Childminder in Buckinghamshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/07/2013 07/10/2010

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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

 Records of children's attendance and assistants' working patterns are not in place. The childminder is therefore unable to demonstrate when children and assistants are on the premises and how she has met the required adult to child ratios.  The childminder has not kept Ofsted informed of changes in circumstances such as the use of additional premises. Consequently, children are using premises, which have not been deemed safe and fit for purpose.  The childminder fails to understand the requirements related to space. The lack of open space and access to resources limits children's ability to play and explore.  The childminder is not able to offer children acceptable levels of attention to be able to meet their individual needs well and the care of older children on the premises has adversely affected the care younger children receive.  The childminder does not have a clear understanding of working in partnership with

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This provision is inadequate

parents. Appropriate consent has not been sought to leave children with an assistant.  The provider does not have a clear understanding of the quality of practice. She does not support her assistants in their roles and responsibilities towards meeting children's needs. As a result, children make limited progress in their learning and development and their welfare is not fully considered.  There is no clear programme to reflect on practice, identify weaknesses and develop improvement plans. Assistants are not sufficiently helped to develop their skills. This results in the continuation of poor practice and assistants who are unmotivated.  The childminder has failed to provide children with a range of activities that cover all areas of learning, with particular regards to communication and language development, mathematical development and physical development.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder works with parents to help children settle into the provision and children appear happy.

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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 children engaged in activities with the childminder and assistants.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's development records, policies and procedures and other documents and records to check if legal requirements are being met.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed how the premises and resources within the premises are used.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2006. She lives with her husband and three children in Burnham, Buckinghamshire. The childminder uses the whole of the ground floor of the house for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder makes use of local facilities such as parks, the library and toddler groups. The family has three cats, a rabbit and a guinea pig. The childminder works with a team of assistants. She is currently minding 11 children in the early years age range who attend a variety of sessions. The childminder also cares for a number of school age children. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register.

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enforcement action:

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

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enforcement action:

notifies Ofsted of any change in the address of the premises, which may affect the space available to children and the quality of childcare available to them. keeps a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises, their hours of attendance and the names of each child's key person. obtains parents' and/or carers' permission to leave children with an assistant, including for very short periods of time.

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must:

 ensure any care provided for older children does not adversely affect the care of children receiving early years provision

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must:

 improve the educational programme for physical development, by helping children learn about health and self-care skills by teaching children about the importance of hygiene and hand washing routines and by challenging children's physical abilities through the activities and resources provided

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must:

 improve the educational programme for communication and language by offering children opportunities to extend their vocabulary by carefully questioning them and using language with children to extend their learning

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must:

 develop knowledge of the learning and development requirements in order to ensure that every child's learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs and challenge children to reach the next steps in learning across all areas, particularly mathematical development. Seek to engage and support parents in guiding their child's development at home

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must:

 improve knowledge of assessment and use observations to understand children's levels of achievements, interests and learning styles and use this information to review children's progress between the ages of two and three years and provide parents with a short written summary of their child's development

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must:

 make sure the premises and equipment are organised in a way that meets the children's needs, particularly in making sure children have plenty of space to move around freely and to choose the toys they wish to play with

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must:

 reflect on practice and identify strengths and key areas of development that will improve the quality of the provision for all children

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must:

 make sure staff understand their roles and responsibilities and that they have opportunities for training and development, to improve their knowledge of the welfare, and learning and development requirements.

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who attend

The childminder has a limited understanding of the learning and development requirements. She offers children some exciting activities such as watching chicks hatch. However, she fails to help children actively explore the range of resources she has. Children lack adequate space to move comfortably and engage in their learning. Poorly placed furniture, the numbers of other children and adults sharing the space restrict children's movements. Toys and play resources are chosen for babies and toddlers, and they are not able to freely choose what they want to play with. This limits their ability to initiate their own play and learning. Older children spend lots of time sitting at the table drawing or eating, or play out in the garden where there is more space. When older school-aged children arrive after school, they sit in front of the television or play outside. This means the space available to younger children and access to toys becomes much

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who attend

more restricted. The childminder's assistants play with babies and toddlers at floor level. However, they do not use sufficient language around children to help them develop their communication and language skills. For example, when young children explore toys with buttons and flaps, the assistants sit with them but do not talk to them about what they are doing to extend their vocabulary. The childminder offers some appropriate activities to pre-school children. She stands back and watches play but does not help shape learning by getting involved. There is insufficient promoting of children's physical, and communication and language skills. For example, when children draw, the childminder tells them they are doing a good job, but does not ask them about their pictures to encourage them to talk about what they are doing. Children are not acquiring the skills they need for the next stage in their learning. This includes developing the skills they will

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who attend

Children join in with activities; they are happy and comfortable in the environment. They accept and play with the resources offered to them. Babies have opportunities to enjoy tummy time. Assistants help them to sit up to reach for toys and resources placed around them. Some babies are able to crawl but their efforts to crawl across the room are restricted. This is because the assistants prevent them from crawling freely, constantly bringing them back. On occasion assistants support walking skills by holding babies by the hand while they walk. Older toddlers and pre-school children enjoy activities at the table, such as drawing and mark-making and the childminder praises their efforts. Children also use the garden. Babies are able to explore a small range of baby toys, puzzles and books in this area. Children that are more mobile play with the pirate ship climbing frame and ball pool. However, the range of resources to support children's physical development is

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who attend

insufficient. For example, there are few push along or pull type toys, trundle bikes or scooters, large building bricks, tubes, hula hoops or apparatus to balance on. Activities generally keep children's attention and occupy them but are not challenging. Planning for activities is insufficient. The childminder and her assistants do not understand the use of careful questioning to help children broaden their learning experiences. There are no discussions to encourage children's mathematical understanding of size, shape, colour or number.

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who attend

The childminder takes too little account of what parents know about their own children. This means that the childminder has insufficient information to establish initial starting points to children's learning. She has some knowledge of how children learn. However, the lack of effective teaching skills used, and the limited resources, compromises how much learning takes place. There are learning journals for each of the children in the early years age range, but observations are not linked to the different areas of learning. The childminder is not able to identify clear targets for children's learning or plan to achieve these goals. The childminder talks to parents each day, keeping them informed about what children have done and enjoyed. Some of the information shared relates to children's development. However, the childminder lacks the information she needs to share children's development in detail with parents. The information parents receive is therefore

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who attend

limited. She therefore fails to promote shared learning experiences between the provision and home.

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

The childminder and parents work together to settle children into the provision. Children appear happy, form attachments to the childminder and her assistants, and turn to them for comfort and reassurance. However, there is no clear key person system. This means that children to not have someone special who cares for their needs. Assistants are spread between care practices and supporting play. They manage the children relatively well providing them with role models of how to behave and build relationships with others. Children are compliant; they understand the routines and boundaries. The achievement tree helps children feel pride in the things they do well. Parents are encouraged to look at this when they come and pick children up. Overall, the environment is safe, and children learn how to play safely with tools such as pencils and crayons. Some self-care skills are encouraged such as putting on shoes and jackets before going outside. However, children

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

are not sufficiently learning about their own health and the importance of hand washing. They all share one towel with many other children. Most meals and drinks are healthy. However, there is little reinforcement of healthy eating habits through discussion and learning about where food comes from. This impacts on children's physical development.

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

While the environment is generally clean and resources are of good quality, it is not easy for younger children to move around or access toys to support their learning. The childminder talks to children about the children that they have sponsored in other parts of the world and in general resources reflect other communities. Children learn about their own and others' faiths and cultures. However, the childminder is not able to share her attention with all the children and meet their individual needs as the care of the older children impacts on the care the younger children receive. This fails to prepare children for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

The childminder has a poor overview of the learning and development requirements and the educational programmes, which mean children are not making sufficient progress. Her observational assessments are not clear or precise enough. This limits her ability to plan for children's individual needs and how much information she can share with parents on development. She has some information on how to conduct the two-year progress check. Despite caring for children in this age group she has not yet completed a check and shared information with parents. This is a breach of a legal requirement.

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provision

The childminder is able to talk about safeguarding children and has a procedure in place to underpin her service. The inspection was brought forward due to concerns raised to Ofsted regarding the childminder not maintaining the correct adult to child ratios. In addition concerns were raised that the childminder was using additional premises for childcare purposes that Ofsted had not been informed of. The inspection found that the childminder is in breach of a number of legal requirements, which impact on children's safety. She is not keeping a daily record of children's attendance or a record of assistants' working patterns. She is therefore unable to demonstrate that she is maintaining the correct adult to child ratios. This impacts on children's safety in the event of an emergency arising. The care of older children on the premises has adversely affected the care younger children receive. This has resulted in children receiving too little attention to meet

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provision

their individual needs. She has also left children in the care of assistants without first seeking written consent from parents. The childminder has failed to inform Ofsted of the use of second premises and has been using unregistered premises as part of her service. The use of an unregistered premises means that this premises has not been deemed to be safe for children's use by Ofsted. This compromises children's safety. Ofsted intends to take enforcement action. The requirements of the Childcare Register are also not fully met.

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provision

The childminder does not have a system in place to reflect on her service and identify areas for improvement. She accepts that she has not been working effectively. She has not sought the views of children, parents or assistants to address weaknesses or to find ways to make future improvements. There are no systems in place to address weaknesses within the team, offer coaching or development opportunities. Training covers basic skills. The childminder is therefore not showing the capacity for continual improvement.

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provision

The childminder has a friendly relationship with parents and shares basic information with them regularly. She is part of a childminding network and has worked with her local authority in the past to support children's care and welfare. In addition, she shares information with local nurseries about children's achievements and tires to link in activities to support learning.

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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:

 obtain consent from parents for children to be left with a childminding assistant for periods of no more than two hours per day (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises, their hours of attendance and the names of each child's key person (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep a record of the name, home address, and date of birth of each child who is looked after on the premises and the name and 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)  inform Ofsted of a change to the address of the premises where they are providing childcare (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  obtain consent from parents for children to be left with a childminding assistant for periods of no more than two hours per day (voluntary part of the Childcare

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

Register)  keep a daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises, their hours of attendance and the names of each child's key person (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  keep a record of the name, home address, and date of birth of each child who is looked after on the premises c) The name and 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)  inform Ofsted of the following: a) A change to the address of the premises where they are providing childcare (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 EY342819 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 924831 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 10 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 21

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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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