Childminder in Lambeth

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/09/2014 09/09/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Children are happy and settled in the childminder's care. They display a secure and trusting relationship with the childminder and enjoy her company.  The childminder has a suitable understanding of safeguarding procedures and maintains children's health and safety appropriately. She has suitable relationships with parents and shares relevant information about children's experiences on a daily basis.  The childminder is keen to make ongoing improvements through training and networking with others to improve her practice and enhance outcomes for all children.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not use effective systems to observe, assess and plan activities to support children to make good progress.  The childminder does not always use good strategies for managing children's behaviour to help them learn about boundaries and expectations.  The childminder does not extend on children's communication and language through effective communication methods, such as commentating and useful questions that help children to think.

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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 children taking part in both indoor and outdoor activities. She also spent time observing the childminder's interaction with them.  The inspector viewed resources and the areas of the premises that children use.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed safeguarding, children's progress and individual needs. She also viewed children's records and a selection of policies and procedures, including, the childminder's safeguarding policy.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at and discussed the childminder's self-evaluation process, including the views of one of the parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2012. She lives with her husband and their two adult children in a three-bedroom house, situated in the Brixton area in the London Borough of Lambeth. The home is close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. The ground floor is used for childminding, with access to upstairs for the bathroom and the master bedroom where children can sleep. There is a garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently two children on roll who are both in the early years age group. The childminder visits local parks and pre-school groups in the area. She also walks children to and from school.

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must:

 use observations and assessments to understand children's level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and to then plan challenging learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations

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must:

 improve the support for children's communication and language so they receive high levels of interaction and experience a rich language environment.

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

 strengthen systems to manage children's behaviour by giving children simple explanations so that they know what is expected of them.

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who attend

The childminder welcomes all children into the setting. She works closely with parents to find out some useful information about children's starting points and needs before they start. This helps the childminder to gain a suitable understanding of children's individual needs so she can support their learning. She has begun using photographs and some observations of children's achievements; but she does not clearly use this information to effectively monitor children's progress. This means that although children enjoy their time with her, activities do not always purposefully build on their existing knowledge and skills. Nonetheless, the childminder regularly shares information about children's learning and development with parents. She provides parents with access to their child's learning journals and has daily chats with them at the start and end of the day. This ensures continuity of children's care and learning. In addition, she relays messages to parents

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who attend

about their child's day at school. This encourages parents to share what they know about their children's development at home.

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who attend

The childminder prepares the children appropriately as they develop a sound range of skills needed to support their next stage of learning and eventual move in to school. Children's social skills develop as they regularly visits places in their local community such as the shops, library and drop-in groups. This also helps to develop children's understanding of the world. Opportunities to use counting and numbers in everyday play situations are used appropriately by the childminder. For example, younger children counted with the childminder up to five as they helped to pack away their toys. They also used small tools to manipulate the play dough and the childminder used this opportunity to check the children's knowledge of colour. In addition, children have regular opportunities to become aware of simple shapes and colours during play and resources such as the display of educational posters. This helps to support children in their next

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who attend

stage of learning and development. In the childminder's home, children eagerly joined in with singing and dancing along to music playing on a tape. The childminder's enthusiasm as she sang and moved her body along and joined in with the children's singing and dancing, supported them well to further enjoy the activity.

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who attend

Children's expressive arts and design skills are suitably fostered. The childminder encourages children to be creative. This can be observed through some colourful artwork displayed in the children's play areas. The childminder ensures paper and drawing resources are readily available so that children can make early marks at their leisure. Children also have access to a range of role-play toys where they enjoyed making 'tea' for the adults, enabling them to act out real life situations. The childminder sits at the children's level so they can see and hear her voice. She listens to the children as they talked freely to her while they played. However, the childminder does not extend on children's communication and language skills. For example through repeating and describing what children are saying and doing to encourage younger children's language development and confidence in speaking. This means that the quality of teaching is not

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who attend

good and hinders children in their communication and language development.

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

Children are confident and settled in the childminder's care. They have a close and trusting relationship with the childminder, who is caring and attentive to their needs. They benefit as the childminder provides an inclusive environment for children. They learn about diversity through resources, by celebrating festivals and through regular visits in the local community. The childminder provides children with lots of praise and encouragement when participating in activities which helps to build their confidence. She demonstrates a calm nature towards the children. Young children behave according to their ages and stages of development although they sometimes have difficulty managing their own feelings and behaviour. For example, they insist they are not wearing an apron for water play and the childminder responds by using strategies such as distraction. However, she does always provide children with simple explanations to help them understand right from

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

The environment is secure and offers adequate space. A suitable range of age-appropriate toys and resources are available and appropriately organised to allow children to help themselves. Children can play safely because the childminder supervises them appropriately and completes regular risk assessments. She puts precautions in place as appropriate, such as a safety gate to restrict access to the kitchen. Children learn about risks and how to keep themselves safe. For example, the childminder talks to them about road safety awareness when on outings to places such as the park. In addition, children also participate in regular fire drills with the childminder so that they know what to do in an emergency.

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

The childminder suitably promotes children's health and well-being. Her home is clean and well maintained. Appropriate hygiene practices are in place; the childminder ensures children have their own individual bedding and they are encouraged to wash their own hands before eating and after nappy changing to prevent cross contamination. The childminder prepares nutritionally balanced meals and snacks for children. In addition, the childminder positions a bowl of fresh fruit and children's drinking cups within their reach. This encourages children to think about their own personal needs. Children learn about healthy options when they choose from a selection of fruits at snack time and are served with a hot meal at lunchtime. Children are developing their self-care skills as they help to tidy away toys and are encouraged to feed themselves. This developing independence helps prepare them for the next stage in their learning. They do not attend if they are

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

sick, which enables the childminder to protect others from illness. Children play outside every day as part of a healthy lifestyle, benefiting from the fresh air and exercise in the garden or at local drop-in centres and parks. This supports children to extend their social skills and develop confidence and independence when they are away from the main care setting.

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provision

The childminder has a sufficient understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has all mandatory documentation, such as parental consents and systems for recording accidents and administering medication to children. She also has a sound understanding of safeguarding issues. For example, she has updated her safeguarding policy to cover the use of mobile phones and cameras in her setting. In addition, the childminder is aware of her responsibility to contact the relevant agencies if she has concerns about a child in her care.

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provision

The childminder has a sound understanding of the learning and development requirements. She demonstrates an acceptable understanding of the requirement to complete the progress check for children between two and three years of age and what to cover in this when the need arises. However, clear systems to monitor children's achievements through observations to assess the progress children make are not securely in place. Consequently, this has an impact on the planning of activities to consistently challenge children in their learning. Nonetheless, the childminder demonstrates a sound commitment to continuous improvement. She has appropriately met the actions raised at the last inspection. This is because she now has a valid first-aid certificate is in place; the childminder carries out regular risk assessments of her home and the places she takes children. This ensures children's safety is supported appropriately. The childminder has

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provision

also started to implement some processes to evaluate her practice. This has helped her to identify areas for further improvement to develop the quality of her provision. The childminder is committed to her professional development. She is working closely with advisory support staff in the borough and in childcare settings. As a result, she attends relevant training opportunities to improve her skills, knowledge and practice to enhance the outcomes for children.

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provision

The childminder builds sound relationships with parents. She exchanges verbal information with parents on a daily basis to inform them of their child's general well-being to help ensure continuity of care. She also shares children's learning journals with parents so that they know how their children are progressing. The childminder seeks feedback from parents on a regular basis, for instance through questionnaires, and uses this information to develop her practice. For example, she is planning to further develop the two-way flow of communication following a suggestion from a parent. Parents provide positive feedback about the service; they comment 'I am happy with the progress of my child'. The childminder also cares for children who attend other early years settings and is beginning to make suitable links with them to ensure continuity of care and learning. This encourages regular information sharing to offer children consistency. In addition, the

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provision

childminder uses a variety of facilities within her local community to extend children's learning experiences. These links provide her with access to specialist additional support if needed for the children in her care.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 EY439350 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 963460 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 2

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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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