Childminder in Medway

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/10/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 The childminder has developed caring relationships with children and this supports their well-being.  The childminder helps promote children's confidence and communication development.  The daily dairy informs parents generally about their child's day.  The childminder uses children's interests when making resources available and planning some activities to help keep them engaged.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder has two dogs and has just started to review the possible risks to children and implement a risk assessment, following a concern about the behaviour of one of the dogs.  The smoke detector on the first floor is not working and the childminder is not regularly practising fire evacuation drills with children so they learn about keeping themselves and others safe.  The childminder is not consistently identifying next steps in children's learning, enabling her to plan challenging experiences for each child, across the areas of learning.  The childminder is not fully effectively sharing information with parents and other early years settings about children's learning to help support their continual progress.

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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 viewed the rooms used by children and had discussions with the childminder.  The inspector observed children and childminder during play activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the childminder's safeguarding knowledge, self- evaluation and looked at other documentation relating to children's learning.  The inspector took note of parents' views.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2013. She lives with her partner and three children in a house in Lordswood, Kent. The ground floor of the premises is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The family has two dogs, five guinea pigs and two cats. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is currently minding two children, of these one is in the early years age range. The childminder collects children from the local school and occasionally attends toddler groups in the area.

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must:

 continually review the newly implemented procedures for assessing the possible risks to children from the dogs and manage any potential ongoing risks

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must:

 ensure that the appropriate fire detection and control equipment, for example, smoke detectors are in working order and practise regular fire drills with children so they learn what to do in an emergency and how to keep themselves safe

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must:

 develop the identification of next steps in children's learning and plan challenging activities to help children progress.

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

 strengthen partnership working with parents and others to effectively support and share information about children's learning and development at home or other early years settings.

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who attend

The childminder has a general understanding and awareness of the learning and development requirements. She provides resources and activities that interest and engage children. The childminder observes children as they play. She uses a childcare developmental guide to help her assess how well they are progressing across the areas of learning. However, she is not using this detail fully effectively to identify children's next steps in their learning. As a result, she is not consistently planning challenging activities and experiences to help children progress further. The childminder uses discussion and the daily diary to let parents know about their child's day. This tends to cover areas such as the meals eaten and activities their child has engaged in and parents appreciate this detail. However, because of the limited planning, the childminder does not always encourage parents to support children's next steps in learning at home. This limits

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who attend

continuity in children's learning and development between the home and the setting.

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who attend

The childminder helps support children's physical development with craft activities when they use pencils and glue sticks well. When playing outside children gain ball control skills and can make marks with chalks. Children learn how to play with others and share resources. This helps support their personal, social and emotional development. Children are caring and consider others, such as sharing dolls with the childminder and saying 'You can have one and I can have one'. Children communicate well with the childminder and others. They listen attentively to stories and the childminder asks some good questions that make children think. The childminder makes use of the walk from school for children to learn about nature. They spot spider webs and collect autumn leaves to make tree pictures. Children particularly enjoy imaginative play as they use the home role play resources. Overall, children gain the abilities and motivation to help them prepare for

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

The childminder develops a caring relationship with children and this helps them settle quickly. Children gain confidence and a sense of belonging as the childminder encourages them to make choices about their play. She values and displays their artwork in the hall. Children gain some independence skills as they can go to the toilet when they need and access their own belongings. The childminder has a positive and consistent approach to behaviour management. Children behave well and willingly help tidy their toys away. These skills help support children in having smooth moves if they go to other settings or school.

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

Children develop a growing understanding of healthy lifestyles. They play outside in the fresh air, particularly when they go to local parks. The childminder provides healthy snacks and ensures children have drinks readily to hand. Children are content and happy in the childminder's care. The childminder helps teach children how to cross roads safely, helping them learn how to keep themselves safe. However, the childminder is not routinely practising fire evacuation drills with children, so they become familiar with the process. This does not fully help children to learn how to keep themselves safe in an emergency. The environment is secure and the varied age appropriate resources are at a level where children can access them easily.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward because of concerns raised about hygiene, the dogs and children's safety. The bathroom is clean and potential hazards are now stored out of children's reach. The childminder has improved hygiene by moving the cat litter tray upstairs where it is now not accessible by children. Following an incident where a dog growled at a visitor, the childminder has now started to implement procedures to help promote children's safety. For example, the dogs are kept in the kitchen away from the children and when using the kitchen, the dogs are put in the garden. She is also waiting for one of the dogs to be re-homed, which demonstrates she is putting the safety of the children first. However, this procedure is very new and the childminder has not had time to review it to ensure she continually assesses and manages any potential risks to children. The childminder has been proactive in getting the fire brigade to fit new smoke

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provision

alarms in the house. However, the one upstairs did not work properly and the childminder disconnected it, and this means she does not have full working fire detection equipment in place as required. These are breaches of legal requirements in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and in the Childcare Register. The childminder takes other safety measures, such as having safety catches on low cupboards in the kitchen and a safety gate at the bottom of the stairs. In addition, children do not use the upstairs of the property, which minimises risks to children's safety in the event of a fire.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable awareness of her responsibilities concerning child protection. She is aware of the process to follow should she have concerns about a child in her care. The childminder undertook some online training to help improve her knowledge. She shares her written policies and procedures with parents and this helps inform them about her practices. The regular two-way verbal communications with parents help the childminder meet children's individual care needs. However, partnerships with parents and other early years settings are not fully established to ensure that children's individual learning needs are promoted well.

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provision

The childminder is aware of the need to evaluate her practice. She has some awareness of her strengths and of the areas to develop to help improve outcomes for children. The childminder recognises that she lacks a confident knowledge and understanding of how to provide an effective planning and assessment system. She is keen to improve and provide children with good experiences. She attends training courses to help support her development, such as managing behaviour and supporting children's emotional well-being. Overall, she demonstrates a satisfactory capacity to improve.

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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 all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks to children, with particular regard to the dogs and the fire detection equipment (compulsory part of Childcare Register).  ensure all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks to children, with particular regard to the dogs and the fire detection equipment (voluntary part of 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 EY457993 Local authority Medway Towns Inspection number 938373 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 4 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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