Childminder in Southend on Sea

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/08/2014 09/06/2010

p.1

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

p.1

This provision requires improvement

 Children are very settled and they enjoy their time in the family environment. This is because the childminder knows how children learn through play and plans activities in tune with their interests and fascinations.  The childminder builds positive relationships with parents and keeps them informed and involved in their children's care and learning.  The childminder has a sound knowledge of child protection and how to deal with any concerns. This means that children are suitably safeguarded in her home.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Not all the required records, such as current first-aid certificates, are easily available for inspection.  The childminder is not always using effective teaching strategies to maximise children's progress. This is because her observations are not carried out consistently enough to routinely shape their planned learning experiences, or to identify areas for development.  The childminder does not consistently promote good hygiene procedures so that children become independent in their self-care, or gain a secure awareness of how to keep themselves healthy.

p.1

Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

p.2

Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.2

Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor learning environment and looked around the ground floor of the premises.  The inspector held discussions with the childminder about the children's progress.  The inspector viewed a sample of children's development records.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder, self- evaluation, risk assessment and policies and procedures.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from references obtained by the childminder.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1986 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and children aged 15 and 16 years in a house in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. The childminder occasionally works with an assistant from this address. She uses the whole of the ground floor and the rear garden for childminding. The family has two pet cats. The childminder also acts as a foster carer. She walks to local schools or pre-schools to take and collect children. There are currently five children on roll, of these three are in the early years age range and attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 12 years. The childminder operates all year round, Monday to Friday, from 6.45am to 6.30pm, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

p.3

must:

 ensure that records are easily accessible and available for inspection; this relates to current paediatric first-aid certificates for the childminder and assistant

p.3

must:

 develop the assessment arrangements to ensure that sufficient information, such as next steps in children's learning, is obtained from observations to help plan and shape children's future learning experiences, so children progress to their maximum potential.

p.3

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

 improve the consistency of hygiene arrangements in relation to hand washing after nappy changing, in order to fully promote children's independence in their self-care and further raise their awareness of how to keep themselves healthy.

p.3

who attend

The childminder uses her sound knowledge of how children learn to support them in their learning and development. She carries out initial observations and holds discussions with parents to help her assess children's starting points. The childminder then continues to observe children to find out what they have achieved and what they enjoy doing. However, the information gained is not used effectively to identify children's individual learning priorities, or used to plan for the next stages in their development. This means that learning experiences are not always fully matched to children's changing needs, or ensure that areas of under achievement are highlighted. As a result, children make steady progress, rather than good progress, because activities are not providing children with sufficiently challenging opportunities to enable them to reach their full potential. Nevertheless, the childminder knows children well and can talk in general about their

p.3

who attend

interests and what progress they have made while they have been in her care. The childminder is aware of the requirements for the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. She completes these checks and shares relevant information with parents. Daily discussion with parents allows the childminder to share what children have particularly enjoyed doing and this helps parents to continue their learning at home.

p.4

who attend

A variety of experiences is provided each day, which are broadly linked to the areas of learning. The childminder makes sure there are sufficient toys and play materials to keep children motivated and involved in activities. For example, the childminder provides a selection of resources that reflect everyday life, such as a tea set and play food. This encourages children to use their imagination and engage in make-believe play, when they make lunch for both the childminder and visitors. The childminder interacts well when supporting children's communication and listening skills. She talks to children by speaking clearly and asking open-ended questions. The childminder is experienced in caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and is able to use sign language to support children's developing language skills. This helps children to gain confidence when developing their vocabulary, making requests known and expressing their views,

p.4

who attend

Children are steadily developing the skills they need for future learning, in readiness for starting nursery or school. They play harmoniously alongside other children and learn to listen when the childminder needs to gain their attention. There are opportunities for children to practise early writing skills as they use crayons to make marks and draw. Children begin to show interest in colours and numbers, as they are starting to count and name the colours of the crayons, with the childminder. Children appropriately develop their understanding of the natural world by going on a variety of outings with the childminder. They visit parks and farms where they learn about animals or observe the changing seasons. In addition, these outings provide opportunities for children to develop their physical skills as they use apparatus and have more space to run, balance, climb, or use a ball.

p.4

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

Children settle and develop warm and trusting relationships with the childminder, her family and the assistants. Warm bonds are formed as children receive plenty of cuddles and reassurance. When children are due to start, the childminder invites parents to bring children to visit several times and then gradually extends their time with her. This means the childminder gets to know children and families well, and plenty of information is shared about children's care routines. Children are successfully learning the social skills to enable them to be a successful member of a group. They are beginning to take turns and share and they help the childminder put toys away. The childminder regularly praises their efforts and achievements, which helps boost their confidence and self-esteem. The childminder takes a calm approach and uses age-appropriate explanations and gentle reminders to provide children with a clear understanding of acceptable behaviour. She

p.4

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

reinforces good manners by encouraging children to say 'please' and 'thank you'. As a result, children are polite and behave well.

p.5

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

There are generally suitable arrangements for children to learn about the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles. Children are encouraged to eat healthy food, including fresh fruit and vegetables. The childminder is knowledgeable about any medical or dietary requirements and is experienced in adapting menus to cater for food allergies. The childminder recognises when children are tired and restful spaces are provided where they can sleep peacefully and undisturbed. Children are starting to develop their independence in practical skills, which helps prepare them for the future. They confidently learn to feed themselves at mealtimes and learn to put their shoes on before going outside. However, the childminder does not always promote good hygiene procedures, as she does not encourage children to wash their hands or talk about developing independent self-care skills, particularly when nappies are changed. This means children are not developing a

p.5

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

good enough understanding of how to keep themselves healthy or successfully learning how to manage their personal self-care needs.

p.5

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

Children have daily fresh air and exercise to promote their good health, as they visit parks or play in the garden. Children are appropriately learning about aspects of their own safety. For example, they understand how to move around the home safely and are involved in practising the emergency escape plan, so that they learn how to behave in a real situation. The childminder prepares children suitably for changes when she takes them on the daily walk to collect older children from school. This helps to prepare them for when they start at nursery or school, as they become familiar with the building and playgrounds.

p.5

provision

The childminder has an appropriate understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She knows her responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. The childminder has a sound understanding of the procedures to follow should she have a concern about the welfare of a child in her care. She recognises when children might be at risk of harm and knows how to liaise with appropriate safeguarding agencies should she have a child protection concern. The childminder and assistants have completed appropriate background checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children. In addition, the childminder has started the process for checking a family member who has reached the age of 16 years. Children are fully protected because the childminder makes sure that they are not left alone with people who have not completed the required suitability checks. The childminder offers appropriate supervision and mentoring for the

p.5

provision

assistant and this has a positive impact on practice. Risk assessments are carried out for the home, outdoors and any outings for children. These successfully identify dangers and the appropriate steps to take to eliminate risk and keep children safe and secure. Since the last inspection, the childminder has attended training to develop her knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, the recommendation from the previous inspection has partially been addressed. The childminder suitably observes and monitors children's progress and has a broad overview of their skills and abilities. However, there are times when this is not sufficiently rigorous. This affects the childminder's ability to plan appropriate next steps in learning and provide activities to extend learning and enable children to achieve to the highest level. The childminder has appropriately completed a

p.5

provision

basic self-evaluation, where she has identified the strengths in her practice and areas for further development. She acknowledges that the organisation of her documentation needs attention, as her records are not always systematically filed. Most of the required records were available for inspection. However, during the inspection, the childminder was unable to find the current first-aid certificates for herself, or her assistant. This breach in requirements means that the childminder is unable to firmly demonstrate that there is always someone supervising children who holds a current first-aid qualification and can deal with minor injuries to children, in an approved way.

p.6

provision

Partnerships with parents are helpful and friendly. The required information is obtained from parents, for example, their emergency contact details and written consent agreements covering the care arrangements. The childminder asks parents for their views about her service, which helps her to address any issues they may have. Parents comment that they are very happy with the quality of care that the childminder provides and appreciate her calm approach. They say they value the communication between themselves and the childminder and feel reassured that children are in a happy and secure environment. The childminder understands about working in partnership with other providers, such as the local schools that the children attend, and she effectively shares information to support continuity in children's care and learning.

p.6

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

p.6

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

p.7

Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 119418 Local authority Southend on Sea Inspection number 876137 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 5

p.8

Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

p.8

Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

p.8

Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.9

Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

p.9

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.10

Type of provision

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

p.10