Childminder in West Sussex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/02/2014 22/06/2010

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder is experienced and committed to improving her childminding service.  The childminder meets the emotional needs of young children reasonably well and they form secure attachments.  Children are provided with numerous opportunities to visit other settings and amenities in the local area.  The childminder encourages parents to be involved in their children's learning.

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It is not yet good because

 Not all records are available for inspection and risk assessments do not include the identification of risks to children when on outings to other settings.  The childminder does not always provide clear explanations. As a result, children are sometimes confused about what is expected of them.  The childminder is not consistent in teaching children about good health and hygiene routines.  Some resources are not organised well and learning intentions are not always clear. This limits children's choice and their ability to initiate their own play and learning.

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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 spoke to the childminder at appropriate times throughout the observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning records, planning documentation, the self-evaluation form and a selection of policies and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of three parents who left letters or references and one parent who attended with her child on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2006. She lives with her husband and school aged child in Middleton, Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The ground floor of the property is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outside play. The family has a cat and a dog. The childminder is within walking distance of local schools, parks and shops. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is a member of an approved childminding network and currently receives early education funding for three- and four- year-old children. There are currently four children on roll.

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must:

 ensure all records are available for inspection.

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must:

 improve the effectiveness of risk assessments by including the identification of any risks to children when on outings to other settings.

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

 improve communication and interactions with children through the use of clear explanations about what is expected of them

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

 improve the organisation of resources so that learning intentions are clear and children are able to access a range of experiences that provide choice and enable them to initiate their own play and learning

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

 improve systems to teach children about health and hygiene routines.

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who attend

Children feel safe and form secure attachments with the childminder and they are happy and settled. Children make sound progress in all areas of learning and development. The childminder has a secure knowledge of the seven areas of learning and provides an enjoyable range of activities that generally follow children's interests, such as completing puzzles or modelling with a range of materials and tools. She deploys herself reasonably well to provide support and often sits with children while they complete activities. Young children's vocabulary is within the developmental milestones for their age and they chatter to the childminder and to each other as they play. They enjoy looking at books with the childminder and sit together as they point to the pictures. They are beginning to develop their listening and thinking skills as the childminder asks them what they want to do next. However, the childminder does not always communicate clearly or give clear explanations

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who attend

about her expectations and children are sometimes confused.

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who attend

Children sometimes concentrate well and become absorbed in some activities. They learn about shape and size while completing puzzles and develop a range of physical skills as they make junk models using glue and tape to join the materials. When the weather is good children play in the childminder's garden and have opportunities to further develop their large movements. All children regularly take part in activities at other settings or visit local parks or the beach. They enjoy each others company and are beginning to learn to play together. They respond to reminders about sharing and taking turns. Children are regularly taken out to toddler groups or to visit other childminder's where they meet up with other young children and adults. This helps them to develop confidence and independence in situations away from their main care setting.

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who attend

The childminder knows the children reasonably well and offers activities which she knows will catch children's interests and hold their attention, such as building a train track or using their imaginations as they prepare food and drinks in the play kitchen. The childminder makes clear observations of children's learning and development and completes learning records for each child. These records are kept up to date and include written observations and photographs which form an accurate picture of children's progress and levels of development. They include progress checks for two-year-old children and are regularly shared with parents who add their own comments.

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

Children feel secure with the childminder who welcomes parents in to her home to settle their children on arrival. Younger children are reasonably confident and independent. They approach the childminder and request a tissue for their nose or ask for certain resources that they cannot access themselves. They appear to have formed sound attachments with the childminder and are learning to play and learn with their friends. Supervision is sound and children are always within sight or hearing of the childminder. Children behave well and are reasonably well supported by the childminder who reminds them kindly about sharing and taking turns with the toys. However, at other times, the childminder takes resources away from children or completes tasks for them without an explanation about what she is doing or what they could do for themselves. Children are unsure what is expected of them and are not consistently supported in managing certain situations

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

The childminder gives a sound priority to the health and safety of children through the implementation of clear policies and procedures and risk assessments for most occasions. The childminder has a range of safety equipment in place such as fire guards, stair gates and door locks. This enables children to move freely and confidently around the play space. The childminder talks to children about being careful on the slippery floor and all children learn about fire safety as they regularly practice the evacuation drill. Older children are encouraged to manage some of their care needs themselves and take themselves to the toilet. The childminder sometimes reminds children to wash their hands after using the toilets and older children are able to wipe their noses themselves. However, these hygiene procedures are not always consistently applied and children do not wash their hands before they eat their snack. As a result they are not fully supported

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

Children regularly meet with other children and adults and develop their social skills. This helps to prepare them for the next step in their life such as starting at pre-school or primary school. The childminder obtains information from parents about any allergies or health needs their children may have. She works with parents who can choose to provide their child?s main meal, to ensure that snacks and meals are healthy and nutritious.

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

The childminder provides children with a satisfactory range of resources each day, depending on their interests at the time. Children have easy access to an adequately resourced environment and confidently help themselves to the toys and play materials which are within reach. The childminder changes these play materials regularly so that children have access to different resources. However, because of the layout of the playroom, some play materials are not as easy for children to access and this limits their choice and ability to initiate their own play and learning.

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provision

This inspection took place following Ofsted receiving information that raised concerns about children not being adequately supervised when attending local Children and Family centre and about the management of children who are upset. Concerns were also raised regarding the childminder's interaction with children. The inspection found that on occasions the childminder had concerns that because of the layout of the family centre, she was not always able to see all children in her care. The childminder states that she has made changes to her practice to improve this and completes risk assessments for all areas of her home and for some outings. However, these risk assessments do not include visits to groups where there are large numbers of children and adults. The inspection also found that although the childminder's interactions with children are on occasions rather abrupt and lack clear explanations, children's behaviour is managed appropriately and

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provision

The childminder has a sound understanding of how to safeguard children and has written a policy and procedure since her last inspection. She has also written a complaints procedure and keeps a record of any concerns raised by parents and how they are dealt with. She displays the Ofsted poster so that it is clear to parents who they can contact if they have any concerns about the care of their children. The childminder understands her local safeguarding procedures and knows who to contact if she should need to make a referral. She carries out risk assessments on her premises and equipment and for some outings such as those to the beach nearby. She makes changes to her practice if she is concerned about children's safety; for example she has made a decision not to take all the children in her care to groups at the same time, to ensure that she is able to supervise them adequately. However, she has not fully assessed the risks to children when

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provision

attending local groups such as the children and family centre or childminder groups where she is not always able to see the children in her care.

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provision

At the last inspection, the childminder was asked to obtain written permission to seek emergency medical advice and treatment. She put procedures in place to do this and started to record parent's permission in her accident and medication book for a while. She has recently changed her procedure and has devised a form to obtain parents permission while asking them to sign to give permission for the administration of medication. During the inspection she was not able to show that she had obtained written permission to seek emergency treatment for the children in her care at the present time, as the documents were not available. However, the childminder is clear that she would seek help if children were taken ill or had an accident and as a result there is no significant impact on children's health and safety.

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provision

The childminder ensures that all adults living on the premises are suitable to be with children and are appropriately checked. She knows the changes she should notify to Ofsted and provides parents with access to a wide range of information regarding her practice. The childminder is experienced and well qualified and carries out self-evaluation to help her to identify her strengths and areas for improvement. She takes part in a range of training opportunities and shares her expertise through various childminding network groups.

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provision

The childminder works with parents and talks to them about what their children like to do. She also talks to parents about the children's routines and care needs when they leave their children at the start of their session. At the end of each day the childminder provides a verbal feedback about what children have done and enjoyed. She involves parents in making an initial assessment of their children's learning and development and shares the termly progress reports. Parents are engaged in their children's learning and development and state that they are pleased with their children's progress.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 EY342174 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 954722 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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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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