Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/12/2013 23/08/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 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

 Children are not effectively protected as the childminder demonstrates a lack of understanding of her responsibilities with regards to using an assistant. Children have been left in the sole charge of an assistant for more than two hours in a single day, therefore, the childminder has breached a safeguarding and welfare requirement.  Parents are not well-informed about all accidents their children have during their time with the childminder and the record of accidents is not consistently signed by parents.  Systems for monitoring and reviewing the childminder's provision are not effective. This results in the childminder demonstrating a poor understanding of the effectiveness of her childminding service and a lack of commitment to continuous improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 Children participate in a varied range of learning experiences, which enable them to make some progress in the seven areas of learning. Clear learning journeys plot children's achievements with the childminder.  Partnerships with parents and others are appropriately established to enable the childminder to involve parents in their children's learning and to complement the learning that takes place in other areas of the children's lives.

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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.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed all areas of the chilminder's home used for childminding purposes.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of records including children's personal details, information about children's learning and development, accident and medication records, written risk assessments, written policies and a selection of other relevant documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents provided in documentation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012 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 aged 12 and 10 years in a house in Beccles, Suffolk. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding.

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Information about the setting

The childminder visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently eight children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder provides care all year round from 7.15 am to 7pm, 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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must:

 ensure that when using an assistant children are not left in the assistant's sole charge for longer than two hours in a single day

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must:

 ensure that parents are made aware of all accidents and that these are appropriately recorded.

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who attend

There were no children present at the time of this inspection, therefore, an assessment of the childminder's ability to deliver an appropriate educational programme and to track children's progress was made through discussion and documentation. The childminder is able to demonstrate through discussion that she has a clear understanding of the seven areas of learning. She plans and delivers activities that provide children with appropriate opportunities to explore all areas of learning indoors and outdoors. The childminder recognises that younger children need to become skilful in the three prime areas of learning in order to make good progress in other areas. Children's achievements are effectively recorded in clear and well-presented learning journeys. A tracker system is used by the childminder to assess and follow children's progress. The childminder provides parents with clear written information about their children's development. This ensures

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who attend

that there is a collaborative approach to children's future learning, which means those involved with the children can help to prepare children for the next steps in their learning and eventually the move to school.

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who attend

The childminder encourages all children to participate in the range of activities she offers. A dedicated playroom houses the interesting range of equipment and play resources available to children. Children are encouraged to make choices and guide their own learning by selecting equipment, which is presented at their height for safe self-selection.

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who attend

The childminder recognises the importance of promoting children's language and communication skills and informs the inspector of activities she uses to achieve this. For example, she asks children appropriate questions to extend their thinking and to challenge them. She uses books to enhance their literacy skills and provides children with a wide range of drawing and writing materials to enable them to develop hand-writing skills. Children are encouraged to be creative and to express themselves imaginatively through a range of role play resources.

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

Children's well-being is compromised due to the childminder's lack of understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements in relation to the appropriate use of assistants and the requirement to notify parents of accidents that occur to their children. The childminder has clear systems in place to help to settle children into her care. She encourages parents to play an active role in this process by visiting a number of times with their children. The childminder asks parents to provide her with information about their children's home situation and routines to help her to assess their needs. The childminder has clear boundaries and rules within her home, which she shares with children and parents. This ensures that children are familiar with her expectations of them and behave in ways that are acceptable. The childminder states that she promotes children's self-confidence and self-esteem through the use of praise and encouragement. She recognises that children

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

need to feel safe and secure in order to develop a good sense of well-being.

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

The childminder provides children with opportunities to enjoy healthy meals and snacks and ensures that they remain well-hydrated by providing regular drinks. She provides parents with a clear menu detailing what she intends to prepare each day. The childminder encourages children to learn about taking risks and assessing safety. For example, when using large physical equipment at the park she ensures that it is appropriate for their stage of development but is also challenging.

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

The childminder's home is welcoming and attractive. The dedicated playroom provides opportunities for the childminder to provide children with an enabling environment in which they can guide their own learning. The rear garden is accessible through the playroom, providing opportunities for children to move from the indoor to the outdoor environment during play. The childminder uses appropriate equipment to ensure that children remain safe and secure. She has a range of car seats and safety restraints that she uses for minded children. She ensures that these are appropriate for the size and age of each child.

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provision

Children are not well-protected from harm as the childminder does not demonstrate a secure understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She uses an assistant to provide additional support during her normal working day. However, when she goes on holiday, the assistant and parents draw up an arrangement whereby the assistant regularly cares for children in place of the childminder. This breaches the requirement regarding the use of assistants, which states that minded children may be left in the sole charge of a childminder's assistant for no longer than two hours in any day. The childminder states that she misunderstood this requirement and believed that as it was an arrangement between the parents and the assistant she thought it did not come under the remit of her childminding registration. This also breaches the requirements of both parts of the the

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provision

Childcare Register. The childminder is now aware that this is a breach of the requirements and will ensure that this does not happen again. The childminder demonstrates an appropriate understanding about safeguarding issues and regularly updates her safeguarding knowledge through appropriate training. All adults living on the premises or working with children are appropriately vetted and proof of the checks used to assess their suitability are available on file. The childminder completes regular risk assessments, which includes relevant information, such as, the types of car seats to use on outings according to the child's age and weight.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates some knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and has systems in place to assess children's development. She informally reviews her educational programme to ensure that she is providing children with a range of learning experiences. Systems for reviewing and evaluating the childminder's provision are poor, resulting in a lack of identification of weaknesses in her childminding service. For example, some records, such as, accident records are not signed by parents, which means that parents are not always notified of them. This was not noticed until the accident records were reviewed as part of the inspection. The lack of evaluation demonstrates a poor commitment to continuous improvement. The childminder undertakes core training and ensures that these courses are regularly updated when required.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are generally secure. The childminder communicates verbally with parents, sharing information about their children's day and relaying messages from school to parents.

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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 the childminder is present on the premises at all times when childcare is being provided (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that the childminder is present on the premises at all times when childcare is being provided (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 EY435987 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 948953 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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