Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 308502 Registered with Ofsted: 25/11/1996 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, including those who are disadvantaged and those who require additional support, consistently achieve well during their time with the childminder. They make strong progress from their individual starting points and develop a positive sense of who they are as learners. Children become confident communicators, engaging in meaningful conversations, sharing ideas and responding thoughtfully to others.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children demonstrate very high levels of engagement and perseverance. They focus for sustained periods, explore resources with curiosity and learn through trial and error. When faced with challenges, children demonstrate resilience and independently solve problems, such as locating resources that have been moved and adapting their play accordingly. Children develop very high levels of independence. They move confidently around the setting, selecting and using resources appropriately and managing routines with minimal support. These skills ensure that children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning, including the move to school.

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Achievement Strong standard

All children thrive, achieving strong outcomes across the areas of learning and development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's behaviour is consistently positive. The childminder establishes clear, calm expectations while maintaining a warm, respectful and nurturing approach. Children feel understood and valued, which helps them manage their emotions and behaviour well. Gentle reminders and explanations help children understand expectations, such as around safety and routines, and children respond positively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Relationships are a significant strength. Children form secure attachments with the childminder and demonstrate trust, confidence and openness. They are comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings and seek reassurance when needed. Children play cooperatively, take turns and show kindness and empathy towards one another. Friendships are developing well, and children receive sensitive support to enhance their confidence when interacting with their peers.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is highly attuned to children's emotional needs. She responds promptly and calmly when children say they feel nervous about a swimming lesson, tired or unsettled. The childminder validates children's feelings by saying she has felt nervous too. This models appropriate language to support emotional understanding. This helps children develop resilience and self-regulation and ensures that they remain engaged and motivated to learn.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Attendance is consistent. Children benefit from continuity of care and consistent expectations, which helps them to feel secure, settled and ready to learn. As a result, children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and high levels of engagement throughout the day.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing at all times. She provides a calm, caring and emotionally secure environment where children feel safe, nurtured and supported. The childminder knows children and their families exceptionally well and works closely with parents to meet individual routines and needs, which helps children settle quickly and feel confident.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's physical health is promoted effectively. Nutritious, well-balanced meals are provided, and children are encouraged to follow good hygiene routines. Children confidently wash and dry their hands independently and handle cutlery safely. The childminder uses everyday moments to reinforce understanding of health and safety. These include explaining why children must sit while eating to reduce the risk of choking. Children demonstrate understanding and apply these routines consistently.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Emotional wellbeing is a clear strength. The childminder responds sensitively to children's feelings, offering reassurance and modelling language to help them understand and manage emotions. She supports children who feel unsettled by acknowledging their feelings and normalising them. This helps children feel understood and secure. This is particularly effective for children who have experienced significant change or loss, enabling them to engage positively in daily routines and learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Personal care is managed with care and respect. Intimate routines are carried out hygienically and sensitively, with children's dignity always maintained. As a result, children are relaxed, content and confident, demonstrating strong emotional wellbeing and readiness to learn.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder delivers an ambitious and well-considered curriculum across all areas of learning. She knows children especially well and uses this knowledge to plan and adapt experiences that build on their interests, starting points and next steps. She keeps a close overview of what children know and can do through ongoing observation during play and daily routines. Information shared by parents about children's experiences at home contributes to this understanding. The childminder uses this knowledge to extend learning in the moment and over time, ensuring that experiences continue to build on children's developing skills and understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Learning is purposeful, engaging and well sequenced, which helps children stay focused, curious and deeply involved. Communication and language development is a clear strength. The childminder models ambitious language and uses skilful questioning to extend children's thinking and vocabulary. Children are encouraged to predict, explain and reason during play. They confidently use new words and increasingly initiate meaningful conversations. Targeted strategies support children with emerging speech, helping them focus and participate.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Mathematical learning is embedded naturally through routines and play. Children count, sort and compare quantities and weight using mathematical language, such as 'heavier' and 'lighter'. Teaching also supports children's physical development and independence. Children manage self-care routines confidently. Everyday moments reinforce hygiene, safety and healthy habits.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teaching is responsive and attuned. The childminder balances structure with flexibility while maintaining high expectations and helping children develop understanding and self- regulation.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is highly proactive in identifying and responding to children's individual needs. She knows children exceptionally well and closely monitors their development, enabling her to identify emerging gaps at an early stage, particularly in communication and language. She uses screening tools and ongoing observation to inform next steps and adjusts practice promptly to support progress. Targeted strategies are used effectively to support children with delayed or emerging speech. The childminder uses familiar cues and clear modelling to help children focus and engage, and children increasingly use these strategies independently. As a result, children make strong progress in their communication and confidence. The childminder has taken on a leadership role in communication and language in the local childcare community and actively seeks training to strengthen provision further.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Inclusive practice is embedded throughout daily routines and teaching. The childminder thoughtfully adapts activities and resources so that all children can fully participate. For example, she modifies group activities and provides alternative resources to ensure that younger children or those at earlier stages of development can engage successfully without disrupting learning. This helps children remain motivated, confident and included.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder works closely with families and other professionals to ensure continuity of care and learning. She communicates regularly with parents and supports transitions sensitively, particularly for children who have experienced significant change. As a result, all children receive support to thrive and make accelerated progress from their starting points.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates highly effective leadership, underpinned by extensive experience. She has strong professional knowledge and a clear commitment to continuous improvement. She reflects carefully on her practice and uses this reflection to strengthen outcomes for children. Professional development is purposeful and well matched to children's needs, particularly in areas such as communication, language and behaviour.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder actively engages with professional networks and works collaboratively with other childminders and local schools. She runs a regular playgroup, creating opportunities to share practice and support children's social development. She accesses training through the local authority and values high-quality, face-to-face learning to strengthen her expertise further. She undertakes specialist training to support additional needs and plans further development in early mathematics and language. Safeguarding, inclusion and children's wellbeing are central to the childminder's decisions. The childminder meets statutory requirements consistently and manages her workload effectively to ensure that children receive high-quality care and education. Clear systems are in place to support safe practice, reflective decision-making and effective risk management.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Partnerships with parents are strong. Communication is regular and purposeful. Information about routines, health, safety and learning is shared through individual messages and group updates. Parents speak highly of the support and guidance they receive. Children benefit from consistent approaches between home and the setting and experience strong continuity in their care, 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 experience a highly nurturing, calm, safe and emotionally secure environment where they feel safe, valued and deeply understood. Strong, trusting relationships underpin daily practice. Children confidently express their thoughts and feelings, seek reassurance when needed and show a strong sense of emotional wellbeing. The childminder responds sensitively to children, validating their emotions and modelling language to help them make sense of their feelings, which supports them in regulating their behaviour and engaging positively in learning.

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

Children achieve very well. They are curious, motivated learners who show high levels of engagement and sustained concentration. The childminder skilfully uses children's interests to extend learning in the moment. For example, she challenges children to sort, count and compare objects, confidently using ambitious mathematical language, such as 'one more', 'one less', 'heaviest' and 'lightest'. Children respond positively, accurately identifying quantities and imitating new vocabulary, demonstrating secure understanding and progress beyond what is typical for their age. Communication and language are a clear strength. The childminder models rich, expressive language and uses playful strategies to support children with emerging or delayed speech, helping them to focus and participate. Children increasingly initiate communication, ask questions and engage in meaningful conversations. Open-ended questioning encourages curiosity, prediction and early scientific thinking as

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

children explore objects and discuss their properties and origins.

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

Children feel a strong sense of belonging. They form close friendships and show kindness, empathy and cooperation in their play. The childminder is highly inclusive, adapting activities and resources so that all children can participate successfully and feel confident. Even the youngest children remain engaged and motivated. Routines are well established and centred around children's needs. Safeguarding and risk management are embedded in daily practice, with clear explanations that help children understand how to keep themselves safe. Personal care is managed sensitively and hygienically.

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

The childminder knows children and families extremely well. She reflects carefully on children's next steps, including helping highly capable children build confidence in wider peer groups, ensuring that they are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged learners, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 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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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn . Store Street Manchester M1 2WD

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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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