Irvine, Elizabeth Marie

Irvine, Elizabeth Marie

Unique reference number (URN): EY344089 Address: Wayside, Crocus Way, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 6XJ Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 21/11/2006 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Irvine, Elizabeth Marie

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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 achieve well from their individual starting points due to a well-sequenced, ambitious curriculum rooted in real-life experiences. They make sustained progress across all areas, with communication and language being a clear strength. From the youngest age, children develop deeply secure foundations. For example, 1-year-olds use emerging vocabulary such as 'hot' and 'nose' and show enthusiastic physical skills through walking, cruising and dancing. Older children recall past experiences, ask thoughtful questions and extend vocabulary through stories, role play and daily routines, learning ambitious words such as 'guava'.

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Achievement Strong standard

The provider's highly inclusive approach ensures that children facing barriers engage in sustained learning, improving regulation, confidence and wellbeing. Careful differentiation enables all children to progress very well. Younger children explore sensory and physical play while older children develop early writing, number skills and problem-solving. Innovative partnerships with parents and professionals, including sleep specialists, thoroughly support secure routines and overall wellbeing. Children are well prepared for school, showing an abundance of independence, resilience and confidence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Behaviour, attitudes and routines are well established and strategically led by the provider creating a calm, inclusive and respectful environment where children flourish. Clear expectations, consistent modelling and nurturing relationships enable children to understand what is required and regulate their own behaviour confidently. Children demonstrate very strong social skills, showing kindness, tolerance and consideration for others. For example, older children share and reassure younger peers without adult intervention. Children actively remind one another to follow hygiene routines, such as covering their mouths when coughing.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Striking positive relationships underpin children's attitudes to learning. They feel secure, valued and listened to, confidently approaching the provider, sharing ideas and sustaining conversations. The provider weaves children's experiences into learning, including family events, such as weddings, fostering belonging and respect for diversity.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Routines are highly effective, flexible and responsive. The childminder promotes regular attendance and punctuality through close communication with families and swift follow-up of absences. Children attend regularly, arrive settled and benefit from consistent routines that support their emotional security, engagement and readiness to learn. Children securely manage transitions independently, such as washing hands, preparing food and tidying resources. Mealtimes and sleep are calm and sensitively managed, supporting children's emotional wellbeing. The childminder's inclusive practice ensures that children who find settling difficult, and those with limited previous experiences, engage fully throughout the day. As a result, children develop strong self-regulation, resilience, positive attitudes to learning and confidence, preparing them effectively for their next stage of education.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The provider creates a highly nurturing, safe and inclusive environment where children's physical health, emotional security and individual needs are consistently prioritised. Children form trusting, responsive relationships and feel secure, valued and confident to explore and learn. Children who initially find settling difficult benefit from flexible drop-off routines and one-to-one support. As a result, they develop emotional security and resilience.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Health and safety are rigorously managed. The childminder organises her environment well with clear walkways, robust risk assessments and safe pet management. Sleep, hygiene and medication routines are handled sensitively, with children monitored appropriately and encouraged to manage personal care independently. Children demonstrate a secure understanding of healthy practices, such as handwashing and wiping noses. Mealtimes are sociable and relaxed, promoting healthy eating and independence, with children confidently discussing nutritious choices.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder ensures that inclusive practice underpins all aspects. Activities and routines are carefully adapted, ensuring that all children participate fully. Financial and practical barriers are removed through funded trips, shared resources and family support, while cultural identity and family backgrounds are celebrated to foster a strong sense of belonging and self-worth.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder facilitates effective partnerships with parents and other settings to ensure consistency, support early identification of needs and enable timely interventions. Consequently, children are happy, confident, emotionally secure and develop rich, positive attitudes to their own health and wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder provides a purposeful curriculum, designing learning that reflects children's interests, development and home experiences. Practice is evaluated continuously and adapted swiftly when plans change. For example, replacing a cancelled zoo visit with Arctic animal tuff trays for World Penguin Day. As a result, learning is coherent, meaningful and uninterrupted.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is broad, ambitious and deeply rooted in real-life experiences. Every opportunity is used for learning. The enhanced garden is central, offering free-flow access to climbing, role play, water play, mark making and investigation. Children count natural objects, explore textures and investigate water, supporting early mathematics, physical development and understanding of the world. This is particularly impactful for those with limited outdoor access at home.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teaching is strong and responsive. The childminder models rich language, introduces ambitious vocabulary such as 'periscope' and extends learning through sustained conversation. Mathematical concepts are embedded naturally, for example, through weighing ingredients for play dough.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder ensures that activities are carefully differentiated, so all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, access meaningful learning. The use of sign language supports communication, and cultural inclusion is embedded through family-led experiences, such as multicultural celebrations. Wonderful partnerships with parents and other settings ensure continuity, fully preparing children for their next stages.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder knows children extremely well and identifies needs quickly through close observation and effective relationships with families. She adapts routines, teaching and the environment to reduce barriers and support engagement. For example, children who initially found settling difficult now choose to spend extended periods outdoors following the enhancement of the garden, which offers calm, open-ended play and regulation opportunities. When planned outings, such as a zoo visit, cannot take place, learning is adapted immediately using tuff trays and themed resources, ensuring continuity and no loss of learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Inclusive practice is securely embedded and highly proactive. Activities are carefully differentiated for mixed ages and stages, enabling all children to participate fully. Younger children explore sensory materials, such as cotton wool 'snowballs', while older children extend learning through counting, early writing and sustained tasks. Daily use of sign language supports communication for all children and anticipates future special educational needs and/or disabilities requirements.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder removes financial and experiential barriers, using funding for resources, trips and community visits, ensuring that disadvantaged children access rich experiences. Close partnership with families and professionals, including sleep specialists, supports secure routines, wellbeing and continuity of care. Sensitive, relationship-based approaches ensure that children feel safe, valued and included. Those with additional needs settle well, build trust and make strong progress.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leadership and governance are strong and effective, driven by the provider's clear vision, high expectations and extensive experience. The childminder leads strategically, using reflective practice and ongoing self-evaluation to identify strengths, address areas for development and respond swiftly to emerging needs. Since the last inspection, improvements to the outdoor environment, differentiated provision for mixed-age groups and strengthened partnerships with other early years settings have enhanced curriculum delivery and children's experiences.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The provider has a thorough understanding of statutory requirements and safeguarding procedures, maintaining meticulous records and acting appropriately on concerns through appropriate channels. Workload and routines are well managed to prioritise high-quality interactions and consistent oversight of care. Professional development is securely embedded, including training in safeguarding, inclusion, communication and British Sign Language. Consequently, the provider remains highly skilled and responsive to children's evolving needs. Therefore, children access a well-supported curriculum, enjoy richer learning experiences and make secure progress across all areas. Warm partnerships with parents and the wider community promote continuity of learning, inclusion and enrichment. Children regularly engage with local amenities, such the library or vets, fostering confidence, independence and a sense of belonging. As a result, children

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

thrive in a safe, nurturing environment with coordinated support that promotes strong academic, social and emotional development.

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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 calm, nurturing and highly inclusive environment where they feel safe, confident and valued. The childminder builds effective, trusting relationships that securely underpin children's emotional security. For example, children confidently approach her to share books, talk about family events, such as weddings, and recall past experiences, including visiting the vet with her dog. This consistent, responsive interaction helps children feel listened to and builds their confidence to communicate openly.

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

Children demonstrate strong social skills. They play cooperatively, show kindness and resolve situations independently. For instance, when younger children take food from others, older children calmly reassure them, saying, 'You can have some.' This respectful behaviour creates a harmonious atmosphere and supports children to develop empathy, self-regulation and strong peer relationships. The childminder has implemented clear routines and expectations, so children understand what is required of them. Children tidy resources independently and remind one another about hygiene, such as covering their mouths when coughing. Therefore, they develop responsibility and self-care skills that support wellbeing and learning.

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

Children thoroughly enjoy learning and engage in rich, meaningful experiences provided by the childminder. Mathematical understanding develops through practical activities, such as weighing ingredients to make play dough and banana bread, where children confidently use number and comparison language. Language development thrives through sustained conversations and imaginative role play, such as pretending to visit a doctor when a child complains of sore toes, supporting both vocabulary and emotional understanding. These engaging, real-life experiences deepen children's understanding and support emotional development by helping them make sense of the world around them.

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

All children achieve very well from their starting points. They show high levels of independence by managing routines confidently. The childminder embeds healthy lifestyles effectively, and children talk knowledgeably about nutritious foods, such as cucumber and fruit, explaining how they help them grow. As a result, children thrive emotionally, socially and are very well prepared for their next steps.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance 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 disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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Address:

Wayside Crocus Way Chelmsford Essex CM1 6XJ

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Address:

Registered person: Irvine, Elizabeth Marie

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Address:

Operating hours: Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 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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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

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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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