Childminder in DoncasterOfsted inspection, 21 Oct 2014

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/10/2014 23/11/2009

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder has a secure knowledge of how children learn and uses generally sound teaching techniques to ensure children make progress.  Children are settled and secure in the childminder's care because she provides a warm and caring environment. This helps to promote children's well-being and self-esteem.  Strong partnerships with parents ensure there is regular two-way communication, this ensures children's progress and development is consistently shared with them.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder has not made sure that the assistant has a good knowledge of safeguarding and she is also not fully conversant with the setting's safeguarding policy, to ensure children are safe from harm.  The childminder is not routinely carrying out observations and assessments for children that are in shared care. As a result, she cannot accurately plan for their next steps in development.  The childminder does not implement consistent hygiene procedures as children are not always encouraged to wash hands before mealtimes or after nappy changes.

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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 in the main playroom and conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector asked the childminder questions about her practice at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector spoke to the childminder's assistant during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documents, including a selection of policies, children's assessment records, and checked evidence of the childminder's and her assistant's suitability.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from information included in the setting's own parent surveys.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children in a house in the Dunscroft area of Doncaster. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family have a dog, fish and a snake as pets. The childminder works with an assistant. The childminder visits the local park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 14 children on roll, seven of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 ensure the assistant updates her knowledge on recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse and is trained on the safeguarding policy and procedure in order to have a secure understanding of keeping children safe

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must:

 ensure observations and assessments are carried out for all children including those in shared care, in order to accurately identify their next steps in learning.

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

 improve hygiene practices, for example, by ensuring children are consistently encouraged to wash hands before mealtimes in order to promote their good health.

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who attend

The childminder provides a range of resources and activities to promote all areas of learning and carries out observations and assessments of children at play to ascertain their abilities. This enables her to identify any gaps in their development and she use activities that the children are interested in to promote their learning in these areas. However, this process is not consistently carried out for all children as the childminder has not been undertaking observations or assessments on children that are also attending other early years settings. As a result, she is not able to accurately identify the next steps in learning for the children who are in shared care. Nevertheless, children are making adequate progress and the childminder demonstrates that partnership working with other settings is taking place to support these children. Children's speech and language is encouraged well as the childminder and her assistant constantly talk to the children,

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who attend

speaking clearly and repeating words to promote correct pronunciation. Pictures, labels and numbers displayed around the playroom raise children's awareness of print. This helps the children to develop their early literacy skills.

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who attend

The childminder knows the children well and provides activities which are based on their interests. She uses appropriate teaching techniques which support children in making adequate progress in their learning and development. The childminder develops their early mathematical vocabulary and skills. She challenges the more able children to count forwards from one to 10 and then backwards from 10 to one while playing a game of throwing and catching a bean bag. The childminder uses language to help children think critically, by asking whether they need to throw higher or lower. Games to encourage coordination and cooperation take place. For example, children enjoy taking turns rolling a ball to each other. This enables children to use their physical skills and helps them build relationships with their peers. Opportunities are provided for children to use their imagination and initiate their own learning by using scarves to dress up as pirates.

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who attend

Consequently, children are gaining adequate skills and experiences to support them in their next stage of learning.

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who attend

Parents are kept well-informed about their children's ongoing progress through regular two-way verbal communications. This ensures that they remain involved and informed about the development of their children. The childminder shares information about activities with parents, which allows learning to be reinforced at home. She records children's learning in their learning file, which contains photographs, observations and assessments of their children's development. Parents are able to access their child's file and discuss their child's development with the childminder. This enables the childminder to create a well-informed progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, which is then used to identify any areas for further input.

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

The childminder is warm and caring. She liaises closely with parents from the start so that she can follow the children's routines. In addition, she invites children to come for settling- in sessions to get to know her and her home. This supports a smooth transition from home into the childminder's care and results in children who settle quickly. Children form good friendships with the other minded children and they are confident and emotionally secure in the homely family environment. Younger children happily go to the childminder or her assistant for a cuddle and they are attentive and responsive to the children's needs, when they show signs of being hungry or tired. The childminder has close links with the local school and children become familiar with the staff and buildings when they collect and drop off older children. This helps to prepare children for their move into the next setting.

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

The childminder promotes children's physical well-being and supports their emerging understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children have daily opportunities to play outdoors and visit the local park and woods, this enhances children's health and well-being as they enjoy fresh air and regular exercise. Children's health and self-care routines are encouraged by satisfactory hygiene procedures. Hand washing routines were encouraged after going to the toilet and children are able to independently dry their own hands using their own towel. However, these practices are not consistent as not all children are encouraged to wash their hands after nappy changes or before meal times. Children enjoy a nutritionally balanced menu which includes fresh fruit, vegetables and they have regular access to drinks. As a result, children develop a healthy attitude to new tastes and food experiences. Meal times are a social experience as all children sit around the table

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

together. Children are able to independently feed themselves as the childminder provides support and encouragement which further promotes their independence and self- confidence.

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

The childminder acts as a good role model in line with her behaviour management policy. Children's behaviour is managed appropriately and positive strategies to support this are in place. The childminder uses regular praise and encouragement, which promotes children's confidence and supports positive behaviour. Consequently, they are beginning to know what is expected of them and understand simple rules and boundaries. Children are given clear and consistent messages about learning to share, taking turns and being kind to one another. The childminder supports children's understanding of risks. For example, she talks to them about road safety and has practised fire drills so they understand what to do in an emergency.

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provision

The childminder has a sound knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has attended relevant training and understands how to identify possible concerns about a child's welfare. The childminder has a written policy and procedures to follow should she have a concern about a child in her care. This helps her to safeguard children. However, she has not ensured that her assistant has the same level of knowledge as she is not fully aware of the areas of abuse or identifying the signs and symptoms of abuse. She is also not fully conversant with the written policy and procedures that are in place. This is a breach of requirements of both the Early Years Foundation Stage and of the Childcare Register. All other areas of safeguarding are secure. The childminder maintains all the required documentation and adequately records details of children's attendance, accidents and the administration of medicine. Risk

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provision

assessments are conducted regularly and recorded so children can play in a safe and secure environment. All of these records effectively support children's safety and well- being. Both the childminder and her assistant have a current paediatric first-aid certificate, which means they are able to ensure children can be treated appropriately in the event of an accident or illness.

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provision

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of the seven areas of learning and development in the Early Years Foundation Stage. She establishes children's starting points and then completes regular observations and assessments of children's development. However, these are not consistently completed for all children, as she is not carrying this out for children that are in shared care and attending other early years settings. As a result, the childminder is not able to accurately identify the next steps in learning for all children in order to plan challenging activities for their individual needs. Therefore, not all children are able to make consistently good progress.

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provision

Positive partnerships with parents and others involved with children's care and education are established. Parents report they are very happy with the service the childminder provides and the information they receive about their child's progress. They comment that their children 'have made progress' and that they 'wouldn't want them to go anywhere else'. The childminder provides parents with a range of information including details of policies and procedures, which help to make sure parents are clear about her service. Children benefit from the established communication links between their main carers, other early years providers and the childminder. This means their individual needs are well known and catered for. Through discussion, the childminder shows she has a satisfactory understanding of how she would work with other professionals and agencies to help her support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 Met

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

 train all staff on the written statement of procedures to be followed to safeguard children from abuse or neglect (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that every person caring for children is alert to any indications that a child may be suffering from harm (compulsory 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 EY296265 Local authority Doncaster Inspection number 820154 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 14

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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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