Childminder in Coventry

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY284637 Inspection date 02/10/2009 Inspector Adelaide Griffith

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Type of setting Childminder to 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 rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, 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.

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Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the childminding

The childminder was registered in 2004. She lives with her partner, her mother who is also her assistant, and two children aged six and two years. They live in the Tile Hill area of Coventry close to shops, schools and a park. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has a kitten.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding four children in this age group. When working with an assistant the childminder may care for no more than seven children under eight years at any one time; of these, not more than five may be in the early years age range. She also offers care to children aged over five years to nine years. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder takes children to and collects them from the local schools. She attends several toddler groups on a regular basis.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides a highly stimulating environment where children flourish in their learning and development. The diverse needs of all children are extensively addressed and their welfare is significantly safeguarded. The childminder and her assistant work extremely well with parents to support children's care and learning. She is aware of the benefits of working with other settings in order to provide continuity in children's education and care. Systems to evaluate practice are very robust and the childminder has specific plans to develop the provision even further for the children and their families.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 improve further the system for obtaining information about all aspects of children developmental stage when they first start to attend the setting.

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the early years provision

There is a very strong emphasis on safeguarding children and all adults living and working on the premises are vetted. The childminder and her assistant are extremely knowledgeable about child protection procedures which are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 implemented efficiently. The environment, both indoors and outside, is subject to rigorous risk assessments that ensure that all potential hazards to children are minimised. The childminder is highly organised and all required documentation for the safe and efficient running of the setting meets the needs of the children who attend.

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the early years provision

The childminder is currently undertaking a degree and keeps abreast of current initiatives in early years. She adopts a reflective approach that has brought about many changes. For example, on a daily basis she reviews activities with her assistant to clarify necessary changes to meet children's individual needs more effectively. The childminder demonstrates a high level of professionalism. She has explored different approaches to learning and has increased play experiences with natural resources. The childminder and her assistant have a shared vision for the setting. They are committed to establishing a firm foundation that enables the children to value themselves and others in order to make an active contribution, not only to the setting, but also to society. She has precise plans to support this outcome, for instance, to provide opportunities for children to express their view of the setting. She has set priorities for herself and her assistant to attend courses in

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the early years provision

order to enhance the care and learning of children further. The childminder demonstrates her strong capacity to make necessary improvements by addressing the recommendation from the last inspection effectively.

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the early years provision

The successful partnership with parents is underpinned by open communication which is maintained through a variety of methods. Parents are provided with an attractive prospectus that contains abridged policies and information about the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder strives to support parents and has compiled a monthly newsletter to keep them informed of changes and events. She provides ample opportunities for parental involvement by inviting contributions to the newsletter. Parents are invited to share what they know about their child when they first start. However, this does not include sufficient detail to give an indication of the child's overall development. In spite of this, the childminder works closely with parents to support children's learning and they continue with activities implemented in the setting. The childminder completes a learning review for each child and parents have opportunities to write their feedback on the record. These

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the early years provision

include positive comments on the care given and the progress in children's development. Currently, minded children do not attend other settings. Nevertheless, the childminder has previous experience of working with other early years providers in order to maintain continuity in children's education and care.

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the early years provision

The childminder actively promotes equality of opportunity and works with parents to support children's individual needs thoroughly. For children who speak English as an additional language, she provides a wide selection of nursery rhymes, songs and stories in their first language. All children in the setting participate in bilingual activities, such as singing. Children are gaining an understanding of other cultures and disability due to an interesting range of resources and activities. Children's individual preferences for resources are effectively encouraged because they select from labelled boxes daily and a chart is available to indicate additional toys and materials. Both the childminder and her assistant ensure that children are thoroughly supported in exercising choice. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a well developed understanding of how children learn and consistently makes use of daily routines and wide ranging methods to achieve effective outcomes. For example, she encourages children to produce art work relating to recent outings. Some children have a liking for spiders. The childminder works with this preferences and sustains their interest by reading stories about spiders. She creates a focus with related nursery rhymes to reinforce learning and to help children gain an understanding of spiders in several contexts.

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and outcomes for children

There is a significant emphasis on supporting children individually. For each child the childminder has devised a planning folder with activities that are systematically linked to the early years framework. Planning for group activities incorporates current events and monthly themes. Owing to her high level of expertise she is able to work flexibly and accommodates naturally occurring situations, such as the changing seasons. She takes to the woods nearby to explore the varied colours and textures of leaves. Thus learning occurs spontaneously and retains an element of fun and excitement. The childminder is a firm believer in encouraging children's natural curiosity. For this reason she provides several treasure baskets and an extensive range of resources for heuristic play. Children find alternative uses for items, such as wooden spoons, by banging on small pots and they wave these around as wands. The childminder gives children free rein to lead activities

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and outcomes for children

and they continue to play together when she leaves the room. They are confident to negotiate the use of musical toys without adult input.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is extremely committed to children's learning and for this reason carries out frequent observational assessments. In every instance she makes use of the early years practice guidance to record the developmental stage and the next step in children's learning. Challenges are included effectively. For example, more able children who use scissors confidently are encouraged to cut complex shapes while younger children are supported to cut small items in a straight line. Children are supported in gaining a good understanding of safety by participating in fire drills. They have clearly learnt to negotiate the various levels in the garden by looking around before stepping from a higher to a lower surface. Unmistakably, children feel secure in the setting. They remain seated on the childminder's lap if they are fractious and they nestle into her while she talks quietly. Furthermore, each child is provided with an individualised placemat and that provides a real

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and outcomes for children

Children have an excellent understanding of how to promote their good health and well-being. They demonstrate thorough understanding of maintaining personal hygiene. Before dinner they rush to the toilet door and wait until it is opened. Then they rub hands together under the running water and use paper towels unaided for drying. Children have opportunities for physical exercise daily and they laugh with delight when the childminder repeatedly pushes the swings in response to their requests. The childminder has significant understanding of promoting healthy eating as reflected in the balanced meals provided daily. She skilfully encourages children to make healthy choices by frequent outings to the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 supermarket where they have opportunities to choose their own fruit. The childminder and her assistant are exemplary role-models because they speak

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and outcomes for children

calmly and intervene promptly to prevent squabbles from escalating. They explain that this type of behaviour is unacceptable and unkind. Children are consistently encouraged to apologise and then hug others spontaneously. This indicates that they are developing respectful and caring attitudes towards their peers. Children demonstrate a sense of responsibility by willingly participating in tidying away. Owing to constant interaction with the childminder and her assistant, children have a clear understanding of the conventions of conversations. In addition, children's skills for the future are enhanced tremendously through visits to the library where they learn to choose books selectively. The wide range of rich and stimulating experiences ensure that children are making outstanding progress towards the early learning goals. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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