Lawler, Karen Marie

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/03/2014 18/12/2008

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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

 The childminder's misunderstanding of the welfare requirements has resulted in her failing to notify Ofsted about a change to her health.  Children's safety is compromised because there is a breach of the Safeguarding and Welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder is not maintaining the correct adult to child ratio.  Safety practices are not sufficiently robust to ensure unauthorised persons cannot enter the building. This poses a risk to the safety of the children.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder uses a clear observation and assessment system to help her promote children's progress and plan a range of purposeful learning experiences.  The childminder involves parents in their children's learning by requesting that they record achievements of the children which she displays on the wall. This boosts children's confidence and self-esteem.

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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 activities and interaction between the childminder and the children during play.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documents relating to the Early Years Foundation Stage provided by the childminder, including children's assessment records.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2004 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 10 and 15 years in a house in Middleton area of Manchester. The whole of the ground floor, bathroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has three dogs as pets. The childminder attends toddler groups. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools. There are currently eight children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder holds a relevant qualification at level 3.

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must:

 ensure required adult to child ratios are met at all times, in order for children to be fully safeguarded and their emotional well-being to be supported

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must:

 ensure all reasonable steps are taken to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises in order to maintain children's safety at all times.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn. However, she has not maintained the required adult to child ratios and this is a breach of the legal requirements. This means she is not able to support the children as well as she might during the periods where she cares for more children than is allowed. Nevertheless, the children are developing some of the skills required for their next stage of learning including school. The childminder takes the children to play sessions where they can play in larger groups and develop their social skills. She promotes children's communication and language skills through talking to them during the activities. She introduces new vocabulary by asking questions, such as 'Is it juicy?' as children eat their fruit.

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who attend

The childminder involves parents in recognising the children's achievements by asking them to record the things children do at home. The childminder displays this information on the wall and uses it to contribute to the planning so she can build upon children's interests. The childminder provides activities that are purposeful and interesting. This is because she uses what she knows about each child, based on her observations and assessments of their emerging skills, which informs the programme for learning. The childminder is developing children's understanding of the world because she has created an area which shows pictures of tadpoles changing into frogs which she discusses with the children. The childminder introduces mathematical concepts into children's play. She asks them to buy four bananas and they have play money which they use to buy the food. Children are developing their imagination as they role play in the kitchen area

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

The childminder establishes good relationships with the children and she knows the children well. However, because the childminder has been operating out of the required ratios, children's safety and well-being are compromised. The childminder gives the children responsibilities which creates a sense of care for each for other. For example, she asks older children to fetch younger children's nappies, so she can change them. She praises the children for their contributions and gives them a stamp as a reward which boosts their confidence and self-esteem. The childminder prepares children emotionally for the next stage of learning by taking them to visit the school they are going to be attending. She gives them as much independence as possible so they are able to attend to their own needs.

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

The childminder educates the children about risk by giving them clear explanations. For example, when a child swings a bag around, the childminder politely asks her not to do it because it is going to hurt somebody. Children feel safe in the childminders care because they independently select toys and invite the childminder to join in their play. However, this is a false sense of security as the childminder has not ensured unauthorised persons cannot enter the building. The childminder gathers a good range of information from parents upon entry which allows her to support them to settle into the setting. She has a good range of resources which support children's development across the seven areas of learning.

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

The childminder promotes healthy lifestyles. She provides children with fruit at snack time and they have access to fresh drinking water. The childminder has high expectations of the children. For example, older children peel their own oranges and younger children are given support. She encourages the children to wash their own hands before snacks which promotes good hygiene. The childminder encourages children to be active. Physical play opportunities in the garden are good with a broad range of activities available to them. They walk to the shops and parks in the immediate area which gives them regular access to fresh air. The childminder is supporting children's understanding of healthy lifestyles through growing potatoes with them. The children are learning how to care for living things.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward because concerns were raised about the childminder's ability to care for the children due to her health. There were also concerns that she was not maintaining the adult to child ratio. The childminder has had time off work where she has been unable to care for children. However, she has not notified Ofsted of this and they have, therefore, been unable to complete their own risk assessment decision and obtain further specialist health reports if needed. This is an offence and a breach of the requirements of the Childcare Register. The childminder has too little an understanding of her role and responsibility with regard to some aspects of the welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means that the adult to child ratios are not maintained. Furthermore, on the day of the inspection the front door was not locked so unauthorised people were able to enter the property. This is also a

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provision

breach of the legal requirements. The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and has recently attended child protection training. Therefore, she is able to act quickly if a concern arises.

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provision

The childminder has reflected upon her practice and has been developing her outdoor area which has extended the range of opportunities available to children to support their learning. She uses the knowledge she gains at training to improve her practice. For example, after recent training she labelled all the toy boxes and stored them at children's height so children understand where things belong and are able to access them independently. However, the systems for self-evaluation have not been robust enough to identify the breaches to the welfare requirements. The childminder monitors the progress each child is making through the use of a tracking sheet and focuses activities in the areas where children need to develop.

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provision

The childminder has established relationships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage and continues the learning within her setting to create a consistent approach. Partnerships with other professionals have been established in order to support children to make progress in their learning and development. For example, the childminder undertakes specific activities with children given from the speech and language therapist to support their communication skills. The childminder shares children's experiences with parents on a daily basis which means they are informed about their children's care and education.

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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 Ofsted are informed of any significant event which is likely to affect the suitability of any person caring for children on the premises (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of a person who is caring for children on the premises (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure Ofsted are informed of any significant event which is likely to affect the suitability of any person caring for children on the premises (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).  ensure that no one can enter the premises without the knowledge of a person who is caring for children on the premises (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 EY288742 Local authority Rochdale Inspection number 956308 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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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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