Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 120728 Registered with Ofsted: 24/08/2000 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

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.

p.1

Achievement Strong standard

Children show advanced confidence with their speech. New starters settle quickly with a robust support programme in place, and they soon begin to use a wider range of language to interact with their peers. Older children demonstrate excellent language skills in conversations with the childminder and her assistants. Children take the lead in role play, giving instructions and using questions to find more information.

p.2

Achievement Strong standard

Babies make excellent progress when weaning and begin to explore a range of nutritious food. Young children show huge progress during major transitions, such as when reducing time spent with their dummies. Older children show increasing levels of independence with personal care routines, age-appropriate social skills and improving abilities to manage their own feelings. As such, older children are very well prepared for their transition on to school.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is incredibly nurturing and prioritises the positive relationships between children and the adults in her home. Consequently, children demonstrate very high levels of confidence. For example, they come to the childminder for help with tools and eagerly share with others what they know.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder ensures that children's sleep routines are rigorously adhered to in consultation with parents and carers. As a result, children go to sleep easily in safe surroundings and wake refreshed ready for play.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children have exceptional attitudes to learning and integrate well with each other across a range of ages and stages of development. The childminder encourages children to mix so that younger children learn from their older peers, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps children to develop the understanding that differences should be celebrated and supports them to become very caring towards their peers.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder ensures that children's attendance is fully monitored, including making sure that she receives updates from parents when children are off for extended periods.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder works with a range of professionals to enhance the experiences of children in her care. For example, she has arranged music classes, healthy eating workshops and visits from parents to discuss the jobs they do in the local community. In addition, the childminder takes children on regular visits to the local care home, which supports children's wider experience of older people within their community.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder supports children to recognise and think about the feelings of others during their play. This helps children of all ages to develop the skills to negotiate with each other. The childminder also enriches children's lives because of her welcoming and inclusive practice. For example, the childminder and her assistants help children at all stages to develop secure and responsive relationships with adults at the setting through high-quality interactions built on reassurance and trust. As a result, all children thrive and those with additional social and emotional needs show rapid progress with their confidence, speech and wellbeing.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder embeds from an early age children's understanding of the importance of keeping their teeth healthy. She teaches children to grasp and hold toothbrushes during games and role play. In addition, the childminder and her assistants sing songs with children to make brushing enjoyable. The childminder directs her assistants to give older children a mirror so that they can brush their teeth more accurately, while babies grab small toothbrushes and practise holding these to their mouths.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder provides parents and carers with information on weaning, for example, around foods that can cause choking. She has also supported families to think about easy ways to incorporate nutritious fresh food into their children's meals. As a result, parents report that their children are exploring and tasting more new foods.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder implements an extremely well-sequenced curriculum that builds on what children know and can do. She uses her deep understanding of child development, for example, around how babies begin to walk and talk, to help children make rapid progress in these areas. Most of all, the childminder makes swift adaptations to her provision based on her observations of children who need additional support. For example, she tailors behaviour strategies to improve children's ability to regulate their emotions.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a high degree of expertise when supporting the physical development of babies. She provides engaging accessible activities that help babies to consistently develop their core physical skills, for example, as they crawl, cruise, pull, climb and bounce. In addition, her expert advice has supported parents and carers to continue physical activities at home, which has helped children to make rapid improvements in their standing strength.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder finds creative ways to weave mathematics into the curriculum. For example, she counts with children as they put on their boots and climb down stairs, and gets children to compare the sizes of different pebbles found at the park. In addition, the childminder consistently comments on and expands what children say. She frequently uses open-ended questions that get children to think about what they know and use their growing vocabulary in context.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder implements a highly inclusive curriculum that expertly supports the development needs of children, especially those with physical disabilities and additional language needs. She communicates well with professionals to ensure that specialist recommendations are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, the childminder and her assistants help children to use their specialist equipment on site to support their access to group sessions. In addition, the childminder works intensively with a range of outside agencies to focus support on those children who need additional input.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder monitors children's progression rigorously, including those children with SEND. Her communication with parents and carers and her careful deployment of her assistants accurately informs her of what children know and can do. The childminder then uses this information in collaboration with all involved, alongside her own observations, to plan meaningful activities and set next steps for children's development. Furthermore, the childminder collaborates well with her team to share training and knowledge, in order to continually adapt the activities she offers children. This includes ongoing evaluations of the progress children with SEND make, in order to maintain high expectations for their achievement.

p.4

Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder provides committed support for children with social and emotional needs. For example, she skilfully adapts her language and tone to support children to think about their behaviour and their responses to things. As a result, children are better able to manage their feelings, which has helped them in a range of social settings.

p.4

Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder prioritises the health and wellbeing of her team of assistants. She has created a culture of open communication and trust that makes her home a heartening environment to work and learn in. The childminder's assistants speak positively about the support they receive from the childminder.

p.4

Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly reflective about her practice. She also uses feedback from parents and carers and professionals to strengthen what she does well, while prioritising areas for improvement. For example, she has identified ways to further develop the experience of families new to the setting, such as reintroducing home visits to gain a better understanding of children in the context of their home lives.

p.4

Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder strategically plans for developments to her provision. She ensures that her assistants attend a rolling programme of training courses. As an example, recent training helped her assistants to strengthen their understanding of language development to further improve children's communication skills. Consequently, the childminder and her assistants report they feel incredibly well prepared to extend the language of children who are starting to talk more confidently. This has contributed to rapid progress for children with speech and language delays.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

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

Children have excellent opportunities to develop their physical skills because of this dynamic and highly experienced childminder and her well-directed team. Older toddlers concentrate as they bounce 'to the moon' in tandem on individual small trampolines. The childminder's assistants encourage them to keep in rhythm and to pretend to prepare for 'blast off'. Very young children independently negotiate steps and outdoor paving, ably supported by the childminder's close supervision and motivating language. She encourages older babies who are learning to stand to pull themselves up safely and start to cruise.

p.5

Inspector:

David Watkins Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) develop a sense of belonging when the childminder celebrates their individual needs. Furthermore, young children new to the setting receive abundant levels of focused and nurturing support. These supportive relationships enable children to feel safe. As a result, parents of children with SEND and of those new to the setting report excellent progress in their children's confidence, self-esteem and mood.

p.6

Inspector:

The childminder thinks carefully about how to make all tasks within an activity accessible. For example, when investigating how food colouring mixes with liquid, she supports young toddlers who struggle to use pipettes instead to pull the triggers of water misters. Older toddlers learn how to squeeze rubber pipettes to draw up and pump out water. In addition, for those children who want to extend their learning, the childminder hangs a paper target to encourage them to spray water further and with greater accuracy. As a result, children of all ages build on their individual physical and language skills in completing the tasks.

p.6

Inspector:

Children practise their early mark-making skills with a variety of inspiring activities. The childminder and her assistants support children to draw their favourite book and film characters on paving stones with chalk, while helping children to remember their favourite character quotes. The childminder frequently empowers her assistants to try out innovative activities with the children, such as getting children to lie down and draw on paper attached to the underside of tables. Children love these new ideas that develop their imaginations in creative ways.

p.6

Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, 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.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and her assistants during the inspection.

p.6

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.

p.6

About this setting

Operating hours: Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:00

p.7

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.7

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.7

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.

p.8

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.8

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.8

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.

p.8

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 .

p.8

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8