Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY545518 Registered with Ofsted: 09/08/2017 Registers: EYR, CCR

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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 Expected standard

Children make steady progress from their starting points and are working within age- expected levels across the 7 areas of learning. They develop communication skills through regular dialogue and vocabulary modelling. For example, children recall key information from topic work and express their ideas with the childminder's support.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children's bilingual development is supported effectively, enabling them to strengthen their English language skills while maintaining their home languages. Children demonstrate secure social development. They manage turn-taking with guidance and engage positively with others during play and shared activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children secure the foundational knowledge and skills expected for their age and are prepared for their next stage of learning. However, children do not yet have regular opportunities to apply their developing physical and problem-solving skills independently across a range of activities. As a result, these aspects of learning are not consistently strengthened through repeated practice within the setting.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder establishes clear and consistent expectations for behaviour. Children understand daily routines and respond positively to guidance. A visual timetable supports them to anticipate transitions, and they take part in removing activity cards as the day progresses. When minor conflicts arise, the childminder responds calmly and reinforces expectations. For example, she uses a structured countdown to support turn-taking, helping children manage waiting and transitions with increasing confidence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Relationships are warm and respectful. Children approach the childminder to share their achievements and accept reassurance when needed. They learn to cooperate through shared play experiences, including small-world activities and role play, where the childminder models language linked to kindness and care. She supports children's developing self-regulation by acknowledging their feelings and guiding them back to agreed expectations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Attendance expectations are clear. The childminder maintains daily registers and follows up absences directly with parents to promote punctuality and routine.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children engage readily in planned experiences and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. As opportunities for sustained independent exploration and simple problem-solving become more consistently embedded within routines, children's resilience, collaboration and confidence will strengthen further.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Care practices meet children's individual needs effectively. The childminder maintains clear care plans and manages children's additional needs securely. Hygiene routines are embedded, and children learn to wash their hands independently using step-by-step prompts. The childminder promotes healthy eating through balanced meals and discussions with children about nutritious food choices.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Secure attachments are evident between children and the childminder. Children approach the childminder confidently, and she responds sensitively to emotional cues. When children become upset, she provides reassurance and guidance to help them regulate their emotions. Toilet training routines are adapted to individual needs in partnership with parents.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children learn about personal safety, for example through reminders when climbing the step stool and during outdoor play. Daily risk assessments and safety procedures support a secure environment.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

However, opportunities for children to strengthen their physical coordination and to apply simple problem-solving skills as part of daily routines are not yet consistently embedded. This means children do not always have regular opportunities to develop increasing independence and confidence in managing aspects of their own wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder plans learning experiences that reflect children's interests and broaden their understanding of the world. She introduces learning about different continents and cultures, encouraging children to explore artefacts, books and creative activities linked to countries such as Australia and China. Through discussion about seasons, she supports children to describe weather changes and select appropriate clothing from themed baskets, strengthening their understanding of the natural world.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children's language development throughout the day. During role play in the doctor area, she introduces vocabulary linked to caring for others and asks questions that prompt children to explain what they are doing. She supports early mark making and creative development through painting and drawing activities, modelling descriptive language and extending children's understanding through discussion. She also supports children's early mathematical knowledge through everyday routines. For example, children count objects as they tidy resources away and talk about numbers during daily activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder uses assessments of children's progress to inform her teaching. She identifies children's next steps in learning, such as developing independence and strengthening their hand control for early writing, and incorporates these into daily routines. Children engage positively with planned experiences. However, opportunities for children to consistently develop their physical skills and to investigate ideas independently are not yet embedded across the provision. This means that activities do not always provide a consistent level of challenge for children to apply and extend their knowledge and skills across different areas of learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder creates an inclusive environment where children's backgrounds, identities and individual needs are recognised and valued. She gathers detailed information from parents when children start and maintains ongoing dialogue to understand children's development and wellbeing. For example, she supports children's bilingual development by modelling English vocabulary alongside children's home languages. She enables children to communicate confidently while maintaining their cultural identities.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder identifies and responds to children's additional needs through clear planning and communication with families. Care plans are in place where required. The childminder adapts her routines to support children's personal development, including for toilet training and helping them to regulate their emotions. The childminder engages with local authority early years coordinators to review children's development and reflect on her practice. She undertakes regular training, including in special educational needs and/or disabilities, which strengthens her understanding of how to identify children's needs early, assess what support may be required and review the impact of this support over time.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children make age-appropriate progress from their starting points and participate fully in all aspects of the setting. However, opportunities for children to consistently develop physical coordination and to investigate ideas independently are not yet embedded across the provision. This means that the curriculum does not always fully support children to deepen these aspects of their development in different contexts.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder provides stable and organised leadership that supports the smooth day-to- day running of the setting. She maintains clear systems for monitoring children's attendance, safety and daily routines.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder understands her strengths and engages in regular professional development, attending multiple training sessions each month. She works with local authority early years coordinators to review her provision and identify areas for development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder's decisions reflect children's best interests. Partnerships with parents are positive and open. Parents report that their children are happy, settled and well cared for, and they value the regular communication about learning and daily routines. The childminder shares strategies with parents to promote continuity in children's learning at home and gathers feedback to inform reflection.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder identifies appropriate priorities for improvement, including strengthening opportunities for children to develop physical coordination and explore ideas independently. However, these priorities are not yet consistently embedded across daily practice. As a result, teaching does not always provide regular opportunities for children to engage in sustained exploration, problem-solving and physically active play.

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

Children arrive confidently and settle quickly. The childminder greets them warmly, and children move around the home with familiarity and ease. They show secure attachments and seek reassurance naturally when needed. When children become unsettled during routines, the childminder responds calmly, offering comfort and reassurance before guiding them back to the activity.

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

Children enjoy sharing their achievements and talking about what they have made. Children proudly talk about their creations, such as three-dimensional models they build using connecting shapes. They engage enthusiastically in themed activities, such as exploring volcanoes through painting and discussion. The childminder introduces new vocabulary, including words such as 'lava', and children respond confidently, recalling that lava is 'hot'. During tidy-up time, children count objects as they put them away and clap when they reach 7, showing enjoyment in learning through routines.

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

Children learn to cooperate. When sharing a remote-control toy, the childminder supports turn-taking using a countdown. Children follow this strategy and manage transitions with increasing confidence. They use visual prompts to understand what comes next in the day.

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

Children develop early independence skills, such as using tongs to serve salad and washing their hands using a step stool. They are cared for safely; their additional needs are managed appropriately, and hygiene routines are embedded. The childminder values children's individuality and supports bilingual communication so that children confidently use both their home language and English. She works closely with parents to support children's learning

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 09:00 - 17:00

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About this setting

Local authority: Lambeth and attendance, maintaining daily registers and following up any absence. Children make steady progress from their starting points and are developing the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for their next stages of learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should consistently plan purposeful opportunities that build on children's large physical skills and enable them to develop increasing strength, balance and coordination. The childminder should provide children with consistent opportunities to explore and investigate independently, supporting them to make choices, test ideas and solve simple problems, to develop their thinking skills further.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children and considered written feedback from parents/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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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. 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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