Childminder in Coventry

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/12/2014 03/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Teaching is of a consistently high standard. The childminder provides an extensive and exciting range of challenging activities for all children, based around their interests. She has an outstanding knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and plans sharply focused next steps in each child's learning, so that they make excellent progress.  Children thrive as a result of the individual attention, support and encouragement, which they receive from the childminder and her co-childminder. They show extremely high levels of confidence, enthusiasm, curiosity and imagination. This effectively prepares children emotionally well for their move to other settings and onwards onto school.  Excellent partnerships, with parents, early years professionals and other settings means that continuity in children's care and learning is promoted extremely well. Parents are fully involved in children's learning through sharing detailed information about their

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This provision is outstanding

progress and by successfully supporting their learning at home.  The childminder provides a high quality, flexible service to the children, whom she cares for. She is highly motivated in enhancing her already excellent practice and works exceptionally well with her co-childminder to continually monitor and enhance her provision.  Children are very safe in the childminder's care as she has a thorough understanding and knowledge of her responsibilities to protect them from abuse and harm. She ensures that all areas of the house and garden are secure. Also, that children are safe on trips as she carries out detailed risk assessments. Children are supervised vigilantly at all times.

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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 observed activities taking place in the lounge, dining room and playroom. She spoke with the childminder, co-childminder and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector viewed the areas of the premises and garden used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's observation and assessment records, the register of attendance and children's records. She took account of the views of written feedback from parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability of all members of the household and of those, who work in the childminder's home. She checked the childminder's qualifications and her self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2001 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her family in a house in Coventry and she works with another registered childminder. The whole of the ground floor, the upstairs bathroom and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a lizard as a pet. The childminder visits parks on a regular basis. She takes children to and collects them from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently nine children on roll, eight of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round, from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays. She holds an early years degree and Early Years Professional status.

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

 enhance the already excellent opportunities for children to develop a sense of logic and reasoning by using 'tidy up time' to help them know where things fit in or are kept.

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who attend

Children are cared for in a thoroughly child-centred environment. The childminder skilfully uses her wealth of knowledge of how children develop, to observe their progress and effectively plan for their future learning. She has an exceptionally good understanding of the characteristics of effective learning and uses expert teaching methods to highly motivate children. For example, the childminder transformed her garden into a vibrant learning environment for those children, who prefer outdoor play. Children hunt for insects using magnifiers and skilfully make a home for a hedgehog by using boxes and wood. The childminder extended children's learning further by obtaining an allotment. This enables children to grow a wide variety of fruit and vegetables and learn how to care for and harvest the produce. Consequently, children have an excellent understanding of the natural world. A wealth of information is gathered from parents about their children's

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who attend

interests and individual needs when they first start. This information is successfully used to ensure that activities are tailored to meet the children's unique learning needs. The childminder works closely with her co-childminder, sharing her expertise, so that each child has a precise assessment that is used to plan for their individual next steps. As a result, children are exceptionally well supported in making very rapid progress in their learning in readiness for school.

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who attend

Parents are effectively encouraged to be continually involved in their children's learning to optimise the progress they make. The childminder provides children with video equipment and a camera to capture special moments when they are at home. Story sacks are also shared, so that parents become familiar with their children's favourite books. The childminder has meetings with parents to complete the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years. Parents are provided with a summary to identify any additional support that might be needed, so that all children reach their full potential. Well-presented learning journals provide parents with a clear picture of the progress their children make towards the early learning goals. They are consistently available for parents to view and add their comments. All of these methods are highly effective in helping parents to be fully involved in their children's learning and development. Children

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who attend

participate in an extensive range of activities. They show extremely high levels of confidence and enthusiasm. Children confidently move between rooms choosing from an abundance of toys and books that fully engage and motivate them to play and learn.

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who attend

There is an excellent use of print in the environment, such as signs and labels on displays, storage boxes and baskets. Children are encouraged to write and recognise their name on their artwork. All of these activities help children to develop their understanding that words have real meaning and supports their very good early communication and literacy skills. Children make decisions about the songs, which they want to sing and choose the props that they want to use to bring these songs to life. For example, children learn how to use a crocodile hand puppet to 'snap' at a monkey soft toy. The childminder skilfully uses this opportunity to encourage children's understanding of number. Children use their fingers to count how many monkeys there are and they learn that they are adding the numbers together. Children also learn that subtracting means that they are taking the numbers away. Consequently, this reinforces children's understanding of number order,

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who attend

addition and subtraction in a fun way. Young children show great enjoyment and enthusiasm as they express themselves by joining in with action songs. They open and close their hands and wriggle their fingers to represent a twinkling star. At the end of the song, they shout 'hooray' at the top of their voices, laughing with gusto as they say it. Children have many opportunities to develop their early writing with a variety of materials, which are freely available, such as chalks, pens, pencils and paints. They are very creative and use their imagination well. Children design decorations in readiness for Christmas. For example, they capably join cardboard tubes and paper together to make a Christmas tree. Shiny paper stars and baubles are carefully glued onto the tree shape and children move them around until they are happy with their design. The childminder ensures that children have uninterrupted time to play and explore. Children learn that they do not have to rush

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who attend

and can always go back to finish their creation. Consequently, children maintain focus on their activity and pay good attention to detail.

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

Children thrive in this welcoming, nurturing environment. Each child is allocated a key person during the settling-in period. This provides consistency for the child and parents and it enables both childminders to provide very good emotional security. Children's individual needs are very well known because the childminder has exceptionally good settling-in procedures for parents and children. She has devised and implemented an 'all about me' form, which she completes with parents at the start of care. The childminder ensures that children are able to settle at their own pace. She provides toys that they will recognise and follows familiar routines, which ensure that children feel secure. As a result, children are happy and their emotional needs are effectively met. Children are exceptionally well behaved and are very responsive to the individual attention received from both childminders. They provide consistently high levels of praise and

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

encouragement to boost children's confidence and self-esteem. Children enjoy each other's company, seeking out friendships and forming relationships. As a result, children develop excellent social skills. Children are also given responsibility to undertake tasks, such as helping to prepare their snacks. Young children confidentially take their empty bowls to the kitchen when they have finished eating. The childminder teaches children to respect and look after their toys and to be proud of their surroundings. They help to tidy up with little or no prompting, although, there is scope to further enhance the already excellent opportunities for children to develop their logic and reasoning. For instance, by using this time to help children know where things fit in or are kept.

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

Children are very well nourished because they are provided with a variety of healthy balanced meals and snacks. Food is home cooked, freshly prepared and takes into account children's individual dietary needs. The daily menu is shared with parents, so that they are fully aware of what their children are eating. Children enjoy getting involved in preparing their food at mealtimes and engaging in activities, such as cooking and gardening. They harvest vegetables that they grow in the allotment and bring and use them in their cooking. Children learn to peel carrots and how to get the flesh out of pumpkins to make a soup. The childminder talks to them about keeping healthy and which foods are good to eat. Children also have the experience of eating in restaurants whereby they make healthy choices from the menu. As a result, children develop a superb understanding of healthy lifestyles. The childminder stated that other customers comment on the children's

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

impeccable manners, which give them a great sense of pride.

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

The extremely varied and stimulating resources and the expert support provided by the childminder equip children with excellent skills for their next stages in their learning and their move onto school. Furthermore, children acquire very good self-help skills, which are valuable in preparing them for their next stage in learning. For example, they learn to put their shoes and coats on for outdoor play. The easy accessibility of the resources and the ability to move freely between the indoor and outside environment significantly supports the children's all-round learning and development. The childminder makes sure that children have lots of outdoor play and visit places of interest, so that they are active and develop a positive attitude towards exercise. Children play ball games, ride on wheeled toys and climb on large equipment in the park. This means that they experience plenty of fresh air and develop their physical skills to the maximum. The childminder teaches

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

children well about keeping themselves safe, so that they develop a sense of responsibility as they grow. For example, young children sit on the doorstep and make sure that their feet are firmly on the floor before pulling to a standing position. Children learn to assess the risks of climbing equipment before having a go. Under the childminder's watchful eye, children negotiate where to put their hands and feet on commando style nets before they move forward. This means that children keep themselves safe and take calculated risks as they play.

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provision

Children's welfare and safety are of the utmost priority at all times. The childminder has a very secure understanding of how to safeguard children. She takes the lead in arranging training for herself and her co-childminder. This ensures that they are up to date with child protection procedures, so that they can deal effectively with any concerns regarding a child in their care. The well-written safeguarding policy is shared with parents and includes the use of mobile telephones and cameras when they are in her home. All members living in and working in the household have completed the necessary suitability checks. Comprehensive risk assessments are regularly reviewed and adapted, as and when required. This means that potential hazards are swiftly identified and dealt with immediately. The childminder ensures that the correct ratios are maintained at all times when working alone and with her co-childminder. As a result, children are well supervised,

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provision

safe and secure. An extensive range of policies and procedures underpin the childminder's extremely good practice. They are reviewed and updated to ensure they meet current legislation and practice and are freely available to parents. All required documentation is well organised and underpin the smooth running of the provision.

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provision

The childminder has a superb knowledge of how children learn and develop through their play. She has an early years degree and has recently gained Early Years Professional status. This additional knowledge has significantly contributed to the childminder maintaining an outstanding provision. In addition, she took part in a quality assurance scheme and achieved exceptionally high scores. This enables her to reflect and improve on the provision for children and the overall quality of the service that she offers. The childminder continually evaluates and plans an inspiring range of activities and experiences that highly motivate and interest children. Her co-childminder's views are included in this evaluation, as are the views of parents and children. This enables her to identify areas for future development. For example, some children wanted to experience travelling on a train, so this was included in her planning. In addition, a parent requested

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provision

that children become more actively involved in charity events. Following this comment, the childminder arranged for children to make cakes to sell for a national children's charity. This demonstrates how the views of others are valued and taken into account. The childminder has implemented excellent systems for monitoring children's progress and oversees the educational programme. Her co-childminder comments on how she learns from the childminder's extensive early years knowledge. This has assisted her in assessing and planning for her key children's individual learning needs.

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provision

The partnership with parents and others involved in the children's care is outstanding. Parents receive extensive information about their children's progress and achievements in a variety of ways. For instance, via information displayed on the parents' noticeboard, frequent meetings with parents about children's progress and through emails and texts. Parents also receive a well-written daily dairy, which summarises their child's day. Parents are highly complementary about the care and education their children receive. They comment upon the excellent care and wide range of activities provided, as well as the extremely good sharing of information. The childminder liaises closely with other early years settings that the children attend, taking every opportunity to talk to pre-school and reception teachers. School staff comment on the service, which the childminder offers, stating that children are exceptionally well prepared for school life. The childminder

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provision

accompanies parents when they visit the school prior to their children attending. She also provides the school with summative assessment. This shared approach admirably supports children in moving onto their next stage of learning. The childminder is confident in working in partnership with other agencies and professionals. This means that concerns about children's well-being or development can be quickly identified and managed. As a result, all children make the best possible progress in their learning.

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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

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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 259147 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 854938 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 9

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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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