Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY480923 Registered with Ofsted: 14/10/2014 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 Expected standard

Children are curious and motivated learners with positive attitudes towards learning. All children build on what they already know and can do. Children develop kind behaviours and build positive friendships with their peers. For example, children who found sharing difficult when they started independently offer an apron to a younger child, so they can join in messy play. These respectful and kind actions show children are achieving friendship-making skills in preparation for school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make notable progress from their starting points, particularly in their communication and language development. All children develop their communication skills as they enjoy looking at rhymes and other aspects of language within the setting and on their weekly visits to a local playgroup.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children build on their knowledge and understanding of the world. They learn how to keep themselves safe as they visit local places of interest, such as the zoo, library and woodland areas.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is responsive to parental wishes, for example, around sleep routines and works alongside families to help children progress. This helps children build secure and trusting attachments to the childminder as they feel safe and secure, knowing what to expect and when. Babies settle seamlessly in the setting as the childminder is replicating routines that are familiar to them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder and the staff support children through daily routines to develop their skills with personal care and independence. The childminder supports children to follow safe and sociable mealtime routines. However, recent changes to mealtime routines mean that the youngest children are waiting longer than they can comfortably manage. This impacts on behaviour as children become restless.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Overall, children play cooperatively. The childminder and staff model clear expectations for children's behaviour. They praise children positively when they are kind to others. This supports children to understand what is expected of them and how their behaviour can impact others. The childminder understands the importance of regular attendance and punctuality and establishing daily routines. Parents describe how the childminder goes above and beyond to ensure that their children can attend regularly.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

An effective key-person system is in place. The childminder and staff show compassion and respond appropriately and empathetically if children hurt themselves. Consequently, children show they have trusting bonds as they seek out their trusted carers for comfort when needed.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Potential hazards are minimised as children are supported by the childminder, for example, to sit on chairs correctly. However, at times, children are not told why this is important, for example, to prevent falls. This does not fully support them to understand how to keep themselves safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder works extremely closely with all parents, helping to overcome any barriers to children's learning. For example, the childminder gathers information about children's dietary needs and allergies before they start. Parents express how well the childminder manages their children's health care. They applaud how she adapts children's care as their requirements change, for example as allergies are investigated or when it is time to wean babies. Effective allergy management plans are tailored to individual needs. These support the childminder to create safe environments that reduce the risk of allergic reactions and enhances the attendance of children with allergies.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children learn about making healthy choices of food through age-appropriate discussions while they prepare and eat fresh fruit and vegetables.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides a well-planned curriculum. Physical development is promoted well with many opportunities for outdoor physical and energetic play. The childminder and staff successfully weave mathematics into their activities, daily routines and interactions with children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder uses ongoing assessments from parents and their own observations of children to plan activities to extend children's individual next steps in learning. For instance, she uses children's love of sensory play to extend and broaden children's vocabulary and communication skills. As children explore ice cubes in a winter-themed activity, children learn new words modelled by the childminder such as 'funnel' and 'melting'. Children delight in repeating these new words and predicting what might happen next, which strengthens their communication skills. However, at times, the childminder does not adapt their interactions effectively. For example, while children explore a card matching game, they lose interest as they are not shown how to play. This reduces opportunities for purposeful play and extending children's learning and development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder also offers practical guidance to support home learning, such as strategies for potty training, ensuring that children benefit from consistent approaches. This means that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are developing independence in carrying out their personal care.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder promotes diversity and inclusion. With her first-hand experience, the childminder supports military families extremely well. For example, children are offered opportunities to draw pictures that they can post to their loved ones. The childminder recognises that drawing helps children develop coping skills and resilience during separation from loved ones. She also understands how it helps children feel a sense of belonging, which helps children continuously thrive at the setting.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Robust settling-in processes ensure that children are getting the right support from the start. The childminder works with parents to help children receive any additional funding they may be entitled to. For example, tailored resources are purchased by the childminder to help children with speech and language delay recognise and say single words.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder and staff complete regular assessments and have a confident knowledge of what children know and can do and how to help them progress in their development. When gaps are identified in children's development, the childminder works sensitively with parents and outside professionals to provide the support needed. For example, the childminder takes children to community groups specifically aimed at supporting their communication skills. Parents report on the progress children are making in their speech and social skills since attending.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a broad understanding of the setting's strengths and areas of development. For example, she celebrates the relationships she establishes with all her parents. The childminder has recently reflected on how to further improvement the outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This demonstrates her dedication to continuously strive to provide the best care and education to children she cares for.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Regular reviews of support plans for children with SEND are shared with parents, and their input is considered. However, these are not always as detailed as they could be to ensure that parents fully understand how to implement activities and maximise children's further learning at home.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder's recent employment of staff has had a very positive impact on the day-to- day running of the setting. The childminder has ensured that staff have undertaken all relevant and mandatory training required. Staff say they love their job and their workload is managed effectively. The childminder ensures that staff understand support plans in place with for children with SEND or medical health plans, ensuring that their physical and emotional wellbeing needs are consistently met.

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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 skip up the path with excitement, beaming with delight when the childminder greets them at the door. Children feel safe and build secure attachments to the childminder and staff. This is evident as children initiate cuddles with them upon arrival and happily wave goodbye to their parents. Children show a willingness and love of learning.

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

Teaching is generally high-quality and meaningful. Children achieve well from their starting points. The childminder has a clear understanding of her curriculum. For example, she particularly celebrates how she prioritises supporting children to develop their independence, in preparation for school. Upon arrival, older children independently take off their shoes and coats. This demonstrates they are competent in carrying out the daily routines expected of them. The childminder uses words of encouragement and the right support to help younger children achieve these self-care skills. Young children show a willingness to try and become increasing confident and independent in reaching their goals.

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

The childminder recognises the uniqueness of every child. She is proud of the partnerships she builds with parents. She gathers in-depth information from parent and carers and any external professionals working with children or their families before they start. This supports the childminder to identify where any extra support may need to be put in place before children start. All children, including those with barriers to learning or special educational needs and/or disabilities, are having their physical and emotion wellbeing needs met from the beginning.

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

The childminder recognises the importance of consistency in children attending the setting. She goes above and beyond to support this. For instance, if parents have unforeseeable transport difficulties, she helps to arrange appropriate transport, so children can still attend. This means children can continuously learn, thrive and establish close friendships with their peers.

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Next steps

The childminder should enhance teaching strategies and focus interactions with children more precisely on curriculum intentions to promote children's progress towards their next steps in learning. The childminder should review the organisation of mealtime routines so that younger children are not waiting for long periods without being meaningfully engaged to consistently promote children's positive behaviour and wellbeing. The childminder should provide more detailed information to parents about how they can support children's learning at home further, particularly for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, staff, parents and children 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 : 08:00 - 17:00,Friday : 08:00 - 15:00

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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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