Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 123917 Registered with Ofsted: 03/01/1995 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 Expected standard

All children, including those who face barriers to their learning, make sufficient progress from their individual starting points. They persevere to obtain new skills, such as drinking out of an open-top cup. Children thoroughly enjoy participating in a rich selection of activities and experiences. While children develop positive attitudes and impressive social skills that prepare them well for the next stage of learning, they do not consistently receive support to develop independent skills, such as washing their owns hands and managing their self-care.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop secure communication and language skills. They show a love of books and embrace the opportunity to fill in familiar words when listening to well-known stories read aloud. Children eagerly participate in songs using musical instruments. This helps to develop their skill to understand rhythms and respond to changes in tempo that is also replicated in speech.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder implements clear boundaries so that children understand what is expected of them. For instance, she clearly explains to children the reason they must remain seated at the table while eating. The childminder is a positive role model. She consistently uses good manners when speaking with children. The childminder takes children to organised groups. This helps them to develop relationships with larger groups of children. She provides clear guidance and models positive behaviour. This supports children to understand the importance of taking turns and including others when engaging in popular activities, such as positioning cogs on a board.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder actively encourages children and families to build positive relationships beyond the setting. This shared approach supports consistent behavioural expectations and helps to maintain a calm and harmonious environment. The childminder supports children to develop an early understanding of their own and other's emotions. Children use mirrors to explore their facial features, which helps them to recognise expressions. The childminder makes the most of these moments to support children to talk about their own feelings and those of others. This helps to build their emotional vocabulary and lay the foundations for self-regulation. The childminder promotes the importance of regular attendance. She consistently takes appropriate action should children not attend when expected.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are welcomed into the childminder's provision and settle quickly. The childminder arranges a robust and personalised settling-in process to meet the needs of each individual child. This helps children to adjust at their own pace and supports their emotional wellbeing. The childminder builds warm, trusting relationships with the children, helping them feel safe, secure and confident from the outset. She takes time to listen to children and responds sensitively to their cues by providing comfort whenever it is needed. Children welcome the childminder's nurturing cuddles. The childminder helps children to recognise their own and others' feelings. Children show that they feel secure in the predictable structure of the day and show increasing confidence in managing some simple tasks independently. However, the childminder does not consistently support children to independently manage their self-care

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

and follow vigorous hygiene routines to form firm foundations of healthy habits. The childminder teaches children to remain safe during walks in the community. Frequent visits to the park enable children to build on their physical skills and begin to assess risks under the close supervision of the childminder. The childminder consistently encourages children to try new foods to extend their tastes. She ensures that children have the autonomy to make decisions when they would like to rest in the cosy tepee.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder knows the children she cares for very well. She carries out regular observations and assessments to precisely identify what she needs to teach children and in what order. This prepares children for their next stage of learning by building on what they already know. The childminder ensures that all children access an equally ambitious curriculum that is enriched with new experiences, such as handling and feeding the childminder's pet tortoise. She prioritises children's communication and language skills. The childminder adapts her practice for children who face barriers to enable them to develop a secure understanding of English. In addition, the childminder speaks clearly and supports children to correctly pronounce the words they attempt to say.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder teaches children to be social and respectful individuals, both in her home and attendance at community groups. This builds on their social confidence and positive relationships with each other. The childminder skilfully engages children in mathematical experiences that support their understanding of number, shape and early calculation. Children confidently practise counting in meaningful contexts and begin to develop an awareness of simple addition. The childminder supports children to use shapes to create and recognise patterns and develop early problem-solving skills. Children swiftly grow in strength, coordination and balance, such as by carefully negotiate stepping stones during visits to a local play park that the childminder arranges.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder makes careful use of her early observations and assessments of children along with information from parents and carers to identify how to precisely meet the individual needs of children. She is very mindful that children who are new to the setting may experience their first separation from their main carer or parents. The childminder tailors settling-in arrangements to support children's emotional wellbeing. She validates each child's uniqueness and draws on her experience and secure understanding of child development to make a real difference to children's learning and development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

All children are warmly welcomed to participate in activities that the childminder adapts as needed. She consistently provides children with equal attention and praise for their achievements. This motivates children to have a go at activities that stretches their progression and boosts their self-esteem.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder learns key words in children's home language for those children who speak English as an additional language. This supports children to understand instructions. She has clear plans in place to record words and simple phrases in children's home language on recordable devices, which are accessible to all children. This creates a fully inclusive approach where children develop an appreciation of different cultures. The childminder carefully monitors children's progress. This enables all children to make progress from their starting points.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder consistently evaluates the provision she provides, taking account of parents' and children's feedback to make adaptations and improvements. This helps to ensure that the childminder remains reflective of all children's individual needs and takes action to improve.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has recently adopted the use of an online app to share children's achievements effectively with their parents and carers. This has a positive impact on reducing her workload, enabling her to spend more time directly with children, while continuing to maintain positive partnerships with parents. Parents are very complimentary of the provision the childminder provides. They appreciate her welcoming and supportive approach. The childminder makes sure she links with other settings that children attend to support their continuity of learning effectively. The childminder makes sure she links with other settings that children attend to support their continuity of learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder engages with other professionals and accesses online webinars to gain ideas that help to enrich her curriculum even further. The childminder does not focus her professional development on strengthening specific knowledge or skills linked to children's needs. A more targeted approach to ongoing professional development would further support continuous improvement.

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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 are warmly welcomed by the nurturing childminder as they arrive. They quickly settle in this calm and homely setting. Children eagerly explore the inviting environment that is thoughtfully arranged to include a varied range of resources and activities that reflect each child's unique interest and supports their learning. They benefit from ample time and the freedom to confidently make independent choices. They show that they feel safe, secure and valued. The childminder makes necessary adaptations to her teaching to ensure that all children, including those who face barriers to their learning, are able to fully participate in every activity. For example, she offers a variety of resources, such as water-filled pens and sponge rollers, to support children at different stages of their development. This supports children to experience success and encourages their interest in early mark making.

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

The childminder has a deep understanding of each child. She uses the wealth of information she obtains from children's parents and carers prior to children starting to build positive relationships from the outset. Children smile with delight during the childminder's sensitive interactions in their chosen play.

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

Children spontaneously take on responsibilities, such as handing out their peer's water bottles at mealtimes. They consistently show care, kindness and empathy towards one another. Children enjoy new experiences in the wider community. The childminder takes children to visit horses at a stable and learn how to safely feed them carrots. She regularly takes children to organised community groups to support children's confidence to build positive relationships beyond the setting. The childminder shares detailed information with parents from the outset about the provision she offers, including the importance of regular attendance, so children can fully benefit from the experiences she provides.

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About this setting

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

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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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Next steps

The childminder should direct training towards areas that support the individual needs of children to offer them greatest expertise. The childminder should embed daily practices to support children to develop the importance and independence to manage hygiene routines and their own self-care.

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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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