Childminder in Worcestershire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/05/2014 29/10/2012

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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 safeguarded effectively because the childminder does not identify all risks within the environment. In addition, the childminder does not have a robust awareness of child protection issues, which compromises children's safety and welfare.  The childminder has little knowledge of the learning and development requirements; observations are not completed in order to plan for individual children's needs, which mean they do not make good enough progress. In addition, the progress check for children aged between two and three years has not been carried out.  The childminder does not record the hours of children's attendance to demonstrate when children are in her care and there is no complaints policy to share with parents.  The childminder does not exchange information with other providers about children's development and interests. This hinders opportunities for all those involved in children's

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This provision is inadequate

care and learning to offer a consistent and complementary approach.  The childminder does not encourage or support parents to share information about their child's learning and development at home. As a result, the childminder does not have a complete picture of children's overall development.

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It has the following strengths

 Children relate well to the childminder, who displays a kind nature. This helps children to feel happy and secure.

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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 indoor and outdoor learning environments and had a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation of children engaged in an activity with the childminder.  The inspector held discussions with the childminder and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including daily registers, children's records and a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2007 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and three children aged 12, eight and six years in a residential area of Redditch. The ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding, along with an upstairs bedroom. There is an enclosed area for outside play. The family has a dog and a cat. The childminder works with an assistant and attends activities at the local toddler group. She visits the shops, library and park on a regular basis. The Childminder takes and collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 12 children on roll and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 8am to 6pm, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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must:

 develop knowledge of the learning and development requirements and implement observation and assessment procedures to show children's progress and plan clearly for their next steps

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must:

 ensure that the progress check for children aged between two and three years is carried out and parents are provided with a short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas, identifying the child's strengths and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected

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must:

 develop a regular two-way flow of information with other providers when children attend more than one setting, so that children receive continuity and consistency to help them make good progress in their learning and development

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must:

 engage and support parents in sharing information about their child's learning and development at home, so that a complete picture of children's overall development is obtained

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must:

 implement clear procedures for dealing with concerns and complaints from parents and/or carers and keep a record of any complaints received and their outcome

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must:

 attend a child protection training course, in order to be able to identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and neglect

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must:

 ensure risks are identified, with specific regard to the outdoor area, and steps are taken to remove or minimise these so that children's safety is promoted at all times; this relates to removing broken items and making paving slabs safe

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must:

 keep a daily record of the names of children being cared for on the premises and their hours of attendance.

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who attend

The childminder does not have a complete understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and some legal requirements have not been met. Teaching is weak because the childminder has not updated her skills and knowledge in children's development. She lacks understanding of the assessment and planning process and as a result, children do not make best progress. In addition, the childminder does not carry out the progress check for children aged between two and three years and provide parents with a short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas of learning. This means that the monitoring of children's developmental progress is not effective and their strengths and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected are not identified. The childminder asks children what they would like to do and follows their play ideas. This means that learning is often incidental rather than clearly planned.

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who attend

The childminder has an awareness of what children like to do and enables them to make choices. For example, children choose to play imaginatively with the dressing-up clothes. children explore shape, space and measure as they fill and empty containers with sand and cut and mould the play dough. The childminder responds to children's interests and requests, for example, she willingly provides paint pots when children ask for them. Children describe what they are doing and talk about the flowers they are painting. The childminder watches children and has friendly chats with them. However, she does not take the opportunity to observe how and what they are learning or to extend their learning through asking open-ended questions to encourage children to think. The childminder gathers some information from parents on induction about their child's interests, care needs and routines, as well as some information about what they can

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who attend

already do. The childminder exchanges information verbally with parents when they drop off and collect their child. For example, she advises them of their children's care needs, what they have eaten and how long they have slept. However, the childminder does not encourage or support parents to share information about their child's learning at home. As a result, parents are not involved in continuing their learning at home and the childminder does not have a complete picture of children's overall development.

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who attend

There are some basic opportunities for children to develop the skills they need for future learning. Children show an interest in books and explore shapes and numbers using puzzles and construction toys. The activities offered each day are loosely linked to the areas of learning, for example, children enjoy planting sunflower seeds and develop their understanding of nature and how plants grow. Children express their creativity as they paint pictures of what their sunflower will look like. They enjoy making marks using a selection of pens and crayons and create patterns in the sand. During activities the childminder interacts appropriately with children and talks to them as they play. Therefore, some children are becoming confident talkers and express themselves well. Children are developing an appropriate range of physical skills and they enjoy spending time outdoors in the fresh air. Outdoors, they enjoy playing ball games, digging and planting in the

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who attend

flower bed and using a selection of ride-on toys. They also enjoy daily walks where they visit the park or playgroups.

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

Overall, the childminder does not promote the well-being of all children who attend. She is in breach of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and as a result, she cannot always assure children's safety and emotional well-being. Nevertheless, children are happy and settled while in the childminder's care. The childminder and her assistant have warm and tactile relationships with children. This means that children are beginning to feel comfortable, approaching adults for a cuddle and making their needs known. Children soon settle into the childminder's care because she has effective systems to support this. Parents are invited to stay and play, as well as meeting and getting to know the childminder's family and they leave their children when they feel ready to do so. This eases the transition from home to the childminder's home and ensures children soon settle into the childminder's care.

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

Children play in a comfortable and generally clean environment both indoors and outdoors. It is reasonably well-resourced, warm and welcoming. Toys and resources are of a generally good quality, age-appropriate and easily accessible to children. Therefore, they are able to make free choices about their play. During the inspection children are generally well supervised and their behaviour is good. The childminder is calm and consistent in the way she approaches behaviour management, gently reminding children to share and take turns.

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

Children learn self-care skills as they are encouraged to be independent and to complete tasks for themselves. For example, children are encouraged to pour their own drinks and to help themselves to a snack. Children's health is adequately promoted because the childminder follows appropriate hygiene practices, which meet children's physical, nutritional and healthcare needs. The childminder reminds children to wash their hands at appropriate times, for example, after playing in the sand. Parents provide food to meet children's dietary requirements throughout the day and the childminder provides fruit and drinks for snacks. Food prepared at home by parents is stored appropriately until needed. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise because they have the opportunity to play outdoors at the childminder's home. Children are beginning to learn about their own safety because the childminder talks to them about dangers. For example, when out in the

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

community she reminds them not to talk to strangers, as well as teaching them how to cross the road.

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provision

The childminder does not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of how to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. This inspection was prioritised following concerns being raised about the childminder's ability to safeguard children in her care. The inspection found that the childminder does not have a robust awareness of child protection issues and the childminder does not identify all risk within the environment. As a result, children are not kept safe. In addition, due to the childminder's weaknesses in her understanding of requirements, she does not implement clear procedures for dealing with concerns and complaints from parents or record the hours of children's attendance. This means the childminder is not able to demonstrate, if needed, when children have been in her care. Some safety measures are in place for children attending. The childminder obtains written

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provision

parental permission for children to take part in outings and garden gates are kept secure and not accessible to children. The childminder and her assistant have current first-aid certificates and therefore, have up-to-date knowledge and skills to act appropriately should children have an accident or become ill. In addition, the childminder practises evacuating the premises in case of a fire with children. The childminder is aware of when she needs to notify Ofsted about important changes or events.

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provision

The childminder has a limited understanding of the learning and development requirements. She asks children what they would like to do and follows their play ideas. However, she has yet to implement observation and assessment procedures to show children's progress and to plan for their next steps in learning. As a result, children do not make best progress. Nevertheless, the childminder is a caring practitioner, who aims to offer children positive experiences while they are in her care. The childminder has reflected on her practice and identified some areas for development, however, this is not ongoing and therefore, she is not accurately identifying or addressing areas for development.

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provision

The childminder has appropriate partnerships with parents, spending some time at the beginning and end of the day discussing their child's care needs; however, she does not regularly share information about children's learning and development. As a result, parents are not kept informed about their children's progress or have the opportunity to continue their children's learning at home. In addition, partnerships with other providers are weak. The childminder looks after children who attend more than one setting; however, the childminder does not enable a regular two-way flow of information. Consequently, children are not offered a complementary and consistent approach to their learning. Parents speak highly of the childminder and say their children are settled and happy.

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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:

 undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment, at least once in each calendar year and immediately where the need for as assessment arises (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep an accurate daily record of the names of children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep a written statement of procedures to be followed in relation to complaints, which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent makes in writing or by email (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep a written record, for a period of three years, from the date of these complaints, including the outcome of the investigation and the action the provider took in response (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment, at least once in each calendar year and immediately where the need for as assessment arises (voluntary

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

part of the Childcare Register)  keep an accurate daily record of the names of children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  keep a written statement of procedures to be followed in relation to complaints, which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent makes in writing or by email (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  keep a written record, for a period of three years, from the date of these complaints, including the outcome of the investigation and the action the provider took in response (voluntary art 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 EY364212 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 972248 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 12

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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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