Matthews Allison Clair

Matthews Allison Clair

Unique reference number (URN): 202685 Address: 45 Crown Road, CLACTON-ON-SEA, Essex, CO15 1AU Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 12/10/1999 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Matthews, Allison

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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 achieve remarkably well. From their starting points, they make sustained progress across all areas of development, particularly in their communication and language. Children confidently initiate conversations, recall experiences and use ambitious vocabulary, such as describing textures and changes during investigative play. This enables them to express ideas clearly, listen attentively and engage in sustained dialogue.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children demonstrate highly secure early mathematical understanding. They count accurately, recognise quantities, name shapes and use mathematical language independently through play. This supports their problem-solving, reasoning and perseverance. Children show high levels of concentration and determination.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children manage self-care routines independently, regulate their emotions well and resolve conflict calmly. They show extraordinary kindness and empathy, including towards younger children. For example, children share tools at a group activity, which supports positive relationships and engagement in their learning. Children feel emotionally secure and valued. They sustain engagement in learning and approach new tasks with impressive confidence and resilience.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder creates a calm, respectful and well-ordered environment. She applies her expectations for children's behaviour and routines clearly and consistently. As a result, children behave beautifully and show highly positive attitudes to their learning. Daily routines, including mealtimes, self-care and transitions, are purposeful and predictable. Children independently wash their hands, put away chairs and prepare for outdoor play. This builds their responsibility and confidence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Relationships are abundantly warm, secure and responsive. Children confidently approach the childminder to share ideas, ask questions and celebrate achievements. These wonderful attachments mean that children take risks in learning, persist and remain deeply engaged. The childminder supports babies sensitively through flexible routines that meet their needs, while maintaining calm supervision of the wider group.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children collaborate extremely well. They share resources, take turns and negotiate decisions together. For example, children agree where to place materials during construction play. Older children show care towards their younger peers, adapting play to ensure that everyone can participate safely. This develops empathy, cooperation and respect.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder promotes positive behaviour through high and developmentally appropriate expectations. She supports children to resolve conflict calmly and independently. This results in children managing disagreements confidently and showing consistent kindness. The childminder promotes regular attendance thoroughly through effective partnerships with families, accurate records and clear follow-up procedures. Parents and carers understand the childminder's expectations and communicate consistently. This supports children's stability and continuity of learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder places children's welfare and wellbeing at the heart of practice. Her care is highly responsive and tailored to each child's age, stage and circumstances. This ensures that all children, including babies, feel secure and emotionally settled. Routines are calm and flexible. For example, the childminder sensitively adjusts sleep, feeding and activity times when babies show signs of tiredness, while maintaining inclusion within the wider group. This supports children's comfort, engagement and sustained wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Secure and responsive relationships are a clear strength. Children show enthusiastic attachments, confidently seeking reassurance, sharing experiences and expressing their emotions. Babies receive warm and respectful care during nappy changes, feeding and transitions, with consistent verbal reassurance from the childminder. As a result, children feel safe and valued. This builds their confidence and supports their curiosity and exploration.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes children's physical health and safety remarkably well. She embeds clear hygiene routines and healthy lifestyle messages. Children talk confidently about healthy foods, drinking water and dental care, developing positive lifelong habits. Children are purposefully involved in identifying hazards, such as slippery surfaces or safe tool use, helping them to manage risks appropriately. Children develop physical confidence while remaining safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's emotional wellbeing highly. She supports children to recognise and manage feelings through calm modelling and sensitive discussion, including around complex emotions, such as bereavement. Children show empathy, resilience and emotional maturity, supporting positive relationships. Children are safe and relaxed, enabling them to thrive and be ready to learn.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder delivers an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum that reflects a thorough understanding of child development. She designs learning around children's interests, ages and stages. This ensures that teaching is purposeful and consistently effective. The childminder carefully plans experiences, such as rescuing pretend animals trapped in ice, to integrate science, mathematics, physical development and communication. Children explore cause and effect, capacity and texture through hands-on investigation. This sustains high levels of concentration and encourages confident experimentation.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's language development across the day. She models rich vocabulary, asks open-ended questions and sustains meaningful conversations during play, routines and group times. Children communicate confidently, extend their vocabulary and express ideas clearly. This strengthens their thinking, social interaction and readiness for the next stage of learning. The childminder embeds children's mathematical learning naturally. For example, she encourages children to counting magnetic shapes during construction play and exploring 'full' and 'empty' concepts during water play. Children show a love for the subject and apply mathematical language independently.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder uses ongoing assessment to inform her teaching effectively. The childminder uses starting-point information, observations and in-the-moment adaptations to tailor children's learning. She adjusts routines for babies and differentiates activities through wonderful resources and clear expectations. The childminder's experience of supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities removes barriers and ensures that all children access the curriculum successfully. As a result, children are fully included in learning, build an abundance of life skills and make remarkable progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder leads an inclusive and highly responsive setting. She meets and identifies children's individual needs quickly and effectively. The childminder gathers detailed information about children's starting points through ongoing observation and communication with parents and carers. Therefore, she tailors routines, expectations and learning precisely, so children feel secure and understood from the outset. For example, the childminder supports children who have lower independence levels by adapting settling-in arrangements and sharing activity ideas with parents. As a result, children gain confidence and manage self-care tasks independently, strengthening their school readiness.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder actively removes barriers to children's learning and wellbeing through thoughtful adaptations. She differentiates activities seamlessly, so babies and older children learn together. For example, when children explore ice exploration, the childminder lowers tables and positions resources, so younger children could participate safely alongside their friends. Children access rich experiences, building their confidence, belonging and sustained engagement. The childminder uses targeted support, such as securing inclusion funding to purchase specialist equipment. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate fully and build confidence.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder monitors progress closely through regular observations and parents actively contributing. She reviews children's development continuously and adjusts support promptly. This results in clear gains in children's communication, independence and resilience. She prioritises and applies professional development well. Highly effective partnerships with families and external professionals ensure that children feel safe, valued and emotionally secure.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leadership and governance are highly effective and sharply focused on improving outcomes for children. The childminder has an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and priorities. She acts decisively to improve practice. Since the last inspection, the childminder has responded promptly to recommendations by strengthening children's understanding of healthy choices. For example, the introduction of a water-only policy, reinforced through close partnership with parents, has embedded consistent routines. Children confidently choose water, improving their health and wellbeing. Leaders' decisions are firmly rooted in children's best interests and reflects moral purpose. The childminder works effectively with families, social care and health professionals to support children who face barriers to learning or wellbeing. She adapts routines, secures inclusion funding and implements specialist support for children with special educational

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

needs and/or disabilities. As a result, children access learning safely and equitably alongside their peers, building confidence and belonging.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Professional development is purposeful and impactful. Regular training in safeguarding, safer eating, safer sleep and curriculum sequencing leads directly to improvements, such as enhanced privacy during nappy changes. Children, therefore, benefit from high-quality, current and compliant care.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder manages her workload and wellbeing through motivational organisation, enabling her to sustain consistent high-quality care. Partnerships with parents and carers and professionals are extremely committed. This results in stable routines, responsive support and positive outcomes for all children.

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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 thrive in this warm and nurturing setting, where they feel safe, valued and deeply known. From the moment they arrive, children confidently settle into purposeful play, selecting resources independently and engaging in rich conversations with peers and adults. The childminder embeds calm, attentive supervision and well-established routines to ensure that children are cared for and safe. This enables children to explore freely and take appropriate risks with confidence.

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

Children thoroughly enjoy learning and show wonderful levels of curiosity, resilience and sustained engagement. The childminder provides delightful daily experiences for children, such as exploring ice, constructing habitats or creating potions in the mud kitchen. This sparks children's excitement and deep learning. Children test ideas, solve problems and persist when things are trickier, supported by the childminder's sensitive encouragement and skilled questioning. As a result, children develop prominent communication skills. They confidently use ambitious vocabulary such as 'sloth' and share ideas with visitors and peers.

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

The childminder builds highly positive relationships that underpin children's social development. Children are extremely kind, considerate and inclusive. They naturally support younger children and resolve minor conflicts calmly. Children collaborate effectively, listen to one another and value each other's ideas. This concretes their sense of belonging and emotional security.

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

Children achieve remarkably well from their starting points. The childminder's high expectations for independence means that children confidently manage self-care routines, make choices and take responsibility for their environment. Babies are equally well supported. They access engaging learning experiences through thoughtful adaptations that promote their confidence and physical development.

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Address:

45 Crown Road CLACTON-ON-SEA Essex CO15 1AU

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30

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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.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and the 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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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. 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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