Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY270716 Registered with Ofsted: 30/10/2003 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Expectations for children's behaviour are high. Children behave exceptionally well and have a positive attitude towards their learning. The childminder weaves the teaching of social skills, such as sharing and fairness, into the curriculum. For example, she encourages children to count out toys and share them equally between their friends. Children have superb manners and use them during play and in their interactions with others. The childminder is consistent with her expectations of children's behaviour. She gently reminds younger children to use the 'magic word' if they forget and to help tidy up. This helps children understand boundaries and expectations for later life.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Routines are embedded with the children. They know to wash their hands before meals and do this without being reminded. Children play collaboratively, working together to build with blocks and play imaginatively. Rare and minor conflicts between children are dealt with in a calm, kind way. Older children include younger children in their play and display affection towards them with cuddles. The childminder knows children and their families well. This supports her to manage their excellent attendance and punctuality.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder offers a calm, nurturing environment that enables children to settle quickly and flourish. Endless praise and encouragement build children's trust, self-esteem and confidence. This sensitive approach gives children the best start in their early education. The childminder has built loving, positive relationships with children. She expands this further by forging excellent partnerships with their parents. The childminder responds to children's requests for comfort and reassurance in a kind, attentive way. Children learn and name different emotions through stories and words modelled by the childminder. As a result, children are highly effective in managing their emotions.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder is supporting children to build lifelong habits. Children make healthy choices at snack time and independently fill their cups from the water cooler. They have established fantastic hygiene skills and understand why washing their hands is important. Children enjoy healthy, nutritious, home-made meals using organic ingredients, which parents are complimentary about. Up-to-date guidance is used to ensure that meals are well balanced and children receive plenty of fruit and vegetables. The childminder prioritises children's outdoor opportunities. They receive fresh air and plenty of exercise each day. This promotes their overall emotional wellbeing.

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Achievement Expected standard

The childminder is extremely positive and consistently praises children's efforts. This encourages their resilience to keep trying and to be proud of themselves. Older children confidently explain their thinking during small-word play, and younger children are developing well across the prime areas. The childminder adapts activities, so all children can experience the ambitious curriculum on offer. Younger children enjoy having a go for themselves, and older children show pride as they recall their learning. Children benefit from stories and singing familiar rhymes, which support their developing literacy skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Older children are superbly prepared for the next stage in their learning, in particular for when starting school. They have brilliant communication skills and express their wants and needs with a broad vocabulary. Children have mastered age-appropriate self-care skills and are extremely motivated to learn. Children across all ages have developed firm social skills, which equip them well for the future. The childminder celebrates children's progress and achievements with parents and shares ideas to continue at home. This helps provide a consistent approach to children's learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder offers an ambitious curriculum that supports children's progress across all areas of learning. The curriculum is well sequenced so that children can build on their prior learning. For example, children build a fire engine as they explain fire engines have ladders and help in emergencies. The childminder ensures that children can repeat activities often, so knowledge is secured over time. She is able to identify any gaps in their learning and put support in place where needed.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder ensures that the primes areas of learning are embedded securely with younger children. She offers a curriculum to enhance children's communication and language development. Older children are given time to think and recall, allowing them to respond with excellent answers to build on their previous knowledge. However, there are occasions where suitable challenge for younger children's language development could be strengthened.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Physical play is prioritised with daily access to the garden and on walks to the park. Children use slides and bikes and problem-solve by placing large counters into a grid. The childminder creates an environment that is calm and relaxed, supporting children to feel safe and open to express themselves. This promotes their overall personal, social and emotional development. Children have superb early maths skills and confidently use their fingers to count and link numbers to quantity. The childminder helps children build a deeper knowledge of numbers. She encourages children to compare and notice similarities in the number of fruit pieces they have independently cut.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has completed training on special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This supports her to create an inclusive environment for when any child with SEND arrive. The childminder helps foster children's understanding of differences in others and how to treat everyone with respect.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder knows children extremely well and plans around their interests to support ongoing progress. She completes regular reports, such as the progress check at aged 2. These systems support the childminder to identify any gaps or concerns in children's learning. She is aware of how to seek further support from professionals to put targeted action in place.

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Inclusion Expected standard

At the time of the inspection, there were no children attending who spoke English as an additional language. However, the childminder explains how she works closely with parents, who share key words and books in their home languages. This helps children develop the skills to become confident communicators. When children are in receipt of additional funding, such as the early years pupil premium, the childminder demonstrates how she makes effective use of this. For example, she plans activities using children's interests to address any gaps in their knowledge.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is passionate about continually enhancing her own provision and has undertaken a range of training. Recent courses have focused on developing the curriculum and teaching mathematics. The early impact of this can already be seen in children's fantastic emerging maths skills. The childminder has established good links with the local authority to keep her knowledge up to date.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is reflective of her practice and has identified areas for her own development. She plans to further the use of technology and complete advanced training to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She engages with parents well and uses an app to enhance communication. Parents are happy with the feedback they receive and feel well informed about their children's progress. The childminder regularly takes account of parents' views and opinions. This further supports her passion to offer the best outcomes for children.

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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 have a close relationship with the childminder. Her calm and nurturing approach helps children to settle quickly and feel safe and valued. The childminder sits and plays among children, so she is readily available to respond to their individual needs. Children display a sense of pride as they show off creations they build and make. They have exceptional behaviour and display kindness towards each other. Older children are extremely caring towards younger children, giving them a sense of responsibility.

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

The childminder helps facilitate children's curiosity and imagination. Children use play food to serve different flavour cakes to their friends. They expand and add their own narrative as they discuss birthday cakes and who is attending their party. The childminder helps children to learn about healthy choices by promoting healthy fruits and vegetables into their play.

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

Older children are highly inquisitive and are motivated to learn more by confidently asking why and what questions. The childminder responds with open-ended questions to extend children's learning further. During interactions, children enhance their maths skills. They count consistently throughout their play and learn mathematical knowledge around shape and size.

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

Children learn to be fiercely independent. They peel and cut their own fruit safely using knives. Even the youngest children choose their favourite books to share with the childminder. They delight as they sing and dance along to songs the childminder links to stories. The childminder has high expectations for all children and what they can achieve. She gives them consistent challenge and praise. This promotes their overall progress and sets them on a smooth path for the next stage in their learning.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 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 strengthen the communication and language support for younger children, so they participate fully in activities to extend their speech even further.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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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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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