Childminder in Durham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/11/2013 10/03/2009

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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 does not have a suitable knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which means that she is not able to use her observations to accurately assess children's learning or plan high quality challenging experiences across the seven areas of learning.  At the time of the inspection the childminder was minding four children and she was unable to demonstrate how she was meeting the needs of all children.  Risk assessments are not thorough enough to identify potential hazards, such as scissors in the kitchen. This impacts on the safety of children.  Children's behaviour is not always managed well. This hinders their learning and puts them and others at risk.  The childminder does not maintain good hygiene procedures, particularly in relation to washing hands. This means that children's health and welfare is not promoted.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder has a professional relationship with local schools. She talks to the school staff regularly and this enables them to share information in relation to children's learning and development.

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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 held discussions with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children and observed play and learning activities inside the home.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took into account feedback from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1992. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and adult son in Horden, Peterlee in County Durham. The whole of the ground floor and the bathroom upstairs is used for childminding purpose and there is an enclosed yard, available for outdoor play. The family has two pet dogs.

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Information about the setting

The childminder visits the local shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently eight children on roll, four of whom are in the early years age group and attend on a part-time basis. The childminder is operating all year round from 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday except for family holidays.

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must:

 improve knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage in order to use observations to develop precise assessments to understand children's level of achievement, interests and learning styles. Use these to shape learning experiences across the seven areas of learning so that children make good progress

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must:

 improve knowledge of behaviour management in order to possess the necessary skills to help children to learn appropriate behaviour

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must:

 ensure that ratios are adhered to at all times in order to ensure that the individual needs of all children are met

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must:

 ensure thorough risk assessments identify all possible hazards and appropriate actions are taken to remove or minimize the risk

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must:

 promote the good health of children by ensuring appropriate hygiene procedures are observed particularly in relation to washing hands.

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who attend

The childminder has insufficient understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has attended training in the past on observation and assessment, which enables her to carry out some observations of children. The childminder is using Early Years documentation to carry out assessments of children's learning but this is not carried out regularly enough to fully support children's learning and development. In addition, the childminder's poor knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage is currently limiting her ability to use her observations to consistently and accurately identify where all children are in their learning in order to plan appropriate next steps. As a result, not all activities meet the needs and interests of all the children in her care and some children lack enthusiasm for learning. Consequently, this affects the progress that children can make during their time at her

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who attend

setting and does not demonstrate how they are prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

The childminder has many years of experience caring for children and she does have a degree of understanding of her role to provide activities to support children's learning. Some children enjoy drawing on large pieces of paper and they concentrate for extended periods of time, demonstrating good pencil control. However, some children do not enjoy this type of activity and struggle to concentrate on it and, as a result, they lose interest in it. The activities provided for children are generally based around different daily routines, which include going to toddler groups and soft play. The childminder is committed to developing outside play and children enjoy visits to the farm, park and the seaside. Children have opportunities to develop their physical skills as they visit the park and soft play. They also enjoy dancing in the childminder's home as they listen to music. This ensures children have opportunities to develop large muscle skills. Drawing and painting

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who attend

activities mean that the development of small muscle groups is also supported.

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who attend

The childminder keeps parents informed about their child's daily care through regular verbal feedback and text messages. She informs parents about what their children have been doing and other important information that affects their learning and care needs. However, the childminder's limited knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage does not effectively support parents in being involved in their child's ongoing learning and progress towards the early learning goals.

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

Children's behaviour is not always managed well. Children do not demonstrate a clear understanding of boundaries as they climb behind the chairs throughout the inspection. In addition to this, there are occasions when children's behaviour is not dealt with effectively because the childminder does not take the time to find out exactly what happened. For example, sometimes the childminder is not aware that children's behaviour is the result of retaliation when provoked by another child. This means that children get blamed unnecessarily. This hinders children's learning and does not demonstrate how children are prepared for the next stage in their learning. However, the children do demonstrate that they are happy in the childminder's care and develop suitable friendships as they play alongside each other. They visit a variety of groups with the childminder and this helps them to develop their confidence and build relationships with their peers. This

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

demonstrates that they are emotionally secure.

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

Children play in a homely and welcoming environment where they are treated as part of the family. Toys and equipment are age-appropriate, reasonably varied, in good condition and are generally accessible. This adequately aids children's independence as they are able to make some choices about their play. Children's independence is further promoted as young children are encouraged to feed themselves at mealtimes and get changed before nursery. The childminder does not always take effective steps to promote good health. For example, she does not maintain appropriate hygiene procedures at mealtimes, as children are not reminded to wash their hands. In addition to this, the childminder does not routinely wash hands after blowing noses. This impacts on the health of children because it increases the risk of cross infection. However, the childminder does promote a healthy diet as children independently help themselves to their drinks and the childminder

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

provides a variety of healthy meals, which includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. She ensures they have regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise as she visits local parks, and plans various trips. Children are not taught how they can keep themselves safe because they pick adult scissors off the bench to cut with. However, they do practise fire drills and road safety.

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

Children are helped to settle as the childminder provides a welcoming environment. The childminder gathers information from parents at the start to meet children's well-being, this includes their routines and medical needs. She demonstrates a positive attitude towards working closely and informs parents about what children have been doing, including how they have behaved. The childminder offers parents and children settling-in periods. This supports them to get to know the childminder and contributes to their sense of belonging when they are in her care. She supports children as they move on to school or nursery because she helps children to develop a relationship with staff prior to starting when she drops off or picks up other children.

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provision

The childminder has insufficient knowledge and understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This results in a number of breaches in relation to the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The childminder is minding over her ratios on two mornings a week which means that the individual needs of all children are not met. This is a breach of legal requirements. Risk assessments are not robust enough to ensure that the premises, particularly the storage of scissors are consistently out of reach. This is a breach of the legal requirements both in relation to the Early Years Register and the Childcare registers. However, the childminder has a suitable understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse, including procedures to follow if she had a concern about a child. The childminder also holds a current first aid certificate, and demonstrates that she has a suitable understanding of how she would deal with accidents or injuries. This means that

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provision

she could respond to any accidents quickly and appropriately. She carries out periodic checks of her home and uses appropriate safety equipment and procedures to help keep children safe. The childminder's monitoring and evaluation are weak. She undertakes self-evaluation, however, she does not have an accurate picture of the quality of her provision and how she could improve. She has completed actions and recommendations from the last inspection, but she has failed to identify weaknesses in her provision in relation to safety and hygiene. The childminder does undertake monitoring because she tries to ensure coverage of the seven areas of learning. However, she does not accurately assess the progress that children are making towards the early learning goals. This does not ensure that gaps in children's learning are covered and does not support planning based on children's next steps in learning. These are breaches of the legal requirements of the

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provision

Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

The childminder has developed close relationships with parents and they like the flexibility she provides. The childminder ensures that they are kept appropriately informed about the service she provides as they receive key policies and procedures at the start. She also ensures they get feedback at the end of the session. The childminder also demonstrates a professional relationship with the local school. She ensures that all necessary information is passed onto the school or parents. She also finds out how she can support children further in her setting. For example, she plans an activity around colour and shape to build on what is happening in nursery. This means that the childminder is aware of the need to work together with the school to ensure effective learning for all 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:

 ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (compulsory part of Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of Childcare Register)  ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (voluntary part of Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 313451 Local authority Durham Inspection number 876921 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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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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