Childminder in Sefton

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/11/2014 28/11/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 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 has failed to maintain a current first-aid certificate. Consequently, she cannot demonstrate a sufficient understanding of how to treat children appropriately in the event of an accident.  The childminder does not effectively promote children's learning and development because her understanding of how to meet the learning and development requirements is poor. Additionally, she is unable to offer appropriate support to her assistant.  The childminder does not fully understand the process of assessing children's progress, in order to identify individual learning styles and plan effectively to address any gaps in their attainment.  The childminder has not developed ways of involving parents actively in their children's learning and development. Parents do not always have sufficient information to continue their children's learning at home or to contribute to their overall progress assessment effectively.

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This provision is inadequate

 The childminder does not demonstrate a commitment to continually improve her or her assistant's knowledge and understanding of good practice. This results in weak teaching and significant weaknesses throughout the provision.

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It has the following strengths

 Children enjoy affectionate and caring relationships with the childminder. As a result, children are emotionally secure and display a good level of confidence and self-esteem.

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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 had a tour of the childminder's home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the childminder and her assistant while they interacted with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at some paperwork, including the childminder's policies and procedures, risk assessments, self-evaluation and children's development records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability of the childminder and other adults, who live in the household.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2002 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, who is registered as her assistant and one adult child, in a house in Southport. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She is able to collect children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently three children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round, from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 complete a paediatric first-aid qualification by attending training that is relevant to workers caring for children

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must:

 develop an understanding of how to effectively meet the learning and development requirements, in particular, how to promote children's development across the seven areas of learning

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must:

 observe and assess each child's progress across all seven areas of learning. Take into account their age and stage of development and use this information to identify and plan for the next steps in their learning

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must:

 engage and support parents in guiding their children's learning and development at home and involve them more fully in the assessment of their children's progress

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must:

 foster a culture of continuous improvement to obtain a clear view of what is needed to develop the provision and quality of teaching and to bring about improvements for children, including monitoring the quality of teaching undertaken by assistants and providing them with support to improve.

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who attend

The childminder does not assess children's individual learning, in order to plan meaningful next steps to support their continued development. Additionally, the childminder has no systems in place to track and monitor children's continued learning. Her limited knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements means that she is not fully aware of how to use the information gained from her observations of children accurately, to identify their individual learning styles. This hinders her ability to plan effectively for their next steps and this means that she is unable to recognise when there are gaps in children's learning. For example, some children prefer active learning and enjoy creative activities. The childminder has not considered how best to promote learning effectively through such interests. This limits the progress children can make in preparation for their move onto school.

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who attend

The childminder is aware of the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Also, she provides a very brief written summary of what she knows about children's current learning. The childminder also gives general daily feedback to parents about their child's day by use of a daily diary. However, she has not explored ways of engaging parents more actively in their child's learning or the assessment of their progress. This means that any learning that takes place at home is not fully acknowledged or reflected in planning for their future learning. The childminder has started to build links with the local pre-school and shares basic information about children's learning and development with the pre-school staff, to promote some consistency in their early education.

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who attend

Children talk confidently and express themselves through lively discussion and they communicate well with the childminder. They enjoy demonstrating their knowledge of their favourite activities. For instance, when playing a matching game, children play cooperatively, confidently match colours and shapes and demonstrate their appropriate language skills. Children actively narrate what they are doing and ask meaningful questions. They demonstrate their thinking skills by recalling and sequencing a story as they play. This is to some extent supported by the childminder because she regularly engages with children in their play and uses some effective questioning, to encourage them to think and solve simple problems. However, a lack of effective planning based on children's next steps and preferred learning styles means that activities do not consistently interest or challenge them enough.

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

The childminder has not kept up to date with first-aid training and does not hold an appropriate qualification for workers, who care for children. Therefore, her ability to act and respond appropriately to emergencies is compromised and children's feelings of safety are misplaced. Overall, children are relaxed and comfortable in the childminder's care and form close relationships with her and her assistant. Settling-in procedures help to promote children's sense of security and enable them to get to know the childminder over a period of time. She gathers initial information from parents about their child's care needs. The childminder uses this information to help children to settle in. Children behave well because the childminder reminds them about her house rules and boundaries. For example, they know to wait for the childminder's assistant before they enter the garden. The childminder praises children constantly and tells them how clever they are, which

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

promotes their self-confidence and emotional well-being. Children have ample space to play in the playroom. The childminder encourages children to share and take turns with the toys. She also allows children the opportunity to resolve minor disagreements themselves. For example, she asks children to consider what they need to do to play well. Children demonstrate their understanding of her expectations by being able to talk about her simple rules.

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

Children make choices about their play and involve the childminder in these. They choose from a range of resources and equipment that reflect the seven areas of learning. Children have daily use of the garden and take part in activities with the childminder and her assistant, such as gardening and recycling. This promotes children's physical development and their knowledge of the natural world. Children also have access to a range of outdoor toys, such as ride-on cars, slides and climbing apparatus. Additionally, there is ample space for children to make large body movements. The childminder supports children in keeping themselves safe. For example, she sensitively explains to children the need to wait for her before they enter the outdoor area. Additionally, children take part in road- safety activities while out in the community.

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

Children undertake visits to various venues and facilities in the local community, such as the shops and park. This helps them to develop confidence away from the setting and promotes their awareness of the world around them and differences in society. Children enjoy nutritious snacks and meals during their time with the childminder. She understands the importance of providing children with healthy choices. For example, at snack time, children choose from a range of different fruits, accompanied by fresh water or juice. Children are developing a good understanding of healthy eating and talk about their favourite foods. They also understand the importance of good hygiene practices and talk with the childminder about how hand washing removes germs from their hands. The childminder encourages them to become independent. For example, they can use the toilet independently and wash and dry their own hands. Consequently, children are

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

generally developing the independence and self-care skills, which they need to help them prepare for their next stages of learning.

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provision

The childminder has a very basic understanding of the learning and development requirements and she does not effectively use information gathered from her work with children to accurately assess and track their individual progress. Additionally, her systems for observing and assessing children's progress are not robust enough and her knowledge of their emerging learning needs, is limited. This impacts on her ability to then be able to share relevant information with parents and other agencies, to support children's continual development. The childminder does, however, use daily conversations with children and parents to evaluate some aspects of her provision. For instance, she provides some resources and learning opportunities that she knows children will enjoy. The childminder has begun the process of evaluating her practice and she has identified some areas to develop. However, she does not foster a culture of continuous improvement, to obtain a

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provision

clear view of what the she needs to do, to develop and to bring about improvements for children and in the quality of teaching. For example, she has not addressed all the recommendations made at her last inspection, in particular, those relating to the educational programmes offered to children.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a sufficient knowledge of the child protection procedures to follow if she has concerns about the welfare of a child in her care. She understands her role and responsibilities and has attended relevant training. The childminder conducts regular risk assessments of her home to promote children's safety. She also carries out risk assessments for any outings, to ensure children's safety when away from the home. The childminder and all adults in the household have undergone the required vetting procedures to assess their suitability, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

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provision

The childminder has some systems in place for communicating with parents. She shares her policies and procedures with them and they express their satisfaction with her practice in written comments. The childminder shares information with them about their child's day at collection times by effective use of a daily diary. She also ensures that messages are relayed to parents from pre-school, to promote some consistency for children, who attend other such settings. However, the partnerships with parents do not extend to the childminder encouraging them to complement the learning that takes place in children's lives or informing them of how they can extend their learning at home. The childminder does not continually evaluate her work with her assistant or monitor and evaluate his quality of teaching. Therefore, there are no systems in place to support continued professional development and further improve the outcomes for children. However, they

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provision

do discuss activities provided for children at quiet time in the day or in the evening and they organise themselves accordingly. This provides some consistency for the children and as a result, they benefit from good relationships with the childminder and her assistant.

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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:

 complete an appropriate first-aid qualification (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  complete an appropriate first-aid qualification (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 EY229455 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 869914 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 3

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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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