Childminder in Leeds

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/07/2014 03/08/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 3 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 knowledge of safeguarding is extremely weak and procedures to protect children are not followed. The childminder does not appreciate all the risks in the environment. As a result, children's health and safety is compromised.  Children's individual learning and development is not fully supported as there are weaknesses in observation, planning, assessment and identification of next steps. Monitoring of learning is not robust enough to identify gaps in learning. Consequently, these are only closing slowly.  Some activities lack interest and challenge, as a result, children's thinking and problem solving skills are not extended.  Outdoor space is not being used safely or effectively and children have limited access to resources. The indoor space is not well organised and impacts on children's ability to make choices and move around the home. As a result, opportunities to develop independence and choice are missed.

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This provision is inadequate

 Partnerships with parents and other settings are weak, as a result, consistency of learning is not supported.

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It has the following strengths

 The warm, caring nature of the childminder means that children have developed secure relationships and are happy and settled.

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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 observed the childminder playing and interacting with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of children's electronic assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of records and policies relating to children's welfare, health and safety.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at questionnaires completed by parents and took their views into account.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2001 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and four children aged 18, 15, 13 and 10 years in a house in Rodley, a suburb of Leeds. The ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family have three cats. The childminder takes and collects children from school and attends local groups. There are currently 11 children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age group and who attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder's daughter works as her assistant.

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must:

 improve knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures and ensure these are rigorously implemented in order to keep children safe from harm

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must:

 ensure adequate risk assessments are carried out and used to protect children from harm, for example, ensuring adequate protection for children when playing outside in strong sunlight

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must:

 improve observation and assessments in order to identify next steps. Use this information to ensure that planning is sharply focussed and targeted at meeting the individual needs of all children and that challenging and stimulating experiences are offered to fully develop children's potential

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must:

 ensure progress of all children is closely monitored so that any gaps in learning are quickly identified and steps are taken to support children to move on to the next stage in their learning

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must:

 develop effective partnerships with parents and other providers to facilitate the exchange of information about children's starting points, progress and development and to support consistency of learning

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must:

 ensure that the premises and equipment are organised to enable children to remain safe and that there is sufficient space for children to make choices and move around freely

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must:

 ensure children are able to access the outdoor provision safely, on a daily basis and in a range of weather conditions.

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who attend

The childminder has an adequate knowledge of how children learn and develop, as a consequence, she provides a range of activities across all seven areas of learning. She plans activities based on the children's interests, but these do not consistently offer stimulation and challenge. As a result, children's thinking and problem solving skills are not always developed. Children are regularly assessed to establish their stage of development and this information is recorded electronically. However, the childminder does not monitor this information to identify gaps in children's learning. As a consequence, any gaps are closing slowly. Some useful information is gathered by the childminder from parents when children first start, but this is largely based around their care needs. Engagement with parents is not fully effective to ensure that relevant information is given and exchanged, to ensure children's learning is fully supported during time spent with the

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who attend

Although planning is based around the children's interests, the childminder does not use observations to monitor and identify the next steps in their learning. This means that activities are not sufficiently targeted to meet the individual learning needs of each child and provide planned, purposeful play activities. Despite this, children are making some progress towards the next stage in their learning. They enjoy their time with the childminder. Younger children show delight as they successfully use a shape sorter or take faltering steps as they learn to walk, developing mathematical and physical skills. Older children persevere in developing physical skills in the garden, as they throw and kick balls and explore the properties of wet and dry sand, giving them the opportunity to develop creatively. Children's communication and language skills are supported well by the childminder, as she models language to them and extends their vocabulary. However,

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who attend

where children are identified as needing extra support with language development, no individual planning is carried out to enable them to improve their skills. As a result, progress is slow.

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who attend

Children can select from an adequate range of resources to support their learning. Most are accessible for them to select at will, supporting them to become active and independent learners. However, the storage of resources does not enable younger children to make choices. Additionally, creative resources are only available when provided by the childminder. Painting and other messy play is generally limited to the garden area. This limits children's opportunities to develop and explore their creative skills. The childminder regularly takes children to local groups and meets up with other childminders, as a result, children are able to develop their social skills and enjoy learning from their peers. Children are encouraged by the childminder to persevere when they encounter problems in their learning as she gently supports them to try again, for instance, when matching shapes in an inset puzzle. In this way, they become resilient and persistent

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who attend

learners. Children are happy to ask for help when they need it and this is provided sensitively by the childminder who, nevertheless, encourages children to attempt to meet their own learning needs as appropriate.

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

Although the childminder has put in place some measures to keep children safe, risk assessments are not robust enough to ensure their health and well-being is promoted. In particular, the childminder allows children to play in strong sunlight without sunhats and without applying sun cream. This is a breach in requirements as she is failing to ensure that children are kept safe. The main room available for children to play is cluttered and children have to negotiate carefully around each other and toys in the space available to them. As a result, there is a real danger of children tripping and falling. A number of safety measures have been put in place, including stair gates as appropriate and plug covers. The childminder has a calm and warm nature and displays affection for and interest in the children in her care. Children are supported by the childminder to develop warm, secure relationships with her and with each other. They can be seen enjoying cuddles when

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

needing reassurance and are obviously happy and settled at her home. As a result, their personal, social and emotional development is supported and moves from the setting are made easier. The childminder encourages children to share toys and sensitively deals with disputes over possession of some items. Behaviour is generally managed well and children willingly comply with requests and routines. As boundaries are clearly laid out, children are happy and comfortable and their emotional well-being is good. Children's health is supported by access to the rear garden, where there is room for them to enjoy exercise and fresh air on the grassed area. Unfortunately, this access is only given to them when the weather is fine and the grass is dry. This limits their opportunities to develop physically and keep healthy. A range of toys is available to engage their interest, including ride-on toys, a small trampoline, a climbing frame and bats and balls. In addition, children

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

are able to help grow strawberries, thereby, developing their understanding of the natural world.

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

Children are given a range of healthy, well-balanced meals by the childminder. She encourages them to wash their hands after using the bathroom or before meals, helping them to develop a growing awareness of keeping safe and healthy. Children's independence is supported as younger ones are encouraged to find comforters from their own bags and older children feed themselves and meet other self-care needs. Meal times are used to discuss healthy food and children are encouraged to try vegetables and other unfamiliar foods, thereby, supporting a growing knowledge of a healthy diet. Children have access to water throughout the day and freely ask for or access this.

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provision

The childminder has an extremely limited understanding of safeguarding requirements and how to adequately safeguard children. She is unable to explain accurately the action she would take if she had a concern about a child in her care. She is unsure about the signs and symptoms she should be aware of. Although the childminder has a safeguarding policy, this is not adhered to, in particular, with regard to referring concerns to social care. As a result, the childminder is not able to ensure that children are adequately safeguarded and is unable to ensure that her assistant is capable of doing this. This is a breach of requirements and seriously compromises children's well-being and safety. In addition, requirements of the Childcare register in relation to safety and management of risk are not being met. Some safety measures are in place, including a policy with regard to camera and mobile phone use and administration of medicines. However, on the day of

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provision

inspection, some of the childminder's policies were clearly not followed, for example, concerning the use of the television. The childminder has not minimised risks for the children, in particular with regard to protection from the sun and eliminating hazards of tripping and slipping caused by the cluttered environment. As a result, children's safety is compromised. The childminder does not fully implement the learning and development requirements. She fails to use observations to inform next steps, as a consequence, she is unable to meet the learning needs of all children. Progress is not sufficiently monitored to enable her to identify gaps in learning and take action to close the gaps. Where children are progressing at above the expected levels, no efforts are made to ensure planning meets their growing needs. Despite this, children do make progress but this is slow. Recommendations from the last inspection have only been partly met. Efforts have

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provision

recently been initiated to enable parents to contribute to children's profiles, but this is not yet embedded. Observations and assessments are not yet being used to link next steps in learning and to provide individualised learning experiences. Risk assessments are not yet effective. Although some effort has been made to develop a system of self-evaluation, this is not yet completely evaluative and does not take the views of parents into account. The childminder carries out regular appraisals with her assistant to ensure that she is clear about her roles and responsibilities. Both the childminder and her assistant have completed a paediatric first-aid course. The childminder has also completed a behaviour management course and the positive impact of this upon her practice was observed during the inspection.

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provision

Partnership with parents is weak. A number of surveys from parents were very complimentary about the care routines and the warm welcoming environment. Parents stated that their children were happy and secure with the childminder. However, views from parents that they would like more information about children's learning and development have not been taken into account. As a result, children's learning is not fully supported. Partnerships with other providers have not been established. Where children attend another setting, no information is exchanged to ensure continuity of learning and to support development.

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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 receiving childcare are kept safe from harm (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm (voluntary 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 501893 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 877177 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 11

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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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