Childminder in Leicestershire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/08/2013 16/07/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The childminder does not have sufficient understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements with regard to documentation and records that must be in place to fully safeguard children. For example, essential information about the children and their parents or carers, attendance records, accident and medication records.  The links with other early years settings that children attend are not yet fully established and so children do not always receive effective continuity in their learning and care.  Priorities and plans for improvement are not fully developed or met and are not supported by the views of parents or children. Consequently, they are not involved in how the setting moves forward.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy and form a secure attachment with the childminder. This helps them to settle and have fun in the setting.  Children have opportunities to initiate their own play through a range of accessible resources to support their learning and development.

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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 dining room.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journal records, planning documentation, the childminder's self-evaluation form and a selection of policies and children's records that were available.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2009 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives in a semi-detached house in a village location near to Leicester. The childminder uses most of the home and enclosed rear garden for childminding. Toilet facilities are provided on the first floor. She lives with her family and has two children aged nine and seven years. The family has three cats as pets. She visits the local shops and parks on a regular basis. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

The childminder currently has 11 children on roll. Of whom, five are in the early years age group who attend for a variety of sessions and six are school-age children who attend before and after school and during the school holidays. She is open Monday to Friday all year round from 7am to 5.30pm, except for family holidays and all main bank holidays.

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must:

 raise awareness of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage with reference to the safeguarding and welfare requirements in order to maintain children's safety

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must:

 ensure information is in place for each child being cared for which includes their full name; date of birth; name and address of every parent and/or carer who is known to the provider (and information about any other person who has parental responsibility for the child); which parent(s) and/or carer(s) the child normally lives with; and emergency contact details for parents and/or carers

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must:

 ensure a daily record is kept of the names of the children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance

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must:

 ensure that all medicines (both prescription and non-prescription) are only administered to a child where written permission for that particular medicine has been obtained from the child's parent and/or carer

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must:

 ensure that a written record is maintained each time a medicine is administered to a child, and the child's parents and/or carers are informed on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable

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must:

 ensure a written record of accidents or injuries and first-aid treatment is maintained and parents and/or carers are informed of any accident or injury sustained by the child on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable, of any first aid treatment given

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must:

 ensure records are easily accessible and readily available

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must:

 ensure records when relating to individual children are retained for a reasonable period of time after they have left the provision

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must:

 ensure you adhere to the ratio requirements at all times in the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements.

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

 strengthen the two-way flow of information with other early years settings to share information about children's progress and achievements, to help ensure the child's needs are met and to provide continuity of their learning and development  develop self-evaluation and plans for improvement, taking into account views of parents and children in order to prioritise areas for development and to implement changes more effectively.

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who attend

Children are secure and move freely between the activities that are on offer to them. The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of the learning and development requirements and of the seven areas of learning. She demonstrates an acceptable understanding of guidance and systems are in place to ensure children make satisfactory progress. The childminder is aware of the children and what they can do and like doing. The childminder is starting to carry out suitable observations of children at play and keeps brief records of their achievements. She makes a rudimentary analysis of her observations and intuitively plans for the next stages of the children's education. The childminder acknowledges the children's interests and their preferred play materials. This provides an adequate range of activities. She has an awareness of how to carry out the 'progress check at age two' and understands how to involve parents fully in the process, so that

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who attend

they can share what they know about children's learning. Children are settled, animated and happy. The childminder asks questions that make children think.

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who attend

The childminder has reviewed the information with regard to the 'progress check at age two. Hence, she shows a positive attitude towards meeting her responsibilities with regard to checking that the younger children are meeting their expected milestones. The childminder's planning is very flexible, she plans her days with children around their interests and from the parent's requests. For example, children choose a matching game to play and the childminder fits in with this and plays with the children. As a child looks for a matching card, the childminder offers verbal clues to make the child think about what they are looking for. The child then gains a sense of achievement as they find the matching card for themselves. The childminder observes the children and knows them well as she notices signs of the younger children being tired. They have their own comforters and settle down quickly to sleep. Independence is promoted, as the children are

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who attend

encouraged to feed themselves, with the childminder nearby to support them and offer appropriate encouragement.

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who attend

Children are encouraged to talk and communicate with the childminder and their peers. The younger children babble but demonstrate that they are aware of what is being said to them in their play. For example, they follow simple instructions. Older children talk about things that interest them. When playing a game they understand the rules of the game and this helps to promote the skills they will need to be ready for school. Children enjoy stories and books with the childminder and they sit on her knee to listen. Story books are accessible and children seek them independently and sit to turn the pages themselves. This enhances their early literacy skills. Children explore early technology and press buttons or turn the dials of the interactive toys. They build well with the large plastic building blocks and make their own structures, this helps them to begin to understand about size and shape as they fit the blocks together. They also play with different shape

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who attend

sorter toys to help with their understanding of different shapes. Children enjoy role play as they pretend to be doctors and care for the childminder, who pretends to be poorly. They enjoy singing and following the actions to songs and rhymes.

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who attend

The childminder works well with parents to help children to settle. She encourages parents to share what they know about their children and keeps them informed of their children's progress.

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

Children demonstrate that they feel secure and form suitable emotional attachments with the childminder. They receive natural cuddles as they sit close by her listening to stories. The childminder responds to children's comments enthusiastically and is genuinely interested in what they do and say, which raises their confidence and promotes their self- esteem well. Children are happy and enjoy what they doing. They learn to behave well and play cooperatively. The childminder has simple house rules for the children to follow. This helps them to be helpful and positive towards each other. The childminder suitably manages children's behaviour according to their level of understanding. Children's behaviour is good and they are confident.

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

The childminder helps children to develop good hygiene routines and praises them for all their achievements. For example, they are encouraged to wash their hands appropriately. Children help themselves to a drink as they become thirsty, which ensures that they stay hydrated. Currently, parents provide all foods and meals for their children but the childminder does encourage healthy foods. The children have sufficient opportunities to explore the community around them, develop their physical skills, and get plenty of fresh air. They regularly visit the local parks to enable them to use the challenging play equipment and begin to have an understanding of risks and how to manage them.

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

New children settle well because the childminder uses an introduction for every new child and family. She invites parents to bring children to visit several times and gradually extends their time with her. The childminder liaises with parents to establish children's care routine from home. This supports consistent care between her and the families. However, this information is not in place for all children, which means their needs are not always met as well as possible. Transitions are not always as well developed as possible as the childminder does not have working relationships in place with all settings that children attend.

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

The childminder completes risk assessments and this minimises hazards to children to promote their well-being. Children develop an understanding of their own safety because the childminder makes sure that daily opportunities are included to learn about safety. Emergency evacuation is planned and shows a proactive approach towards helping children to understand safety. The childminder offers resources and activities to children that are selected to meet their development and interest. They are of suitable quality and there is an acceptable range.

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provision

The childminder does not have an acceptable knowledge of her role in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is in reference to the documentation and records that must be in place and maintained to fully safeguard the children. This inspection took place following a concern raised about the number of early years children that the childminder was caring for at any one time. The inspection found that the childminder was verbally able to evidence the number of children she has been caring for and this at times was not appropriately within ratios, as she was caring for more early years children than the requirements allow. She does not maintain a record of their attendance to fully support her and to help her protect the children in an emergency. The childminder also does not maintain other relevant personal information about some of the children that are in her care. This means that she does not have the

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provision

pertinent information to fully protect and safeguard some of the children that she cares for. The childminder could not provide other records for the inspection, for example, medication and accident records. One child was taking medication and this had not being recorded nor had written consent been gained. This practice does not protect the childminder or the children concerned. Some children's records have also not been retained for an appropriate amount of time. Although, this has no impact on children it means the childminder cannot respond appropriately to any future concerns.

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provision

The childminder knows the procedures to follow if she has any concerns about a child. Parents are provided with copies of the safeguarding procedures to ensure that they understand them. The childminder conducts regular risk assessments indoors and prior to going on outings to adequately minimise the hazards to children's safety. Children are secure in the home, enjoy their play and learning and are confident. Consequently, children have a positive experience that forms a base for continued development. The childminder has a positive attitude to equal opportunities and welcomes all children and families into the home. The childminder is aware of the requirement to complete a 'progress check at age two'. She has begun to discuss the information she has gained through her observations of the children's progress with the parents and this is used to inform the progress check.

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provision

The childminder has satisfactorily addressed the recommendations raised at the last inspection. She has access to a range of training courses to improve her knowledge and understanding of being a childminder. She speaks with parents and has established a warm relationship with regard to children's learning and development. However, they are not involved in the drive for improvement and evaluative work that is undertaken by the childminder. The childminder has started to carry out a self-evaluation process to identify the quality and impact of the provision in supporting children's learning and development. However, this is not robust or reflective of her practice. This means that she is not fully aware of what her current strengths and weaknesses are and she cannot address the weaknesses effectively. This means she is not moving forward. The childminder does not liaise with all other providers who care for and deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage to

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provision

some of the children that she cares for. This means that she is cannot fully support children's learning or promote continuity of care.

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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:

 keep records of the following and retain them for a period of two years: the name, home address and date of birth of each child who is looked after on the premises, the name, home address and telephone number of a parent/guardian/carer of each child who is looked after on the premises (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a written record of all accidents which occur on the premises where childcare is provided (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a written record of any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises, including the date and circumstances and who administered it, including medicine which the child is permitted to self-administer, together with a record of a parent/guardian/carer's consent (compulsory part of the Childcare

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

Register)  keep records of the following and retain them for a period of two years: the name, home address and date of birth of each child who is looked after on the premises, the name, home address and telephone number of a parent/guardian/carer of each child who is looked after on the premises (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a written record of all accidents which occur on the premises where childcare is provided (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a written record of any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises, including the date and circumstances and who administered it, including medicine which the child is permitted to self-administer, together with a record of a parent/guardian/carer's consent (voluntary part of the Childcare

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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 EY382139 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 922719 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 11

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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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