Cunningham, Susan

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/04/2014 18/05/2011

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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

 Children are not protected because the childminder has a poor understanding of the requirements with regard to supervision, procedures if she has concerns about a child, allegations made and the reasons for notifying Ofsted.  Children are not kept safe because the childminder does not ensure adults who may have sole care of children have suitable person checks in place.  The childminder does not keep a register of children's attendance and this means she cannot be sure she is meeting her ratios at all times.  The childminder has an insufficient knowledge of the areas of learning. She cannot accurately identify if children are meeting the targets set for them or if they need additional support from early intervention services.  The childminder does not obtain starting points from parents. She cannot plan for children's learning because she does not have information about the progress they have made or the skills they have acquired when they enter her care.

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This provision is inadequate

 The childminder does not plan for children's next steps and this means she cannot be sure the activities she provides are offering them sufficient challenge to help them make good progress.

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It has the following strengths

 Children in the childminder's care are developing appropriate peer relationships and this means they are emotionally prepared for the larger school environment.

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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 in the main playrooms.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at photographic records of children's learning and discussed planning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children and discussed the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of the views of a parent spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1997 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and one adult child in a house in the Mirfield area of Huddersfield. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a dog, a rabbit, tortoises and fish as pets.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis and collects children from the local schools and preschools. There are currently 14 children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and holds a level 3 qualification.

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must:

 ensure any adult who children are left in the sole care of, even for short periods of time, has a Disclosure and Barring Service suitable person check in place

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must:

 improve understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements to ensure policies and procedures are in place to make certain children are kept safe at all times, with particular regard to supervision of children, the procedures to follow if there are concerns about a child, procedures to follow in the event of an allegation being made against an adult and the reasons to notify Ofsted

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must:

 implement robust procedures to make certain children are kept safe during outings by ensuring they are appropriately supervised and are within sight or hearing at all times

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must:

 keep a daily record of children's attendance including the times when they arrive and leave

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must:

 use information about the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child to plan challenging and enjoyable experiences that help children to make progress across the seven areas of learning

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must:

 develop a system for monitoring children's progress, including the required progress check at age two, to ensure all children's progress is accurately tracked and early intervention services can be sought for children who might need them

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must:

 work in partnership with parents to ensure starting points are obtained from them when children enter the setting and to continually evaluate children's progress so that any gaps or strengths in children's learning are identified, thus ensuring education programmes can be planned to help them make good progress.

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

 develop a system of self-evaluation and professional development to ensure she accesses training to help update her knowledge and skills, to ensure she keeps up to date with changes to the legal requirements and improve her understanding of her responsibilities for helping children to make good progress in their learning.

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who attend

The childminder has an insufficient knowledge of the learning and development requirements. When children enter her care their starting points are not obtained from parents. In addition to this, the childminder has little understanding of the age bands and this means she is not able to assess what stage they are at in their development on entry. As a result, it is not possible to accurately identify what children's starting points are because there is no information about the skills they have already acquired. Very few observations are made of children's learning and when they are, the information from them is not used to inform planning. This means the childminder does not have a sufficient understanding of children's next steps and consequently, she cannot be sure the activities she provides are taking account of children's prior skills or offering them sufficient challenge. In addition to this, observations during the inspection demonstrated

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who attend

that the childminder rarely initiates interactions with the youngest children and they often move from one resource to the next displaying little interest.

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who attend

There are currently no systems in place for evaluating the impact of activities on children's learning. A recommendation from a previous inspection to encourage parents to add their comments and observations to their child's development record has not been addressed. The childminder has also not addressed a recommendation to develop children's assessments so that they clearly identify the next steps in learning. This means the childminder cannot be certain whether the activities she provides support children's continued progress. There are no consistent systems in place to show or assess whether children are making progress in their learning or are meeting the developmental targets for their age. This means gaps in children's learning are not identified. As a result, early intervention is not sought for children who might need additional support to ensure their opportunities to make good progress are fully promoted.

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who attend

Parents who have busy lives do not receive regular updates about children's progress but they comment that they are happy with the progress they are making. Feedback about activities children have enjoyed is shared with them on a daily basis. Photographs that show children enjoying their time in the childminder's care are available for them to view. This means parents can promote children's continuing progress at home because they are aware of the activities children prefer. For example, they like nature walks in the woods where they can hunt for bugs and flowers. The childminder shares information about children's interests, their likes and dislikes with the local schools when children move on to school and this means they enjoy some continuity in their learning.

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

The childminder does not adequately supervise children at all times when off the premises and, as a result, their safety is not assured. In addition, she does not ensure that adults who sometimes have sole care of the children, even for very short periods of time, have appropriate suitability checks in place. For example, when parent volunteers are supervising minded children during trips. Nevertheless, children are encouraged to risk assess for themselves and this means they begin to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn how to cross the road safely and they are encouraged to consider hazards when using play equipment in the park. They enjoy walks in the local area and visit the shops and toddler group. This helps them to understand how to keep themselves safe in the community. They play outdoor games and use climbing equipment to test their physical skills while learning how exercise supports their health and well-

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

The childminder provides a relaxed environment for the children she cares for and a parent spoken to on the day of the inspection demonstrates that she values the caring environment that is created for her children. The childminder gathers information from parents about their child's needs and the short settling-in sessions they enjoy with their parents, help to smooth transition, providing some continuity in their care. They demonstrate they are content and feel safe around visitors. They are confident to share their knowledge and experiences as they point out their friends in their photographic records. The support children receive to get them ready for transition means they are emotionally prepared for school. Everyday routines, such as hanging their coats up and changing their shoes, mirror those they will experience in school. Daily trips to school to collect older children develop their understanding of school routines and they become

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

familiar with the teachers so when the time comes for them to move on to the next stage in their learning, they are welcomed by a well-known adult. They learn to dress themselves, develop independence in using the toilet and learn about personal hygiene through daily routines. This means they can attend to their own self-care needs when they move onto school. They choose from a wide range of healthy snacks and this helps children to make informed choices about the food they eat.

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

Children in the childminder's care are polite and well behaved. She encourages them to use their manners and they receive clear and consistent messages that support their growing understanding of right and wrong. Children learn to share and play cooperatively and as a result, they build strong peer relationships. They participate in visits to places of interest and this helps them to understand how to behave in different social situations. They attend toddler groups where they can develop friendships with other children in larger social settings and this means they are well prepared for the more diverse environment they will experience in school.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward by Ofsted following a concern raised about the childminder's supervision of children during outings. The inspection found that the childminder does not adequately supervise children while off the premises because they are not always in her sight or hearing. The inspection also found that during trips where parent volunteers attend, suitable person checks are not been obtained and this compromises children's safety. The childminder does not keep a record of the hours that children attend her setting, including when they arrive and leave and this means she cannot be sure ratios are maintained at all times. She has a poor understanding of the procedures to follow should she have concerns about a child, or if an allegation is made against an adult and this means children are not sufficiently protected. The childminder also has an insufficient understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements with

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provision

regard to the reasons to notify Ofsted. As a result, the childminder is failing to meet the legal requirements as set out in the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is also failing to meet the requirements of the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates an appropriate understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and this means she can identify if a child is at risk from harm. Records of accidents to children are kept and permission to administer medicines is obtained from parents. This contributes to maintaining children's well-being. Partnerships with other professionals are not established and this means the childminder cannot be sure she would be able to access appropriate services for children who may need additional support with their care and learning.

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provision

The childminder provides parents with copies of her policies and procedures and they demonstrate an appropriate understanding of the service she provides. Daily discussions mean there is a steady two-way flow of information between parents and the childminder and, as a result, parents can share their views about her provision. However, the childminder has a poor understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means her understanding of the legal requirements is not sufficient to ensure she recognises the weaknesses in her practice. She does not seek support from the local authority and does not link with other professionals to share good practice. As a result, there has been no action taken to address previous areas identified for improvement. She has attained an appropriate qualification at level 3 but she is not using her knowledge to improve her practice to benefit the children she cares for.

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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 any person having unsupervised contact with children is suitable to be in regular contact with children and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check has been obtained through Ofsted in respect of that person (compulsory part of the childcare Register)  keep a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory part of the childcare Register)  ensure that any person having unsupervised contact with children is suitable to be in regular contact with children and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check has been obtained through Ofsted in respect of that person (voluntary part of the childcare Register)  keep a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (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 311022 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 968516 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 14

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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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