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Early years · Childminder inspection (EIF, requirements met)

Childminder in West Northamptonshire

Inspected 1 Jul 2015 · published 23 Jul 2015 · URN 221205

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Summary

Inadequate

Linda Newcombe

What we read, and from where

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  • Inspection date verified

    1 Jul 2015

  • Inspectors verified

    Linda Newcombe

  • Early years AI-checked

    Inadequate

  • Overall effectiveness verified

    Inadequate

  • Previous overall verified

    Good

  • Name on report verified

    Childminder Report

  • URN verified

    221205

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

  • OverallInadequate
  • Early yearsInadequate

5% of comparable inspections in the last three years were graded Inadequate (17,905 inspections).

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

−49Criticalmore positive than 41% of reports of this type graded Inadequate
OutstandingGoodMetRINot metInadequate

In line with other reports of this type graded Inadequate.

Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.

Praiseconsistentmake good progresssecure knowledgeconsistentlyeffectivesecureimproving
Criticismnot consistentlynot effectivecompromisedat riskweaknessesnot sufficientlylacksconcern

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings422w−87
  • What needs to improve261w+58

Strengths

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No standout praise found.

Concerns

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Next steps

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What the report dwells on

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Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
7
Words of findings
665
shorter than usual (typical 886)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 38, typical 47
Average sentence
19 words
Next steps
8
typical 7
Hedged sentences
6%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 26%What needs to improve 16%About the inspection 57%

Full report text

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 July 2015 7 October 2009

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Inadequate 4

p.1

This inspection: Inadequate 4

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Inadequate 4

p.1

This inspection: Inadequate 4

The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

p.1

This provision is inadequate

 The childminder's assistant does not have a secure understanding of the safeguarding policy and procedure. This poses a potential risk to children's safety.  The childminder has not sufficiently considered the impact of exceeding the adult-to- child ratios during school and pre-school drop-off times. As a result, children's safety and welfare are compromised during these times.  The childminder does not consistently meet the individual needs of children or respect their need for privacy during some care routines.  Children's behaviour is not managed consistently by the childminder or her assistant. This has a negative impact on children's ability to learn and puts themselves and others at risk.  Significant weaknesses in the quality of teaching, mean that children are not consistently provided with appropriate learning experiences. As a result, opportunities to challenge and progress children's learning are often missed.

p.1

This provision is inadequate

 Information about children's prior knowledge and achievements is not consistently obtained from parents. As a result, some aspects of children's learning are not well planned and their progress is not sufficient, given their starting points.

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It has the following strengths

 The childminder provides a wide range of toys and resources. This supports children to make choices and helps them to develop their independence.  Children benefit from opportunities to gain fresh air and take part in physical exercise, as they spend plenty of time outdoors.

p.1

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

 ensure staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection policies and procedures, with particular regard to the procedure in response to allegations made against the childminder, assistant or a family member  ensure the safety and appropriate supervision of children during outings, specifically during school and pre-school drop-off times, in order to ensure that children's safety and needs are maintained  ensure care routines follow the individual needs of children and that their privacy is respected and safeguarded, this specifically relates to care routines, such as toileting and changing children in the garden  ensure a consistent approach to the management of children's behaviour is implemented, so that children's learning and development are fully supported  ensure a consistent system is implemented to gather information from parents about children's starting points, interests and prior skills, so that children receive the right

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

level of support in their learning and development from the start  improve the quality of teaching so that children are sufficiently challenged and receive consistently effective support during all activities to support them to make good progress  ensure that the required adult-to-child ratios are maintained at all times, including during school and pre-school drop-off times.

p.2

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

 ensure children's behaviour is managed in a suitable and consistent way (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure children's behaviour is managed in a suitable and consistent way (voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the childminder's home and spoke with the childminder, her assistants and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and a range of other records, policies and procedures.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the childminder, her assistants and household members, and spoke with the childminder about her self- evaluation and improvement plans.  The inspector took into account the views of parents from information included in the childminder's documentation.

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who attend. This is inadequate

There are significant variations in the quality of teaching and learning. Planned activities do not consistently provide children with adequate challenge or motivate them to learn. For example, children play with spaghetti and they pretend it is like worms as they wiggle it around. The childminder chats with them and introduces them to new words, such as soft and squashy to support children's understanding of how it feels. However, children quickly lose interest, as they prefer to pour water over the spaghetti. Although the childminder tries to follow their lead, she loses focus and the activity is abandoned. In another activity, children are encouraged to distinguish between different lengths of hosepipe. However, neither the childminder nor her assistant's interactions are good enough to ensure that children are sufficiently stimulated or challenged. Consequently, children's learning is not effectively supported, they constantly move from one activity to

p.4

who attend. This is inadequate

another and are not supported to engage in meaningful or purposeful play. This has a significant impact on the progress children make and, as a result, they do not gain the necessary skills to prepare them for school or the next stage in their learning. The childminder does not consistently obtain information from parents at the start about their child's current level of development or their interests. This means that children's learning is not effectively supported from the beginning.

p.4

inadequate

Children's intimate care needs are not always managed appropriately. They are encouraged to undress in the garden and get into their swimwear. Some children are reluctant and demonstrate that they are uncomfortable doing this. Children's behaviour is not consistently managed by the childminder or her assistant. Some children are uncooperative and do not respond to the boundaries the childminder sets. For example, children playing with water decide to throw some over the assistant, childminder and other children. While they are told to stop this, some children continue and this results in other children becoming upset. Children then decide to pour water over the childminder's dog and this behaviour is not challenged. Consequently, they do not learn positive behaviour because it is not consistently challenged or well managed. The childminder provides children with healthy snacks and meals, and discusses their individual dietary

p.4

inadequate

needs with parents. Children are encouraged to be independent at mealtimes. For example, children feed themselves, and older children spread butter on their own bread or toast.

p.4

provision is inadequate

Safeguarding procedures are not effective in ensuring the safety and privacy of children. The childminder and her assistant regularly exceed the adult-to-child ratios during school and pre-school drop-off times. As a result, children are not provided with sufficient levels of attention to ensure their safety and welfare. The childminder's naive approach to the potential dangers of conducting care routines in the garden, places children at possible risk. The childminder's assistant lacks sufficient knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures, in particular, the procedure to follow in the event of an allegation against the childminder, assistant or family member. The childminder demonstrates an understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedures to follow, should she have a concern about a child's welfare. The childminder provides parents with a range of written policies and procedures, which they can access on a secure website. The

p.4

provision is inadequate

childminder and her assistant have attended several training courses to support their professional development and the childminder has completed an appropriate level 3 qualification. However, the impact of any training has not had a positive effective on improving the overall quality of teaching and learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 221205 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 864249 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 10

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection 7 October 2009

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Telephone number

The childminder was registered in 2000 and lives in Duston, Northamptonshire. She operates all year round from Monday to Friday, 7.30am until 6.30pm, except for family holidays and bank holidays. The childminder regularly works with assistants. The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 3. She provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.6

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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