Gee Nicola

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is good

Children are happy and feel secure with the warm and caring childminder. Parents comment on how quickly their children have settled in, including those who have had little social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children form a strong bond with the childminder and eagerly invite her to join in with their play. They snuggle up with her for stories and reassuring cuddles. Children behave very well. They are friendly and play well together. Older children are kind and considerate towards the younger children. They demonstrate this as they play quietly when one of them is asleep in the room.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy a variety of interesting activities and experiences that the childminder provides and quickly become engrossed in their play. The childminder builds on their current interests to introduce new ideas and help them learn and use unfamiliar words. For example, children explore and learn about dinosaurs as they read books, watch videos, make dough shapes and play imaginatively with dinosaur models in a small-world environment. Children regularly go out and explore their local community with the childminder. She recognises that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some children lack confidence in new social situations. The childminder takes children on outings to broaden their experiences. They enjoy a bus ride and visit toddler groups.

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need to do better?

n The childminder provides a broad and interesting curriculum for the children in her care. She collects information from parents when their children start and uses this to plan each child's learning from the outset. The childminder knows the children well and identifies what they need to learn next and how she will teach this. However, when teaching mathematics, she does not always help children to firmly embed their knowledge before moving them on to the next stage. n Overall, the childminder supports children's language and communication skills well. She has interesting conversations with the children while she plays alongside them. For example, they compare dinosaurs with other animals and discuss what they might have eaten. The childminder speaks clearly so that children can hear how to pronounce words and form sentences correctly. However, with younger children, who are just beginning to talk, she sometimes

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need to do better?

misses opportunities to talk about what they are doing, to help them to learn unfamiliar words in context. n The childminder offers children plenty of praise and encouragement so they become confident to try new experiences and persevere with difficult tasks. For example, when a child succeeds in cutting a tricky dough shape, they proudly announce, 'I made this pterodactyl all by myself and I'm going to show it to

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need to do better?

16 February 2022 Daddy.' They become highly independent and enjoy doing things for themselves, such as washing their hands and laying the table. n The childminder gives children rich experiences that enhance their knowledge of the world around them. For example, they visit ancient monuments and parks, and go for walks in the countryside. The childminder engages children and helps them learn from the experiences. For example, they explore how people lived a long time ago and this encourages them to use their imagination. They record what birds they see and count different coloured cars, which supports their mathematical development. Children learn how they can find more information from the internet. n The childminder builds strong partnerships with parents. Several families have had children in her care for many years and she knows them extremely well. Parents speak warmly of the childminder and how effectively she shares

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need to do better?

information about their children's progress. They are grateful for her support and how she kept in close contact when she closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The children found this reassuring and it helped them to settle back in quickly. n The childminder strives to develop her good practice even further. She seeks out training and uses the knowledge and skills she gains to benefit the children. For example, she has learned how to recognise and encourage children's repeated patterns of play to support their developing brains. This knowledge enables her to support children's learning more effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding and her role in protecting children. She ensures her knowledge is up to date by completing training and researching wider issues of child protection. The childminder can confidently describe the signs that indicate a child may be at risk of harm. She knows what to do if she is concerned about their welfare. The childminder's home is clean and well maintained. She supervises children closely and teaches them how to behave sensibly around the family's small dog. For instance, they know not to disturb him when he is asleep.

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should:

n support baby and toddler's language development even further and help them learn the meaning of words in context during their play n ensure that children are secure in what they know about numbers, counting and other mathematical ideas before moving them on to the next stage of learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY263984 Local authority Swindon Inspection number 10073221 Type of provision Childminder

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Childminder

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inspection

Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8 Date of previous inspection 12 April 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The childminder registered in 2003. She lives in the north of Swindon. She operates all year round, from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The childminder holds a relevant early years qualification at level 3. She provides funded early education for three-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the childminder received since the COVID- 19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the childminder. n The childminder and the inspector together observed children engaged in an activity. They discussed what the intention was and the quality of learning that they observed. n The childminder spoke to the inspector about her intentions for children's learning and the activities and experiences she provides to achieve these. The inspector observed all areas of the home used by the children. n The inspector sought the views of parents during the inspection. n The inspector observed the quality of the childminder's teaching and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The childminder provided the inspector with a sample of key documentation on request.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

16 February 2022 regulates and inspects 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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