Childminder in Hillingdon

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/07/2014 05/07/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 1 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 does not ensure assistants manage children's behaviour appropriately, and she has not assessed the risks regarding assistants taking photographs of children on their mobile phones. She does not inform safeguarding agencies where children's safety is put at risk or ensure confidentiality. These failings compromise children's safety and welfare.  The childminder does not protect children from cross infection to promote their health. She has not risk assessed the garden play room to ensure it is safe and suitable for children. She does not provide sufficient space for the numbers of children she and her assistants care for, which hinders children's learning and development.  The childminder does not supervise her assistants' practice or coach them in their roles and responsibilities to promote children's care and learning adequately. Assistants lack basic understanding of children's development and do not provide them with adequate

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This provision is inadequate

support. Activities are poorly planned and do not engage children's interests to promote learning.  The childminder is in breach of her registration as she is working alongside four other adults at the same time. Furthermore, she has not informed Ofsted of changes to her assistants, additional areas she wishes to use for childcare or this change of use of her premises.

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It has the following strengths

 Parents feel welcomed and informed about their children's day-to-day care.

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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 undertaken by the children, assistants and the childminder.  The inspector discussed practice with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents in relation to children's learning and development, safeguarding, accidents and injuries, risk assessments and staff training, support and skills.  The inspector took account of parents' views through interviews and their feedback.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the childminder's self-evaluation document provided during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2000. She lives with her husband, three family adults and a teenager in Eastcote in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The whole of the ground floor and one room on the first floor are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has two dogs. The childminder walks or drives to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is currently working with several assistants. There are currently 10 children on roll in the early years age group, who attend on a variety of days and at different times. She also cares for older children before and after school.

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The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

We will issue a welfare requirements notice requiring the provider to:

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The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

implement the behaviour management policy and procedure appropriately, advising assistants on appropriate behaviour management practices, and access expert advice where necessary; with particular regard to ensuring all behaviour management strategies do not adversely affect children's well-being

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The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

train all assistants to understand the safeguarding policy and procedures and ensure that they have up to date knowledge of safeguarding issues

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The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

ensure the safeguarding policy and procedures cover the use of mobile phones and cameras in the setting

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The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take the following

put in place appropriate arrangements for the supervision of assistants to monitor their practice and to provide support, coaching and training in order to promote the interests of children.

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must:

 ensure educational programmes are based on playful interactions and are appropriate to the age and ability of individual children, particularly in relation to children learning to feed independently, having choices in their play, and learning letters and sounds

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must:

 ensure confidential information and records about children and assistants are held securely and only accessible and available to those who have a right or professional need to see them

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must:

 ensure indoor space requirements are met, the space is fit for purpose, and the premises and equipment are organised in a way that meets the needs of all the children

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must:

 ensure that risk assessments cover and identify all aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis and that risks are removed or minimised.

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must:

 promote the good health of children and prevent the spread of infection; with particular regard to nappy changing and handwashing procedures and ensuring towels and nappy changing mats are clean and hygienic

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who attend

The provision provides inadequate teaching and does not sufficiently encourage children to become effective learners. Staff control children's movements between inside and outside spaces. This restricts children's free access to some resources, and limits their opportunities for independent child-initiated play. The main learning environment is the outside space, which is planned adequately well overall, but not enough thought has gone in to providing resources that are suitable for less able children, such as chunky crayons to support the development of their early writing skills. In this space, children can use climbing equipment, such as climbing frames and slides, and there are rockers. Children enjoy role-play activities, such as dressing up and playing with the playhouse. They also have access to sand and books. However, the children spend little time playing or learning indoors as there is insufficient room for so many children. This area is not set out as a

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who attend

learning environment for children and is used mainly for sleeping.

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who attend

While the childminder shows sufficient knowledge of children's learning and development, and some confidence in her teaching abilities, she does not spend sufficient time engaging with children to promote their learning and development. She spends a lot of her time carrying out routines, such as changing nappies, picking up children from nursery and school, and settling children down for sleep. This means the assistants spend the majority of their time caring for the children without the childminder's supervision or support. The assistants have a weak understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and do not understand children's development. As a result of the poor quality of teaching and weak systems to support and mentor the assistants, children are not appropriately challenged and their learning and development is not adequately promoted.

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who attend

Assistants poorly promote children's enthusiasm for learning and do not listen when children say they do not want to do an activity. This means that, as the childminder is not engaging with the children or supporting the assistants, children's individual learning needs are not being met. Assistants plan group activities such as singing and reading stories. However, they have insufficient knowledge of nursery rhymes and action songs to keep children's attention. Such activities, delivered with a lack of enthusiasm, fail to promote children's language development. The assistants offer some ongoing commentary, using limited descriptive language to help support children's play. However, the assistants lack experience in broadening children's language, for example, by using words to describe the position of objects or good questioning techniques. They fail to encourage children to think about solutions for themselves. Some children learning English

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who attend

as an additional language receive support from the childminder when she makes herself available. As a result, these children make some progress. However, there are no forms of communication available to help those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to communicate more easily, such as the use of basic sign language. Children have opportunities to be physically active and young children use a range of movements, such as crawling and cruising around low-level tables. They walk and climb according to their ages and abilities. In general, children are making progress at expected levels in this aspect of their learning, although this is incidental rather than planned. Parents feel welcomed in this provision and find the childminder and her assistants friendly and approachable. They enjoy receiving regular daily feedback in the form of daily journals. This enables staff and parents to share basic information on children's welfare

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who attend

and the things children have enjoyed doing. The childminder seeks sufficient information from parents to help her establish a starting point so that she can begin to monitor their child's development. Staff observe children and make assessments, including the progress check for two-year-old children, which help keep parents informed on children's development. While the childminder's systems are not yet sufficiently accurate overall, they do give parents enough information to help them guide their children's learning at home. The childminder also shares her resources with parents, encouraging the partnership between her provision and home learning.

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

The care practices in this provision are inadequate, particularly when managing children's behaviour and supporting children's understanding of healthy lifestyles. Parents share the settling-in process, which takes account of the families' needs and helps children to separate and settle quickly, making relationships appropriately. New children move around the environment confidently and seek out familiar adults for their needs. Overall, assistants are friendly and caring towards children and spend time engaging with them at their own level. However, their lack of experience hampers their ability to act as positive role models for children. The childminder does not implement the behaviour management policy and procedure adequately to ensure children are provided with consistent boundaries. In particular, she does not ensure assistants manage children's behaviour appropriately. This is evident as the assistants used inappropriate strategies when children

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

did not want to take part in an adult-led activity. The assistants' expectations of children's developmental abilities were too high, due to their lack of understanding. This resulted in the assistants insisting children conform against their wishes. Their tactics included using threats to remove the children's dressing-up clothes if they did not do as the assistants said, which they carried out when the children still did not conform. These poor methods of managing children's behaviour have a significant effect on children's self-esteem and reduce their confidence levels.

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

Children are encouraged to tidy after their play. They use low-level tables and chairs to sit at for activities and to eat their meals. There is appropriate furniture to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities in accessing activities, and assistants give them lots of their attention to help them feel included. Toys and resources provide positive images of people and their communities, and children receive sufficient positive messages about their own and other religions and cultures. They hear different languages used by children and the childminder, who generally encourages the use of their home language and supports children developing English language skills. Although there are sufficient resources available, they are not used well enough to ensure all children are appropriately challenged in their learning.

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

However, hygiene procedures fail to prevent cross contamination between children because although children are reminded to wash their hands, they all share the same towel. In addition, nappy changing equipment, such as changing mats, are not cleaned after every use, and adults changing nappies do not wash their hands. These weak hygiene practices compromise children's health.

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

Meals and snacks are generally healthy, as the childminder offers children a mixture of processed and fresh foods, and drinks throughout the day. The childminder works with parents to ensure children's dietary needs are met. Parents receive a daily report on the meals children eat. Parents share that they are happy with the menus provided for children. However, at meal times, the childminder and her assistants do not encourage older children to act independently, such as by serving their own meals. In addition, the adults do not encourage children to make choices and learn about healthy portion sizes, as routines are given more priority. Furthermore, the assistants do not encourage babies to develop their independence, even when they clearly show signs of wanting to feed themselves. This is because the assistants lack knowledge of young children's development and the experience to help babies learn these new skills. Children have many

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

opportunities to enjoy fresh air and be physically active, particularly in warm weather when they spend most of their day outside. The childminder ensures those children who need a nap during the day have a suitable and comfortable place to sleep away from others. However, the childminding provision fails to ensure children are emotionally prepared and ready for the next stage in their learning. This is because the adults do not encourage children to be enthusiastic and independent learners.

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provision

The childminder's management of this provision is inadequate. This inspection took place following a notification from an authorised agency that raised a number of concerns relating to safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. These concerns related to the statutory requirements for managing behaviour, premises, risk assessment, equal opportunities, general information and records matters, information for parents and carers, suitability, ratios, child supervision, food and drink, and accident or injuries.

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provision

The inspection found the childminder was meeting the requirements relating to equal opportunities, information for parents and carers, suitability, ratios, food and drink, and accidents or injury. However, the childminder was in breach of a number of requirements relating to the concerns. The childminder had failed to ensure that she and her assistants manage children's behaviour adequately or use appropriate strategies and consistent guidelines. Although concerns related to sleeping arrangements and the tidiness of the premises appear to be unfounded, the inspection found the premises were unsuitable in size, and hygiene practices are poorly managed. Risk assessments ensure equipment is stored safely and the environment is tidy. Overall, the premises are safely maintained, the childminder meets ratio requirements, and the security of the premises gives parents reassurance that children are safe in this provision. However, the childminder has failed to

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provision

inform Ofsted of an additional area, the garden playroom, which she uses for childminding. As a result, the suitability of this area has not been assessed by Ofsted as part of the registration process. Therefore, children's safety cannot be guaranteed. In addition, the childminder has not carried out a risk assessment of this garden playroom which puts children's safety at risk. The childminder records children's accidents and injuries and takes action to remind assistants of their responsibilities to monitor the use of play equipment more closely, such as the slide. However, there are areas of the premises that have not been declared to Ofsted as part of the childminder's registration and are not risk assessed. Therefore, children's safety cannot be guaranteed. The requirement related to general information and records has not been met, as confidentiality was breached when the childminder enabled information and records to be shared inappropriately with

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provision

external persons. In addition, the childminder does not always supervise the deployment of assistants well to meet the needs of all the children attending. As a result of the inspection findings, Ofsted will take enforcement action.

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provision

The childminder has failed to keep Ofsted informed of significant events, including details of all the assistants she works with, and additional spaces she uses for childcare. In addition, the childminder has breached her conditions of registration as she is working with up to four adult assistants at the same time, which is classed as childcare on domestic premises. This means the childminder is operating as an unregistered childcare provision.

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provision

The childminder has not sufficiently prioritised safeguarding. She is able to talk about what might cause her concern about a child and associated signs and symptoms. She knows how to record information. However, she has failed to follow her procedure to inform the Local Authority Designated Officer of safeguarding concerns in relation to a breach of confidentiality. The childminder has ensured safeguarding training is available to her assistants to support them in understanding their roles and responsibilities to protect children. However, she has a poor understanding of the risks to children with regard to the use of mobile phones, cameras, and social networking sites. She has not ensured that photographs the assistants have taken of children at play, using their mobile phones, are used appropriately. This puts children's welfare at risk.

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provision

The childminder is managing a period of change of assistants poorly and has prioritised meeting ratios over the quality of care and learning. She is aware that assistants lack experience. However, she does not monitor or mentor them to ensure they deliver good teaching techniques. The assistants lack knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Therefore, they are unable to plan activities to match children's abilities or skills, and activities lack spontaneous fun. Some activities are too structured and do not promote learning through play.

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provision

The childminder values the comments made by parents and other agencies and has evaluated her service, but she is currently overwhelmed. This has meant she has not identified or addressed the weaknesses in her practice and any action taken has had too little effect. Overall, links with parents are appropriate. The childminder ensures parents receive the information they need. She works with her local authority inclusion team to support the needs of some children. This helps her to ensure interventions are appropriately put in place for children who need additional support, and, in general, this is received well. The childminder takes and collects children from local nurseries and schools, sharing information appropriately three ways. This broadens her understanding of individual children and enables shared knowledge between the provisions.

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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:

 implement effective systems to ensure that any person caring for children has skills and experience suitable for the work (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the premises and equipment used for the purposes of childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise and identify risks (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  inform Ofsted of changes of circumstances as soon as possible (no later them 14 days after the change occurs) (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  inform Ofsted of any significant event which is likely to affect the suitability of any person caring for children on the premises (compulsory part of the Childcare

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

Register)  inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and telephone number of any person aged 16 or over working with children (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  implement effective systems to ensure that any person caring for children has skills and experience suitable for the work (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure the premises and equipment used for the purposes of childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise and identify risks (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable manner (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  inform Ofsted of changes of circumstances as soon as possible (no later them 14 days after the change occurs) (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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

 inform Ofsted of any significant event which is likely to affect the suitability of any person caring for children on the premises (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and telephone number of any person aged 16 or over working with children (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 138927 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 980172 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 9 Number of children on roll 10

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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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