Childminder in Hampshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/07/2013 04/04/2011

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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 engage with some children in a way that provides them with appropriate levels of individual support, promotes their safety or meets their specific learning needs.  The childminder's approach to managing behaviour does not take into account children's individual levels of understanding or specific needs and is not sufficient to promote children's personal, social and emotional development.  Partnerships with parents, carers and others involved in supporting children's care and education do not make a strong enough contribution to helping children settle or ensure that suitable interventions are initiated to meet special educational needs or disabilities.  The childminder does not plan for children's individual needs in a way that gives them equal opportunities to progress in their learning or in order for them to work towards their next steps in their learning. Particular weaknesses are in the programmes for

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This provision is inadequate

personal, social and emotional development and communication.  Self-evaluation and monitoring systems are weak and are ineffective in identifying key priorities for improvement in the educational programme. In particular equality of opportunity is not extended to all children.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder takes children to groups in the community that allows them to access a further range of activities.  An all-weather garden area allows children to access a variety of outdoor play opportunities.

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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 play spaces including the dining room, lounge and outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector engaged in ongoing discussion with the childminder and samples of policies and other records were checked.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records and electronic documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the process of self-evaluation and how the childminder obtains the views of all the users.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2001. She lives with her partner and four children in Popley, Basingstoke. The whole of the home is registered for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is currently caring for two children in the early years age range.

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must:

 ensure risk assessments take into consideration the risks or hazards which may arise for individual children, and identifies the steps to be taken to remove, minimise and manage those risks and hazards

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must:

 implement a policy and procedures, to promote equality of opportunity for children, which includes how the individual needs of all children, including those children with special educational needs or disabilities, will be included, valued and supported

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must:

 obtain and share information regularly with professionals, parents and carers and other early year providers to allow an effective two-way flow of information that informs planning and supports effective teaching

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must:

 improve knowledge of the learning and development requirements in order to consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child and use this information to identify their next steps and plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development

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must:

 develop the programme for children's personal, social and emotional development, to help children develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and to help children to learn how to manage their feelings and understand appropriate behaviour

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must:

 implement an effective behaviour management policy

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must:

 improve self-evaluation to promote monitoring and reflection on practice in order to evaluate and assess strengths and weaknesses and to drive improvement in children's learning and development.

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who attend

Children's learning and development is not well supported and progress for those children who have special educational needs and those children who are less confident communicators, in particular is poor. Some information is gathered on initial observations made by the childminder to form starting points for the children in their learning. Further information is provided by parents and other professionals involved in children's learning so that the childminder has a secure baseline on which to base her support. However, planning is weak overall as the childminder has not made effective use of the information she has gathered to inform the activities she offers. As a result, she does not provide a range of motivating or challenging experiences that helps children progress towards their individual next steps. Poor levels of adult interaction also hinder children's ability to develop secure attachments and make progress in their learning. The childminder has an

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who attend

insecure understanding of how to link what children are working towards in their learning, with the activities she offers. This means that she is unable to re-shape tasks or sharply focus her support to improve their learning, in order for children to reach the next stage in their development.

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who attend

Children have access to some activities that capture their interest. For example, they enjoy playing with plastic ducks in the garden, posting them down tubes and watching them fall into a tub. The childminder reads with young children and provides some support by encouraging children to hear new words such as 'duck' and 'quack'. However, children are not making expected levels of progress in their speaking or communication as the childminder does not actively encourage or provide opportunities for children to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves during their day. The childminder uses alternative ways of communicating with some children in the setting, such as baby signing and makaton sign language. However, she has not extended this to other children who struggle to communicate or devised a way of communicating that meets their individual needs. As a result, children do acquire strong foundations for the skills and attitudes

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who attend

necessary to prepare them for their next stage in learning.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are not sufficiently focussed on promoting parental involvement in children's learning. Parents comment positively on the care their child receives and the support the childminder offers them. The childminder shares information in the form of a daily diary which provides parents with brief details of their child's routine in the day and the activities they have undertaken. Further information is shared through progress books and an electronic system which allows parents remote access at any time. However as the childminder does not gather good quality information on children's progress, or support it appropriately, the effectiveness of information that she is currently sharing is variable. Therefore, it is not of sufficient quality for parents to continue to support their child's progress and development at home. Documentation, such as the two year check and records that are specific to children are not shared promptly with parents once they have

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who attend

left the setting. This means they are not able to share these records with the next early years provider caring for their child to offer continuity in children's learning.

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

The childminder does not meet the unique needs of the children attending. The childminder has not obtained enough information about children's specific additional needs to ensure that she provides effective levels of support to help children settle in her care. This means that the routine of the day and how this is managed for some children is not conducive to helping children feel safe or secure in the childminder's care. A concern was raised that the childminder does not adequately manage the safety of younger children on the return walk from school. The childminder has since completed a risk assessment for the school walk that includes the use of reins for younger children to promote their safety and independence. However, the childminder had failed to take into consideration the specific developmental needs of particular children in her care and meet these in an appropriate way. Therefore, the children's safety and well-being has been compromised,

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

as a minor incident occurred. Accidents are recorded in an appropriate way and parents are informed. The childminder has a first aid qualification and is able to treat minor injuries appropriately.

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

Resources in the childminders home are mostly accessible and provide children with a suitable selection of toys and play items which they can access in their day. An outdoor area has been created for children to play all year round and children are able to develop their physical skills as they ride on small tricycles or play games on the astro turf in the childminder's garden. The childminder has created a number of additional homemade resources, such as sorting boxes and a visual timetable, on the advice of professionals involved in supporting children with special educational needs. These are used with marginal success because the visual timetable does not encompass the full routine of the day with the childminder. In addition it is not used effectively to manage children's anxieties about busy periods in the day or new experiences.

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

The deployment of the childminder is not effective in meeting children's needs. A further concern was raised about the levels of support provided to younger children in respects to their behaviour and how it is managed. A concern was raised that suggested children have been left for long periods of time with little positive interaction. The evidence indicated that during the afternoon periods in particular, younger children are overwhelmed by the busy routines of the day. The childminder is too engaged in meeting older children's needs, for example preparing snacks and dinner that she is unable to provide the levels of support that the younger children need. Younger children and those children who have special educational needs and require additional levels of intervention do not receive appropriate support, and as a result on some occasions have become distressed in her care. Evidence found at inspection confirmed that children were not suitably supported

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

and that the childminder did not manage children's emotional well-being in a positive way that builds children's self-esteem. Behaviour strategies that are employed by the childminder are not consistent and do not help children learn about sharing or turn taking in a way that is appropriate to their levels of understanding. A trend of poorly managed behaviour, as a result of ineffective levels of support, has been observed in incident documentation kept by the childminder. This has a direct impact on the children's well- being and personal, social and emotional development. The childminder does not support children to acquire the skills and attitudes necessary to prepare them for their next stage in learning and school.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward as a result of a number of concerns raised to Ofsted. This included how the childminder manages children's behaviour and promotes children's safety and well-being; how parents are given access to information about their child's progress and the levels of support provided to children to meet their specific needs and routines. The childminder was found to have a poor understanding of how to promote children's behaviour and safety, and equality of opportunity in the setting, in particular with regard to children with special educational needs and disabilities. These are clear breaches of safeguarding and welfare requirements, which have an impact on the safety and well-being of children. In addition, the childminder is not complying with a number of requirements for the Childcare Register.

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provision

The childminder had an adequate understanding of her responsibilities regarding child protection and has a suitable knowledge that enables her to recognise and respond to child protection concerns appropriately. A range of policies and procedures are shared with parents through an online system and documentation such as permissions for outings and information on dietary needs are in place. Some written risk assessments have been completed but these are not robust enough to ensure children's safety in respects to their individual stages of development and understanding.

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provision

Self-evaluation procedures overall are poor. There are inadequate procedures to monitor the effectiveness of the educational provision and drive forward further improvements. The childminder has detailed through her observations and tracking of children that that some groups are not making as much progress in some areas of their learning as their peers. Although she has made referrals to outside agencies for further support and guidance, the childminder has not sought or accessed additional information or implemented suitable strategies to address these concerns to better promote children's progress. Action points identified by external agencies and professionals, who are also involved in supporting specific children, have not been suitably implemented or robustly monitored. This results in children not making sufficient progress given their starting points; especially in the prime areas of learning such as personal, social and emotional

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provision

development. This also impacts on their acquisition of valuable communication and language skills as they miss key opportunities to develop their speaking skills.

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provision

There are ineffective procedures in place to work in partnerships with others supporting children who share their care between more than one setting. The childminder has not made sufficient attempts to gather information from other early years staff and professionals that is pertinent to providing a shared and consistent approach to supporting a child previously in her care. As a result the childminder has been ineffective in promoting equality of opportunity in her setting and the needs of the child have not been met. Parents have some opportunities to input their views and feedback on the service provided by the childminder, through an online system, diaries or through daily discussions. However the childminder has not used these comments to good effect, as she has failed to recognise or act on concerns raised by a parent, which has since resulted in a complaint to Ofsted.

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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 children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that the childcare is accessible and inclusive by not refusing to provide childcare or treat any child less favourably than another child by reason of the child's: disability and/or learning difficulty (compulsory part of the Childcare Register) .  ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that the childcare is accessible and inclusive by not refusing to provide childcare or treat any child less favourably than another child by reason of the child's: disability and/or learning difficulty (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 156437 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 921322 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 3 Number of children on roll 3

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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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