Carter, Felicity Marina Jane

Overall effectiveness Good

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

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The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy their time with the childminder and the freedom they have to explore the world around them. Children learn to be kind and caring. For instance, they collect and hand out dandelion leaves to their friends, so they can share the enjoyment of feeding the pets together. Children take great care as they learn to handle and transport the guinea pigs to their run. Children form secure attachments with the childminder and her assistants. They enjoy having sleepy cuddles, and actively involve the adults in their play. This demonstrates that children feel safe and secure.

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The provision is good

The childminder provides an abundance of opportunities for children to learn about the wider world. This helps them to gain a broad knowledge base to support future learning. For instance, children help to prepare raised beds in preparation for growing seedlings. They use shovels and trowels to 'turn over' the soil. Children learn that they are making the soil soft and warm, and providing a 'blanket' to help the seedlings grow.

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The provision is good

The childminder supports children to develop positive attitudes towards their learning. For instance, children develop confidence as they challenge themselves and take pride in their achievements, such as holding their own body weight on the monkey bars. The childminder encourages children to 'keep trying' at tasks that they find tricky, such as rolling a hoop down a hill without it falling over. This helps children to develop perseverance.

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need to do better?

n The childminder and her assistants create a curriculum that uses nature to capture children's curiosity. The childminder uses assessment to closely monitor children's learning and next steps. Assistants receive effective supervision that develops their knowledge and skills. For example, recent training has enabled the adults to ensure that activities are adapted to meet the needs of the youngest children. The progress that children make from their starting points reflects the continuous improvement of staff knowledge and practice. n Children develop a love of stories and rhymes. This helps to extend their knowledge, understanding, and vocabulary. The childminder makes story time fully interactive. She asks children lots of questions to assess their understanding, and encourages them to use the pictures to predict what will happen next. The childminder brings stories to life by inviting children to act out

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need to do better?

their favourite stories. For example, children enjoy going on a 'bear hunt' in the garden. They walk through the 'swishy, swashy' grass and run from the 'bear' and hide in the trees. This helps children to make connections within their learning.

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need to do better?

14 March 2024 n The childminder and her assistants help children to learn new concepts, such as mathematics. For example, children learn about measure as they find worms in the garden. They compare the sizes of the worms they find and use language such as 'gigantic', 'fat', 'thin', 'long' and 'short'. All children make good progress from their starting points. n Children develop a sense of self and learn about what makes them unique through thoughtful discussions. For instance, children listen to a story about a bear who is having difficulties hearing. They learn about tests that can check their hearing, and the role of an 'audiologist'. Children learn that some people wear hearing aids to help make sounds clearer and louder. Children relate this information to their own experiences of hearing, such as needing to wear ear defenders when sounds are 'too loud'. n Overall, the childminder promotes children's health well in most aspects of their

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need to do better?

care. For example, the childminder and her assistants chat to children about healthy choices during mealtimes. Children learn where food comes as they grow and harvest their own vegetables and collect eggs from the hens. Children learn the importance of handwashing before meals and after they use the toilet. However, the childminder does not consistently remind children to wash their hands after some activities, such as handling pets. This means that not all children develop a secure understanding of why hygiene practices are important in keeping themselves healthy and well. n The childminder works well with parents. She provides a range of information during daily face-to-face communication, messaging apps, and an online communication platform. Parents report that they enjoy receiving photos of their children and the activities on offer. Parents also report that their children 'love' the days that they spend with the childminder and assistants. However,

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need to do better?

processes to share information with other settings that children attend are not yet fully effective. This means that children who attend more than one setting do not benefit from a consistent approach across all aspects of their learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n strengthen hygiene practices to ensure that children have a secure understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and well, particularly when handling pets n develop links with other professionals and share information to provide

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should:

14 March 2024 consistency for children who attend more than one setting.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY413372 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 10319067 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 23 Number of children on roll 19 Date of previous inspection 18 October 2023

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Information about this early years setting

The childminder registered in 2010 and lives in Lewes, East Sussex. She operates her setting for most of the year. Operational hours are Monday, 9am to 1pm; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8.30am to 6pm; and Thursday, 8.30am to 3pm. The childminder holds qualified teacher status and works with two assistants, one of whom holds a level 2 qualification in childcare. The childminder provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the childminder and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the childminder. n The childminder and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the provision and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector talked to the childminder, assistants, and children at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

14 March 2024 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

14 March 2024 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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