Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2761861 Registered with Ofsted: 12/01/2024 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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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a very deep commitment to inclusion and is proactive in meeting the needs of all children. She gathers detailed information from parents and carers before children attend. The childminder completes a baseline assessment to understand children's development when starting. Through ongoing observations and accurate assessments, she swiftly identifies any barriers to children's learning. The childminder works with parents to ensure they understand the support available, including access to additional funding.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has a wealth of experience in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and has completed a range of training for this specific area. She is knowledgeable and confident in accessing support from other professionals. The childminder has previously invested time to help parents secure education, health and care plans and completed detailed assessments to share with other specialist provisions. This collaborative approach contributes to ensure continuity of care and a well-planned transition for children.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder creates a very positive and inclusive environment where every child feels valued. For example, she strategically places pictures to promote less-verbal children to use visual prompts as she clearly pronounces the word. This encourages children to practise using more vocabulary and gain confidence in their communication skills. Her individualised approach contributes to ensuring every child feels supported and can reach their full potential.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children's progress is monitored rigorously by the childminder, who tracks and assesses their development. This helps her to identify gaps in learning, recognise strengths within specific areas, and plan children's next steps. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported by the childminder. They have clear goals, and activities are thoughtfully adapted to reduce barriers to learning. For example, the childminder uses pictures of body parts to support less-verbal children to point and learn the sounds of the words to name different parts of the body. Children are supported seamlessly by the childminder for their transitions to school or specialist provision.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children use expressive language as the childminder pretends to eat a chilli pepper and describes its hot and spicy flavour. This prompts children to imitate her actions as they pretend to fan their mouths. These playful interactions help children develop vocabulary and build an understanding of different tastes and textures.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children are supported well with the skills needed for later learning. They make appropriate progress as they move through the curriculum. They demonstrate their growing knowledge of letters, recalling examples such as 'A for apple' and 'E for elephant'. Children develop a genuine love for learning. However, their self-help skills are not consistently promoted during some daily routines. On occasion, this reduces opportunities for them to build greater independence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder establishes well-rooted routines. She works with parents and offers flexible session times to ensure all children can attend regularly. She provides a calm and respectful environment, and this helps children to play cooperatively together and share the toys willingly. They receive lots of praise and recognition from the childminder. This helps children to develop an understanding of positive behaviour. The childminder supports children to independently select emotion cards. She responds with a nurturing approach, validating their emotions and reassuring them that they can work together to help them feel happy again. The childminder is vigilant to potential triggers that may lead to children becoming upset or frustrated. She offers reassuring cuddles and gently diverts their attention to an activity that sparks their interest. This helps to create a relaxed learning environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder talks to children, providing a running commentary on what is happening now and next. This reinforces routines and helps children to feel secure and confident in managing changes throughout the day. Parents and carers express their appreciation of the 'highly experienced and skilled' childminder. Parents comment on how she quickly identifies potential gaps in children's learning and development. Also, they say that the childminder has worked collaboratively with other agencies to obtain support at an early stage. This has greatly reduced barriers for children's learning and helped to close the gaps in their progress and development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder forms secure and nurturing relationships with the children. This helps them to develop a strong sense of emotional wellbeing and feel happy and settled. Children demonstrate positive emotional bonds with the childminder. The childminder offers frequent cuddles, reassuring words and praise. She models positive behaviour. Children are confident to ask for help during minor conflicts. This contributes to them becoming more resilient and confident in their own abilities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder works in partnership with the local authority and other professionals to obtain timely support for children when delays are emerging with specific areas of development. This early intervention helps to reduce barriers to learning and supports children to make progress. However, at times, the childminder completes tasks that children could attempt themselves, such as tidying resources or preparing to go outdoors. This limits children's opportunities to fully develop independence in managing everyday tasks.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes healthy eating and shares ideas with parents and carers, such as how to reduce children having high fat and sugar content in food. Children confidently talk about foods that are good for them and will help them grow 'big and strong', such as fruit and vegetables. This supports children to learn about making healthy choices, such as about food and oral health.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides an ambitious curriculum tailored to meet children's individual needs across all the areas of learning. She prioritises children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from clearly defined goals and access to well-adapted activities that are specific to their area of need. The childminder has high expectations for all children's learning and adapts her practice to support them effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is built on children's starting points and ongoing assessments. The childminder uses these to plan purposeful next steps to ensure children continue to make progress. However, she plans some activities with a high number of learning aims. The childminder does not consistently or carefully consider what she intends children to learn. This results in some activities not consistently building on children's skills and knowledge and being fully engaged. That said, children eagerly join the wide range of purposeful activities. They gain a love of reading, as stories are matched to their age and stage of development. The childminder reads first-word books for younger children and books with text and more intricate storylines for older children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides life-like resources that spark children's curiosity and inspire them to learn about the wider world and about less-familiar foods, such as eggplants and avocados. Children enjoy role-play experiences, such as scanning shopping with a play scanner. Children giggle as they choose to pay 'cash or card'. They become absorbed in developing their mathematical skills as they count items and talk about the value of money. The childminder's thoughtful curriculum supports children to become confident and enthusiastic learners.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder keeps all mandatory training up to date, such as paediatric first aid and safeguarding. She is also highly committed to strengthen her professional expertise. The childminder has clear aims to continue to enhance her knowledge more deeply for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She works closely with the local authority and has formed networks with other professionals and childminders.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has clear risk assessments in place to ensure all aspects of her provision are safe. She has a range of policies and procedures in place that underpin the efficiency of her practice. The childminder is reflective and gains the views of parents and carers to review the effectiveness of her setting. She is very aware of the strengths and areas for development to improve her setting and sustain high standards. For example, she has identified that improvements are needed to her outdoor play area to further support children's opportunities for physical development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Partnerships with parents are highly successful. The childminder shares information with parents about their children's daily routines, experiences and achievements. She is acutely aware of each family's individual circumstances and maintains a sensitive supportive approach. The childminder confidently explains that should families' circumstances change, she would signpost them to appropriate organisations that can offer advice and guidance and support.

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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 thoroughly enjoy their time in the childminder's care. They forge secure attachments with her. Children often climb on to the childminder's knee with a book or seek spontaneous cuddles. These warm and trusting relationships help them to feel valued and secure. Children who struggle to separate receive support through warm and responsive interactions. During the settling-in process, the childminder works closely with families to gather information about each child. She uses her understanding of children's individual temperament effectively to provide nurturing and sensitive settling-in routines. By skilfully capturing their interest with a preferred toy or activity, the childminder helps children to settle quickly and gain a sense of security and belonging.

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

The childminder builds on children's experiences in a fun way. This instils a real love of learning and supports all children to achieve well from their starting points, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This thoughtful and inclusive approach helps children to feel prepared for their transition to their next stage of learning. They have lots of opportunities to develop their social skills and show great kindness towards their friends. Children play cooperatively together, share the toys and practise turn-taking. The childminder recognises that each child is unique. She uses resources, such as emotion cards, effectively to help less-verbal children to communicate their feelings. This targeted approach helps children to be able to regulate their emotions and feel confident.

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

Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. They enjoy going for walks to local parks and places of interest. They also learn about nature and where foods come from. Children recall with excitement when they enjoyed eating produce that they have planted and nurtured, such as potatoes, mint and onions. Children also learn about healthy eating habits and have practised different ways to prepare the potatoes, such as jacket potatoes and mashed potatoes.

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Next steps

The childminder should enhance the curriculum so that it fully supports children's engagement in their learning and enables activities to focus on a number of precise learning intentions. The childminder should consistently provide opportunities for children to further develop their independence skills in managing their own needs.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to the childminder, children and parents and carers 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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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00,Saturday,Sunday : 08:00 - 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

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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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