Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY233948 Registered with Ofsted: 06/09/2002 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 Strong standard

Children make excellent progress from their individual starting points. They develop secure foundations in communication and language, personal and social skills and early mathematical understanding. Younger children grow in confidence, settle well and begin to communicate their needs and interests. Older children demonstrate increasing independence, concentration and confidence in their learning.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support to achieve. They benefit from adapted teaching and targeted support to help them to make progress alongside their peers. Children develop vocabulary and confidence in expressing themselves.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning. Those children moving on to nursery and school develop the independence, self-care skills and positive attitudes they need to succeed.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has established an extremely calm and positive environment with clear and consistent expectations. She builds warm, secure relationships with children, who confidently seek her reassurance and respond positively to her gentle guidance. She speaks to children respectfully, listens carefully to their views and consistently acknowledges their efforts. As a result, children feel emotionally secure and demonstrate high levels of confidence and cooperation.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children learn to collaborate and build friendships. The childminder models respectful interactions and supports children to share, take turns and resolve minor disagreements. For example, when children want to use the same resource, she calmly reminds them to wait and take turns, explaining why sharing is important as they prepare for nursery and school. She reinforces expectations consistently by praising positive behaviour, such as saying 'good sharing' and encouraging children to say 'thank you'. Children respond by independently using polite language and waiting appropriately.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder carefully considers children's ages and stages of development when supporting behaviour. She gives younger children additional prompts and visual guidance to help them understand expectations, while encouraging older children to explain their thinking and resolve minor issues independently. This graduated support helps children to regulate their emotions and develop positive attitudes to learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Routines are well embedded and consistently reinforced. Children confidently wash their hands without reminders, tidy resources before moving to the next activity and sit together calmly at snack time. These predictable routines help children feel safe and understand what is expected of them. The childminder promotes attendance effectively through clear procedures and accurate record-keeping. Children attend regularly and benefit from the stability and consistency of daily routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are central to the childminder's practice. She builds very secure and trusting relationships with children. This helps children to feel safe, understood and cared for. Children seek reassurance confidently and respond well to the childminder's calm and nurturing approach.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop healthy habits and an understanding of their own wellbeing. The childminder promotes healthy eating through daily routines and conversations, encouraging children to try new foods and make healthy choices. She promotes oral health effectively through practical activities, books, discussions about brushing teeth and visiting the dentist.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children learn to recognise and manage their emotions. The childminder supports them sensitively during transitions, such as starting nursery, offering reassurance and helping them to talk about their feelings. This helps children to build emotional resilience and confidence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Care routines support children's individual needs. Younger children receive consistent support during feeding and care routines, while older children are encouraged to manage tasks independently. These consistent and responsive practices help children to thrive emotionally, physically and socially.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has a very clear and ambitious curriculum that focuses on preparing children for their next stage of learning. She prioritises children's personal, social and emotional development, communication and language, and physical development. The childminder strengthens these through carefully planned opportunities across all areas of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder's teaching is purposeful and responsive. She uses her excellent knowledge of child development to adapt interactions for children of different ages and stages. For example, the childminder supports younger children by modelling language and giving them time to respond. She encourages older children to think, explain and problem-solve independently. The childminder weaves mathematical learning naturally into children's play, such as counting objects, naming colours and comparing quantities.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder strengthens children's fine motor control through purposeful activities. During play dough play, she encourages children to twist lids open independently and models how to grip and turn when needed. Children persist and develop increasing hand strength and coordination. She challenges them to use rolling pins, cutters and tweezers with precision and asks them to roll play dough into '5 sausages', reinforcing both finger strength and early counting skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder uses everyday routines as valuable teaching moments. During snack time, she promotes healthy choices, encourages conversations and introduces new vocabulary linked to food, health and daily life. Activities are well resourced and carefully chosen to support children's fine motor development, early writing skills and coordination. The childminder uses assessment very effectively to check what children know and can do. She uses this information to plan precise next steps in children's learning and adapt activities. This supports children to consistently build their knowledge and skills over time.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has created an inclusive environment, where she identifies children's individual needs early and supports them effectively. She carefully observes children's development and uses assessment to recognise when additional support may be needed. For example, when concerns emerge about children's communication and language development, she discusses these with parents and carers and supports a timely referral for speech therapy. In the meantime, the childminder adapts her practice to provide additional modelling, repetition and opportunities for one-to-one interaction.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder supports children with medical needs very confidently. She works closely with parents to implement and regularly review individual care plans. This ensures that children's health needs are met consistently, including during outings, so children can take part fully in all experiences.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder plans learning that reflects children's backgrounds, interests and family experiences. She thoughtfully provides resources that include books and dolls that represent different cultures and backgrounds. The childminder teaches children about different communities and traditions through planned themes and regularly attending playgroups. She uses these experiences to help children to develop respect for similarities and differences.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Parents are actively involved in their children's learning and care. The childminder shares information regularly and works in partnership with families and external professionals. This collaborative approach helps to reduce barriers to children's learning. It also ensures that children feel included, supported and valued.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder strengthens her inclusive practice through ongoing professional development. She has undertaken training to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and applies this knowledge confidently in her daily practice. She uses a structured cycle of assess, plan, do and review to monitor children's progress, adapt strategies and evaluate the impact of the support provided. This ensures that adjustments are purposeful, regularly reviewed and responsive to children's changing needs.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates strong leadership and a clear commitment to providing high- quality care and education. She understands the strengths of her provision and uses ongoing self-evaluation to identify precise priorities for improvement. For example, she identified the need to further strengthen children's communication and language development and has since refined her questioning techniques and increased opportunities for sustained conversations throughout the day. This reflective approach ensures that decisions are purposeful and consistently made in the best interests of children. The childminder has taken effective action since the last inspection. She has strengthened her teaching practice through targeted professional development, including training to deepen her understanding of child development and inclusive practice. She applies this learning directly to her work, for example, by adapting her interactions more precisely to

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

children's ages and stages and embedding a structured cycle of assess, plan, do and review to monitor the impact of support. She has also broadened opportunities for children to learn about different cultures and communities, ensuring that this learning is woven into daily experiences rather than delivered as isolated events.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder carefully evaluates the impact of her work. Following a previous incident, she reviewed supervision arrangements and risk assessments to strengthen safety during physical play while maintaining appropriate levels of challenge. This demonstrates her ability to learn from experience and make measured improvements.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Partnership working is a key strength. The childminder works closely with parents and carers, external professionals and other settings to support children's learning and transitions. Parents speak positively about communication and the care their children receive. They report that their children talk positively about their experiences and show pride in what they have learned.

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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 experience a warm and nurturing environment, where they feel safe, valued and confident to explore. The childminder knows children extremely well and uses this knowledge to shape daily experiences that reflect their interests, developmental stages and individual needs. As a result, children are settled, happy and eager to engage in their learning.

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

Children enjoy rich interactions throughout the day. For example, during role play, children explore cooking in the kitchen area while the childminder joins their play. The childminder models language and introduces new vocabulary, such as the names of foods, colours and quantities. She gently supports younger children to join in alongside older children, helping them to feel included and confident.

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

Children develop positive social skills and attitudes. They learn to take turns, share resources and use polite language. For instance, when children want to use the same play equipment, the childminder calmly supports them to wait and share. She explains why these skills are important as they get ready for nursery and school. Children respond well to this approach and show pride in their achievements.

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

Children enjoy learning through everyday routines. Snack times are calm and purposeful. Children confidently following routines, such as washing their hands, sitting together and making choices about food. The childminder uses these moments well to promote healthy lifestyles, communication and independence. Children peel fruit independently, choose books to share and talk about their experiences.

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

Children make progress from their starting points and are well prepared for their next steps. Older children develop confidence and independence in readiness for nursery and school. Younger children receive sensitive support to settle, communicate and build secure

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About this setting

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

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Facts and figures used on inspection

relationships. Families feel welcomed and valued. Parents and carers report that their children are happy, settled and enthusiastic about attending.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, particularly those needing additional support with communication and interaction, and children who may face barriers to their wellbeing due to ongoing medical needs.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and considered written feedback from parents 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. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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