Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY343509 Registered with Ofsted: 07/11/2006 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

All children make rapid progress to prepare them to confidently manage the next stage in their learning. By the time they leave for nursery or school, children have embedded a wide range of important skills to enhance their independence. They are articulate individuals who are highly motivated to learn. From a young age, children learn to feed themselves with spoons and forks and learn to cut soft fruit with knives suitable for their age. They have time to practise what they learn and frequently return to activities and resources to repeat, refine and build on what they already know and understand.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children and babies benefit from the language-rich environment. They build on their emerging vocabularies, confidently trying out new words. For example, very young children repeat the words they hear when they push cards into an electronic reader. They delight in listening to the additional noises they hear when they press a button, further enhancing their understanding of how things work. Children carefully select pictures to place on a daily calendar. They think about the weather conditions they see through the window and recall the order in which daily routines and events will happen. This helps young children establish early mathematical and early literacy tasks, such as ordering and sequence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has very high expectations of children's behaviour and their attitudes towards learning and each other. She introduces books and activities that relate to feelings, helping children become aware of their emotions and how they can begin to regulate their reactions. Working very closely with parents, the childminder encourages children to begin to take turns during simple games and activities. For example, she asks children if she can have a turn to push a car back to them. As they grow, the childminder introduces children to matching games that include taking turns and sharing. This helps children to begin to recognise that sharing with others can be fun. By the time children move on to school, they are able to negotiate and manage rules and expectations during their play with peers.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder follows consistent rules and routines. She supports children to prepare for changes during the day, such as showing a visual timetable and playing specific songs at key times in the day. This helps all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to recognise and prepare for change. For example, children enthusiastically help to tidy resources away when they hear a particular song.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder forms strong working partnerships with parents. When needed, she offers support and advice to help them navigate key parenting milestones. For example, she works with them to help to provide consistent approaches to routines, such as weaning and potty training. Through her clear explanations and sensitive communication, the childminder encourages parents to help ensure children maintain regular attendance. When children do need time off, such as during illness, the childminder finds ways to maintain contact with families. In turn, children quickly settle back into her care, feeling secure and valued.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder quickly builds strong, trusting and respectful relationships with children. For example, she asks children for their permission before taking photos to send to their parents. The childminder invites babies and young children to have their nappies changed at times that minimise disruption to their play and learning. This helps children feel valued, secure in the knowledge they have a voice. The childminder does not rush children. She gives babies and very young children time to feed themselves, helping them develop dexterity in their hands. She gently reminds them to chew their food, helping children to begin to keep themselves safe. From a very young age, children happily wash their hands. Over time, children develop positive attitudes towards healthy choices and positive hygiene routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder gathers precise information from parents about children's development, health and care routines effectively. These help her shape her own assessments of risks and care practices to keep children safe and well in her care. For example, she ensures her policies and procedures accurately reflect children's individual medical and care needs. Through her continued and highly effective communication with parents, the childminder maintains a very clear overview of any changes at home that may impact children's health and wellbeing. This enables her to adapt her practice and curriculum to support children. The childminder consistently incorporates stories, resources and activities that aid children's recognition of their emotions. This contributes to children's foundation for finding ways to express and manage their feelings and actions positively. This contributes to their strong sense of self-worth and wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The dedicated childminder consistently provides high-quality education that focuses on the skills and knowledge that equip children for the next stage in their learning. She uses accurate assessments of children's progress to expertly shape a sequenced curriculum that focuses on the needs of each child. This includes a suitable balance between adult- and child-led activities and play. The childminder ensures her practice is adaptable to suit the needs of children who speak English as an additional language and those who face other barriers to their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder makes excellent use of local venues to enhance and enrich children's learning experiences. For example, she talks about the size of different animals. She takes children to the zoo to see these differences for themselves, helping to consolidate their understanding in a memorable way. Throughout their time with the childminder, mathematical language is threaded within children's play and activities. She encourages children to count during songs and when they sort objects. When it is time to tidy away, the childminder asks children to find 'one more', helping them grasp the concept of quantity.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder ensures children have time to strengthen both their small and large muscles. They practise skills such as balancing and climbing, aiding their spacial awareness and coordination. The childminder introduces words that relate to emotions. Using books and familiar characters, children begin to relate the words they hear to how they feel. The childminder gently supports children from a young age to regulate their feelings. For example, she reassures children they will have a turn during a game.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder gathers detailed information to assist her to quickly get to know new children and their families. She works very closely with parents to help her gain an understanding of family dynamics, cultures and routines. This helps to enable her to incorporate what is important to children in her setting. For example, the childminder carefully selects resources and activities that reflect familiar languages children hear at home, helping them feel valued and included. The childminder repeats words in English to help consolidate children's growing vocabularies, which in turn aids communication with their peers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder uses detailed and continuous assessments of children's progress and needs to help shape her curriculum and care routines. She carefully and precisely targets any additional funding that children receive to help reduce any emerging or potential gaps in their learning. The childminder sensitively discusses her plans with parents and greatly values their input and feedback. When necessary, the childminder seeks further advice from other professionals, such as health visitors, to enhance her decisions. As a result, the childminder quickly identifies when changes in resources, environment or teaching strategies are required. The childminder monitors the impact her swift adaptations have on children's progress and wellbeing. This helps to ensure children continue to make excellent progress.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder embraces opportunities to strengthen and build on her already strong knowledge and understanding to help support all children in her care. She ensures her staff adopt any changes or improvements she implements as a result of her own professional development. Staff complete key training alongside the childminder to help ensure their own knowledge reflects the needs of the cohort of children. Regular discussions and time for reflection aid the consistently high quality of interactions and care children receive.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder values opportunities to continue to strengthen her own knowledge and understanding, which is reflected in the high-quality provision. She ensures any staff working with her maintain the high standards she expects by checking that they follow the robust policies and procedures she has embedded. Through discussions with staff and reviews, the childminder evaluates the effectiveness of her curriculum and strategies. She accesses training courses and networks with other local childminders to share ideas and best practice. This contributes to her motivation to make adaptations and improvements to help ensure the children in her care make excellent progress that reflects their capabilities.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder ensures her robust assessments of children's progress are reflected in the decisions she makes to allocate any additional funding children might receive effectively. She considers all areas of learning and consults with parents and, when necessary, other professionals to help ensure her informed decisions are made in the very best interests of children. The childminder makes measurable plans linked to the outcomes she expects to see that focus on children's continued progress, contributing to her review for allocation of any further funding.

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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 thrive in the childminder's care and demonstrate they feel safe and secure. They enthusiastically move around to find favourite toys and resources to play with. The childminder uses her detailed knowledge of what children need to know and understand

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Inspector:

Katrina Rodden next. She spontaneously threads new words and questions into children's explorations to encourage them to begin to find ways of doing things for themselves, for example when children are keen to build a house for their dragon. Very young children work out they can build with bricks. They construct small towers and stand them together to create a 'wall'. The childminder narrates what children are doing, adding words such as 'tall', 'behind' and 'over' to help promote language relating to mathematics. Children feel proud of their achievements, which helps to promote their confidence and positive self-esteem.

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Inspector:

Children feel welcomed in the childminder's home. Parents say their children are eager to see the childminder, which contributes to consistent attendance. Children quickly form strong, trusting bonds with the childminder and her staff. Children sit on the childminder's lap to listen to stories, pointing at familiar objects and characters in the books. After their sleep, children snuggle up for cuddles with the nurturing childminder. She does not rush them, allowing them to decide when they are ready to go and play and learn again. This contributes to the security all children experience.

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Inspector:

The childminder expertly uses the starting points and assessments she makes relating to children's progress highly effectively. This helps to ensure that all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, make significant progress in their learning and development. Children confidently build on their skills for independence and communication. As a result, by the time children leave for nursery or school, they are ready to embrace the next stage in their learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences for all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to the childminder and children during the inspection. She spoke to a small number of parents and read feedback from others.

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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 the 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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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 17:00

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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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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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