Childminder in Lincolnshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/09/2013 01/03/2011

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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

 The childminder has failed to notify Ofsted of all people working within her home and she does not understand the minimum age a person has to be before they are counted within ratios. This lack of understanding has led to the childminder not effectively monitoring her provision, which has resulted in her breaching several requirements, which compromises children's welfare.  Children's well-being is not always effectively protected, because the childminder does not fully ensure the family dog does not have access to the areas where children sleep. Children and staff attendance is also not accurately recorded to meet requirements and to verify how the adult to child ratios are met.  Assessment of children's progress is not always fully up-to-date and accurate to ensure each child is making good progress within all areas and to ensure more purposeful next steps for learning are identified.

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It has the following strengths

 Children have fun in the well-resourced covered outdoor play area, which has been successfully organised to enable them to freely access a good range of toys and resources to meet their needs.  Children are respected as unique individuals as the childminder works closely with parents, gathering and exchanging some clear information.

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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 and care routines in the ground floor rooms and outside play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the children, the childminder and the co-childminder during the course of the inspection. She also conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at planning, observation and assessment records, as well as other relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through written information reference letters seen at inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2003 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder works with another registered childminder and when they work together this enables the number of children being cared to be increased. She lives with her two teenage children in Lincoln. The whole of the ground floor, a bedroom and a bathroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a dog as a pet.

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Information about the setting

The childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 10 children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday.

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must:

 develop knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements to ensure they are more closely monitored and continually met, with specific regard to; understanding that only people aged 17 or over can be counted in ratios

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must:

 ensure an accurate record of attendance is maintained showing the names of the children being cared for, their hours of attendance and the names of the people caring for them

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must:

 assess children's progress more accurately to ensure they are achieving fully in all areas and use this information to identify more purposeful next steps for learning for every child.

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

 ensure all areas are always fully safe for children to use, with specific regard to preventing the dog accessing areas where children are sleeping.

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who attend

Children enjoy playing in the well-resourced, covered outdoor area, where they make their own decisions as they choose what they would like to play with. They freely access resources covering all areas of learning. For example, they have fun in the role-play shop area, skilfully pressing the buttons on the till to make it work when they pretend to buy food. They freely access books in a quieter area and they play imaginatively with cars and small world play resources. Within the outside garden area they have fun exploring and investigating the mud kitchen and their awareness of their natural surroundings is promoted during nature walks. Children engage in lots of messy play experiences, such as painting, bubble blowing and foam activities, which enables them to develop their creativity and early writing skills. Visually stimulating and hands-on learning experiences, provide children with some good learning experiences. For example, a simple experiment

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who attend

of putting currants into lemonade, helps children to learn that when these items are put together the bubbles lift the currants up. As the childminder continually engages in children's play, chatting to them and asking a suitable range of questions, this appropriately promotes their critical thinking skills.

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who attend

Activities are planned to introduce children to new experiences. For example, the childminder provides bowls of jelly, dried rice cereals, beans and dried pasta for children to explore. The childminder notes that one child is reluctant to explore the jelly and the beans, preferring to opt for touching the rice cereals only. The childminder puts her own hands into each bowl as she discusses how each item feels as she tries to encourage them to do the same. When the child shows no interest in the other items, the childminder allows them to continue to explore the touch and feel of the rice cereals as she continually chats to them about what they are doing, building their vocabulary. The co-childminder then adds water to the rice cereals, which provides the child with a new experience. They continue to explore the touch and feel of the wet rice cereals, with the childminder also encouraging them to listen to the sounds that they now make. Further discussions are

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who attend

then created as the childminder asks children whether they have water on their breakfast cereals. Children identify they have milk and another child leads on from this as they advise that they like sauce with their pasta.

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who attend

Ongoing observational assessments are in place and shared with parents to enable them to be part of the children's ongoing learning and development. However, assessment of children's progress is not always accurately maintained to fully ensure each child is making progress within all areas of learning. This also results in purposeful next steps for learning not always being as effectively identified as they could be, to fully ensure children's learning is maximised in all areas. Activities are planned around children's interests and by the childminder continually responding to their emerging needs. This often results in the childminder sitting down and actively engaging in children's chosen play experiences, where she offers appropriate levels of support and encouragement to meet their needs. Overall, children's learning and development is satisfactorily promoted at the current time, which provides them with some of the key skills needed for starting school.

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

Children relate well to the childminder and the co-childminder as they both work well together to support the inclusion of all children. Each childminder has their own key children, which enables them to develop some good links with each child's family to ensure constant information is shared and exchanged. This results in the childminder respecting and valuing the individuality of each child. It also helps children to feel settled and secure as they develop secure emotional attachments to the childminder. Children's good behaviour is promoted through lots of praise and encouragement. The childminder builds children's confidence, supporting them to develop their social skills as they begin to play cooperatively with their peers. She also helps them to develop independence with their health and self-care skills as she encourages them to wash their own hands and blow their own nose. Discussions relating to healthy eating and why it is important to be active,

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

promote children's awareness of developing healthy lifestyles.

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

Children learn to stay safe as the childminder supports their awareness of stranger danger. When people visit the childminder's home, she takes time to introduce the visitor to the children, advising them that they are a friend so it is ok to talk to them. Simple rules are reinforced, which children learn to adopt to keep themselves and others safe. For example, children listen and begin walking inside when the childminder reminds them not to run. However, while children's awareness of health and safety is promoted quite well in some areas, overall they are given a false sense of security because the childminder has breached a number of legal requirements. For example, accurate records of attendance are not maintained by the childminder. Therefore, it does not always show all of the children she is responsible for when the co-childminder is not present and it also does not include details of all people providing care for these children. This potentially compromises

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

Children are supported to make a smooth transition from the childminder's provision to other early years settings and to school. The childminder obtains parents' permission to share and exchange information with the child's new setting, providing them with some appropriate information on children's starting points. Younger children also go on the school run with their older peers, which builds their confidence as they become familiar with the school environment.

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provision

The childminder has failed to monitor and meet all of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, resulting in her breaching several of these and committing an offence. While this has not been done intentionally, the childminder's lack of understanding of all the requirements for the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage has resulted in notifications to Ofsted not being made and other requirements not being met. The childminder has also not met all of the requirements relating to the Childcare Register for older children. This results in children's health and safety being compromised. For example, the childminder has failed to notify Ofsted of all people working from her premises. Fortunately, both people are already known to Ofsted as they are already childminder's in their own right, resulting in some suitability checks being already completed. However, by not notifying Ofsted of these people, this results in Ofsted not

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provision

being able to check and confirm whether any new and updated checks are needed to fully verify each person's suitability. The childminder has also not accurately recorded children's attendance, specifically when she becomes responsible for the co-childminder's children. When this occurs, the childminder has sometimes brought in another registered childminder to assist her, but this has not been recorded to fully verify how the adult to child ratios are continually met. The childminder lacks full knowledge of the requirement relating to only including people over the age of 17 in the adult to child ratios.

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provision

Systems for self-evaluation are satisfactory at best. While the childminder has made improvements in some areas since the last inspection, she has failed to fully monitor her whole provision to ensure all of the statutory requirements are met.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children in some areas are adequate. The childminder has a clear understanding of child protection issues and procedures, ensuring action is taken to protect a child if she suspects they are being abused or neglected. Supervision of children is good, with clear outings procedures followed to ensure children remain safe when they are away from the childminder's home. The childminder conducts risk assessments identifying and minimising potential risks in most areas. However, the childminder has yet to ensure that the family dog does not have access to the rooms where children are sleeping, to fully ensure the safety of children is not compromised at any time. The good organisation and accessibility of the wide range of toys and resources, creates a welcoming environment for all children.

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provision

The childminder works in partnership with parents and other providers to promote the inclusion of all children. Parents are aware that the childminder works with a new co- childminder and they have given their consent for their children to be cared for by either provider. Daily discussions and diaries keep parents appropriately informed of how their children have been each day. The diaries are also used to share and exchange information with other providers. This promotes some continuity of care and learning for all children. Recent reference letters confirm that parents are happy with the childminder's provision. They note that the childminder has helped a child develop their speech in a safe and caring environment. They confirm that the childminder is trustworthy and she creates a loving and caring environment for their 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:

 keep records of the following and retain them for a period of two years: 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)  inform Ofsted of the following: the name date of birth, address and telephone number of any person working with children (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  keep records of the following and retain them for a period of two years: 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)  inform Ofsted of the following: the name date of birth, address and telephone number of any person working with children (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 EY270961 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 819871 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 10

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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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