Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY438054 Registered with Ofsted: 14/10/2011 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

Most children are achieving well across all 7 areas of learning from their individual starting points. Children's communication and language development is enhanced as they enjoy listening to stories and singing nursery rhymes. They use the words 'cold, slippery' and 'smooth' as they describe how the ice cubes feel when they touch them. However, they do not always hear the correct words because the childminder sometimes uses informal language, like 'piggy' and 'doggy'. This does not support the extension of children's vocabulary well enough.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop their physical skills as they enjoy exuberant action games. They understand the importance of being healthy as they learn about healthy foods and brush their teeth after lunch. Not all children are fully developing into independent learners because, at times, the childminder completes some self-care tasks for them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder establishes clear, consistent routines that help children feel safe and secure in her home. Simple and easy to understand rules are understood by children as they take turns in a game or share the creative resources with each other. The childminder models kind and respectful behaviour in her interactions with children. She provides lots of reassurance, praise and encouragement as children play and learn. This helps to raise children's self-esteem and confidence as they develop a positive attitude to their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are busy and engaged in their play. They show sustained concentration and a 'can- do' approach, when tackling new challenges. For example, they work well together as they work out how to best put the bricks together to make a stable base for a pyramid structure. Children are happy, content and demonstrate a love for learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder effortlessly builds caring and sensitive relationships with the children and their families. She understands the importance of children's attendance and creates a warm and welcoming environment. Children seek her out for reassurance, when they need it, and she offers cuddles when they are tired. To support children's developing social skills the childminder encourages them to join in social games and group times, such as singing and dancing to action rhymes.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder maintains a safe, secure and homely environment for children. She communicates closely with parents to make sure the individual care needs of the children are met. She has considered children's wellbeing and privacy during care routines, such as nappy changing, toileting and when they sleep. For example, children benefit from quiet spaces as they sleep, away from other children who are still busy playing. The childminder implements safe-sleeping practice as she closely monitors sleeping children to promote their safety. The childminder has considered her provision for healthy eating and makes sure that children enjoy healthy meals and snacks. She, or her assistant, sit with children at the kitchen table to promote their safety and encourage social interactions. This gives children an opportunity to discuss how they are feeling and their emotions. However, the childminder does not always encourage children's independence well enough during this time.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have valuable opportunities to develop their social skills through a variety of activities, including regular visits to local parks and shops. These experiences help them build confidence and develop a sense of belonging in their community. Children have daily access to fresh air and physical exercise.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports experiences across the 7 areas of learning. She knows and understands child development stages and recognises the importance of play. Using information from ongoing observations, she notices what children can do and are interested in. This helps her plan activities that give children opportunities to build on what they know and can do. Learning opportunities are sequenced well. For example, she recognises that physical coordination and sensory play for younger children help to build the skills needed for mark making and literacy.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The environment is arranged to allow children to lead their own play, explore and investigate and follow their own ideas. However, the childminder sometimes completes tasks for children they could try to do for themselves. For example, she serves the children their lunch, butters toast for them and pours them their drinks. This does not support children to develop their independence skills well enough.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder notices children's interests quickly and introduces invitations to play based on this knowledge. She uses techniques such as questioning and modelling to help extend children's understanding and thinking. She joins in with play effectively and introduces new vocabulary and mathematical language. Furthermore, the childminder ensures an inclusive curriculum by adapting activities to meet diverse needs. For example, she simplifies instructions to ensure all children are fully engaged.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of knowing the children she cares for. She gets to know the children well, right from the start. She identifies and meets children's individual needs effectively through ongoing observations and development assessments. This process helps her to quickly highlight any concerns about progress and gaps in development. She maintains links with other professionals so that she can get the right support for children in a timely way. She works closely with parents to offer support and advice as needed to ensure any help is targeted promptly.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates an open approach to inclusive practice. While the setting does not currently care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, the childminder maintains a positive attitude toward reducing barriers to learning. She understands how to use any additional funding. The childminder monitors attendance carefully and maintains strong, honest partnerships with parents. This helps ensure a two- way flow of communication that helps to address potential barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is sharply focused on enhancing her provision to best suit the needs of the families who attend. She consistently works hard to provide a nurturing and enjoyable environment, where children feel supported and able to make generally consistent progress. She maintains an accurate oversight of her setting and works well in partnership with co- childminders and any assistants. She regularly accesses training and engages with local childminding networks to help keep her practice up to date.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder establishes honest and open relationships with parents. She provides them with information about their child's wellbeing and developmental progress regularly. She is flexible in her approach, and this means that children's needs are met. Parents share their appreciation for the childminder's care and consistency in meeting their children's needs. They feel well informed about children's achievements and any areas where they need help. Furthermore, the childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of how to work with external agencies and local schools to support smooth transitions.

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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 successfully creates a home-from-home environment, where children are confident, happy and settled. They thoroughly enjoy the wide range of activities on offer and relish new experiences. This supports children's regular attendance. Children show infectious excitement as they explore the cold ice cubes, observing closely as they melt in their hands. Children show a strong sense of belonging. They settle very well when they arrive. They know the routines of the day and access their favourite toys as they play. They seek out their friends and enjoy playing favourite games with them. The childminder organises the space and the routine so that children can play, explore and investigate.

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

Children's physical development is nurtured. They access the garden regularly. They practise climbing and running skills when they visit local parks. They enjoy nature walks in the surrounding green spaces. They develop their small physical skills as they use glue sticks to spread glue on paper or grasp chalks of various sizes to make marks on a large chalk board. The childminder encourages a shared love of books because she makes time for regular storytelling sessions. Children excitedly retell a favourite story or predict what might happen next by looking at the pictures in a book.

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

The childminder weaves mathematical words and ideas into everyday interactions and this helps children's ongoing understanding. During a block-building activity, for instance, the childminder introduces the word 'pyramid' as the children point out their 'tall tower' to her. She helps them count the layers and uses words like 'bigger' and 'under'.

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

Children explore a variety of creative resources, and this helps them build their imagination. For example, they talk about the cold igloo, where the penguins in their collage picture live. Younger children are captivated by how the glue drips off the glue stick onto the paper, forming wiggly lines.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00

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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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Next steps

The childminder should avoid using informal language in interactions with children to better support communication and language progress. The childminder should encourage children's independence and self-help skills in activities, for example during mealtimes.

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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 inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her co-childminder and her assistant as well as parents and children during the inspection. This data is from 21 January 2026

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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. 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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