Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 204781 Registered with Ofsted: 10/12/1998 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

Children consistently show positive attitudes to learning and thrive in this happy, homely setting. The childminder promotes the importance of regular and punctual attendance with parents and carers to support good habits for children's future learning. She creates a familiar routine that helps children know what to expect next and feel safe and secure. Visual timetables illustrate the daily routine, and the childminder talks to children about any changes, providing clear explanations. The childminder explicitly teaches children the language of emotions and encourages them to talk about how they feel.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Babies and children participate confidently in both child-led and adult-directed activities. They are active learners, showing sustained concentration on tasks that interest them. They join in enthusiastically with all activities. Children interact positively with their peers, closely supported by the childminder, who models the language of play and promotes good manners. The childminder ensures that children, parents and any assistants she works with are aware of her behavioural expectations. Children show a clear understanding of these and follow them respectfully. They listen, take turns and kindly offer to help each other as they play. The childminder understands the varying needs and abilities of the children who attend. She adapts her practice to meet babies' and children's individual needs.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder consistently promotes children's good health and wellbeing. She teaches children the importance of good personal hygiene. Children talk about having to wash away germs before eating. The childminder rigorously reviews and updates her practice and procedures. She follows nutritional guidance and provides healthy balanced meals. She shares menus with parents and carers and closely monitors allergies and intolerances, ensuring children are safe at mealtimes.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Nurturing relationships create a culture of trust, care and respect. The childminder creates a safe environment where children feel confident to talk about their family and friends and express their needs. At sleep time, babies follow a familiar routine. They find their comforters from home, and the childminder lovingly helps them settle in their cots after a busy morning of play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children enjoy outdoor exercise and fresh air daily. They explore the well-resourced garden, take part in forest school sessions, visit parks and enjoy taking the childminder's dogs for walks. They join in with meticulously planned exercise sessions as part of their morning routine. The childminder promotes oral health and is aware of the concerns about this in the local area. Children brush their teeth every morning as part of their daily routine and only drink water or milk in her care. The childminder helps children to develop an understanding of their emotions. Children learn to identify how they feel with the use of visual prompts.

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Inclusion Strong standard

This is a highly inclusive setting. The childminder consistently makes a difference to the lives of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She has a wealth of experience in supporting children with complex needs. She works in close partnership with families and other specialists, including local authority special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinators. She uses funding effectively and ensures children receive timely support to prepare them for the next stage of their education.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder knows children very well and perceptively identifies their individual needs. She recognises the barriers children face to their learning and thoughtfully adapts her provision to meet their changing needs. She is mindful of children's interests and carefully plans her provision to help children feel happy, safe and secure. She ensures that any assistants she works with understand the individual needs of children and the adaptations in place. This ensures children receive consistent care and support.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder sources professional development opportunities to enhance her knowledge and skills. She has completed communication and language training, which helps her to identify promptly any gaps or delays in children's speech and language skills. She plans timely interventions to support children's progress and closely monitors the impact these strategies have. Regular assessments and adaptations mean that support remains effective, with specialist support and advice sourced as needed.

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Achievement Expected standard

Babies and children are happy, motivated learners. They make progress in all areas of learning and are generally well prepared for the next stage of their education. All children join in confidently with stories, songs and rhymes. They engage with enthusiasm as they pretend to be bunnies jumping and animals stomping. Children listen intently to stories, answer questions and join in with familiar words. Children with barriers to learning, including delays in speech and language, are promptly identified and supported with individualised plans to promote future learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children generally become increasingly independent learners. There is scope for this to be enhanced further, for example through enhanced planning of creative activities for children to develop their individual skills further.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder monitors her provision to identify areas for improvement. She modifies her curriculum and teaching to accommodate any ongoing or emerging barriers to children's learning. She carefully plans her provision around children's interests and experiences, along with developmental targets identified through ongoing assessment. The childminder plans for children to be physically active indoors and outdoors each day. Children develop their physical skills as they join in enthusiastically with daily dance sessions. They balance, jump, run and hop with increasing agility.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's communication and language skills as she plays alongside them. She models new language for babies and encourages older children to describe past experiences and talk about upcoming events. Children enjoy hospital role play, learn about body parts and develop their imagination. The childminder supports children's mathematical development. She models counting and helps children to recognise and name numbers in the environment. Children confidently recall previous learning and demonstrate their knowledge about mathematical concepts. They show that they understand 'fast', 'slow', 'high' and 'low' as they move around the room.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children show sustained concentration during creative activities. However, on occasions, planned activities do not enable children to practise their skills and develop their own creativity. The childminder has high ambitions for children's early literacy skills. However, this learning is not always sequenced effectively to help children build consistently on what they already know and can do.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder closely reflects on and monitors her provision. She is keen to maintain and raise the standards of her care and teaching. She seeks the views of children, families and assistants to evaluate her provision. Assistants are well supported by the childminder. The childminder ensures that assistants follow procedures and maintain high standards of practice. She keeps them up to date with sector changes and shares key learning to help develop their knowledge and skills. Parents and carers say their children form secure bonds with the childminder, who they describe as warm, caring and attentive. Parents feel reassured by the childminder's care and that their children are happy to attend each day.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder makes a positive impact on the care and education of babies and children. She ensures that children with barriers to their learning, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those at disadvantage, receive the support they need. Children confidently share learning from other settings they attend. However, the childminder has yet to develop working partnerships with these settings to raise outcomes for children to an even higher level and promote continuity of learning further.

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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 happy and safe in this nurturing setting. They confidently welcome visitors with smiles and talk positively about themselves and their friends. The childminder provides children with time to explore and follow their own interests. Children choose from a wide selection of toys and activities that promote their development in all areas of learning. The childminder interacts well with children as they play, extending their learning and supporting them to achieve well.

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About this setting

The childminder helps children to become increasingly independent. She supports them to manage their personal care needs, ensuring all children are toilet trained before they move on to school. Children enjoy taking on responsibilities, laying the table at mealtimes and helping with the preparation of their meals. Children build kind, respectful relationships with their friends. They share, take turns and help each other. Older children remind their younger peers of the childminder's rules and how to follow them.

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About this setting

The childminder closely monitors children's progress. She works with parents and carers to identify starting points and any concerns about development. She shares assessments and targets for children's learning in monthly learning journal updates. Children with barriers to learning are extremely well supported. The childminder works closely with parents to understand the individual needs of children and families. She works with other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder recognises challenges that families may face. She sensitively offers advice and makes them aware of support services available in the local area. The childminder closely monitors children's attendance. She has procedures in place to promote attendance, which she shares with parents, helping children to make secure progress.

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Next steps

The childminder should source professional development opportunities to enhance her knowledge and skills of how to support and sequence children's learning across the curriculum even more effectively. The childminder should develop partnership working with other settings that children attend to provide more continuity of care and learning and help raise children's learning to an even higher level.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with children, the childminder and an assistant 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. Unique reference number (URN): 204781

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday : 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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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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