Childminder in Milton Keynes

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/10/2014 25/05/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The childminder shows a poor understanding of the learning and development requirements and not all areas of learning are sufficiently covered. She does not understand the importance of using observations and assessments to monitor children's progress, particularly the need for recording accurate starting points and completing the progress check for two-year-old children.  Information shared with parents is poor and they are not sufficiently encouraged to help children develop skills at home.  The childminders knowledge of safeguarding is weak, particularly about reporting concerns. She has a poor knowledge of the Local Children's Safeguarding Board procedures and lacks information to help her report concerns to safeguard children.  The childminder fails to effectively risk assess her environment and exposes children to hazards, which include poisons and unhygienic equipment left within their reach.

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This provision is inadequate

 The childminder does not effectively evaluate her service or drive continual improvement. She has not prioritised training or addressed her lack of knowledge and how this impacts on children's safety or meeting their needs.  The childminder does not do enough to help children to gain confidence, become self- assured and to learn to value others who may be different than themselves.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder provides a friendly and welcoming home where children can have fun playing, and learn basic skills in leading healthy lifestyles.

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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 discussed practice with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents in relation to safeguarding and those related to training, support and skills.  The inspector observed activities undertaken by children and the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1989. She lives with her husband in a house, in the Giffard Park area of Milton Keynes. The childminder uses the ground floor of the property for the main childminding activities, and an upstairs bathroom. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. She is currently caring for seven children, of whom three are in the early years age range. This provision is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The family has a pet dog and two cats.

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must:

 ensure you have a suitable knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and child protection, and have regard to the Government's statutory guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013', to ensure that any concerns about children's welfare or safety are notified to agencies with statutory responsibilities without delay

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must:

 improve knowledge of the learning and development requirements to plan purposeful play for each child through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities, taking full account of their individual needs, interests and stages of development

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must:

 ensure children receive the emotional support they need to become confident, self-assured individuals, and help them to gain understanding of the world by providing activities and experiences that focus on children learning about themselves, their uniqueness and that of other people

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must:

 develop procedures to undertake initial and ongoing assessments of children's abilities to establish strong starting points, and to complete the progress check for each child aged between two and three years and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas of learning

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must:

 promote two-way communication with parents to share information about the range and types of activities, and experiences provided for children and how parents and carers can share learning at home

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must:

 improve the procedure for risk assessing the environment by making sure that all areas children come into contact with are thoroughly checked and prompt action is taken to minimise potential hazards

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

 implement a system to evaluate practice and drive continuous improvements across all areas of the service, to improve knowledge and skills, and take into account the views of parents and children.

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who attend

The childminder has a poor understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder fails to do enough to promote children's learning. She does not have a secure knowledge of where children are in their learning. Activities are provided according to the childminder's understanding of children's interests, not from an accurate assessment of their individual learning needs, and there is little attempt to extend children's abilities and skills. The childminder does, however, make children welcome by providing a range of activities they can play with. Generally she promotes their personal, social and emotional development by being friendly and affectionate towards them. Children stay close to the childminder and look to her for support. This shows they feel comfortable around her. The childminder helps children to acquire some communication and language skills. While they played with puzzles she

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who attend

maintained their attention by keeping up an ongoing commentary. Children listened and followed her instruction but; they were not confident to speak. Although the childminder identifies children are quiet she does not sufficiently plan specific activities to encourage development of their individual language and communication skills. The childminder introduces children to some mathematical concepts. For example, she talks about colours and shapes, and helps children match shapes to spaces. She encourages number recognition and helps children count in sequence when playing with them. The childminder provides some opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Children grasp small objects, such as the puzzle pieces and manipulate these into the correct position. This helps to strength their hands and wrist muscles in readiness for later writing skills. The childminder explains they have a range of outdoor resources, which

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who attend

encourages their larger muscle development. This supports their strength, coordination and balance.

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who attend

The childminder is friendly towards parents but she does not value their understanding of their children. She fails to collect information from them about what they know of their children's development when they start. She does not observe or assess children's development or plan meaningful activities to challenge what children already know. She is not working towards specific learning goals and has not identified how she can help children make progress in their learning. She shows little knowledge of the requirements for completing the progress check for two-year-old children, including the need to provide parents with a short written summary. The childminder talks to parents at the end of each day but; her poor knowledge of children's learning prevents her from providing them with accurate information. The information shared normally consists of sharing what children have eaten and how children have been rather than about the progress they have made

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who attend

during their day. The childminder does not see herself as an educator to the children and, therefore, the quality of teaching varies depending on her other commitments for the day. This hampers children's progress in grasping the skills they need to move rapidly forward in their learning. The weaknesses in learning and development have been raised at previous inspections. The childminder has failed to make any improvement in her skills to observe and assess children in order to plan experiences that help them reach their learning goals. Therefore, she limits children's ability to make good progress and this affects their readiness for school.

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

The childminder helps children settle into her setting relatively well. Her friendly relationships with parents help children build trust and, overall, they settle quickly without upset. The childminder models how to behave by showing children how to play together and she sits with them as they engage with each other. They are learning basic skills in sharing and turn taking, and enjoy role-play games together, such as playing hairdressers. They talk to each other using endearments. Some children are more confident than others and allow other children to take the lead. Less confident children rely heavily on the childminder for support in their social skills. Overall, they appear to enjoy each other's company and play well together. The childminder does not plan opportunities for children to learn about their own or others uniqueness and differences. She is not confident in answering their questions about ethnicity and cultures because her own knowledge is

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

poor. In addition she does not provide a readily available range of play or activities to help them value other people, diversity and their communities. This means children's understanding of those who are different to themselves is not challenged and extended to help them value others.

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

The childminder provides good quality resources, which are stored at a low level to allow children to access them easily. She talks to children about safety. However, her own awareness of the dangers within the environment contradicts her positive messages to children. She does not take appropriate measures to minimise risk within her home. For example, children have easy access to alcohol and chemicals. These are stored at floor level or in low level cupboards, which children have access to. These liquids and solvents are potentially dangerous to children's health. In addition equipment, such as the toilet brush, is stored at floor level making it accessible to children. There is a high risk of contamination from such equipment if handled by young children and this also could potentially impact on their health. The lack of awareness shown by the childminder means she puts children's health and safety at risk, and is not promoting safety well enough.

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

Children, therefore, are not sufficiently learning about how to recognise or manage risk.

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

The childminder goes some way to promote healthy lifestyles. She encourages children to wash their hands as part of the daily routine. In some respects she encourages children to act independently and children can feed themselves with finger foods and use a spoon. They can also help her with their clothing, such as putting on their own shoes or holding out their arms for the childminder as she helps them with more complicated clothing. Children walk daily between pre-school and the setting. The childminder explains she also provides a range of physical activities in her outside play space so that children can be physically active. The childminder fails to show that she can fully support children in their emotional development, for example, by providing the reassurance they need when attending more than one setting. Not all children are confident around other children and are reliant on the childminder to meet their emotional needs.

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provision

The childminder shows a poor understanding of the learning and development, and safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder has a poor understanding of safeguarding matters. Although she is able to identify indicators of possible abuse or neglect, she has limited knowledge of her responsibilities, and duties to record and report any concerns in a timely manner. She places little importance on having a good understanding of children's skills, and abilities through observations and assessments. She does not place importance on planning meaningful and interesting activities to help children achieve in all areas of their learning. Activities lack sufficient challenge and are not adapted to children's individual needs. There is no expectation to ensure children reach expected levels of progress for their age and no system to monitor this. The lack of accurate information for parents means that

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provision

parents do not always receive the information they need to help children make progress at home. The childminder has some understanding about her responsibility to work in partnership with other services. Overall, children make some progress, however, it is restricted by the poor quality of teaching and the learning experiences they receive.

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provision

The childminder has not made adequate progress since her last inspection. She has not addressed areas for improvement previously identified and there has been a decline in practice in some areas. This demonstrates a poor attitude to meeting the requirements. The childminder has not reflected on the quality of her teaching to support children's progress. She has not maintained or updated her safeguarding knowledge, which results in an inability to act promptly to safeguard children. She lacks awareness of safety issues and puts children's health and safety at potential risk. The childminder puts little value on training to continually develop her professional knowledge and skills, and this shows in practice. There is no system in place to encourage parents or children to share their views on her service. The significant weaknesses in the childminder's knowledge and skills impacts on the quality of the provision she offers, and results in children not making

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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 and implement a written statement of procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguard the children being cared for from abuse or neglect (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  attend child protection training to identify and act upon indicators that a child may be suffering from harm (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)  keep and implement a written statement of procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguard the children being cared for from abuse or neglect (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)

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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 141439 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 843084 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 7

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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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