Childminder in West Sussex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/06/2014 16/10/2013

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is inadequate

 Children’s welfare is not effectively protected because the childminder does not follow her safeguarding procedures in the event of a concern about children’s welfare.  There are significant gaps in the information shared about the children. This results in the childminder lacking important information about children’s well-being.  The childminder does not have effective systems in place to work with other agencies to promote children’s safety and well-being.  Planning is not fully effective to address the identified gaps in children’s learning, particularly relating to the development of literacy skills.  Children are happy and settled in the childminder’s care and they form close and caring relationships with her.  Children develop their ideas through a variety of self-initiated activities; this promotes their social development, as they learn to play collaboratively.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 The childminder has addressed the recommendations set at her last inspection.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed activities in the play room and the garden

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspectors looked at a range of records, including written and computerised records, which included accident and medication records and children’s development and assessment records  The inspectors spoke to the childminder and the children throughout the inspection

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspectors took account of the views of parents which were detailed in questionnaires

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspectors checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and those living in the household

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder registered in July 2000. She lives with her adult children in Littlehampton, West Sussex close to shops, parks, beach, schools and public transport links. The downstairs dining room and conservatory are used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder is able to walk and drive to local schools and pre-schools. The family has four cats. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder has four children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. She holds an early years childcare qualification to level 3.

p.3

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

We will issue a welfare requirement notice requiring the childminder to:

p.3

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

be alert to issues of concern in children’s life at home or elsewhere and fully implement your safeguarding policy by notifying agencies with statutory responsibility without delay, and to

p.3

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

obtain and share information with parents and carers and other professionals working with the child to ensure the safe and efficient management of the setting and to support children’s well-being.

p.3

must:

 improve planning, so that it identifies children’s next steps and outlines how gaps in children’s learning will be addressed, with particular regard to increasing opportunities for literacy throughout the setting.

p.3

who attend

The childminder provides a welcoming environment, where children are happy to express themselves. For example, children play imaginatively together when they find material in the dressing up box. They use it creatively to make costumes and become film characters, as they dance and sing around the garden. They are totally engrossed in their play. Children take part in a variety of activities to support their progress towards the early learning goals. Children demonstrate motivation, confidence and enjoyment in their play and learning. Overall, they are making satisfactory progress in their development. Children also learn about the social world around them through accessing resources which positively reflect different cultures. Activities for play are mostly led by the children, supported by the childminder, who enables appropriate opportunities to encourage learning. This helps children to progress in most areas of learning, particularly in their

p.3

who attend

personal, social and emotional development.

p.4

who attend

Young children show care and concern for each other. They fetch tissues for one another without prompting and when the sun comes out they collect sun hats for each another. Children develop their physical skills while playing in the garden on large play equipment. Through cooperation they manage to work together to move the double swing. They listen to one another and slow the swing down when it goes too fast. Children use magnifying glasses to explore insects as they learn about living things.

p.4

who attend

Gaps are identified in children’s learning. However, there is weakness in the quality of teaching because the childminder does not plan sufficiently to target these gaps, which means that children’s next steps are not always fully supported. For example, where development of children’s literacy skills is not yet as expected, the childminder does not fully consider how this area can be promoted throughout the setting. While there are some opportunities for children to develop their literacy skills, these are less evident in the outdoor area, where children spend a great a deal of their time.

p.4

who attend

The childminder supports individual children's speech and language needs by liaising with parents and the speech therapist. She interacts with the children purposefully to build on what they know and can do. She encourages their independence and self-help skills, consequently children are appropriately prepared for their future learning in most areas.

p.4

who attend

The childminder asks parents about children’s learning prior to attending the setting. She becomes knowledgeable about the children she cares for and their learning needs through observation and assessment. She records children's progress on a computerised system, which is available to parents. Feedback from parents is that some use the system, while others access the information but do not generally add their comments. Feedback via parent questionnaires is positive.

p.4

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

Children are settled and form attachments with the childminder. The childminder takes some steps to manage potential risks to children through carrying out risk assessments and daily checks. However, some elements of safety are not sufficiently rigorous. Consequently, children’s welfare and well-being is not fully supported. This is because of a weakness in the childminder’s implementation of procedures relating to safeguarding arrangements. Furthermore, the childminder does not obtain and share sufficient information from outside agencies about children’s welfare needs to help keep children safe from harm. The indoor environment is arranged to enable children to choose from a variety of toys and resources. This promotes independent learning and fosters children’s imagination. Children learn appropriate behaviour boundaries through the interaction from the childminder, who is consistent in her approach. They can communicate their needs and

p.4

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

they learn how to keep themselves safe, for example through practicing road safety and learning about stranger danger.

p.5

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

Children’s health, physical and dietary needs are supported appropriately and satisfactory hygiene routines are in place. Children are given the opportunity to manage their own hygiene needs. Pictorial prompts are on display in the bathroom to remind children to wash their hands and paper towels are available for them to dry their hands, minimising the risk of cross infection.

p.5

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

The childminder promotes children's awareness of healthy eating. She offers a variety of snacks, including fruit, which was offered during the inspection. Children gain an understanding of where food comes from when they plant and water potatoes. The childminder talks to them about the foods that are good for them and she discourages unhealthy choices in lunchboxes.

p.5

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

Children play outdoors regularly in the garden, promoting their physical growth and development. The childminder helps to prepare children for moving to school. She makes contact with local schools and works together with parents to ease their transition.

p.5

provision

The childminder has failed to notify relevant agencies about a safeguarding concern. This failure is a breach of the Early Years Foundation Stage welfare requirements and potentially has a significant impact on children's safety and well-being. The childminder has undertaken online safeguarding training and she has an up-to-date safeguarding policy, which is in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board Guidance. Despite this, she lacked the confidence in her own knowledge to respond appropriately to a significant safeguarding concern. The childminder has failed to ensure the safety of a child in her care, which puts them at potential risk of harm. Ofsted are taking enforcement action in respect of this serious breach in requirements.

p.5

provision

The childminder has clear procedures in place to check that adults in the home are suitable to be around children. Risk assessments are conducted regularly for the home and for outings to identify and minimise hazards. The childminder demonstrates some drive for improvement, as she regularly self-evaluates her practice.

p.5

provision

Recommendations from the last inspection have been implemented. She monitors children's learning and development reasonably well, using available guidance. The childminder updates her practice by attending relevant training. For example she recently attended a course on speech, language and communication needs to improve her knowledge and skills in this area. Overall, the childminder builds sound relationships with parents. Together, they generally discuss children’s care and learning needs. However, insufficient information is gathered to fully understand individual family circumstances. The need to liaise with outside agencies is not fully recognised to ensure the well-being of all children.

p.5

The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

p.6

actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

p.6

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

 ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm (Compulsory part of Childcare Register)  ensure that children receiving childcare are kept safe from harm (Voluntary part of Childcare Register)

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 114353 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 968493 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10