Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2739303 Registered with Ofsted: 25/07/2023 Registers: EYR

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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 promotes children's health and welfare consistently well. She knows each child very closely and works with parents and carers to meet children's individual needs. For example, the childminder follows agreed approaches to support children with eating habits. She encourages them to try new foods and talks to them about making healthy choices. This helps children to feel comfortable and confident at mealtimes. This careful partnership also supports children who face barriers to their wellbeing to take part fully in daily routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Settling-in arrangements are very impactful. The childminder gathers detailed information from parents and carers, including about their children's routines, likes, dislikes and family backgrounds. She offers several settling-in sessions, which enable children to become familiar with the environment and develop secure attachments with her, which fully supports their emotional development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder is incredibly intuitive and swift to identify and support children's changing emotional and physical needs. She helps children to feel positive about changes in their lives, such as the arrival of new siblings or moving on to school. The childminder names simple feelings in play and introduces books and toys that are linked to these changes. She shares ideas with parents to support children at home. As a result, children make clear progress in their emotional development from their starting points in development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder teaches children healthy attitudes towards screen time, personal safety and making positive life choices. She provides safe and supervised chances to take risks. For example, children use safety knives to cut fruit. This helps them to learn to manage risk and develop healthy habits for life.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children benefit from a well-planned curriculum that provides a wide range of experiences and supports them to make good developmental progress. For example, the childminder delivers a play-based curriculum that helps children explore new words during story time. As a result, children use more words consistently and speak with confidence. They also enjoy creative activities, such as decorating Christmas trees and playing instruments. Children proudly take their artwork home to show their parents what they have been learning. These activities help children build confidence, communicate ideas and understand concepts such as size, order and patterns. Children beam with pride as they achieve their goals. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning, make progress from their starting points. The childminder supports independence by teaching self-help skills, such as washing hands, putting on coats, chopping fruit and

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Achievement Expected standard

replacing pen lids. This prepares children well for their next stage of learning and for school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children form wonderful close bonds with their nurturing childminder, who has a deep understanding of children, their early experiences and how this can impact their learning. The childminder places a strong emphasis on monitoring children's attendance. She works very closely with parents and carers to promote children's attendance and places the utmost importance on children's welfare.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations of children's behaviour. She models positive behaviour and listens and responds to children with respect. The childminder frequently reminds children to be polite and respectful to each other. As a result, children show kindness and consideration towards their friends. For example, when younger children express their preference to build dens for the zoo animals, older children respect their wishes and happily comply and share resources.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is very adept at knowing when to stand back and watch and when to provide sensitive, timely support. This helps children to play collaboratively and resolve minor disputes independently. Children are polite and well behaved, regularly saying 'please' and 'thank you'.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children benefit from meaningful learning experiences across the early years foundation stage curriculum. The childminder plans a broad and varied curriculum linked to children's interests. In consultation with external agencies and parents and carers, she adapts her setting to meet children's individual needs. The childminder has made thoughtful adjustments, such as calmer routines and quiet spaces, which help children to maintain focus and manage their emotions with increasing independence. As a result, all children can access and benefit from sensitively planned activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children's physical development is a clear priority. Children go for long walks in the local community, collecting leaves and pine cones to use in imaginative play, such as making pretend hot chocolate and ginger biscuits. The childminder encourages children to roll play dough and cut it with scissors. This develops children's fine motor skills, control and concentration and prepares them for school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports early mathematical understanding through everyday routines. For instance, she encourages children to count scoops of sand into cups or pieces of snack, using words such as 'more' and 'patterns'. She also models simple language during these activities, which helps younger children to understand instructions and respond confidently. She uses ongoing assessment to check what children know and can do, but this is not always used effectively to help older children extend their knowledge further. Despite this, all children are making effective progress in their learning and development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has an effective understanding of children's development. She uses her observations and information gained from parents and carers to adapt her practice to individual children's needs, including for children who are disadvantaged or with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, she slows the talking pace so that children have more time to process information and build relationships as they settle. Consequently, all children settle well in the childminder's care and make progress from their starting points in development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has established good working relationships with other professionals, such as health visitors and speech and language therapists. This helps to ensure that she provides effective support for children with additional care and learning needs. She undertakes high-quality training focused on the graduated approach to identifying, assessing and supporting children with SEND. She works closely with families, professionals and external agencies to help shape her provision. For instance, the childminder has implemented language assessments to help identify and support children who may have potential barriers to speech and language development. As a result, children with delays in their speech development make rapid progress. Furthermore, the childminder knows how to use funding effectively to create a stimulating and highly inclusive learning environment. This ensures that support is given in a timely, consistent and tailored way to help children

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is committed to helping every child reach their potential, including disadvantaged children and those who face barriers to their wellbeing. She actively seeks feedback from parents and carers and uses this to adapt routines, resources and planning. The childminder meets regularly with other childminders to share good practice, discuss her strengths and identifies areas for further improvement, such as changes to safeguarding requirements. This helps to create a safe and supportive environment. The childminder attends webinars and online training to remove barriers for learning, such as gaps in children's communication development. However, she has not yet accessed further professional development that is precisely focused on extending older children to move beyond what they already know and can do. At times, the childminder does not adapt her teaching to extend children's understanding of mathematics, which limits deeper learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder knows the staff at other early years settings that children attend. She shares brief information during handovers. This contributes to smooth transitions when children move on to the next stage of their education. However, the childminder does not gather information about children's abilities, achievements and next steps to support consistency for all children's learning. As a result, she does not incorporate children's next steps into everyday routines and activities, which reduces opportunities for children to make even better progress in their learning and development.

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

Children flourish in this warm and nurturing setting, where they feel valued and happy. They form secure and trusting relationships with the childminder, who creates a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere. Children settle quickly and feel safe, particularly disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or barriers to their wellbeing.

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

Children enjoy a broad curriculum that builds on their interests. When children show an interest in animals, the childminder plans an exciting day out to the zoo. The childminder uses regular outings to help children to understand the wider world. For example, they collect conkers, leaves and twigs, which they later explore and use in creative activities. Indoors, a range of quality resources is easy for children to access, so they can choose their play and build new vocabulary. Children show positive attitudes to learning and deep concentration during exciting activities, such as using Christmas cutters in play dough. They become confident and independent. Children eagerly take part in daily routines and manage tasks, such as putting on wetsuits and wellington boots before going outside. As a result, children develop personal skills that prepare them well for their next stage of learning, including their move to school.

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

The childminder helps children to understand what is expected of them. She reinforces simple rules, praises their efforts and models good manners. Children respond with kindness and consideration. For instance, if they notice another child is upset, they share their toys to cheer them up. These experiences help children to build friendships and develop the social skills they need to become thoughtful and responsible citizens.

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Next steps

The childminder should access professional development that strengthens her ability to extend older children's learning, including adapting teaching to deepen their mathematical understanding. The childminder should strengthen partnerships with other early years settings to share information about children's abilities and next steps to plan consistent learning across all settings.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:30 - 17:30

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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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About this inspection

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

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About this inspection

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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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

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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