Childminder in Essex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/06/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 number of children cared for by the childminder impacts on her ability to ensure that all children's needs are met and that they are kept safe.  The childminder does not make sure that areas in her home used by children and her care practice is safe. This means that children are at risk of harm.  The childminder demonstrates a poor knowledge and understanding of statutory requirements. This does not ensure that children in her care are able to progress in their learning and development and are kept healthy and safe.  The childminder's partnership with parents and other settings children attend do not promote the two-way flow of information. For example, information about children's starting points is not obtained and there is no exchange of information with other providers regarding children's learning. This hinders children's progress.  The way that the childminder reflects on the service she provides is not effective. This

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This provision is inadequate

results in her not implementing improvements or training, which are needed to ensure that legal requirements are met.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are provided with opportunities to be active through outdoor play in the childminder's garden and regular trips out of the setting.

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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 taking part in activities in the playroom, living room and garden of the childminder's home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked through a range of documentation including the childminder's policies, procedures and children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a wide range of discussions with the childminder and interacted with minded children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through information provided by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2011 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children age nine and five years in a house in Harlow, Essex. The whole of the property and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has pet fish. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from local pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently two children on roll, both of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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enforcement action:

We will issue a Welfare Requirement Notice with a completion date of 22 August 2013 requiring the provider to:

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enforcement action:

ensure that ratios are maintained at all times to ensure their needs are met and to ensure their safety

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enforcement action:

ensure that children are adequately supervised to ensure that they are within sight and hearing and always within sight or hearing

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enforcement action:

ensure risk assessments are reviewed regularly and implemented effectively in practice, that they identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis and how the risk will be removed or minimised.

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must:

 improve the daily experience of children in the early years setting by updating training, skills and knowledge of Early Years Foundation Stage

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must:

 use information identified through observation and assessment in order to accurately plan the educational programme based on children's identified next steps in learning, so that they make good progress

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must:

 develop the two-way flow of information with other providers that children attend in parallel, in order to fully support children's learning and development

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must:

 take account of the individual needs, interests and stages of development of each child at the outset to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development

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must:

 promote the good health of children attending, this refers in particular to ensuring that fresh drinking water is available and accessible to children at all times.

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

 improve the methods for reviewing and monitoring practice so that weaknesses, such as the accessibility of resources, are quickly identified, action is taken to address these and any required training can be sought.

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who attend

The childminder demonstrates an insecure knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She undertakes regular observations of the children in her care and assesses this information to accurately identify their development stage. However, she does not use the information gained to consistently match activities to children's next steps in learning. Therefore, learning experiences do not fully reflect the individual needs of children attending. As a result, educational programmes do not support children to make adequate progress in their learning or support school readiness. The childminder has a reasonable range of toys and resources although some are not easily accessible, which further restricts children's learning opportunities. The childminder initiates ongoing communication with parents, which ensures that she keeps up-to-date about each child's personal care needs. Parents

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who attend

are invited to view information about their child's progress via a secure online service. This gives them access to data about their children's development stage and learning needs. As a result, they are provided with information about how they can support learning at home.

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who attend

The childminder shows a limited understanding about how children learn through play and exploration. For example, she does not consistently recognise opportunities to support and extend young children's learning. While she demonstrates some sound teaching techniques, these do not always meet children's individual learning needs. This is due to some activities being pitched at an inappropriate level. As a result, they do not effectively support children's future learning and readiness for school. For example, the childminder's use of closed questions does not foster children's critical thinking.

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who attend

At times children positively seek out the childminder for comfort and to join in with their games. However, the childminder's lack of understanding with regard to effective learning means that she fails to sensitively fit in with their ideas. For example, she directs children's play during a construction activity. As a result, children are not enabled to explore and enjoy achieving what they set out to do. This inhibits active learning, which in turn stifles development. The childminder does not consistently foster children's communication and language skills through sensitively encouraging the correct pronunciation of words. While all children engage in some play, their learning is not sufficiently extended. This is because they lack appropriate support from the childminder, who is often distracted by the needs of her own children and those of the minded children. As a consequence, her lack of focus

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who attend

means that she does not consistently engage with children. This does not effectively promote children's learning, self-esteem and confidence. The childminder supports and encourages children's physical and problem solving skills as they undertake puzzles. However, her focus is inconsistent. For example, she fails to engage children in learning about capacity during a water play activity.

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who attend

The childminder provides opportunities for children to be active through regular trips out of the setting. These include walks in local woodland and access to soft play equipment at the local children's centre. This ensures that children access large play equipment, which helps to develop their coordination and balance. Children are encouraged to put on and take off their own shoes when accessing the garden or going out of the home. This helps towards supporting their growing independence.

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

This inspection took place due to a concern received by Ofsted regarding the childminder over minding. This concern was found to be accurate and demonstrates the childminder's poor understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is a breach of the Early Years Foundation Stage Welfare Requirements and the requirements for the Childcare Register. This significantly impacts on her ability to provide a reasonable quality of care, which does not support children's well-being or needs. Children currently attending were known to the childminder prior to their start dates and had therefore already formed a secure attachment with her. However, the childminder does not find out valuable information about what children know and can do prior to their start date. This does not enable her to securely organise activities to meet their individual needs. In addition, the childminder's lack of planning creates an environment which is at

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

times chaotic. This further impacts on children's ability to learn effectively. Children's behaviour is supported adequately by the childminder who talks to them about sharing and being kind to others. This helps towards supporting children's transition into school.

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

Children's health and well-being is not fully protected because the childminder does not ensure that fresh drinking water is available and accessible to them at all times. She ensures that children are provided with a balanced range of foods including breakfast and snacks. The childminder offers advice to parents about appropriate foods to include in their child's packed lunch, which helps to support well-being. Hygiene practice ensures that children are encouraged to wash their hands at appropriate times, for example, after outdoor play and before meals.

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

The childminder holds regular discussions with children regarding how to keep themselves safe. For example, she explains that 'we might trip over toys if they are not tidied away'. Children enjoy opportunities to take part in physical exercise as they access large play equipment in the childminder's garden and during trips out in the local community. This helps towards developing their understanding about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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provision

Leadership and management is inadequate. The childminder demonstrates a limited understanding of how to meet safeguarding and welfare requirements. While she has completed training in child protection and would take appropriate action if she had concerns about a child in her care, she has failed to recognise and implement adequate safety measures to consistently protect the welfare of children in her home. For example, children and babies have access to trailing wires in a bedroom and the living room. Consequently, the safety and welfare of children is not fully protected. This is a breach of the welfare requirements and also of the requirements for the Childcare Register. The childminder has undertaken relevant paediatric first aid training as required, which means that she is able to provide emergency care for children in the event of an accident.

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provision

The childminder has an inadequate understanding of her responsibility to ensure that the learning and development requirements are met, because she does not understand how to support children's learning effectively. She has developed sound relationships with parents and shares information about children's development. As a result, parents are sufficiently informed about their child's progress. Information collected by the childminder from parents includes comments such as 'I am very happy with the activities you give my child, the daily diary helps me to feel involved'. Parents express their satisfaction with the service describing it as 'a home away from home environment'. Children attend other early years settings in parallel to the childminder. However, relationships are not adequately fostered with other providers, and as a result, children's continuity of learning is not supported.

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provision

The childminder undertakes self-evaluation of her practice and as a result, she has identified some strengths and areas for future improvement. She seeks the opinion of parents through the use of discussion and questionnaires and has also sought the opinion of the local authority development officer. However, the childminder has not ensured that all legal requirements are met and she has taken too little action to tackle some areas of identified weakness. For example, she cares for more than the permitted number of children. Therefore improvements have had insufficient impact towards adequately improving practice.

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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 the premises and equipment used for the purposes of childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (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 the premises and equipment used for the purposes of childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY429727 Local authority Essex Inspection number 919870 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 2

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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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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