Hedley, Megan Louise

Hedley, Megan Louise

Unique reference number (URN): 2787019 Address: 72 Bromley Gardens, Blyth, NE24 3TS Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 08/05/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Hedley, Megan 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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Achievement Expected standard

Children become confident, independent learners. They become absorbed in their play and learn to play with others. Children learn the knowledge they need to prepare for their future move to the local nursery or school. For example, they gain skills to control the muscles in their hands for early mark making. They continue to develop physical skills through activities in the childminder's garden, the family farm and regular outings to soft-play centres that the childminder risk assesses and arranges.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children make good progress from their starting points. Any gaps in their learning are identified and discussed with parents and addressed together. This includes those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children's language and communication are a focus for this childminder. They develop their listening and attention skills through lots of story times where she extends children's vocabulary and understanding. Children become effective communicators. This helps develop successful social skills and imaginations where they continue to develop language.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children learn to form positive relationships and seek each other out to share experiences. Younger children and those of different abilities play happily alongside each other.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are well behaved. All adults working with the children provide high levels of support, helping children develop their social skills. The childminder ensures that routines and expectations are established and appropriately flexible. Children have a strong sense of security as they generally know what is going to happen next. For example, they can expect a snack and a drink to hydrate after a walk around the family farm to see the animals.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations for children's behaviour. They benefit from the clear and consistent behavioural boundaries. Children learn to share and take turns. They learn to understand the difference between right and wrong and are supported effectively to learn to avoid conflict and disputes as they play together. The childminder creates a culture of calm, kindness and respect. Children are happy and confident in this welcoming and homely environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder recognises the importance of promoting regular and punctual attendance and speaks to parents to enable children to benefit fully from the learning opportunities she provides.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children and families receive a warm welcome from the childminder and the co-childminder. Each child has their own key worker who helps them to settle. This helps to strengthen children's confidence and self-esteem from when they first start. The calm environment helps children to move around freely and choose what they want to play with. Consequently, even new children grow in confidence once they have settled and begin to explore and investigate as part of their play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The kind and respectful childminder supports all children's emotional wellbeing. She provides activities, books and role play that focus on helping children to recognise, understand and manage their different emotions.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder has good measures in place to keep children safe and secure. For example, she conducts daily checks of the farmyard before the children start their walk to see the animals. Children are learning how to respect other people and animals. For example, they know to listen and follow simple instructions. They understand they must wash their hands thoroughly after their walk. The childminder teaches children about keeping safe during their play and when handling equipment, such as scissors. Consequently, children are learning how to keep themselves safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are provided with good opportunities to learn about other people, cultures and traditions that are different to their own. This helps children develop an understanding of the world, including how to stay safe online.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of working with parents to know children well and to understand their individual needs. This includes those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those with other barriers to learning. Generally, the childminder's curriculum builds effectively on what children know and can do. She adapts this to link with children's interests and learning needs. She is able to assess their progress through many observations, which she shares with parents.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder teaches children about the world around them. The family farm is a rich- learning environment for children to learn through all 7 areas of learning. Children thoroughly enjoy their time on regular walks to meet the animals. Older children confidently hold hands with younger children until they are sat safely on hay bales where they count and sing to the cows. Children enjoy learning about nature and how to care for living things.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder teaches children through daily routines. For example, children learn they must wash their hands on their return from the farmyard in case invisible germs hurt their tummies. Children confidently talk about the animals and sing songs with animal noises to each other as they play. This excitement supports children's speaking and listening skills well. Children make good progress in their communication and language skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, the childminder provides children with a good range of activities that support their development and learning. However, the childminder recognises that on occasions her interactions with children during large-group activities do not consistently support and challenge all children's learning. For instance, able children are not given questions to challenge their thinking, and some younger children lose interest and wander off. This does not support their best possible progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder is aware of how to seek advice and access additional support or funding where there are delays in children's development and progress. She has a sound knowledge of how to assess children's development needs and identify any gaps in learning so that appropriate support can be put in place promptly.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder considers the different ages and stages of learning for children effectively. This means she adapts activities and any outings on the farm or in the community to allow all children to take part in activities. She reflects on the curriculum with her co-childminder, so they can adjust it to enable every child to progress to their full potential.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

This well-qualified childminder is keen to improve her knowledge and skills and has attended various courses. For instance, she attended a course to strengthen her knowledge of the early years foundation stage following her registration. As a qualified teacher, she understands the importance of reviewing the strengths and areas for development of her own and her assistant's practice. They reflect on their work regularly and decide on areas of improvement with her co-childminder.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is about to embark on training with her co-childminder to have difficult conversations with adults. This will support her in her work in the future with families whose children may have disadvantage or barriers to their learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall, the childminder manages the setting effectively. She works alongside her co- childminder and ensures that children benefit from an organised and stimulating environment. Children feel secure in the environment created. Generally, activities, routines and planning help children remain engaged and make progress over time.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder prioritises partnership with parents and communicates effectively. She maintains accurate learning records and uses her knowledge of children's development to identify next steps. This helps children build skills securely across all areas of learning. Children gain confidence in what they can do. They persevere and are proud of their achievements.

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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 provides a nurturing, home-from-home environment where children feel safe, happy and confident. The childminder is a positive role model. She is calm, fun and offers reassuring interactions. The childminder helps children to manage their emotions and build resilience and social skills. Generally, daily routines, including handwashing, healthy snacks and outdoor play, support children's health and wellbeing. However, she does not consistently support children in discussions and routines to understand the benefits of a

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About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): 2787019 healthy lifestyle, including healthy food choices. This limits children's understanding of why these routines are important.

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About this setting

Children respond positively to the childminder as she plays alongside them, asking effective questions to extend their learning. They join in her nursery rhymes and songs, copying actions and repeating familiar choruses. These fun activities and routines help children to develop listening skills, attention and gain confidence to speak out.

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About this setting

All children are keen to explore and investigate the range of toys and resources available. For example, younger children show a fascination with playing with dinosaurs. They pretend the indoor slide is a mountain and roar as the dinosaur climbs it. Other children join in their imaginative play and pretend to be frightened. Older children thoroughly enjoy pretend play in a coffee shop, making and choosing cakes and coffee, asking for a 'cappuccino' and 'baby chino'. The childminder's curriculum helps children be prepared for their next stage in learning. Children learn to count, name colours and shapes and gain a love of books. If any gaps are identified in children's learning, the childminder speaks to parents and they focus on these to help children make progress.

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Next steps

The childminder should review the organisation and teaching during group times so that all children fully benefit from the planned learning intentions. The childminder should strengthen skills to fully support children to understand the value of eating nutritious food to enhance their healthy lifestyles.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to the childminder, her co-childminder and their assistant 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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Address:

Operating hours: Wednesday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30,Monday,Tuesday,Thursday : 07:30 - 18:30

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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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