Childminder in Luton

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/05/2014 03/07/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder supports children who learn English as an additional language by using key words in their home language. This means that children feel valued and helps them to feel secure.  The childminder encourages children to explore the world around them. This supports children's natural curiosity as learners and they are able to make sense of the world in which they live.  The childminder encourages babies' speech development well. She teaches them to link words and their meaning as she commentates on things that they do together.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not keep a written log of any complaints received, what she did as a result of this complaint and their outcome. She is in breach of a requirement of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the associated requirements of the General Childcare Register.  The childminder does not consistently link assessments of things that children can and cannot do with planned next steps for their learning. This means that children do not always make good progress across all areas of learning.  The childminder does not always support children to manage their own behaviour well as she does not explain the consequences of unwanted behaviour. This means that children do not always understand the consequences of their actions.

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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 the childminder and children throughout the inspection

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed documents that the childminder uses to support her practice including policies, procedures and children's records

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the childminder's practice with her, including her understanding of safeguarding issues and behaviour management.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at written feedback from parents and discussed the childminder's self evaluation form with her.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and three children aged four, nine and 10 years in a house in Luton, Bedfordshire.

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Information about the setting

The whole of the childminder's home, except for the main bedroom, is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder attends social and activity groups on a regular basis and she supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are currently seven children on roll, two of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round seven days a week, including bank holidays, although family holidays are excluded. She also provides overnight care and all hours of care provided are flexible.

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must:

 keep a written record of any complaints and their outcome so that this written record is available to Ofsted on their request

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must:

 ensure that identified next steps for children's learning arise from day to day observations of children's learning and use these to shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations to enable all children to make good progress

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

 develop children's understanding of how to manage their own behaviour and of expected types of behaviour, by more consistently explaining the consequences of their actions.

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who attend

Overall, the childminder has a sound understanding of how children develop and learn. She is able to make some assessment of children's stage of development using local authority guidance. However, she does not always uses these assessments to provide activities that promote the children’s individual development. While the childminder plans activities for children that respond to their interests, she does not consistently provide activities that encourage children to make progress in all areas. The childminder describes herself as becoming 'stuck' when children always seem to want to return to the same favourite activities. She has introduced some interesting activities for children, for example taking trips to local parks to collect frogspawn which they are watching grow into tadpoles, froglets and frogs. However, she states that often children tend to revert to the same activities that they enjoy, such as playing with the small world toys. She has not

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who attend

considered innovative ways to encourage children to develop their skills across all areas using their interests. This means that while all children are developing broadly as expected for their age and stage of development, their development is slower in some areas than in others. For example, she has identified that a child requires more help with self care activities such as learning to put their own coat on and off but she has not planned specific activities to support them to develop this skill. The next steps for this child do not result from the childminder's knowledge of this child's development and this means that their progress is slower in some areas than others.

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who attend

The childminder takes opportunities to enable children to develop their language skills, especially those children who learn English as an additional language. She has worked with parents to find out key words in the children's home languages. This means that children hear their home language in her home. As a result children who speak English as an additional language are able to develop their speaking and understanding skills from the secure base of their home language. The childminder promotes young children's speaking and listening skills appropriately. For example when she sits with a baby she uses a mirror to help the baby see the way that her mouth moves when she makes sounds. The childminder commentates on things that she is doing to help the baby link movement to sounds, saying 'twist, twist' as she helps the baby moves the mirror around in her hands. This means that younger children are learning to link spoken words to their

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who attend

meaning. The childminder has also provided some interesting resources that help younger children to explore different textures. Babies enjoy running dried beans through their fingers as the childminder stands with them and describes how they feel. The childminder puts interesting things for babies to look at in a raised tray, which encourages them to stand up at the tray and develop their large muscle skills. The childminder provides opportunities for younger children to develop their standing and walking skills. They can pull themselves up on a low play table and cruise from one foot to another along the sofa. This demonstrates that the childminder has organised her home and some resources with some development needs of younger children in mind.

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who attend

Older children have opportunities to play with construction toys and make imaginative models that represent their individual ideas. Older children enjoy some time to sit quietly and have a relax when they come home from school. The childminder provides some activities to encourage children to be curious about the world around them. For example, children enjoy looking at the tortoises that live in the childminder's home and they feed them vegetables. This means that children are generally well occupied during their time in with the childminder.

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

The childminder has taken appropriate steps to make children feel at home in her care. She finds out things about children when they first join and uses this information to plan things that children like doing. She shares information with parents through a written care diary and also through daily chats. This means that she keeps up to date with any issues that might affect how children are feeling and can respond to any changes in their lives. This helps her support children's emotional needs and they feel settled in her care.

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

The childminder has made improvements to the way she manages children's behaviour. For example, she now makes eye contact with children, smiles at them to make them feel welcome and uses a softer tone of voice so that children do not feel uncomfortable. She holds babies close and sits them on her lap to make them feel safe and secure as they explore toys with her. However, while the childminder manages challenging or unwanted behaviour in age appropriate ways, she does not consistently explain to children why certain behaviours are unacceptable. For example, she tells children not to throw things. However, she does not give them any explanation of why they should not throw things around to encourage an understand of the potential consequences of their actions or how they might make other people feel. This means that children do not always understand why they must stop doing things and this limits their ability to manage their own

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

behaviour successfully. The childminder has recently cut down the number of children that she cares for. She has considered the space available in her home and also recognises that there are limits to the attention that she can give a large group of children. As she cares for fewer children, including after school, she is better able to meet their individual needs. This also means that children now have enough space to explore and play in the childminder's home. The childminder has risk assessed her home appropriately and uses risk assessments on outings and walks to and from school to support children's safety. For example, children know that they must cross the road with the childminder.

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

The childminder has made recent improvements to the food and drink that she offers children in her care so that they all receive a nutritious diet. She gives children nutritionally balanced, freshly prepared food everyday and offers them a range of vegetables and fruit. Children are clearly used to choosing these things for themselves as they freely help themselves to apples from a selection of fruit which is available to them. The childminder encourages children to sit together at the table when they eat and this means that they enjoy the social aspect of mealtimes. This means that children develop positive attitudes towards eating and making healthy choices. The childminder encourages all children to be independent at mealtimes and to use cutlery to feed themselves. Older children help themselves to water throughout their time in the childminder's home and babies have their own cups that they can drink from throughout the day.

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

The childminder has organised her home so that children can choose their own toys and resources and this means that children can do things that they like to do. She has brought a playhouse indoors as this is something all the children enjoy playing with. As a result, they can play with this even in poor weather. Children enjoy the equipment in the garden, including a trampoline, a climbing frame and ride on toys. Children are able to describe the rules of the trampoline, for example, that there must only be one person on it at a time and this shows that they understand how to keep themselves safe. Children take part in regular fire drills and the childminder documents these clearly. She notes who was present and whether there were any problems with the evacuation so that she can plan for these next time. Children are able to say what they would do in an emergency, that they would hold hands and follow the childminder out of the door to be safe. The

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

childminder gives children daily outdoor play, either in the garden or on walks to and from school so that they are able to get healthy fresh air.

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provision

The inspection took place following an investigation into the childminder's practice relating to safeguarding, behaviour management, child supervision, information for parents and carers and food and drink. The inspection found that the childminder has taken appropriate steps to improve her practice following this investigation. Overall the childminder has an adequate understanding of her role and responsibilities in relation to her registration. For example, she has a suitable awareness of child protection concerns and is able to discuss signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect and the action she would take to record and report these. The childminder is able to describe how she would take suitable action in a range of scenarios relating to child protection concerns. This means that she is able to take appropriate action to safeguard children. The childminder understands steps to take in the case of an allegation made against herself or a member

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provision

of her household. This means that she understands how to share information with agencies to protect children in her care.

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provision

Overall, the childminder maintains records that support her to manage her setting effectively. For example the childminder shares her policies and procedures with parents including her policy to follow in the case of a complaint. However, the childminder does not maintain a record of complaints against the setting with details of the complaint and the outcome. This is a breach of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the associated requirements of the General Childcare Register. The childminder is required to take action to rectify this breach. This means it is difficult to assess what action the childminder takes to resolve any complaints that she receives. The childminder keeps other records appropriately including records of any accidents involving children and any medications. These records support her to keep children safe in her care.

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provision

The childminder is generally confident in her understanding of children's stages of development and provides age and stage appropriate activities that respond to children's interests. However she does not use assessment information effectively to ensure that planned activities cater for all gaps in children's development. As a result, their progress is not consistently good across all areas. This means that the childminder is not fully meeting the learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundations Stage. This is with particular regards to her assessment arrangements. The childminder is required to take action to rectify this. The childminder uses information gathered from parents to plan things for children that respond to their likes and dislikes. She gathers useful information from parents when their children first start. She uses diaries and daily conversations to speak to parents about their children's experience in her

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provision

care. This supports continuity of care for children between their home and her home.

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provision

The childminder is keen to make improvements to her practice. She has identified areas where she wants to make more progress, such as developing her garden to make better use of the space. She has made recent improvements to her practice, including the way she interacts with children so that they feel more comfortable in her care. This also means that the childminder is better able to supervise children in her care to promote their safety and wellbeing.

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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:

 keep a written record, for a period of three years, of any complaints which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent makes in writing or by email, including the outcome of the investigation and the action you took in response (Compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep a written record, for a period of three years, of any complaints which relate to the requirements of the Childcare Register and which a parent makes in writing or by email, including the outcome of the investigation and the action you took in response (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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY380662 Local authority Luton Inspection number 972593 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 9

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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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