Mills, Sarah Louise

Mills, Sarah Louise

Unique reference number (URN): 2753239 Address: 15 Sonoran Close, Runcorn, WA7 2RY Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 18/12/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Mills, Sarah Louise

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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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing extremely effectively. She has a deep understanding of children and is very attentive to their individual needs. For example, the childminder quickly recognises when children need to be physically active or to rest. She responds sensitively and adjusts her well-structured routines to fit in with children's needs. The childminder ensures that children understand the importance of holding hands when walking on pavements near to roads, for instance when on the school run. This helps children to understand their safety and feel secure and settled.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children benefit from the genuine and attentive nature of the childminder. They develop a deep bond with the childminder and show their affection for her as they approach her for hugs. The childminder is responsive and thoughtfully brings emotions into conversations. She makes effective use of books about emotions to help children to identify feelings and the words they may use to express them.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder skilfully teaches children about being healthy. She provides a wide range of fresh fruit and fresh drinking water for children. Children follow hygiene practices independently. The childminder promotes children's engagement in being physically active throughout the day. This helps children to develop a secure understanding of lifelong healthy habits.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children achieve well in their language development. They are articulate talkers, communicating their play ideas with others successfully. Children know about numbers. They count aloud, sometimes in the correct number order. They have fun with colours and shapes as they explore the various resources on offer.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children learn how to become independent. For example, they know how to wipe their own noses, wash their hands and cut up their own fruit. They relish pushing their feet into their own wellington boots and helping to put their arms in their coats. Children are knowledgeable about the daily routine and know what is coming next. For example, they know when it is time to lie down on their bed for a sleep and happily do so.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are well prepared for the next stage of their development. They have learned to identify toileting needs and know to tell the childminder if their nappy needs changing. Children develop physical stamina when accompanying the childminder on walks out of their pram in readiness for when they start walking to school. In some activities, children do not build on previous learning. At these times, children do not make the best progress of which they are capable.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes the importance of attendance effectively. She has developed her own attendance policy to implement should a child be absent from her provision without notice. The childminder shares valuable knowledge with parents and carers about the positive impact of regular attendance on children's learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has developed a calm approach to her provision. This enables children to feel relaxed, enjoy their learning and behave sensibly. She promotes her 'golden rules' for behaviour, such as for children to take turns, help each other and have fun. Children use their manners frequently, saying 'please' and 'thank you' during interactions with others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is mindful about developing caring and respectful relationships with minded children. She asks permission before helping children with some tasks and waits for them to respond before stepping in. This careful modelling supports children to be kind and considerate towards others in their play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is aware of the differing ages and stages of development that minded children present. She carefully tailors her approach and expectations of how different children understand how to behave. Older children live up to the childminder's high expectations of behaving well.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder listens to the views of parents and carers, fellow childminders and the local authority to check the quality of her provision. She has recently made some improvements to her learning environment to ensure that children can freely select objects that ignite their interests.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder reads and talks with children often. She ably adds speech sounds during play, such as by sounding out 'shhhh' when pretending to fill a toy vehicle with fuel. The childminder skilfully weaves mathematics into children's play, for instance telling children 'It is very tall' when stacking objects into towers. Children's language and number knowledge flourishes because of the childminder's careful help. Children practise newly learned vocabulary in play with the childminder, which in turn supports their social skills. The childminder promotes children's engagement in being physically active, indoors and outdoors. This builds children's stamina and strength well.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder is ambitious for all children's learning, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The childminder checks what children know and arranges learning opportunities matched closely to their interests. She holds a secure understanding of adapting her teaching to meet the needs of children with SEND, such as to modify the language she may use.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Sometimes, children's activities do not build well on their previous learning or what the childminder intends to teach children next. For instance, the childminder provides activities that are based on children's current interests, such as posting objects, but she has not considered the order in which to teach children key information. This does not build children's knowledge systematically.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder spends valuable time getting to know each child in her care well. She makes effective links with parents and carers to find out about children's stages of development and their current interests. This helps her to check children's learning and development carefully. The childminder uses this information well to arrange play and learning opportunities to engage children. However, she has not considered her training needs about assessing and reviewing children's needs. This means she does not implement this approach as successfully as she could.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder is experienced in working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She holds a secure knowledge of the importance of checking the progress that children with SEND make. The childminder has sufficient understanding of making referrals to other agencies for additional support that any child may need.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear knowledge of making use of additional funding, such as for disadvantaged children. She provides examples of how this may be used. For instance, the childminder discusses that she would use the funding for training, enriching learning activities for targeted support for children, or parental engagement or support at home. Such clarity of understanding ensures that barriers to children's learning are considered well and reduced. The childminder is well prepared to welcome disadvantaged children and those with SEND into her setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a correct understanding of her strengths and areas for development. She visits other childminder settings to learn about how to further strengthen her own provision, such as for outdoor play. This helps her to refine how she organises her provision and resources and to identify areas that would benefit from further improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder ensures that she is knowledgeable about the support she may provide for disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She has clarity about the decisions she may need to make so that all children in her care make the best possible progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder makes sure she keeps up to date with developments in the early years. She attends high-quality training, such as about improving her provision in readiness for welcoming children with SEND to her setting. The childminder reads about specific approaches to her curriculum. She aims for her provision to incorporate the Montessori approach, though this is at the early stages of her development. The childminder is committed to increasing her knowledge and seeks to continually improve her work with children. The childminder ensures that she has a manageable workload. She makes certain that she looks after her wellbeing and can call on fellow childminders for support.

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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 love attending the childminder's provision and do so regularly. The childminder offers a calm and nurturing environment for children to learn and play in. She has thought carefully about the needs and interests of each child. Children benefit greatly from the childminder's well-thought-out settling-in procedures. This helps children to feel safe and have a positive sense of belonging in the childminder's care.

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

Children engage in vibrant and animated chatter with the childminder. This is because the childminder makes sure that her provision is a place for active conversations. The

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Address:

15 Sonoran Close Runcorn WA7 2RY childminder adds important language to children's vocabulary. She places a high value on sharing stories with children, such as those about a whale and a snail.

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Address:

Children gain from the carefully structured visits that the childminder organises. For example, the childminder arranges for children to meet up with fellow childminders' children. This boosts children's social confidence and wellbeing. Children learn how to make and keep friends. This supports their readiness for starting school.

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Address:

Children also learn about the world around them. The childminder ensures that she offers a variety of exciting and beneficial learning opportunities in the community. For instance, she takes children to visit the local library and museums. The childminder uses these experiences to support children to develop a sense of community connection and respect for the important jobs that people do.

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Next steps

The childminder should strengthen her understanding of implementing a continuous cycle of assessing children's needs so that children receive timely support at the right time. The childminder should design her curriculum to build children's knowledge and skills systematically.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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. Type: Childminder

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 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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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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