Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY312172 Registered with Ofsted: 27/06/2005 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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Achievement Strong standard

Children make secure, ongoing progress through the curriculum, particularly in communication and language. They use an increasing range of vocabulary, explain their ideas clearly, and engage confidently in back-and-forth conversations. Older children demonstrate an understanding of language for different purposes, for example telling jokes, pausing for laughter, and recognising that humour is used to make others laugh. Younger children copy this behaviour, which contributes to their wonderful social skills.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children develop early mathematical understanding as they count, sequence and make links during daily routines and play. They recall familiar information, such as days of the week, language associated with past and future, and the weather. They apply this knowledge confidently.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children achieve securely from their starting points, including those who face barriers to their learning or wellbeing. They show growing independence, perseverance and confidence, which prepares them purposefully for their next stage of learning, including school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children experience a positive and orderly environment where expectations for behaviour are clear, consistent and well understood. They move calmly between activities and follow familiar routines with confidence, showing that expectations are firmly embedded in daily practice. Children learn to collaborate and get along well with others. Older children model cooperative behaviours, and younger children follow their lead.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder builds warm, respectful and trusting relationships with children. Children feel safe and valued, and approach her readily for reassurance or support. This special connection supports positive behaviour and helps children to regulate their emotions throughout the day, such as at sleep time.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder constantly considers children's age, stage of development, individual needs and circumstances within routines. For example, children transition calmly from outdoor to indoor play, anticipating what comes next. They independently lie on the carpet for a short rest period, watching bubbles and settling their bodies. Younger children manage this with gentle reassurance, while older children regulate their behaviour independently and remain settled.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder promotes the importance of attendance and continuity in learning. For example, when patterns of care changed and some children attended fewer days, she increased the use of home-learning packs to ensure learning remained consistent.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder sensitively adapts routines to reflect children's age, stage of development and circumstances. This helps her ensure they feel comfortable, safe and supported throughout the day. Children who face barriers to learning or wellbeing receive timely reassurance and consistency so that they remain settled and able to engage.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children show strong attachments to the childminder and approach her confidently for comfort, reassurance and support. Babies and younger children settle calmly during care routines, while older children demonstrate emotional security and confidence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop a growing understanding of their physical development, health and personal safety. They learn about healthy choices, such as limiting sweet treats, and follow good hygiene routines, including handwashing and toothbrushing. The childminder helps children understand expectations around safe play. They benefit from carefully planned outings, including community activities, such as litter picking, where risk assessments help them to learn how to keep themselves safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are supported to recognise, express and manage their emotions, such as developing pride in their achievements. The childminder provides shared experiences that build a strong sense of belonging, such as participating in a Christmas nativity where each child has a meaningful role. Children have consistent opportunities to feel included, valued and proud of their contribution.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder uses assessment precisely to shape her teaching. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to meet the full learning and development requirements and reflects children's interests, routines and stages of development.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder's teaching is purposeful and carefully structured, with strong emphasis on language, communication and early mathematical understanding. For example, during daily group sessions, children revisit familiar routines, such as the days of the week, weather, counting and letter sounds. The childminder uses repetition specifically for children to consolidate knowledge, build confidence and develop early sequencing and recall skills. She adapts her teaching to support children at different stages, with younger children encouraged through participation and modelling. The childminder ensures that older children are skilfully challenged to explain their ideas and make links in their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's physical, personal, social and emotional development through embedded routines that promote independence, cooperation and self-regulation. She consistently monitors children's progress, including the two-year-old progress check, to identify their starting points and next steps. The childminder adapts her teaching specifically for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, she understands how to break learning into small, manageable steps and adapt routines and resources.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a secure, inclusive and graduated approach that ensures children's individual needs are identified early and supported effectively. She has an in- depth knowledge of each child and uses ongoing observation and assessment to understand their strengths, interests and any emerging learning needs. This information is used to plan robust support and adapt experiences precisely so that all children can participate confidently.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder takes considered action to reduce barriers linked to children's emotional wellbeing and home experiences. By providing reassurance, maintaining familiar routines and ensuring continuity in learning, she helps children to remain settled and emotionally secure, supporting continuity in their learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children's progress is monitored regularly, and the childminder reviews the impact of support through careful tracking and discussion with parents and her co-childminder. She works closely with families to ensure continuity between home and the setting and adapts practice when children's needs change.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder engages positively with training and professional networks. She works with external professionals when needed and ensures that advice is embedded consistently into daily routines and teaching.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder understands how to use additional funding with precision, ensuring it is directed at supporting sustained progress for individual children.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder's leadership and governance are purposeful and focused on securing positive outcomes for children. She works diligently with her co-childminder, sharing a clear vision for high-quality care and learning. They reflect together on practice and make considered decisions that balance children's needs. For example, they reviewed and adjusted operating hours in response to changes in family needs and attendance patterns, while also protecting their own wellbeing and workload.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a precise understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. She regularly reviews the learning environment and has enhanced the outdoor area to extend opportunities for physical play and exploration. Ongoing reflection on resources ensures that play remains engaging and purposeful. Recent professional development has directly informed improvements in practice, including the extension of sensory-based resources that support children's communication, curiosity and engagement. The childminder's professional development is purposefully chosen and has clear impact. Recent training strengthened inclusive practice, safeguarding knowledge and curriculum delivery. The childminder uses this learning to refine routines and interactions, ensuring decisions are made in the best interests of all children, including those who face barriers to learning or wellbeing. She also works collaboratively with local childminders, sharing

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

learning from training across the community and with the local authority.

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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

Children experience a welcoming and reassuring environment where they feel emotionally secure. The childminder successfully builds warm, trusting relationships. Children move confidently between activities and make independent choices, showing that routines and expectations are well established.

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

Children enjoy their learning and show consistently high levels of sustained engagement and curiosity. They become fully absorbed in purposeful play that reflects their interests and everyday experiences, because the childminder plans and provides rich, well-chosen resources that closely mirror children's real lives and fascinations. For example, children engage in real-life role play using bags, phones and bank cards. They confidently take on roles and explain what they are doing, demonstrating the childminder's skilful support in extending play through attentive interaction and well-timed prompts.

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

Children achieve extremely well from their starting points. This is a result of the childminder's expert understanding of their development and her high expectations for what they can achieve. Children persevere with physical challenges, such as climbing and negotiating ramps, showing pride when they succeed. Children remain highly focused when tasks are challenging and respond positively to the childminder's precise and thoughtful encouragement.

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

Children's behaviour supports learning extremely well and reflects secure self-regulation helped by the childminder's calm, consistent modelling of expectations and positive interaction. They cooperate with others, share resources and show care and consideration during play. The childminder supports younger children to wait briefly and take turns using sensitive guidance and clear routines. Children develop patience, confidence and highly positive attitudes that support learning.

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

Children experience a strong and deeply embedded sense of belonging. The childminder recognises that some children benefit from wider social experiences. She proactively and thoughtfully identifies and attends additional community groups for older children, giving them opportunities to form friendships in different contexts and learn alongside a broader range of peers.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this setting

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

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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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