Childminder in East Sussex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/05/2014 26/01/2011

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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 does not have a good enough knowledge of safeguarding procedures to ensure that children are fully protected.  The childminder is not always fully vigilant of her supervision of children on outings, which compromises their safety.  The childminder does not maintain all required records and information on children, putting their well-being at risk.  The childminder does not fully understand her responsibility to undertake a progress check for two-year-old children. Therefore, parents do not receive encouragement to contribute to the planning of their child's future learning.  Arrangements for self-evaluation are not sufficiently robust to identify, and address, all weaknesses in order to drive improvement well.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder provides an impressive range of resources and children use these well to enhance their 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 viewed all areas used by children.  The inspector spoke with the childminder and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the interaction of the childminder and children during a range of activities.  The inspector viewed a selection of documents including children's progress records.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2010. She lives with her husband and two children in Uckfield, East Sussex. Childminding generally takes place on the ground floor, although bedrooms on the first floor are sometimes used for children who require a sleep. The toilet facilities are on the first floor. There is a fully-enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She has three children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group.

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must:

 develop knowledge and understanding, in relation to safeguarding and child protection, in order to be able to implement procedures to safeguard children which are in line with the guidance and procedures of the relevant Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)

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must:

 ensure that children are adequately supervised and are within sight and/or hearing at all times, particularly on outings

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must:

 maintain the records necessary to ensure the safe management of the setting and to ensure the needs of all children are met

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must:

 make available to parents and/or carers details about how to contact Ofsted, if they believe the provider is not meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements

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must:

 complete a review of children's progress when they are aged between two and three years, and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas of learning to inform parents of their child's progress and involve them in their learning at home

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must:

 establish effective systems to evaluate the provision so that all areas for development are identified accurately and addressed, in order to drive continuous improvement well.

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who attend

The childminder observes children as they play and monitors their ongoing development. She uses this information to plan activities which children enjoy and which offer an appropriate level of challenge. However, the childminder does not fully understand her responsibility to complete the required progress checks for two-year-old children. The childminder makes written copies of her observations available to parents but she does not routinely involve them in setting future goals for their children. As a result, the childminder is not working fully effectively with parents to provide consistent and coordinated learning experiences for children in order to ensure children make the best possible progress.

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who attend

Children make adequate progress in their learning and development as the childminder engages their interest. She understands how to support and extend their play. For example, when children show her the 'long sausages' they have made from dough the childminder provides a ruler to measure how long they are. Children are enthusiastic learners and concentrate well on their chosen games. This supports them to prepare for the next stages in their education.

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who attend

The childminder talks to children as they play, asking useful questions and speaking clearly to help them develop their language abilities. As a result, children confidently express their opinions and share their ideas with the childminder. The childminder joins in lively discussions with children, giving them opportunities to explore their own thoughts and ideas with topics. She switches regularly between real life and fantasy to extend their interests and learning. Children make strong progress in their literacy. The childminder effectively builds on their interest in letters, supporting them to hear the initial sounds of words and to identify the corresponding written letters. She also provides regular opportunities for children to practise their drawing and early writing skills, both indoors and in the garden.

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who attend

Children enjoy playing physical games in the childminder's garden each day and also regularly go out to local play facilities. They move safely and with control, for example, as they bounce on the mini-trampoline.

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who attend

The childminder uses a range of effective strategies to support children who learn English as an additional language. She provides resources and labels in children's home languages, and also learns some key words to aid communication when children first start.

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

Children form effective bonds with the childminder, responding well to her friendly, caring manner. However, the childminder does not always act in a way that teaches children how to keep themselves safe. This is because she has, in the recent past, failed to effectively supervise a minded child when at a local group.

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

Children behave well and listen to the advice and guidance of the childminder. Within her home, the childminder offers an appropriate level of support for children to develop their independence in a safe, secure environment. The childminder completes risk assessments of her home, garden and outings to identify and address potential hazards. Children follow the childminder's positive role modelling, and are polite, confident and play cooperatively. There is an impressive range of resources and children use these well. They benefit from exploring their environment and choosing the toys they want to play with. They also take an active role in caring for toys, carefully putting them away before embarking on a new activity. This helps them to develop useful life skills.

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

Children bring in their snacks, meals and drinks from home. The childminder prepares these appropriately and helps children learn about making healthy choices with regard to the food they eat. The house is clean and the childminder encourages children to wash their hands before they sit down to eat. This helps them to learn about the importance of good personal hygiene and minimises the risk of cross-infection.

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

The childminder recognises the importance of preparing children for their move to school. Her strategies to achieve this include liaising with parents and speaking positively about school with children. She also aims to make sure that children are independent in their self-care and to support them to recognise their letters and numbers.

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provision

This inspection took place following concerns raised about the childminder's ability to protect children. Specifically, these related to her not adequately safeguarding children while attending a local group, resulting in a young child climbing stairs without supervision. The childminder confirms that there was one occasion when this occurred. She explained that she left a child in the hallway of the group under the supervision of a familiar adult for a few minutes. The childminder explains that the child did not come to any harm but recognises that her practice was unsafe. The concerns also focused on the childminder's ability to interact with children and to extend their learning. Observation of the childminder throughout the inspection found that she interacts well with children and that there are some strengths in her quality of teaching. However, she has not carried out the required progress check for children aged two years and this is a breach of a legal

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provision

The childminder does not have a sufficiently robust understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements to adequately protect children. She is not aware of the correct procedure to follow should she have concerns about the welfare of any child. In addition, she does not know the process for responding to an allegation against herself or any adult living or working in her home. As a result, the childminder is in breach of a legal requirement that compromises children's well-being. Arrangements to maintain the required information about children are not fully effective. The childminder has recording sheets to detail information such as children's contact details, their parents/carers, the name and contact details for their doctor, and any relevant medical information. However, these are not present in all children's files and puts children's well-being at risk in the event of an emergency. In addition, the

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provision

childminder does not inform parents of how to make a complaint and does not make available to them the contact details of the regulator, Ofsted. As a result, the childminder is in breach of the requirements relating to complaints, information and records. The associated requirements of the Childcare Register are not met.

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provision

The childminder monitors the effectiveness of her educational programmes appropriately and has adequate arrangements in place to identify any gaps in children's achievements. However, she does not undertake any meaningful self-evaluation on other aspects of her service. As a result, she has failed to identify significant weaknesses in her provision.

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provision

The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of the importance of working with other professionals, including other early years providers, in order to support children's individual needs.

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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 children are kept safe from harm (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep a written statement of the procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguarding them from abuse and neglect (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a written statement of the procedure to be followed in relation to complaints which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent make in writing or email (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep the following records and retain these for a period of at least two years: the name, home address and date of birth of each child who is looked after on the premises and the name, home address and telephone numberof a parent/guardian/carer of each child who is looked after on the premises . (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure that children are kept safe from harm (voluntary part of the Childcare

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

Register)  keep a written statement of the procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguarding them from abuse and neglect (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  maintain a written statement of the procedure to be followed in relation to complaints which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent make in writing or email (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  keep the following records and retain these for a period of at least two years: the name, home address and date of birth of each child who is looked after on the premises and the name, home address and telephone numberof a parent/guardian/carer of each child who is looked after 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 EY411343 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 968364 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 3

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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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