Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/11/2013 21/03/2011

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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 limited understanding of the current requirements for safeguarding and welfare, and for learning and development. Therefore, children's care and well- being, and ability to make progress through learning are compromised.  The scope and range of activities, and selection of resources available, are not sufficient to challenge and engage all children and promote their progress in all areas of learning. The childminder does not establish children's starting points, so cannot plan accurately for their individual stages of development across all areas of learning.  The childminder cares for too many children to meet the space requirements, and this impacts negatively on the quality of care provided, particularly for the youngest children attending.  The childminder does not share her policies and procedures with parents, including details of safeguarding procedures, or procedures for a lost or uncollected child, so

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It has the following strengths

 Children form affectionate bonds with the childminder and show they feel at ease in her care.

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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 interacted with children in the lounge and accompanied the childminder on a school pick-up.  The inspector held discussions with the provider and carried out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation including evidence of suitability checks and qualifications, policies and children's development profiles.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents gathered in advance of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1992. She lives with her husband and adult son in a bungalow in Debenham, north Suffolk. The whole of the premises, apart from two bedrooms, is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The family has three pet cats.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is currently minding 20 children, of whom 6 are in the early years age range. She operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. She walks children to and from local schools and pre-schools. She takes children to local play areas, for walks in the surrounding countryside and to nearby places of interest.

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enforcement action:

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice with a completion date of 10 January 2014 requiring the provider to:

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enforcement action:

ensure that you care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight, of these six children a maximum of three may be young children, and there should only be one child under the age of one.

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enforcement action:

ensure that any care provided for older children does not adversely affect the care of children receiving early years provision, this refers to ensuring children have sufficient space to play and explore

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enforcement action:

ensure that the premises and equipment must be organised in a way that meets the needs of children and meets the indoor space requirements

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enforcement action:

ensure that you have and implement a policy, and procedures, to safeguard children and this should be in line with the guidance and procedures of the Local Safeguarding Children board (LSCB)

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enforcement action:

ensure safeguarding procedures cover the safe use of mobile phones and cameras in the setting

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enforcement action:

ensure you have a clear and well-understood policy, and procedures, for assessing any risks to children's safety, this is in particular regard to assessing the risk and suitability of activities provided for children.

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must:

 ensure you have a clear understanding of your role and responsibility to improve and develop knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, and ensure all requirements are met, in order to provide a safe and suitable care and learning environment which will enable all children to make progress

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must:

 devise and implement procedures to be followed in the event of a child being uncollected, or when a child goes missing and share them with parents

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must:

 consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in your care and use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development

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must:

 ensure observations of children are used to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles. Use those observations to provide activities that promote children's learning.

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who attend

The childminder has insufficient knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of effective teaching and the current learning and development goals for children in the early years age range. The quality of teaching is inadequate as the childminder does not provide sufficiently challenging activities to help all children in her care to make full progress. This is because routine care dominates the day and little time is spent on well planned or spontaneous play and learning. The childminder engages with the youngest children and promotes their language development by sharing a favourite book, helping children talk about the colours and pictures they see. They enjoy this close contact and revisit the book later, turning the pages and pointing at the pictures. A selection of floor toys, such as construction and a train track with vehicles are available to children. These engage the youngest children for a period but are not sufficiently diverse or challenging

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who attend

enough for the older children, who attend for afternoon sessions after being at nursery or pre-school.

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who attend

The childminder provides children with empty plastic bottles and a selection of small items such as pasta, rice and buttons to fill them and create shakers. The older pre-schoolers then shake them as they dance to a favourite song on compact disc. The childminder joins in with their play by dancing as well, which makes them smile. Children have few natural or household items to stimulate their creative thinking and inspire open ended play. The childminder does not plan how to use the garden, which is mainly only used during fine weather. This means that frequent opportunities for physical development and to extend children's knowledge of the world by exploring their immediate environment are limited. Sensory and messy play are not readily available to children in the early years age range. The selection of resources and activities offered is limited, which limits children's experiences and hinders development of the full range of skills they need for future

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who attend

The childminder does not accurately assess children's levels of development prior to entry or complete a baseline assessment. This affects her ability to match activities to children's needs. Activities do not build on what children are already able to do, nor are they sufficiently challenging to help them make good progress. The childminder uses a tracker book to tick off what she sees children doing and makes brief notes in some areas. However, her recording in these is inconsistent as not all areas of learning are assessed or planned for. Children's next steps in learning are erratic and in some cases omitted altogether. Additionally, parents do not regularly share these or have the opportunity to make comments, therefore the childminder does not include their ideas and information about children's interests to make the activities appealing.

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who attend

To plan for individual children's learning, the childminder observes them and uses her judgement to think about what they need to do next. For example, she helps a baby who is beginning to stand up by providing a walker for her to push. The childminder helps a child to write her name before she begins at pre-school by giving her a name card to trace over. The childminder talks to children about what they have been doing at nursery and pre-school, but she does not extend their understanding or learning by providing complementary play activities. Instead, they play with the babies' toys, which have a limited appeal for them, with the result that they become bored and ask when they are going home. When they ask for a book from the other room, they are told to wait until the older children get home. Older children, who attend after school have access to a room with a television and electronic console for some games. The childminder helps them with

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who attend

homework and reads group stories at certain times. Older children enjoy activities such as Halloween-based crafts and also help to make the Christmas puddings, gaining an understanding of traditions and seasonal events.

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

The childminder forms warm and caring relationships with the children she cares for and helps them to feel at ease in her home. She chats to older pre-school age children about their homes and families as many of the families are related, or know one another because they live close together. This helps the children feel at ease and emotionally secure. However, the childminder has a limited understanding of her responsibilities in regard to the number of children she is allowed to care for. There are at times far more children present than the space allows and too few adults caring for them. These breaches of requirements mean that children's needs for space to play and attention to their needs are not met. Caring for larger number of children than space or ratios allow means the childminder is often too preoccupied dealing with routine care needs to promote children's emotional well-being. The childminder routinely cares for up to 12 children, for which she

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

does not have sufficient space. She is not able to monitor and supervise 12 children single-handedly, and as a result, the care of the younger children is seriously compromised by the presence of the older children.

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

Children have food and drink in accordance with their needs and dietary requirements. The childminder prepares a fresh, home-cooked meal for them at lunchtime. Older children set the table and feed themselves, which develops their independence. The babies are fed by the childminder but have some finger foods at tea time so they can also feed themselves. The childminder has a first-aid qualification and is able to deal with minor accidents and bumps. She records these, but some entries record very limited details about the actual circumstances of the accident. Any medication administered is recorded to ensure children only receive the correct amounts. Children rest or sleep in a travel cot; the childminder asks parents about babies' sleep routines and works with these in mind whenever possible. Children sometimes visit the local play area with fixed equipment for some fresh air and exercise. The childminder records details of babies'

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

routine care in a daily diary so parents can see what food, sleep and nappy changes their baby has had. Other information to support the partnership with parents is lacking. For example, the childminder does not share procedures about the non-collection of a child or if a child going missing. The childminder talks to children when they are due to move on to the next stage of learning, such as school or pre-school. She has developed relationships with the teachers at the school and pre-school and shares information with them regarding the children so she can pass anything significant on to parents.

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provision

The childminder has a basic understanding of some of the signs and symptoms of abuse as she attended training in the past. However, her knowledge is not up to date with current requirements. She is not confident about whom to contact if she has a safeguarding concern, and she does not have details of the local safeguarding children board to hand. Therefore, children are not adequately safeguarded. The childminder has no procedures in place for the safe use of mobile phones and cameras. These are breaches of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has no written safeguarding policy and procedure, which is a requirement of the Childcare Register. The childminder was previously issued with a notice to improve for failing to inform Ofsted of changes to persons living or working on the premises. She has failed to address this as she has not notified the fact that her assistant is no longer working with her, which is an

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provision

The childminder has too little understanding of the learning and development requirements and does not evaluate the effectiveness of the educational programme. This means children in the early years age range are insufficiently challenged to make good progress. The range of resources offered does not cover all areas of learning to provide meaningful and worthwhile learning experiences for them. The childminder has limited understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, particularly in relation to the ratios of children to adults that may be cared for, resulting in a focus on routine care and less focus on individual children's learning and development. Because she cares for too many children, the childminder does not meet the indoor space requirements. As a result, children lack sufficient space and adequate levels of supervision to allow them to play and develop in safety and comfort. Since the previous inspection, the childminder has

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provision

considered her home environment, and outings undertaken, and risk assessed them to help keep children safe.

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provision

The childminder does not evaluate or reflect on her practice so she has failed to keep up to date with current legal requirements. There was a recommendation at the previous inspection to develop a system for reflection and self-evaluation, but no action has been made to tackle the weakness. Failing to reflect on her practice, and the limited identification of weaknesses that need to be addressed have resulted in breaches of legal requirements. Parents praise the childminder for the loving, warm and homely care their children receive and express their appreciation for the flexibility she is able to offer, allowing them to meet their work commitments. Some older children also write cards and letters saying they have enjoyed their time at the setting.

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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:

 make available to parents a copy of the written statement for safeguarding (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep and implement a written statement of procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguard the children being cared for from abuse or neglect (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  update knowledge of child protect issues and procedures to safeguard children from abuse or neglect (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  make available to parents a copy of the written statement for safeguarding procedures (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  keep and implement a written statement of procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguard the children being cared for from abuse or neglect (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  update knowledge of child protect issues and procedures to safeguard children

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

from abuse or neglect (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 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 250832 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 818384 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 20

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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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