Childminder in West Berkshire

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children demonstrate that they are happy and settled with the childminder in her welcoming, home environment. The childminder is very nurturing and has a gentle manner with the children. She helps children settle effectively into her provision and mirrors their home routines, such as sleep patterns, to help ensure smooth transitions for children into her care.

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The provision is good

The childminder encourages children to be kind, helpful and polite. Children behave well, and the childminder is a positive role model. Children take turns, share readily and help each other with tasks. For example, they make healthy choices about what they eat, help prepare their own food from an early age and share out and cut their fruit and vegetables. They are aware of the need to keep drinking water during the day to remain hydrated.

p.2

The provision is good

The childminder places a strong emphasis on promoting children's emotional well- being. She focuses on supporting children's developing language and their personal, social and physical skills. For older children, she works with local providers to help them gain the skills they will need in readiness for school.

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The provision is good

Children are keen to explore toys and resources, following their interests. The childminder plays alongside them and supports their learning effectively. She provides a wealth of activities to build on their learning. Children make good progress in their learning and development.

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need to do better?

n The childminder knows the children well. She clearly shares individual children's interests, what they can do, where they need support and what they enjoy doing in her care. The childminder makes good use of her knowledge of the children and how they learn to plan an interesting learning environment and to provide a range of activities for them to explore, experiment and learn from. For example, children love being outdoors and exploring nature. They scoop soil into pots to plant seeds, watering them by using pipettes to build on their hand development and coordination. Children enjoy hunting for toy minibeasts under the soil and then go exploring around the garden to find worms and insects to look at through magnified bug boxes. n Children love looking at books and listening to stories. The childminder ensures that children can see the pictures and text, and she recounts each story in an animated way that keeps them engaged and inspires their involvement. She

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need to do better?

makes good use of books and stories to expand children's understanding and vocabulary. The childminder and children talk about what they can see and ask and answer questions. For example, older children enjoy sharing how they

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need to do better?

16 April 2024 should 'stop, close and tell' if they are on an electronic device and a pop-up appears. This builds on children's awareness of online safety as the childminder is conscious that they can access electronic devices outside her provision. n The childminder understands the value of layering and repeating activities to build on what children know and understand to enable them to retain what they have been taught. She finds new activities to further extend their experiences. For example, children share how they went on a bus and a train to visit an aquarium and how they liked the sharks and the jellyfish whose tank they could change the colour of the lights in the water. n The childminder supports young children's physical skills effectively. She encourages toddlers to build on their physical skills as they manipulate magnetic shapes, manoeuvre toy cars across the lounge and negotiate the slide steps.

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need to do better?

Older children use their creativity to construct magnetic rods into robots, transfer water by using large and small capacity pipettes and share their enjoyment of books. During these activities, the childminder encourages them to build on their understanding of numbers, counting and their awareness of animals. The childminder gives children plenty of time to explore. However, on occasion, the childminder is so keen to increase children's learning that she does not give them time to reflect on what is being asked, recall their experiences and respond before she asks them the next question or answers for them. n Parents receive a wealth of information to enable them to know what the childminder does to support their children's learning and what her responsibilities are. The childminder shares children's learning assessments with the parents for them to read and comment on and works in partnership with

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need to do better?

other provisions that children also attend to help promote continuity in their learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

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

p.3

should:

n develop opportunities for children to expand their ideas further and provide them with more time to consider and respond to questions during their play and learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2639037 Local authority West Berkshire Inspection number 10333049 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 4 Number of children on roll 10 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

The childminder registered in 2021 and lives in Tilehurst, near Reading, Berkshire. She operates all year round, from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and her own family holidays. She works with another childminder at another premises from 7.30am to 8.40am, Tuesday to Thursday, and from 3pm to 6pm, Monday to Thursday. The childminder provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. She holds a relevant early years qualification at level 3.

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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 provider. n The childminder and the inspector discussed how the childminder organises her early years provision, including the aims and rationale for the early years foundation stage curriculum. n The childminder spoke to the inspector about children's learning and development, with a particular focus on communication and language. n The inspector spoke to children to find out about their time at the setting. n The inspector read parents' written views and took account of their views.

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Inspection activities

16 April 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

16 April 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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