Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY300477 Registered with Ofsted: 11/01/2005 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

The childminder has created an exceptionally welcoming and well-organised environment, with clearly established routines that help children feel secure, confident and ready to learn. She forms warm, trusting relationships with children, which fosters a strong sense of belonging and emotional wellbeing. Children are happy, settled and demonstrate high levels of engagement in all aspects of their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children show positive attitudes to learning and are motivated to explore new experiences. The childminder promotes kindness and supports children to understand how their behaviour affects others. They are encouraged to reflect on their actions, developing empathy and respect for their peers.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children are confident in managing minor conflicts independently, using strategies modelled and supported by the childminder. They can clearly explain what they want, share resources spontaneously, and help their friends, demonstrating social skills, self-regulation and emotional awareness.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder's consistent approach to attendance, routines, expectations and nurturing interactions helps children develop independence, confidence and resilience. Children thrive in this environment, displaying curiosity, engagement and positive relationships with both the childminder and their peers. Children benefit from a setting that supports their personal, social and emotional development effectively, ensuring they are well prepared for the next stage of learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder consistently prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing, ensuring that all children receive the care and support they need to thrive. She has established well- structured routines that create a safe, welcoming and nurturing environment. Children benefit from daily access to the outdoors, developing confidence, physical skills and positive attitudes to exercise.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a thorough understanding of each child in her care, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She adapts activities and routines to meet individual needs, ensuring all children can participate fully and make progress from their starting points. Children are supported to develop independence through consistent routines, learning to manage self-care tasks and make choices about their daily activities. They are provided with a healthy, balanced diet and encouraged to make their own nutritious choices, supporting lifelong healthy habits.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop strong social and emotional skills, managing minor conflicts effectively, showing empathy, and demonstrating respect for others. Positive relationships with parents are a key strength; the childminder shares information regularly and provides guidance to support children's learning and development at home.

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Expected standard

The childminder's approach ensures children develop independence, resilience, healthy habits and strong foundations for future learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children progress through the curriculum and are socially confident. They are well prepared for the next stage of learning, including school. Pre-school children count securely to 10, recognise number symbols up to 5 and complete simple addition successfully. Children communicate confidently, clearly explaining what they know and are able to do. Children engage in warm, purposeful interactions with the childminder.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children accurately name the toy animals they are playing with as they create a zoo, saying words like 'cheetah' and 'baboon', drawing on experiences from visits to local attractions. Older children confidently identify and name vegetables, such as 'cucumber', showing a growing vocabulary. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress from their individual starting points.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate well-developed hand–eye coordination and increasing hand strength as they build tall and stable structures using 3-dimensional shapes. These activities further support the development of early mathematical concepts, spatial awareness and fine motor skills. While children make progress across the curriculum, some gaps in their learning are not yet fully addressed through consistently enhanced interactions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has developed an ambitious curriculum that clearly sets out the knowledge and skills children are expected to learn. The curriculum is carefully sequenced so that children's learning builds progressively over time, supporting continuity and ensuring children are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, the childminder communicates effectively with children, using clear speech and purposeful interactions to engage them in meaningful conversations. She provides a language-rich environment that supports the development of children's communication and vocabulary. Mathematical concepts are introduced naturally through daily routines and planned activities, enabling children to develop early number skills and an understanding of mathematical language in meaningful contexts.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

An emphasis is placed on children's personal, social and emotional development. Teaching is adapted to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder takes careful account of children's individual starting points and reviews their progress to inform next steps in learning. However, while some strategies are used to support children who experience speech delays, such as pronouncing words correctly for children to hear and helping children understand how to say certain sounds, these are not applied consistently. Teaching is not always adapted to fully support these children's language, communication and social development further.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged effectively. She identifies and assesses children's individual needs and ensures they receive appropriate care, support and learning opportunities. She works to remove barriers to learning and provides guidance and support for families, helping them to engage effectively in their child's development. Positive relationships with children enable them to feel secure, supported and able to make progress, as reflected in feedback from parents.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder provides a nurturing and inclusive environment where children develop a sense of belonging. Children are happy and confident with the childminder, laughing as they play. The childminder is aware of how to use additional funding to support disadvantaged children and improve outcomes. She responds promptly to children's emerging needs and adapts support to help them progress. Children's development is monitored, and the impact of support is reviewed to ensure it meets their needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Through this approach, the childminder ensures all children have equal opportunities to learn and develop in a safe and caring environment. While the childminder provides an inclusive environment, strategies to enhance interactions and bridge gaps in children's learning are not yet applied consistently enough to ensure all children make higher rates of progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has established positive links with other early years providers, local childminders and a range of professionals. These connections support children's care and learning by enabling the sharing of information. The childminder understands the setting's strengths and takes action to improve areas she has identified as needing improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is committed to providing a high standard of education and makes decisions that put children's best interests first. She supports children to develop independence, social skills and early learning in a safe and welcoming environment. Children's individual needs, including those of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are considered, and activities are adapted so that all children can take part and make steady progress. Parents are kept informed about their child's development and receive guidance to support learning and wellbeing at home.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

While the childminder provides effective care and learning, there is scope to further develop a culture of continuous improvement. Professional development could be more closely matched to improvement priorities, enabling the childminder to enhance her knowledge and skills further. Focusing on this would support the ongoing development of high-quality education and care and help children continue to make consistent progress in their learning and 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 are naturally curious, motivated and highly engaged learners who show enthusiasm for exploring their environment. Pre-school children confidently engage in play- based activities for sustained periods of time, demonstrating impressive levels of concentration, focus and perseverance. Through these experiences, children develop the knowledge, confidence and essential skills they need to secure the best possible start in life. They are socially confident and able to explain how they keep themselves safe, such as ensuring they are sitting down while eating and not speaking with their mouths full to reduce

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Inspector:

Victoria Jones the risk of choking. These discussions support children's understanding of personal safety and healthy habits.

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Inspector:

Children build independence skills as they peel and carefully cut fruit during snack time, developing fine motor control and self-help abilities. They feel safe, happy and secure within the childminder's home, where they smile, laugh and show a sense of belonging. Children feel welcomed, valued and respected, which supports their emotional wellbeing and confidence. They develop positive attitudes towards physical activity through regular trips out with the childminder, including visits to local parks where they build core strength, balance and coordination while climbing and running.

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Inspector:

Children further develop coordination and rhythm as they dance to music, supporting early musical awareness and creativity. They enjoy singing a wide range of songs, including counting and action songs, which helps to strengthen their early mathematical understanding and language development. The childminder supports children effectively to learn more and achieve more.

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Inspector:

Children benefit from robust systems and effective levels of oversight, ensuring they are kept safe and are able to flourish. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported through thoughtful adaptations that reduce barriers to learning and promote wellbeing. Children thrive and form positive relationships with the childminder.

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Next steps

The childminder should develop more consistent strategies to enhance interactions with children and bridge any gaps in their learning. The childminder should further develop a culture of continuous improvement with professional learning that is matched to improvement priorities and children's needs.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and parents 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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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:15 - 18:00,Friday : 08:00 - 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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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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