Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY313081 Registered with Ofsted: 18/07/2005 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR

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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 consistently prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing. She builds secure relationships with the children. The childminder is highly responsive to children's varying needs and the changing circumstances of individual children and their families. She knows the children in her care exceptionally well. Children feel confident to express their emotions and are supported in recognising and managing their feelings. For example, when children are feeling sad, the childminder offers cuddles to help settle children into their play. Children build a sense of emotional wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are encouraged to develop an understanding of their physical health, safety and wellbeing. They are introduced to basic safety concepts from a young age, such as learning about fire safety and crossing the road. This helps children to develop an understanding of risk and responsibility. The childminder supports children's physical development well. Younger children are encouraged to pull themselves up and take steps to build core strength. Older children develop fine motor skills through activities, such as squeezing and rolling dough. As a result, children develop robust physical skills.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder's robust and embedded routines ensure children develop healthy habits. She consistently encourages children to wash their hands before eating and provides children with healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. This supports children to develop a strong understanding of what contributes to good healthy lifestyles.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make good progress through the curriculum, particularly in communication and language. They learn new words during everyday interactions, stories, songs, and small- group activities. For example, as children engage in Christmas pictures, they hold meaningful back-and-forth conversations with the childminder. Children are confident communicators, who are able to express their ideas. They are keen to answer questions and think things through, developing their critical thinking skills. Children make good progress in their mathematical development. At snack time, children count the pieces of fruit in their bowl and can confidently count to 10.

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Achievement Expected standard

The childminder adapts approaches to meet the needs of all children according to their age and stage of development. Children are well prepared for transitions into their next stage of learning and demonstrate key skills. They show good independence skills as they wash their own hands, set up their table for snack time, confidently feed themselves and drink from an open top cup.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is kind, caring and nurturing. She creates a warm and welcoming environment that supports children's personal, social and emotional development. The childminder displays secure relationships with children. She is sensitive to children who may find sharing challenging and uses child-appropriate explanations to help them understand expectations. For example, she uses a book on 'kind hands' alongside actions, such as 'wiggle fingers', to reinforce positive behaviour and kindness. Children respond to the childminder wiggling their fingers to demonstrate kindness. To further support turn-taking and patience, the childminder introduces a song bag activity, where children wait for their turn to choose a prop or song. This helps children learn to manage their feelings and understand routines.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is a positive role model, who helps children to focus on developing their skills. For example, she supports children to peel a banana independently. When children struggle with the task, the childminder offers encouragement and praise. This positive reinforcement motivates children, builds their confidence and supports the development of healthy self-esteem.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Punctuality and attendance are promoted effectively. The childminder monitors children's attendance closely. She works with families to promote regular attendance to ensure each child benefits from a familiar routine.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides a well-sequenced curriculum that supports all areas of learning and development. She ensures that every child can access learning by using assessments of children's starting points to identify next steps in their learning. This allows activities to be tailored to each child's individual needs and stage of development. The childminder is highly attuned to children's interests and uses these opportunities to extend learning. For instance, when children engage in jigsaw activities, she builds on these experiences to deepen their knowledge and understanding. She introduces new words as children explore the jigsaw, such as 'stethoscope'. This helps to broaden children's vocabulary.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children's personal, social and emotional development through warm, responsive interactions and routines that help children feel safe and secure. She encourages turn-taking, sharing and independence during play and daily routines. This supports children to build confidence and positive relationships. Children's early mathematical skills are supported well. The childminder encourages children to foster a love for numbers and counting. For instance, while children build towers, the childminder encourages children to count the bricks.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a proactive and reflective approach to inclusive practice and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She has developed her understanding of the different individual needs of children to ensure she provides the appropriate support. The childminder applies an approach of 'assess, plan, do and review' in her everyday practice to monitor children's development and identify any emerging concerns at an early stage. This helps the childminder to identify and close gaps in children's learning quickly. The childminder recognises the importance of working in partnership with parents. For instance, she ensures that she shares information and strategies to help maintain continuity between home and the setting to best support children's development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder sets appropriate next steps in learning and adapts activities to support children's specific needs. For example, for children who need support with their communication and language development, the childminder implements small group activities that focus on promoting vocabulary. This helps remove any barriers to children's learning and helps children to make progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is passionate about her role and reflects well on the quality of her provision and identifies strengths and areas for improvement. She has completed mandatory training, such as safeguarding and paediatric first aid, to keep her knowledge up to date. In addition, the childminder has completed training to further develop her understanding of children's mathematical development. This has helped the childminder to provide a well-sequenced curriculum in this area. However, the childminder has not yet explored a wider variety of professional development opportunities to help enhance her knowledge and skills even further.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder engages positively with parents to build secure partnerships. She shares strategies and advice with parents on topics, such as potty training, to maintain consistency in their child's routines and development. Parents value the varied learning opportunities, outdoor trips and days out, as well as the balanced meals provided. The childminder provides regular communication, which includes photos and updates on their child's next steps in learning. She ensures parents feel well informed and reassured about their child's development and wellbeing.

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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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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

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

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Register

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

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

The childminder provides a warm welcome to children and their families. Children arrive at the setting with big smiles, ready to learn, explore and flourish in their learning. The childminder has formed positive relationships with the children and knows them exceptionally well. She is attuned to children's individual needs, which supports children's emotional wellbeing. Children show they feel safe and secure as they engage the childminder in their play, making towers with building bricks. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging. The childminder is a good role model to children. She regularly offers positive praise to children to recognise their achievements. This immediately boosts

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Inspector:

Danielle McEwan children's self-esteem. The childminder closely monitors attendance and recognises its importance in supporting children's emotional security and consistent progress.

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Inspector:

Children achieve well and make progress from their individual starting points. They show enthusiasm for learning and approach new experiences with curiosity and confidence. The childminder is ambitious for every child to reach their full potential. She promotes children's literacy skills well. For instance, the childminder reads and sings to children throughout the day to promote a love for books and rhymes. Children confidently join in with songs, actions and key words, demonstrating a good understanding of rhythm and rhyme. They independently choose their own books to explore. The childminder introduces new words, such as 'rough' and 'soft', as children lift the flaps in the book and touch the illustrations.

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Inspector:

The childminder is aware of the different ages and stages of development of children in her care and warmly embraces an inclusive setting. For example, she ensures she adapts her teaching strategies to reflect each child's learning style. This supports children to build confidence, make progress at their own pace and achieve positive outcomes in their learning and development.

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Next steps

The childminder should instil a culture of continuous improvement through professional development opportunities to continue to improve her practice and provision.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and 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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About this setting

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

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About this setting

Local authority: Cheshire West and Chester

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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

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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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