Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2728417 Registered with Ofsted: 07/07/2023 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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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop confidence and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. They show independence and sustained engagement in daily routines and planned activities. Through play-based experiences, such as role play, stories, songs, physical movement and practical tasks, children practise and apply new skills. These experiences support the development of children's communication, coordination and early social skills. This enables children to build confidence and competence over time. There are some emerging opportunities to further extend children's language and thinking through more consistent use of targeted questioning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children remain attentive and motivated during activities. They listen carefully, show curiosity and persist with tasks, demonstrating growing concentration and resilience. Familiar routines and secure relationships help children to feel emotionally safe, which encourages exploration and willingness to try new experiences. On occasion, children would benefit from slightly more time to practise and embed new learning during planned activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make visible progress in physical development. For example, they improve control and balance through obstacle courses, balancing beams, action songs and outdoor play. They achieve their next steps in learning and gain the skills, confidence and secure foundations needed to continue progressing successfully as they move on to the next stage of their education. Further refinement of teaching strategies will help to deepen and secure children's learning even more consistently.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder supports children to behave appropriately and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. Children feel safe, settled and confident in her care. This enables them to engage fully in daily routines and activities. Warm and reliable relationships help children to develop trust and emotional security, allowing them to explore their environment calmly and with confidence. The childminder builds warm, responsive relationships with children, which help them feel emotionally secure, cooperative and ready to take part. The childminder establishes clear and well-embedded routines that help children to understand her expectations. Children respond positively to daily transitions, including handwashing, mealtimes, rest periods and tidying away. The childminder uses familiar songs and visual cues to support routines, helping children to anticipate changes and manage them successfully. As a result, children show increasing independence and regulate

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

their emotions. The childminder adjusts routines to suit each child's age and stage, so expectations are realistic and manageable.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder encourages sustained concentration and perseverance. Children remain focused during activities, listen attentively to stories and persist with tasks. They show enthusiasm and enjoyment in learning, reflecting curiosity and positive engagement. For example, children independently follow hygiene routines, join in with tidy-up songs, and remain seated and attentive during stories and group activities. They wait for their turn during shared play. Children copy actions during songs and movement activities, showing growing self-control and cooperation. For example, she gives clear step-by-step help during handwashing and snack time, and then encourages the child to try tasks, such as cutting play food and tidying away on their own, so they can succeed at their current stage.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes positive behaviour through calm guidance, praise and clear boundaries. Children learn to take turns, share resources and cooperate during their play. This approach supports the development of children's early social skills, confidence and respect for others. This prepares children well for their future learning and social experiences. She talks with parents about regular attendance and prompt arrival and keeps daily attendance records so children benefit from steady routines and consistency.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder places children's welfare and wellbeing at the heart of her practice. She provides a calm and nurturing home environment, where children feel safe, valued and emotionally secure. Warm and responsive relationships help children to settle quickly and develop trust. This strengthens children's confidence and encourages them to explore and play happily.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes healthy routines throughout the day. Children learn effective hygiene practices, such as washing their hands before meals, and she supervises them closely at mealtimes. She prepares nutritious and home-cooked meals. The childminder works in partnership with parents and carers to meet children's individual dietary needs. This approach helps children to remain healthy, comfortable and fully involved in daily routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children to manage their emotions and overall wellbeing through predictable routines. She also promotes health education through positive practices, including oral hygiene. For example, following oral health training, the childminder uses stories and songs to help children to understand the importance of brushing their teeth.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder maintains secure safeguarding arrangements and effective supervision. She keeps accurate records, including attendance, medication and accident documentation, to support children's safety and ensure that parents receive clear and timely information. These arrangements help to create a safe and well-managed environment, where children's welfare remains a priority.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder delivers a curriculum that is well aligned with children's ages, stages of development and interests. She understands clearly what she wants children to learn and plans activities that support progress across all areas of learning. Well-established daily routines help children to feel secure, settled and ready to engage.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching is generally effective and responsive. The childminder models language consistently through songs, stories, role play and everyday interactions. Children hear a broad range of vocabulary linked to familiar experiences, which supports their understanding and growing confidence to communicate. However, at times, the childminder's interactions rely on closed questioning. While this introduces new words, it reduces opportunities for children to respond in detail, practise expressive language and extend their communication independently.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder enriches the curriculum through purposeful experiences that help children to understand the world around them. She links activities thoughtfully to seasons, festivals and celebrations. This helps to support children's awareness of diversity and their sense of belonging. Children explore these themes through age-appropriate stories, songs and practical activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children practise new skills regularly through hands-on learning, including cutting, matching, counting, movement and imaginative play. The childminder plans these experiences to promote children's independence, coordination and early thinking skills. However, occasionally, she moves activities on too quickly. This limits the time children have to consolidate their learning. Children's learning is most effective when the childminder slows the pace and provides additional time for children to revisit and practise new skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder provides an inclusive environment. All children feel welcomed, valued and supported to achieve well from their individual starting points. The childminder builds close relationships with children and their families. She uses this knowledge to identify children's needs quickly and accurately. She establishes children's starting points through effective settling-in arrangements, regular communication with parents and carers and ongoing observation. This helps the childminder to tailor support carefully to children's ages, stages of development and interests.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder maintains high expectations for every child and plans activities that enable full participation. She adapts her practice to minimise children's barriers to learning, particularly for younger children and those developing early communication skills. The childminder uses inclusive approaches, such as modelling language, gestures and Makaton, to help children to feel understood and confident when expressing their needs. These strategies promote children's emotional security, communication development and a sense of belonging. Effective partnerships with parents and carers underpin the childminder's inclusive practice. The childminder works collaboratively with families to understand children's routines, health needs and experiences at home. She shares learning ideas, resources and guidance to promote continuity between home and the setting. This supports children's progress and wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has completed training related to supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and understands the graduated approach. Although no children currently require additional support, she knows how to access local authority guidance and professional services when needed. The childminder has already implemented advice by introducing sensory resources, including a treasure basket, to enhance children's exploration and development. Children benefit from a responsive, inclusive environment that promotes equality, their confidence and positive outcomes.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear commitment to providing safe, nurturing and high- quality care and education. She understands her role and responsibilities well. The childminder ensures that she meets statutory requirements reliably. She organises policies and procedures effectively, reviews them regularly and makes them easily accessible. This supports the safe and efficient management of the setting. She meets requirements securely, although she is still developing how she checks and strengthens the quality of teaching interactions.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder uses her knowledge of children and families to shape provision and guide her decision-making. She establishes clear expectations, routines and boundaries that promote children's wellbeing and positive behaviour. Her reflective approach ensures decisions remain focused on children's best interests and supports child-centred practice. This helps create a stable and supportive environment, where children feel secure. She knows the children well and plans engaging activities, but she does not yet consistently review how questioning and pacing affect how deeply children learn during planned activities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder prioritises professional development to strengthen her practice. She keeps mandatory training up to date and seeks further ongoing learning opportunities in areas, such as safeguarding, inclusion and early years education. She reflects on her practice regularly, welcomes feedback and uses this to inform improvements. She recognises that she needs to improve how she uses questions and give children more time to practise and secure new skills, and she has started to focus her development in these areas.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works in partnership with parents and carers and the local authority to support consistency in children's care and learning. Open communication and collaboration provide a secure foundation for effective leadership. This ensures that children benefit from a well-managed, reflective and responsive early years setting. She shares information with parents and advisors and responds positively to feedback, although systems to review the impact of teaching strategies are still developing.

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

Children experience a calm, nurturing and welcoming environment, where they feel safe, valued and secure. Warm and responsive relationships help children to form secure attachments with the childminder. This enables children to settle quickly and develop confidence in their surroundings. As a result, children are relaxed, happy and ready to explore and learn.

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

Children enjoy a well-structured day that balances routines with play-based learning. The childminder uses familiar songs, stories and hands-on activities to capture children's interests and support their enjoyment of learning. Children listen attentively, join in with actions and show curiosity as they explore resources that reflect their interests, such as animals, food, movement and imaginative play. This helps children to build their confidence, independence and positive attitudes to learning.

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

The childminder places a clear emphasis on communication and interaction. Children hear a wide range of vocabulary throughout the day, which supports their understanding and developing language skills. Young children confidently express their needs using gestures, sounds and words. The childminder supports children through well-established routines and sensitive support.

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

The childminder prioritises children's physical play, indoors and outdoors. Children practise their fine and gross motor skills through activities, such as cutting, feeding toys, climbing, balancing and energetic movement games. The childminder plans these experiences to help children to develop coordination, strength and resilience. Overall, children feel safe, supported and included. They develop positive social skills, enjoy their learning and make steady progress from their starting points. Their wellbeing and happiness are central to everyday practice in this setting.

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Next steps

The childminder should develop questioning strategies to guide children to build their language and communication skills further. The childminder should refine teaching to give children sufficient time to practise and consolidate new knowledge and skills, particularly enhancing their learning and understanding during planned activities.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection and reviewed parents' feedback.

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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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