Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY414959 Registered with Ofsted: 23/07/2010 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 with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make secure progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. They develop strong communication and language skills, confidently sharing ideas, recalling experiences and engaging in meaningful conversations with adults and peers. Children demonstrate growing independence and problem-solving skills. For example, they confidently serve themselves at snack time, manage personal care routines and work together to tidy large outdoor equipment. Children apply their learning across contexts, particularly outdoors, where they investigate concepts such as sinking and floating, construct water slides and explore number and measure through play.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning, including school, through experiences that promote confidence, self-care, emotional resilience and positive attitudes to learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are central to the childminder's practice and are consistently prioritised through responsive care and excellent relationships. She knows children well and uses this knowledge to ensure that care routines are tailored effectively to meet their individual physical and emotional needs. As a result, children feel secure, settled and confident within the setting. Children's emotional wellbeing is supported through routines that promote belonging and familiarity. For example, children use recognisable wooden figures to self-register on arrival, helping them to recognise their peers, understand attendance patterns and settle confidently into the day.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Secure and trusting attachments are a strength of the provision. The childminder responds sensitively to children's cues and emotions, enabling them to express their feelings openly and develop effective strategies to manage their emotions. Children are supported to recognise and talk about their feelings through stories, purposeful conversations and calm, reassuring interactions. This helps them to develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are central to practice. Care routines are effective and responsive, supporting children's physical and emotional needs. Secure attachments enable children to express feelings and manage emotions confidently. The childminder promotes children's physical health and self-care consistently. Children are supported to make healthy choices through balanced meals, discussions about food and well-established hygiene routines, such as independent handwashing. Children develop an understanding of personal safety and risk through supervised outdoor play, checking equipment is stable before climbing. They learn to handle real household items, such as china cups and saucers, safely during play. These experiences help children to develop confidence, independence and an age-appropriate understanding of risk. Children's emotional wellbeing is supported through stories, conversations and sensitive

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

interactions that help them recognise, express and manage their feelings.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has designed a broad, balanced curriculum that reflects children's interests, developmental stages and the ethos of the setting. Teaching is purposeful and flexible, rooted in a secure understanding of child development and the early years foundation stage. Language development is prioritised across the day. For example, during shared story time, children are encouraged to recall events, talk about emotions and link stories to their own experiences. The childminder skilfully weaves mathematical learning naturally into play, such as when children compare heights to choose the correct wetsuits, explore number recognition using traditional telephones and identify concepts like 'full', 'half', 'bigger' and 'smaller' during sensory play with rice and water.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Physical, personal, social and emotional development is promoted through outdoor exploration, climbing, balancing and cooperative play. Teaching is adapted in the moment to extend learning and support children's confidence and independence. The childminder skilfully adapts the curriculum to meet the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has a clear and well-embedded understanding of the quality of her curriculum and teaching. She has designed a broad and balanced curriculum that is rooted in children's interests, developmental stages and the ethos of the setting. She reviews her curriculum regularly, using her knowledge of child development and the early years foundation stage to refine learning opportunities so that children build knowledge and skills progressively over time.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Assessment is used consistently to check what children know and can do and to inform teaching. The childminder observes children closely during play and routines and adapts activities in the moment to deepen learning or provide additional support.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Teaching is adapted skilfully to meet individual needs, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder makes thoughtful adjustments to activities and routines, breaking learning into manageable steps and providing targeted encouragement. This enables all children to participate fully, build confidence and make excellent progress. For example, the childminder observes children closely and uses their responses to adapt teaching in the moment. When children explore binoculars, she encourages them to explain their purpose and then links this to previous bird-watching experiences, strengthening recall, language and understanding.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a secure commitment to providing high-quality education and care. She understands the strengths of her provision and reflects thoughtfully on her practice, using professional development to inform improvements. Partnerships with families are a strength. Daily communication through a digital app ensures that families are well informed about their children's experiences and progress. Parents value the wide range of opportunities offered and describe the setting as an extension of their family, reflecting the trust and confidence they place in the childminder's care.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Professional development is purposeful and aligned with the setting's ethos. The childminder's training also includes the knowledge required to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or other barriers to learning, so that she can adapt her practice to meet all children's needs. Recent engagement with curriculum development has had a positive impact on children's creativity, imagination and emotional wellbeing.

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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 calm, nurturing and engaging environment where they feel safe, valued and confident to explore. Warm, responsive relationships underpin daily experiences and support children to develop secure attachments and a deep sense of belonging. Children arrive happily and settle quickly, confidently managing routines such as self- registration and choosing activities independently.

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

Children enjoy learning through play that reflects their interests and developmental needs. For example, children explore number and counting through a planned outdoor ladybird activity, carefully matching dots and comparing quantities with gentle adult support. Children show curiosity and enthusiasm as they investigate natural materials, make potions in the garden and problem-solve how to transfer water between containers.

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

Children's social development is a strength. They demonstrate kindness, cooperation and respect for one another, offering help at snack time and reminding peers of shared rules. Children confidently talk about their experiences, recalling events such as family celebrations, previous learning and outdoor discoveries. Families describe the childminder as 'an extension of our family, who treats our child like one of her own', reflecting the excellent bonds and trust that support children's wellbeing and learning. All children make excellent progress from their starting points and are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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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 those with special educational needs and/or disabilities 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 during the inspection and considered written feedback from parents and professionals.

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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 setting

Operating hours: Tuesday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:45 - 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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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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