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 ability to assess children's learning is not consistently used to inform planning. This results in some learning experiences that do not have sufficient challenge and are not fully matched to 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 there are

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This provision is inadequate

inconsistent systems in place for monitoring and reviewing practice.

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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.  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 journals, planning documentation and the childminder's self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2011 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, two adult sons and younger child aged 16 years in a house in a small town in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire. Her husband is also registered as a childminder at these premises and their 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 have 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 and her co-childminder operate 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 and an action plan that reflects both the setting and the individuality of the childminder's working together.

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who attend

Although the childminder has a sound knowledge of the prime and specific areas of learning, these are not used effectively enough to fully promote children's learning and development and so children do not make the best possible progress. There is a lack of effective adult support from assistants and a co-childminder who act as some children's key person and the planning of activities is not well-matched to all children's learning needs, particularly in relation to the youngest children. For example, while some children enjoyed singing favourite action songs and rhymes, the youngest children were unable to join in because they were being carried by the adults who stood on the periphery of the activity. This resulted in lost opportunities to promote the youngest children's language skills and personal, social and emotional development.

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who attend

The childminder has a suitable knowledge of children's individual interests and offers opportunities for them to play both in and outside of the house. In addition, the provision of a shelter in the garden enables children to play outside in all weathers. The childminder completes written observations and assessments for each child, which identifies what they can do and need to learn next. However, the childminder does not show a secure understanding of the characteristics of effective learning and there is a lack of challenge or clear learning focus in the activities planned.

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who attend

The childminder has developed generally positive relationships with parents. However, the ineffective allocation of key persons, results in some confusion as to which adult is linked to which child. As a result, children do not get the support they need and this in turn impacts on how, when and who shares information with parents about their child's progress. 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 from one activity to another as they play outside using a range of equipment or listen to a story indoors. 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 her care and has some understanding of what they enjoy doing. For example, a recent topic about superheroes was in response to an older child's particular interest in this subject. The childminder provides dressing up clothes and a large box becomes the 'superhero den' in the role play area. In addition, older children colour in pictures of their favourite character. Overall, children are adequately supported in developing their communication and language skills because the childminder talks to the children and they have access to a selection of books. The childminder successfully engages older children in a favourite book and they listen carefully to the familiar story. However, the childminder does not finish the story as she is distracted by others and consequently, misses the opportunity to extend children's learning further. Materials to make marks are accessible and annotated

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who attend

photographs and labels with words and pictures help children to understand that print carries meaning. As a result, while children are gaining some of the skills required to support their next stage in learning, these are not sufficient to ensure they make the best possible progress.

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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, her 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, her 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 lunch time, 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, they do have some opportunities to learn to keep themselves safe as they play in the garden and learn about road safety when on trips or outings.

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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 responds positively to a child as he notices his 'muscles working' to lift the dumbbells. The childminder works with parents to provide meals and snacks. However, while the children sit together at lunch, the childminder does not sit with them and so misses the opportunity to use this time to engage children in conversations about healthy eating. In addition, the opportunity for children to make healthy choices are inhibited as access to healthy options are limited. For example, on the day of the inspection children were offered jam sandwiches and biscuits

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

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

Some aspects of practice are sound. For example, relevant information is obtained from parents about children's individual routines and care needs and 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 her co-childminder make regular checks to ensure that they are safe and settled. Children generally behave appropriately and the childminder has realistic expectations of them. She 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

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

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

This inspection was bought forward as a result of concerns raised regarding the suitability and use of childminder assistants. The inspection found the childminder was not meeting a number of the legal requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, along with some requirements for both parts of the Childcare Register. This directly impacts on children's safety and well-being. For example, the childminder was unable to provide evidence that all assistants hold the legally required current paediatric first aid certificate and that any assistants working with children are suitable and are competent to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, 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 outside, are not effective in identifying potential hazards in order for the childminder to take appropriate action to

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provision

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

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provision

The childminder has a suitable understanding of the action to be taken should she be concerned about a child in her care. Together with her co-childminder she has considered her safeguarding procedures which she shares with parents. However, these are not consistently implemented within the setting in order for her to fully safeguard children. This is in specific regard to the poor monitoring of the use of mobile phones by older children. Alongside her co-childminder she has prepared a selection of policies and procedures to underpin her 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. As a result, children's safety and welfare are compromised by the ineffective monitoring of practice.

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provision

The childminder has developed positive relationships with parents and together with her co-childminder provides information verbally and in writing about what children have been doing during their day on their collection. This means that generally 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. The childminder and her co-childminder have completed self-evaluation to assist them in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. She has begun to formulate an

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provision

action plan. However, the use of self-evaluation is not sufficient enough to identify all weaknesses and does not fully reflect the views of parents. In addition action plans are not specifically targeted on those things that have been identified as needing change. As a result, she is unable to effectively monitor and review practice and so 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 EY410305 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 923864 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 9 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

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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