Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/01/2014 08/02/2012

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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

 Children show good levels of independence, curiosity and imagination as they explore and play with the range of accessible toys in the playroom.  Relationships are relaxed and friendly, which means that children enter happily and parents feel confident to leave them.  The childminder effectively promotes children's communication and language skills. As a result, they confidently talk to each other and visitors.

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It is not yet good because

 Risk assessments are not clear and some records are not effectively maintained, easily accessible and available for inspection at any time to ensure that children are fully protected.  Observation, assessment and links with parents and other providers are not strong enough to identify children's full abilities in all areas and effectively plan their next developmental steps.  There are routine times, such as preparing lunch and using the bathroom, when some children are within hearing but not always within sight of the childminder. As a result, the childminder does not fully promote children's social skills at these times as well as she does at other times of the day.  Monitoring and evaluation is not strong enough to inform priorities and set challenging targets to secure continuous improvement.

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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 observed lunch and activities in the playroom and conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documents including policies and procedures and the children's records.  The inspector discussed the childminder's evaluation and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers expressed in letters provided by the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2011 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her two children aged 11 and five years in a house in Padiham, Burnley. The whole of the ground floor, first floor bathroom and the rear yard are used for childminding. The family has two cats as pets. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently four children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She holds Qualified Teacher Status and is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 maintain records to ensure they are easily accessible and available for inspection at any time so that children are fully protected

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must:

 extend the systems to observe and assess each child's progress to cover all seven areas of learning, taking account of what parents and others know about the child, and use this information to identify the next steps in all areas of their learning

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must:

 ensure the procedures for assessing risks to children's safety are clear by reviewing the environment regularly and removing and/or minimising risks, such as loose carpet tape on the stairs and carrier bags in the front garden

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

 review the organisation of routines, such as preparing lunch and using the bathroom, to keep children engaged in an activity and their good social skills effectively promoted

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

 improve the ways that practice is monitored, evaluated and improved by using robust criteria and including contributions from parents and children when identifying priorities for improvement.

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who attend

Overall, children make sound progress in their learning and development and generally work comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age. The childminder provides a suitable range of activities that mainly hold children's attention. When she plays alongside, she makes good use of her training as a teacher to improve some aspects of children's learning. She supports their language development particularly well and some aspects of their mathematical development as she skilfully questions children as they play. Children sit closely with the childminder to look at books, which inspires a love of reading, and she encourages them to repeat words to increase their vocabulary. The childminder promotes children's concentration and ability to follow instructions by playing games. Therefore, children generally have the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning, including school.

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who attend

The childminder uses her generally good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage to observe, assess and track children's progress. However, the information gained is not strong enough to ensure that children are always sufficiently challenged, across all areas of learning, to make as much progress as they can. Therefore, children develop stronger skills in areas, such as communication and language and physical development. They communicate confidently and happily engage visitors in conversations. Children draw and make marks on a magnetic doodle board, which is beginning to promote their early writing skills. Children play imaginatively with small world toys, such as the dolls and dolls' house, kitchen and basic accessories, such as cups and plates. They demonstrate their awareness of technology as they play with pretend electrical items, such as a kettle in the play kitchen. Sometimes, children draw pictures, paint, cut and glue to extend their

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who attend

creativity. Children enjoy a variety of local visits, for example, as they feed the ducks at the local river. Children join with the local children's centre to search for bugs on walks in the local area. These first-hand experiences in the local community effectively help children to understand the world in which they live.

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who attend

The childminder is beginning to create learning journals for each child in which she has some written observations, photographs and a formal system to track progress. While these are available for parents to view, the information contained is not sufficient or available for each child and so this information alone does not keep parents well-informed about children's progress. Parents and carers verbally exchange information with the childminder each day and discuss what children have been doing. Little information is gathered from parents about what children already know and can do before they start. Partnership working is not strong enough to ensure that the experiences at the childminder's home complement the learning that takes place at home or in the school where some children attend.

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

All the legally required details about children and their families are clearly recorded. Children are able to feel emotionally secure with the childminder, who gathers and uses information from parents about each child's personal preferences and routines to help them settle in. Children form warm relationships with the childminder. The childminder acknowledges the verbal and non-verbal communication of babies and children. Sometimes, she plays alongside children and supports them individually as they help themselves from a suitable range of accessible toys and books. Generally, children behave well, although, some minor disagreements go unnoticed when the childminder completes routine tasks, such as preparing meals. As a result, children's good social skills are not consistently promoted. However, children are generally emotionally and socially prepared for the next stage in their learning, such as nursery or school. They develop independence

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

as they feed themselves and confidence as they regularly socialise with another childminder's children and as they meet with others at toddler group and story sessions at the library.

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

The childminder is aware of children's health requirements, allergies, special dietary needs and their food preferences. Children learn about healthy eating when they help to prepare food. Children have a basic understanding of risks and how to manage them. They routinely follow appropriate hygiene and safety practices. For example, they wash their hands before eating and learn safe pavement skills when on outings. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure with the childminder as they happily investigate toys.

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

Indoors, children develop dexterity and good hand to eye coordination through handling a range of toys. Children maintain a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, such as walking in the local area. They exercise vigorously as they run on the grass at a local stately home and climb on equipment at the park. Sometimes, children walk in the surrounding area to collect natural items, such as conkers. As a result, children's physical development is reasonably well-promoted and they begin to develop positive attitudes to exercise. Children broaden their cultural awareness by sharing family customs, through tasting foods, craft activities and being involved in activities related to the celebrations of others. For example, they taste a range of foods at Chinese New Year, listen to stories about Saint Patrick and make cards for Mother's Day. Posters reflect positive images of culture and disability to promote and value children's awareness of similarities and

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provision

The childminder has a sound awareness of the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Policies and procedures generally meet requirements and are shared with parents to keep them informed. Although, there is currently no adverse impact on the children's safety and welfare, at inspection, some of the required documents and records were not easily located and readily accessible for inspection. The childminder has useful ways for keeping records of children's details, attendance, visitors, evacuations and risk assessments. However, there are gaps in the information as she does not keep records consistently in order to ensure children are safe, protected and supported. The childminder demonstrates a clear knowledge of the indicators of abuse, who to contact and how to work with other agencies if she has any safeguarding concerns. Therefore, children are protected. The premises are

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provision

secure and children move around the playroom freely and safely due to the way it is organised. The childminder uses a clear form to log her risk assessments, however, does not review them regularly. Some hazards are not successfully minimised or removed. For instance, although closely supervised, children walk past plastic bags in the front garden and use the stairs with loose carpet tape to access the bathroom. This is also a breach of the Childcare Register. The childminder closely supervises children while on outings. Young children are safely strapped in a double buggy and older children wear wrist straps to keep them safe.

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provision

Recommendations from the previous inspection have been considered but are not fully addressed, therefore, they are carried forward as actions to meet following this inspection. The childminder recognises her strengths and some areas where she can develop. She is beginning to identify her specific training needs and has some appropriate self-identified plans for further improvement of her practice. The childminder meets regularly with a group of childminders to discuss childcare issues. She is open to the views of parents and other professionals, such as the local authority development worker, which demonstrates she has a sound capacity to maintain continuous improvement. However, there is a lack of secure monitoring of practice and of children's progress and no method for ensuring that the good practices are consistently followed. Evaluation is not fully effective in driving forward improvements in order to raise the overall quality. The childminder relies on her

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provision

teaching experience to identify any children who may need extra support to close gaps in learning.

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provision

In some ways, the childminder works generally well with parents, although, their partnership is more focused on meeting children's care needs than extending their learning and development. Information in the written parent pack and on the parents' noticeboard keep parents suitably informed about the childminder's practice. Parents views expressed in letters seen at the inspection, speak positively about the childminder. They comment on feeling at ease when leaving children and being informed of activities and progress. Daily verbal exchanges with parents effectively support children's well-being and some sharing of information about their learning. However, monitoring of the information sharing does not take place to ensure all children benefit from this partnership.

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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 all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (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 EY421757 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 951301 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 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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