Hall, Marie Caroline

Hall, Marie Caroline

Unique reference number (URN): 220320 Address: 83 The Headlands, Market Harborough, LE16 7DJ Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 24/07/1998 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Hall, Marie Caroline

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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 demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed for their next stage of learning, including for school. They show increasing independence, positive attitudes to learning and the ability to form secure relationships. Children confidently explore their environment, engage in activities and sustain their attention.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who face other barriers to learning, make progress from their starting points. They develop key skills across all areas of learning, particularly in communication and language and in their physical, personal, social and emotional development. Children communicate effectively, express their needs and interact positively with others.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are happy, engaged and motivated in their play. They feel safe and secure, which supports their willingness to try new experiences and develop resilience. They build the foundational skills, knowledge and confidence that support their readiness for future learning and transitions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has established a positive, calm and predictable environment, with clearly understood expectations for behaviour. She monitors attendance carefully, maintaining open communication with parents and carers to understand reasons for absences and address emerging patterns. The childminder places high value on punctuality to support children's routines and prepare them well for school. Kindness and respectful behaviour are embedded throughout the day, with the childminder acting as a positive role model and demonstrating turn-taking, patience and clear explanations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Routines are consistent and tailored to children's age, stage and individual needs. For example, babies benefit from predictable sequences of nap time, feeding and play, which support emotional wellbeing and engagement. The childminder adapts her practice to meet children's individual needs and works proactively with external agencies, when required, to ensure children's best interests are promoted.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children learn to collaborate and follow expectations through gentle modelling, age- appropriate explanations and encouragement, such as when helping to tidy up. Warm, trusting relationships are evident. Children seek comfort, giggle and engage confidently in collaborative play. Children are settled, happy and content, demonstrating secure attachments and confidence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are supported extremely well, with care tailored to meet individual needs. Routines such as sleeping, feeding and play are responsive to each child and their needs. The setting is clean, safe and well organised, with careful attention paid to hygiene to reduce the risk of infection. Secure and responsive relationships are evident, with children seeking comfort, interaction and reassurance. Independence is encouraged through manageable tasks, such as putting on shoes or coats, supported by appropriate equipment and techniques.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are supported to develop an understanding of their physical health, personal safety and wellbeing. Healthy eating is promoted through practical activities, including supermarket visits, preparing and tasting fruit and vegetables, and growing produce. Nutritional guidance is shared with parents and carers to ensure consistency in practices promoting children's health. Positive attitudes and routines around oral health are encouraged. Visits from and to local services, such as dentists and fire services, enhance children's understanding of care and safety.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Physical development is actively supported through activities to support core strength, such as shuffling, balancing and outdoor play. These experiences promote confidence, coordination and overall wellbeing. This ensures that children feel secure, happy and ready to engage with their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has a thorough and highly accurate understanding of the curriculum and teaching, planning activities thoughtfully and with clear intentions linked to children's development. She uses assessment effectively, completing baseline checks on arrival and regularly reviewing children's progress to identify gaps and plan next steps. Children's next steps in learning are displayed on a 'learning tree', and teaching is tailored to their starting points, needs and stages of development.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Activities are purposeful, supporting all areas of learning and development, with a particular focus on communication, language and physical development. Babies are encouraged to babble, imitate sounds and explore sensory experiences through songs, stories and tactile books. This helps to build early vocabulary and a love of reading. Physical development is promoted through tummy time, crawling, balancing, climbing and outdoor play. Activities are adapted to suit individual stages of development and interests. The childminder adapts teaching using individual strategies and resources to ensure learning experiences are accessible and equally ambitious for every child. Children's curiosity and engagement are nurtured through imaginative play, hands-on exploration and social opportunities both in the setting and in the wider community. Equality, diversity and high aspirations are embedded across all aspects of teaching. This enables children to make excellent progress and thrive.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder identifies children's individual needs quickly and accurately through careful observation, tracking and assessment. This enables early recognition of developmental gaps and special educational needs and/or disabilities. She takes thoughtful action to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing, including supporting parents and carers with daily reading, singing and language games. This often helps to close gaps before referrals to external agencies are needed. The childminder has experience supporting children known, or previously known, to social care and those who speak English as an additional language. She adapts resources, activities and approaches to ensure that learning experiences are of the highest quality for all children.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder uses professional advice and guidance effectively. She undertakes regular, relevant training around inclusion and positive behaviour management, for instance. She continuously reflects on her practice to improve outcomes for children. Progress is monitored carefully, and support is reviewed to ensure ongoing positive impact. Partnerships with families, local schools and the wider community, including childminding networks, enhance opportunities and experiences for children. The childminder ensures disadvantaged children and those known to social care are supported appropriately. She uses targeted strategies to promote their development and engagement. Her inclusive approach is thoughtful, purposeful and embedded across all aspects of the setting, ensuring all children are supported to thrive.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates clear understanding of her strengths and areas for development. She regularly reflects on practice and takes action to improve outcomes for children. Professional development is a priority, with training kept up to date and planned carefully to enhance knowledge and skills. This supports consistently high-quality teaching and care. The childminder is ambitious for all children and strives to create an environment where they can thrive, building on the foundations established by parents and carers and ensuring continuity of care and learning.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Engagement with parents is a strength, with proactive and effective communication. Parents are fully involved in their children's development. The childminder also works in the wider community to enrich children's experiences and broaden learning opportunities. This includes spending time with other childminders.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Transitions to the next stage of learning are supported through close collaboration with pre- schools and other settings. The childminder shares information carefully and works directly with key staff to ensure continuity of children's learning. This helps to ensure that all children, including those attending part time, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language, are supported to make excellent progress and to thrive. Decision-making consistently prioritises children's best interests, ensuring the setting is safe, inclusive and responsive to every child's needs.

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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 achieve extremely well, developing the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to secure the best start to life. From the earliest age, babies make rapid progress in communication and language as the childminder models words, repeats sounds and engages them in interactive play. Physical, social and emotional development is supported purposefully through carefully planned activities, such as building towers, exploring textures, tummy time and crawling activities. Children enjoy creative and challenging experiences, including imaginative play, stories and sensory exploration. This promotes a love of learning

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About this setting

and encourages curiosity and problem-solving, helping to build confidence and foundational skills.

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About this setting

Children clearly belong and feel safe, welcomed and valued. They form secure, trusting bonds with the childminder, seeking comfort, eye contact and playful interactions. The calm, nurturing environment allows children to explore confidently and engage well in collaborative play. Routines are predictable, familiar and supportive, helping children feel secure and enabling them to regulate their emotions and behaviour effectively.

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About this setting

Children thrive because practice is carefully considered and implemented to meet individual needs. Learning is tailored to each child's needs, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are learning English as an additional language or those with other additional needs. Transitions to other settings and schools are supported through consistent communication and collaboration. Children benefit from purposeful activities, community engagement and opportunities to develop independence and life skills. They are kept safe and are able to flourish regardless of their background or circumstances and make notable progress from their starting points.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance 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 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 children during the inspection and reviewed feedback from parents and carers.

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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): 220320

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Address:

83 The Headlands Market Harborough LE16 7DJ

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday : 07:30 - 18:00,Tuesday : 07:30 - 18:00,Wednesday : 07:30 - 18:00,Thursday : 07:30 - 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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