Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY358470 Registered with Ofsted: 07/08/2007 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's excellent approach to inclusion is a key strength. She recognises the importance of being inclusive and knowing children and families well to adapt and personalise care and learning. The childminder has completed training to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and continuously seeks further training to ensure that her knowledge remains up to date. She is skilful at identifying any potential barriers to learning children may face, and these form a focus for each individual child. This ensures that all children receive bespoke support to develop in all areas of their learning and supports them to meet typical age and stage developmental milestones.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder understands the important role she plays in being a voice for families and children. As a result, she confidently advocates for them when in contact with external professionals. This enables children to receive the prompt and targeted support they need. The childminder acts swiftly on any strategies given by external professionals and ensures that these are consistently applied to make a noticeable difference to individual children. She also supports parents to understand and carry out these strategies, ensuring a consistent approach between home and her care. This supports children to make the very best progress they are capable of.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is fully aware of additional funding available to support individual children and works effectively with the local authority to seek any advice or guidance if needed. She has clear processes in place, including consulting parents and other professionals to decide how funding is best spent and how to monitor its effectiveness. The childminder understands the importance of information-sharing, including with other settings children may attend and in preparation for school transitions to support both children and their parents.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children, including those who face barriers to their learning, make appropriate and individual progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. They develop confidence and resilience as they build on their knowledge and skills to be ready for their next stage of learning. Children become increasingly independent in everyday routines. For instance, they make their own choices in play and confidently make their own needs known. Children freely access fresh drinking water and develop self-care skills, such as toileting. As a result, they develop the confidence and skills they need to manage their own needs independently.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children become increasingly confident as they develop their language skills. They sing familiar songs with gusto and enjoy listening to stories, as well as looking at books independently. They use a wide range of words and speak fluently to adults and other children as they develop early friendships. Children who are learning English as an additional language learn English alongside their home language, and they learn to become confident and effective communicators.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder understands that children need to feel safe and secure to thrive. She places an emphasis on creating an environment where children develop close bonds with herself and other children. Children are kind to one another and enjoy each other's company. The childminder encourages children's maximum attendance for them to build these close attachments, which ultimately has a positive impact on their sense of security and belonging, as well as their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is a positive role model to children. She teaches them the importance of kindness as they learn to take turns and value each other's ideas. For instance, during imaginative play, children create a 'drive-through window' where they take turns to serve their customers. They crack pretend eggs as they cook the orders in preparation for serving. The childminder gives children purposeful praise and encouragement as they play harmoniously with each other, which they delight in.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has appropriate but high expectations of children's behaviour, which she promotes through consistent messages as children learn positive behaviour that ensures their safety. However, the childminder does not consistently support children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe as they play. For example, she does not explain why children should wash their hands before lunch to extend their learning and help them to gain a deeper understanding as they learn to keep themselves and others safe and healthy.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder develops respectful, warm and friendly relationships with all children. She positively promotes their wellbeing and sense of belonging within her home environment, which is safe and exciting for children. The childminder seeks a range of information from parents and gets to know what makes each child unique. This enables her to adapt and personalise her care for children, including those who may face barriers to their learning. She works effectively with parents, recognising the benefits of consistency and building positive relationships. The childminder is responsive and listens to children as they learn to express what they need. For instance, children confidently share when they are feeling hungry. The childminder responds quickly and ensures that children have an opportunity to take a break and enjoy a healthy snack together.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's good health through regular exercise and healthy eating. She shares the benefits of this with parents. For example, she encourages parents to walk rather than use other transport where possible to encourage physical exercise for the whole family. Daily routines, such as washing hands before mealtimes, are well established. However, the childminder does not consistently support children to develop a deeper understanding of how to keep themselves healthy.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder creates a curriculum that is tailored to meet individual children's needs, ensuring that they have access to all 7 areas of learning through play. She plans activities and experiences that build on children's existing skills. The childminder completes an assessment of children's abilities when they begin attending and monitors children's ongoing progress through continuous assessment. This helps to prepare children for their next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children's communication and language skills are a focus for this childminder. As a result, all children, including those who have been identified as needing additional support in their language development, are well supported to broaden their spoken vocabulary. The childminder confidently and appropriately narrates children's play, introduces mathematical language and gives time for children to share their own thoughts and ideas. Children who are working to develop their spoken language receive consistent, targeted support, which enables them to make steady progress alongside their friends. This enables all children to become confident communicators and positively supports their personal, social and emotional development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder's skilful interactions help children to learn and develop their understanding and skills. However, she does not always recognise opportunities to fully extend children's learning through their immediate curiosities. As a result, children do not always experience the full depth of learning that could be promoted through their play and explorations.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of her responsibilities and makes decisions in the best interests of children. She continually and proactively seeks a wide range of additional training to support her role. This helps her stay up to date and informs her daily practice, which ultimately benefits children in her care, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The impact of the training is evident in practice. For example, the childminder has recently completed training that has helped her to fully embed mathematics into her curriculum, improving outcomes for children. The childminder recognises that any child could have a barrier to their learning and provides a tailored approach to ensure that any gaps in children's development are promptly identified and addressed.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall, the childminder accurately reflects on her provision, identifying strengths as well as areas for ongoing development. She builds positive and open parental partnerships. As a result, parents report fondly of the care and learning their children receive. They comment that children make effective progress, which they attribute to the childminder, particularly in developing their language skills and self-confidence. Parents also say that the childminder is a trusted source of advice and guidance, such as on how to safely prepare food for young 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 genuinely enjoy their time with this nurturing and responsive childminder. She creates a homely environment where children develop a positive sense of belonging as they are supported to grow and learn at their own pace. This enables all children to create positive and secure bonds with the childminder. The childminder values children's opinions and ideas as she creates purposeful activities and experiences to support children's own interests as well as their individual stages of learning. Activities such as completing giant puzzles and imaginative play encourage children to develop fine motor control and early

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About this setting

mathematical awareness and help build their language skills. For example, children work together to create a giant floor puzzle. With support from the childminder, they resiliently twist and turn each piece until it fits. The childminder helps children to solve problems as they take time to think and talk together about which piece they may need next and why. When children have finished, they count the pieces as they put them away to make sure they are all accounted for.

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About this setting

Children have an abundance of opportunities to access the local community they live in. The childminder carefully plans attendance at an array of groups to support different areas of learning and broaden children's social connections with other children. Children also access local green spaces and benefit from trips to the farm and local toy libraries. These opportunities enable children to be physically active as they learn about the world they live in. The childminder knows children well and, as a result, successfully supports them to build on skills they already know and can do. This helps all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, to make steady progress from their starting points. The childminder recognises the importance of children attending regularly and works closely with families to promote children's attendance so they can fully benefit from the range of experiences on offer.

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Next steps

The childminder should focus her own professional development to support her to consistently recognise opportunities to fully extend children's immediate curiosities to provide greater depth to their learning. The childminder should reflect on the information she gives children so they can develop a deeper understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe and healthy.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and sought parental feedback through written feedback provided for the purpose of 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. Unique reference number (URN): EY358470

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 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

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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