Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY535890 Registered with Ofsted: 03/01/2017 Registers: EYR, CCR

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder ensures children receive consistently high-quality care routines that meet their age-related needs. She prioritises time for children to rest and sleep in an appropriate and calm environment. Children enthusiastically accept familiar comforters from home to help them settle. The childminder uses assistants to help supervise and support children while they eat, enabling very young children to develop skills to spoon-feed themselves in a safe and purposeful way. From a young age, children learn to wipe and wash their hands before they eat, helping them adopt routines that promote good health.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder uses her excellent knowledge of children's individual needs to shape the day, contributing to their positive welfare. Through conversations with parents, the childminder finds out about changes that impact how children feel or behave. She uses this information to adapt activities, helping children feel safe and secure. For example, when familiar adults are temporarily away, the childminder talks positively about their whereabouts. She shows children books about different places and highlights similarities and differences. As children grow, the childminder acknowledges their feelings, including sadness, helping children to recognise emotions for themselves.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are very happy and settled. The childminder quickly builds warm and trusting relationships with babies and children. Consequently, they freely move around and explore the inviting environment the childminder provides. She regularly takes children to external and indoor play areas, encouraging children to balance and climb to aid their physical development.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make progress in their learning. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported to build their vocabulary and confidence in speaking. They listen to new words and begin to practise what they hear. By the time they move on to nursery or school, children are articulate individuals. Children enthusiastically carry out tasks, such as putting on their shoes independently. Young children are not rushed while they practise new skills, contributing to their growing confidence. Children learn how to begin to regulate their emotions and behaviours, helping to prepare them for learning in larger groups of children at nursery and school. For example, with encouragement, they learn to share jugs and spoons to scoop and tip dried cereal into a larger container.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children strengthen their hand muscles during their play. They squeeze dough in their hands and increase their dexterity while they build towers with bricks. This contributes to the skills they need in preparation for mark making and early writing.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave well. They embrace the simple rules and clear routines the childminder has embedded. For example, children join in tidying away the bricks before they begin to play with different toys. The childminder praises children for their commitment and tenacity to finish the task, helping children to feel valued. The childminder supports very young children to begin to learn to share and take turns. Children roll balls down a spiral track, catching them at the bottom. The childminder gently reminds them they need to let others have a ball so that they can join in. She reassures others they will have a turn, helping children to regulate their feelings and actions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The nurturing childminder forms strong relationships with children. She works closely with parents and carers to find out about routines at home, helping her to provide continuity to key aspects, such as weaning and sleep. This contributes to children's sense of security. The childminder maintains two-way routes of communication with parents. This helps her to promote the importance of regular attendance. When children are ill and unable to attend, the childminder keeps in contact with parents. This enables her to liaise with parents when their child is well enough to return to the setting. Upon their return, the childminder adjusts routines to accommodate any change in appetite or need for rest.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The experienced childminder follows children's interests during their self-chosen play and explorations. Her effective assessments of children's progress, including identifying their starting points, contribute to the childminder's skilful judgement of when to join in, add challenge or step back. This gives children time to repeat, practise and consolidate what they know. The childminder encourages children to solve problems and find different ways of doing things for themselves. She describes what very young children are doing, contributing to the words children hear relating to what they see or do. She responds to the early words and babbling children produce, helping them master the two-way flow of conversation. This contributes to children's early development in communication and language.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder takes children to a variety of locations to support their learning. For example, children strengthen their muscles and refine their coordination while they climb and balance on soft-play equipment. The childminder uses daily experiences, such as walks, to introduce concepts including quantity and shape, helping to establish the foundations for mathematics. Older children spontaneously count trees, reflecting the positive modelling they receive from the childminder.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children to feel happy, confident and secure. She helps them identify how they are feeling and gently supports them to cooperate and be kind to others. Older children are proud to take responsibility to help support younger children in their play, further enhancing their own social and emotional development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder regularly uses her assessments of children to help monitor the sustained progress they make. She adapts the way that she teaches to help ensure that all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, continue to build on what they know and understand at a pace and in a way that appeals to them. For example, while some children enjoy making marks in gloop, others prefer to develop their hand muscles and smaller movements in a tray of dry cereal or with crayons and paper.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder gathers information from parents and carers to help understand how children's family lives and previous experiences impact on children's learning. This helps the childminder find ways to involve all children in the activities and outings she provides. The childminder recognises that any additional funding children might receive is used to help close any gaps in learning. She uses her skills to adapt her sequenced curriculum for each child. The childminder builds on her own knowledge through discussions with other childminders and her staff, and through courses to help her identify how to support children's learning. For example, the childminder introduces simple counting rhymes before children move on to point to and count objects independently.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Since her last inspection, the childminder swiftly ensured that all the required information to check the suitability of household members has been appropriately gathered and passed to Ofsted. The childminder confidently demonstrates a clear understanding of how she ensures children's continued safety, both in her home and when out in public buildings and spaces.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder regularly meets with other childminders to share ideas for best practice and to help review any changes in local and national procedures or requirements. She ensures that any amendments to her own policies and procedures are clearly communicated to any assistants she works with, helping to provide consistent care and education. The childminder updates and refreshes her knowledge of how children learn and develop. This helps her to shape and adapt her curriculum to suit the children in her care.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

When necessary, the childminder supports and encourages parents to seek additional advice from other professionals, such as health visitors, to help identify any underlying reasons for delays in development. As a result, the childminder effectively puts strategies in place to help close gaps in learning. The childminder maintains positive relationships with parents and regularly provides them with information about what children have been doing. However, she does not always give them sufficiently detailed ideas and advice about how they can help to support the focused areas of learning that help to optimise children's progress.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children enjoy their time with the childminder. They quickly develop strong and trusting relationships and happily play alongside their peers. As children grow, they form friendships, developing the social skills they need to help them flourish. From a young age, children are curious. The childminder ensures that children engage in exciting and memorable experiences that help to trigger new interests. She provides different resources and takes children to a variety of organised groups, attractions and open spaces. For example, children regularly visit the residents at a local care home. Children learn to listen and share while they draw and hear stories.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children choose activities and toys that they like. They take books to the childminder and listen intently while she reads to them. The childminder introduces new words and phrases to children, ready for them to repeat and try out for themselves. This contributes to an environment rich in language in which children learn and play. The childminder builds the complexity of her sentences to suit the age and stage of development that children understand. As a result, children quickly learn to follow instructions and do not become overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive. Consequently, children who may face barriers to their learning are well supported.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

The childminder values the relationships she builds with parents and carers. She finds out about what children like and can already do when they first start in her care. The childminder tells parents about the activities children enjoy. The childminder promotes the importance of children's regular attendance to her setting. As a result, children feel welcome and part of an

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:30 - 17:00

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About this setting

Local authority: Hertfordshire extended family. Children quickly feel secure in the childminder's care. She teaches children how they can begin to keep themselves safe. For example, she teaches them to remain seated while they eat.

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Next steps

The childminder should give parents and carers even more information about what children need to know and understand next and provide ideas about how they can help to support this.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection.

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About this inspection

We carried out the inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the 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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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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