Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 112796 Registered with Ofsted: 21/07/2000 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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder has very effective, meaningful interactions with the children in her care. This helps to promote their emotional wellbeing extremely well. Children feel at home in the childminder's house and confidently select the familiar resources with excitement. The childminder excitedly joins in their play, and together they engage in creative conversations during role play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes children's good hygiene practices using familiar routines. Children understand that they must wash their hands after using the toilet and before meals. The childminder has developed very secure attachments with the children in her care, which have a positive impact on their wellbeing and sense of belonging. She promotes children's understanding of the importance of physical development through regular activities such as walking in the local community and playing in the garden. She promotes children's personal safety by ensuring that children are safely strapped into their chairs for mealtimes and activities at the large table. Mealtimes are a sociable experience, and the childminder uses recall to talk to children about the activities they have been doing and what they are eating for lunch.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder has a clear focus on children's welfare and wellbeing. She shares her policies with parents to ensure their understanding and knowledge of her practice. She knows the children extremely well and responds to their changing needs through close working relationships with parents.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make steady progress from their starting points. They display confidence in their play. Children expertly use their language to make their needs known, such as requesting a particular game or story. Children demonstrate effective questioning skills and confidently ask the childminder if she has more books in the series of stories she has read. They show perseverance in their play. For example, when the cars come off the racetrack, they put them back on and start again. Children show enjoyment as they build a car track, making it bigger as they spread their creation across the floor. They follow instructions and are competent and independent in their play. Children demonstrate that they are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations, and children behave well. Children demonstrate they are familiar with the expectations and show respect for the toys and books. Children understand the rules and boundaries and actively tidy up resources when instructed. The childminder has created a culture of kindness, care and respect. She knows the children well and is attentive to their needs. The childminder is a positive role model, and she has formed strong attachments with the children in her care. She understands the importance of routines to enable children to feel safe and secure. The childminder ensures that parents are aware of her policy on punctuality and attendance when they join her setting. She understands the importance of following up on non-attendance. The childminder has a good understanding of children's stages of development, which enables her to plan appropriate next steps and activities to support the areas of learning. This helps children to develop

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder plans a curriculum that builds on what children know and can do. She provides an environment that is language rich and uses every opportunity to extend children's knowledge and vocabulary. For example, when children pick up a piece of 'melon' in the role play area and say that this is good for them, but they do not know what it is called, she uses this time to extend their knowledge by informing them that it is a melon and that they are right, it is a healthy choice.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder uses assessment well and knows what she wants children to learn. She observes children and uses this information to plan a range of exciting activities that generally meet children's next steps in their learning. However, she does not always provide opportunities for children to develop their emergent writing skills, such as in the role-play area or when building roads in their construction play. The childminder promotes children's mathematical knowledge effectively. During songs and rhymes, children learn to count forwards and backwards. At mealtimes, she talks about the shape of the food containers. The childminder skilfully weaves mathematical language naturally into every routine and activity.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder consistently promotes children's personal, social and emotional development. Children snuggle up with the childminder for story time. The childminder uses praise, which helps to develop children's self-esteem. She understands the importance of focusing on children's physical development. Children take part in regular exercise, walking to and from the local pre-school and on trips to the park. This helps them to begin to understand the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude to inclusion. She finds out about what children know and can do when they start with her. The childminder uses this knowledge and her regular observations and assessments to ensure that all children receive the support they need to help them progress in their learning. She understands the importance of identifying needs promptly and working with other agencies to ensure that children receive timely interventions. The childminder has previous experience of supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who face other barriers to their learning. She talks about how she identified children's needs and completed referrals. She has undertaken relevant training to help her in her role. She ensures that her knowledge remains current through discussion forums and reading online materials from professional organisations.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has reduced her hours since the last inspection and is also working at the local pre-school. This enables her to work with other children in the community and gain a greater insight into the transitions to pre-school and school. She has developed her practice following the recommendation at her last inspection and now extends and challenges children's thinking and problem-solving skills through daily activities. She has effective relationships with the local school, and teachers come to visit the children in her setting prior to them starting in Reception Year.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a good understanding of her strengths and areas that she wishes to develop. She has plans to further extend her garden to give children more opportunities in the outside area. She always places the children at the heart of every decision she makes and wants to provide the best opportunities for the children in her care. She keeps her knowledge current through training and reading to ensure that she is up to date with changes in legislation. She uses the information she gains through training and reading to ensure that her polices and procedures reflect the current guidance.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has developed good relationships with parents, and they are very happy with the support their children receive. Parents value the ideas and information the childminder shares to enable them to continue to support their children's learning and development at home. This joined-up approach helps to ensure that children make progress across all areas of learning.

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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 the childminder's safe home. The experienced childminder provides a range of opportunities to support children's learning and development. She prioritises children's communication and language skills at every opportunity. Stories and songs are an integral part of the routine, and children show excitement and enjoyment as they join in the familiar songs and rhymes. The childminder reads stories animatedly to the children, changing the tone of her voice to represent the different characters in the books. The childminder promotes independence very well. She encourages children to wipe their own noses and appropriately dispose of tissues, using creative methods when children show a little reluctance in this task. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they confidently explore the play area. They make choices about what they would like to play with from the wide range of resources the childminder has.

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

The childminder recognises children's individual uniqueness and uses this knowledge to help them flourish. She plans a curriculum that builds on what children know and can do, incorporating their interests and development into their next steps. The childminder skilfully weaves early mathematical skills and language into every activity. For example, she introduces vocabulary such as 'on top' and 'bottom' as they play in the role-play area constructing a 'fruit pie', and during small-world play she talks about the cars going 'backwards'.

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

The childminder demonstrates an understanding of how she would support any children who may face barriers to their learning.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,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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Next steps

The childminder should provide more opportunities for children to develop their emerging writing skills.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents 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

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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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