Meldrum Elaine Clare

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30 March 2015 8 December 2008

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Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Requires improvement The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 The childminder has not notifed Ofsted about changes to her provision. Namely, that she uses an assistant to work alongside her and be in sole charge of the children. This compromises children's safety because the assistant does not hold a valid first-aid qualification. This is also a breach of the requirements of the Childcare Register.  The childminder does not have any procedures for monitoring the work of her assistant and ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities.  The childminder does not use robust methods to monitor and track children's progress. Therefore, she is unable to identify gaps in their learning and plan activities to meet their individual needs and ensure they make good progress in all areas.  The childminder does not evaluate all aspects of her practice effectively. This means she does not identify weaknesses in children's learning or breaches in requirements.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder communicates well with the children and takes account of their interests when organising activities.  The childminder develops positive relationships with parents. She keeps them informed about the care and experiences she provides. This helps them work together to maintain continuity between home and the setting.  The childminder provides a wide range of resources, indoors and outdoors. This enables children to make choices in their play according to their interests.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 when working with an assistant, ensure they hold a current first-aid certificate if they are in sole charge of children  when working with an assistant, ensure they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities through induction training, effective supervision of their work and training  improve the monitoring and tracking of children's development in all areas of learning to accurately identify gaps in their learning and provide activities to meet their individual needs.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 make better use of self-evaluation to identify weaknesses and improve the quality of the provision and children's learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 when working with an assistant who is left in sole charge of the children, ensure they hold an appropriate first-aid qualification and understand their responsibilities to keep children safe from harm (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure Ofsted is informed of changes to any person working on the premises (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  when working with an assistant who is left in sole charge of the children, ensure they hold an appropriate first-aid qualification and understand their responsibilities to keep children safe from harm (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  ensure Ofsted is informed of changes to any person working on the premises (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the children at play, indoors and outdoors, and viewed the range of toys, resources and equipment available.  The inspector talked to the provider at convenient times during the inspection.  The provider spoke to parents, sampled parental responses to questionnaires and took account parents' views.  The inspector sampled a variety of documentation including children's learning journeys, policies and procedures, and regulatory documentation.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Children develop independence as they make choices about their play and how they use the resources. This helps them gain confidence in readiness for school. The childminder organises a range of activities to interest children and promote their learning. She encourages children's language skills appropriately and uses a variety of methods to communicate with them, including sign language. The childminder makes some observations of children's achievements. However, she does not use them effectively to monitor and track children's learning consistently across all areas of learning. Therefore, she does not have a clear understanding of children's level of development or gaps in their learning. This means she is unable to plan their learning effectively to ensure they make good progress in all areas. Nevertheless, the childminder is aware of children's interests and provides some challenging activities to reflect these

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requires improvement

The childminder builds secure relationships with the children. This helps promote their self-confidence and self-esteem. The childminder gives children and parents time to settle into her setting and get to know her. This supports children's emotional well-being and continuity in their care. The childminder promotes healthy lifestyles with the children. For example, they play outdoors daily and make their own sandwiches from various healthy food options. However, the childminder compromises children's health and safety because not all adults who occasionally have sole charge of children hold a current paediatric first- aid certificate. Nonetheless, the childminder is a positive role model to the children. They behave well and are respectful towards both adults and other children.

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provision requires improvement

The childminder does not have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. She does not evaluate her practice effectively which means she does not meet all the requirements. The childminder has not informed Ofsted that she sometimes uses an assistant to work with the children. On this occasion, Ofsted does not intend to take any action. Additionally, the childminder does not have clear procedures to inform her assistant of their responsibilities or to monitor their work. However, the childminder has obtained parental consent and the arrangement is for short periods only. The childminder has a good understanding of child protection. She understands what to do if she has concerns about a child in her care. The childminder completes a wide range of training and uses this to improve some aspects of her practice. For example she has recently attended training to support boys learning. As a result, she has extended her

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provision requires improvement

outdoor resources to support children who prefer learning outdoors.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY292333 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 833825 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 8 December 2008

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Telephone number

The childminder registered in 2004. She lives on the outskirts of Cheltenham. The childminder is working towards an early years qualification at level 3.

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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

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

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Telephone number

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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Telephone number

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

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