with his co-childminder, provides information verbally and in writing about what children have been doing during their day. This means that parents are kept adequately informed of their children's achievements. Settling-in sessions are agreed with parents and information exchanged about individual routines and care needs, in order to help children settle and to promote a smooth transition from one home to the next. The childminder does care for children that attend other settings of the Early Years Foundation Stage and has established appropriate partnerships in order to promote continuity of care to support children's development and progress.

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provision

The childminder and his co-childminder have completed a self-evaluation to assist them in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. He has begun to formulate an action plan in order to make improvements. However, this is not sufficiently robust in identifying all areas of weaknesses, does not fully reflect the views of parents or target the areas for development that have already been considered. As a result, he is unable to effectively monitor and review practice to ensure all legal requirements are met and take to action to improve outcomes for children.

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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 used for the purposes of childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that the premises used for the purposes of childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and ensure that 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 959719 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 923861 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 10

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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

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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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