Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 138790 Registered with Ofsted: 26/04/1994 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

Children make strong and sustained progress across the early years foundation stage, particularly in communication, language and social development. They confidently use phrases and full sentences to explain ideas, show understanding and make connections in their learning. For example, children explain, 'Robin will sit on the roof because it's a bird.' and predict, 'Snowflakes are going to fall from the sky.' This demonstrates increasingly complex language and secure understanding.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children who begin with delayed language make clear gains from their starting points. They communicate with growing confidence, engage in purposeful conversations and express their thoughts independently during play and learning. Parents report significant improvements in children's ability to communicate clearly and socially since starting.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are motivated, engaged learners, who build knowledge and skills over time. They manage transitions confidently and are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children demonstrate consistently positive behaviour, showing emotional security, confidence and a clear understanding of routines and boundaries the childminder has established in her setting. They settle quickly, engage fully in learning and play and move smoothly between activities. Children regulate their behaviour well for their age, showing respect for others, listening attentively and responding appropriately to the childminder's reminders and expectations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children collaborate effectively, sharing resources, taking turns and working together during play and outings, such as visits to soft play. They show increasing awareness of others' perspectives and feelings, supporting strong social development and positive relationships with peers and adults. Attendance is regular, and children benefit from predictable routines that enable them to participate confidently in all experiences offered by the childminder.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children develop self-regulation effectively, demonstrating independence, resilience and self-control. They respond positively to boundaries and choices, sustaining engagement and making thoughtful decisions that support their learning and wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a highly effective and consistent commitment to promoting children's welfare and wellbeing. Her care practices are highly effective in meeting individual needs, with routines adapted sensitively to ensure each child feels secure, calm and well supported. Warm, responsive interactions from the childminder enable children to form strong attachments, fostering emotional security and confidence from the outset.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder recognises and responds promptly to children's cues, balancing encouragement for independence with reassurance when needed. Daily routines, such as mealtimes, rest, toileting and transitions are well organised, predictable and closely aligned with children's home routines, ensuring continuity of care and supporting physical development, personal safety and overall health. Children are supported to recognise and express their emotions through consistent modelling of respectful communication, helping them develop the skills needed to regulate their feelings and behaviours.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The environment is nurturing, inclusive and thoughtfully arranged to promote children's security, self-esteem and exploration. Children demonstrate that they feel safe, remain engaged for sustained periods, and respond positively to guidance. The childminder's approach is embedded in everyday practice, enabling children to develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing. The childminder has strong, trusting partnerships with parents that further strengthen children's welfare, ensuring that information is shared effectively and individual needs are consistently met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear commitment to inclusion, ensuring that all children's individual needs, interests and developmental stages are carefully observed, understood and supported. She has created a welcoming environment, where children feel confident, valued and able to express themselves. Children with delayed language receive targeted support. The childminder models vocabulary and uses repetition and clear, slow speech, helping children to process language, extend sentence structure and communicate effectively.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Activities are thoughtfully planned by the childminder to ensure all children can participate meaningfully. They include structured learning, child-led exploration and experiences that promote social skills, confidence and respect for differences. Role-play opportunities, guided interactions and peer engagement further develop children's confidence and independence in expressing their ideas.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder monitors progress closely, adapting provision to meet emerging interests and maintaining equality of access. Families are actively involved in planning and reviewing learning, supporting continuity between home and the setting. Overall, the childminder fosters a culture of inclusion, respect and high expectations, where all children, including those with delayed language, are supported to achieve expected standards and engage fully in learning and play.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder provides a safe, inclusive and high-quality learning environment. She applies policies and procedures consistently, reviews them regularly and ensures care and learning are effective and well organised. The childminder reflects on her practice and her ongoing professional development to support continuous improvement.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Purposeful partnerships with parents have a clear impact on children's learning, development and wellbeing. Regular communication and collaboration enable families to contribute to planning and reviewing children's experiences, supporting continuity between home and the setting, strengthening progress and fostering secure attachments. The childminder works effectively with external agencies, when needed, ensuring timely and

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Expected standard

coordinated support. Her leadership is proactive, attentive and responsive. The curriculum is inclusive, engaging and carefully tailored, enabling children to develop knowledge, skills, confidence and independence. The curriculum is designed to ensure children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning and development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is broad, balanced and sequenced to build children's knowledge and skills over time. The childminder reviews her practice regularly and uses assessment to identify children's starting points and next steps, particularly in communication, independence and fine motor development. Her planning reflects children's interests and experiences, ensuring the curriculum is meaningful and aligned with the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage (EYFS).

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Communication and language underpin all areas of learning. The childminder models vocabulary clearly, engages children in conversation and introduces new words in context. The childminder embeds mathematical language in daily routines and play, supporting children's early understanding of number, size and comparison. Children's physical development is prioritised through activities that develop fine motor control and coordination. Children's personal, social and emotional development is given strong emphasis, with warm interactions and a secure settling-in process that supports confidence and wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

In the main, the childminder's teaching responds to children's individual needs, ensuring learning is purposeful and meaningful. There are times when children do not have enough time to think, explore and solve problems to help them to make sense of what they have learned.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates understanding of how to support children with additional needs, building strong parental partnerships and adapting activities to reflect children's experiences and identities. Her practice is consistent and underpinned by secure knowledge of child development and the EYFS, supporting children's readiness for the next stage of education

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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 warm, nurturing and inclusive environment in which they feel safe, valued and emotionally secure. Strong, trusting relationships with the childminder underpin children's sense of belonging and promote confidence in exploring their surroundings. As a result, children settle quickly, demonstrate increasing independence and engage positively in both structured learning and play. Daily routines are predictable and well organised, supporting children's security and enabling them to manage a change of activity effectively. Children's learning is purposeful and the childminder tailors it to each child's developmental stage, interests and prior experiences. She plans meaningful opportunities that extend children's knowledge, language and social skills. Outings, such as visits to a local soft-play centre, provide rich opportunities for developing communication, turn-taking and cooperative

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

play. Children also explore environmental and cultural concepts, for instance learning that autumn in England is referred to as fall in the United States, thereby also enhancing their vocabulary.

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

Children's individual characteristics, developmental needs and cultural backgrounds are recognised, respected and reflected in the provision. Adaptations ensure that all children can participate fully, fostering equality of opportunity. The childminder's resources and her planned experiences for children promote diversity, helping children to develop empathy, respect and an appreciation of similarities and differences.

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

The childminder manages behaviour consistently and positively. She has clear expectations, offers sensitive guidance and has secure routines to support children's developing self- regulation to help them form positive social relationships. Children communicate effectively, cooperate with others and make positive choices.

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

Partnerships with parents are strong and contribute significantly to children's progress and wellbeing. The childminder has regular communication with parents to ensure continuity between home and the setting, and provides parental insights to inform planning. As her practice continues to evolve, the childminder intends to extend children's opportunities for independent decision-making and to increase thinking time during interactions, supporting problem-solving, language processing and readiness for school.

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Next steps

The childminder should provide regular opportunities for children to experiment, make independent choices and apply learning, modelling how to extend ideas and allowing thinking time to develop problem-solving and deepen understanding.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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 inspection

A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

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About this setting

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