Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY486545 Registered with Ofsted: 25/02/2015 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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Achievement Expected standard

Children make secure progress in all areas of the curriculum. Parents report that their children make particularly good progress with their communication and language and social skills. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported to make good progress from their starting points. For example, the childminder has supported some children to be more flexible in what food they will tolerate or eat when appropriate.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are well prepared for their next stage, such as starting school. They have lots of opportunities to become confident speakers and develop good listening skills. Children are well supported to develop their independence and self-care skills, for example they wash their hands and cut up their own fruit at snack time. Children develop their confidence and social skills in the childminder's home first and then in larger groups with less familiar children and adults. This enables all children to develop their social skills effectively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is an beneficial role model for children. She is kind, patient and calm and has a positive and caring relationship with each of the children. There is a warm and welcoming atmosphere and lots of shared laughter and fun. There are clear expectations for children's behaviour, which all children understand. For example, the children are expected to use good manners and are gently reminded if they forget. At snack times and mealtimes, children know that they must sit in their chairs while eating. After eating, older children helpfully collect all the plates and put them carefully in the sink without being asked. These clear expectations and well-established routines ensure that children behave well at the childminder's house.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children of all ages play happily together. At tidy-up time, older children help younger children to tidy away their toys. They helpfully carry the toys to the correct shelf and put them away. Younger children hold pieces of wooden train track as older children build the trainline. They work together to find more pieces of track in the toy box and then slot the pieces together. This demonstrates the positive and cooperative relationships between the children. The childminder ensures that parents are aware of the importance of regular attendance. There are well-established procedures in place if children are unable to attend the session. This ensures that all children have a regular pattern of attendance.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder knows the children well. This enables her to meet all children's individual care needs effectively. For example, she quickly spots when babies are tired and need to sleep. When children are engrossed in an activity, such as playing in the cabin outside, she is flexible in her approach to allow them to develop their play uninterrupted. The childminder has put a range of measures in place to support children to settle quickly when they are new to the setting. For example, children have as many settling-in sessions as they need to feel safe and secure. Routines are personalised and flexible, in order to support all children to feel emotionally secure as quickly as possible. Relationships are warm, caring and respectful, and the childminder and the children clearly enjoy their time spent together.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children to understand how to be healthy and stay safe. At snack time, the childminder and the children discuss the fact that the fruit that they are eating contains vitamins. Children discuss how drinking milk or water is the best choice for their teeth. When they go on walks, children are taught how to stay safe near traffic and how to cross the road.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are thoughtfully supported to begin to manage their own behaviour and emotions. For example, the childminder has identified that some children need to continue to be active at more structured times, in order to regulate their own behaviour. At these times, the childminder shows flexibility in her approach, which enables all children to be relaxed, happy and settled.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder implements an effective curriculum that meets the learning and development needs of all children. The curriculum has a sharp focus on children's communication and language. The childminder takes every opportunity to engage children in interesting conversations or to introduce new vocabulary. For example, children listen intently as the childminder reads the story of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. The childminder adapts her tone and varies the volume of her voice to capture and maintain all children's interest. She uses props, such as a set of knitted fruit and vegetables, to encourage the children to count the foods that the caterpillar is eating. Children laugh and join in with the familiar story and with the counting. These activities support the development of children's communication and language and mathematics skills effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder plans lots of opportunities for children to be active. They visit parks, explore the natural environment of the nearby woods and enjoy trips to a soft-play centre. These outings support the development of children's physical skills and their self-confidence.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a warm and respectful relationship with the children. Children are taught to be kind to others and to take account of different needs. For example, older children show patience with younger children and encourage them to keep trying even when an activity is difficult.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder assesses children's starting points and then plans activities to support them to make their next steps. She recognises the importance of assessment and how it is used. The childminder completes the required progress check at age 2. Occasionally, however, the childminder does not identify children's next steps as precisely as possible. This means that activities are not then clearly tailored for individual children's needs to help them make the best possible progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder tracks children's progress through her positive interactions and observations of them at play. This enables her to identify any areas where children may need additional help and support. The childminder adapts her practice to ensure that all children are able to enjoy the activities and opportunities on offer. For example, she has identified that some children need additional processing time during conversations. The childminder sensitively ensures that these children have plenty of time to think about what has been said and to reply. When attending group sessions, the childminder ensures that all children feel emotionally secure in the busier environment. This additional support helps all children to benefit from the activities and opportunities on offer.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder is pro-active in working with families, professionals and external agencies to gain additional specialist advice and support for children. For example, she works in a positive partnership with health visitors and other specialist practitioners. This enables the childminder to provide care and learning that meets all children's needs effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall the childminder is reflective of her practice. For example, she has installed an outdoor cabin, which provides a rich environment to enhance her literacy curriculum. Children snuggle up on cushions in the cosy space and independently choose to read a book. They select a dressing-up costume and develop their role play. This shows the positive impact of the childminder's improvements. However, the childminder is less secure at identifying more detailed areas for development. This means that all possible areas for improvement are not always fully explored.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works to give all children the best start in life and support them to transition successfully, for example, to school. She works in partnership with parents and other professionals, such as health visitors. The childminder is pro-active in seeking further support for children. For example, when she identifies that children would perhaps benefit from more specialised assessments, she is persistent in seeking this support for children. This demonstrates that she acts in the best interests of children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder undertakes additional training, in order to support her continued professional development. For example, she has accessed a range of training with a focus on developing children's communication and language. The impact of this training is evident in her strengthened communication and language curriculum and in her high-quality interactions with all children.

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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 have lots of fun at this warm, welcoming and inclusive childminder's house. The childminder knows all the children well. When children start at the setting, the childminder works with parents to gather information about children's starting points. She then plans activities and opportunities to support all children effectively to develop and extend their learning and skills. The childminder is flexible in her approach and tailors the curriculum to each child. This ensures that all children make secure progress and are well prepared for their next steps, such as starting school.

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

Children enthusiastically take part in a wide range of activities, both indoors and outdoors, and show a positive attitude to learning. Children concentrate hard as they use tweezers to sort a pile of toy fruit into coloured bowls. Their fingers grasp the tweezers firmly as they carefully move the fruit from the table to the bowls. The childminder is full of praise and encouragement as the children drop each piece of fruit into the matching bowl. When they make a mistake, the childminder poses interesting questions to the children, encouraging them to reflect on the task. This open-ended approach to learning supports all children to develop their critical thinking and communication and language skills well.

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

There is a happy and caring atmosphere at the childminder's house. Children speak to each other and to the childminder in a respectful and thoughtful way. The childminder takes great care to include all children in conversations and to ensure that all children have a chance to speak and be listened to. All children's contributions are valued.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 16:00

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About this setting

Local authority: Bolton Parents report that the childminder provides a 'home from home' for their children and that the care and support that the childminder provides to the whole family is 'amazing'. The childminder ensures that parents are aware of the importance of consistent routines, such as a regular attendance pattern.

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Next steps

The childminder should identify children's next steps in learning more precisely to ensure that activities support children to make even better progress. The childminder should further strengthen systems for self-reflection to ensure that she is able to develop practice to an even higher level.

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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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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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