Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 120689 Registered with Ofsted: 04/01/1992 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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Achievement Expected standard

Children's progress is appropriate for their age and stage of development. Younger children gain confidence in saying new words; for instance, they learn to name the red and blue colours of the hearts they choose. They benefit from storytelling and listen attentively. They search for characters in stories, turn pages and explore textures in touch-and-feel books. Children's language skills develop as they hear words pronounced clearly by the childminder. They enjoy repeating these new words to further their developing speaking skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children have a positive attitude to trying new activities and persist when learning is more challenging. For instance, as they fit together a toy ice cream, they twist and turn toppings to secure them. They attach carriages to trains and watch with delight as the train moves around the track. Children gain confidence in their growing abilities, which lays important foundations for future learning, including school, when the time comes.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder helps children manage their behaviour and understand what is expected of them. She creates a positive environment where kindness and courtesy are consistently promoted. Children learn the importance of using good manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you', and they respond well to the childminder's calm and respectful approach. Through her modelling, younger children learn how to behave considerately.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's independence by encouraging them to carry out tasks for themselves, offering reassurance and age-appropriate guidance when needed. For example, when asking children to tidy away toys, she joins in and demonstrates how to organise the resources, helping the younger children participate successfully. The childminder also provides opportunities for children to meet and play with peers, helping them learn how to share, take turns and enjoy cooperative play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents to promote prompt and regular attendance. Through ongoing conversations, she highlights the importance of consistency and routine for children's learning and wellbeing. She recognises when adaptations to children's attendance patterns are needed and responds sensitively, ensuring that they continue to benefit fully from the educational opportunities she provides.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder offers a caring and settled provision that meets children's individual needs. Children develop warm, trusting relationships with the childminder, who offers them a safe base from which to explore. Attachments between children and the childminder are established from the outset. Children are confident and develop self-esteem as a result of the emotional security they establish with the childminder. This helps to support their wellbeing and emotional security. The childminder helps children recognise and respond to their emotions in positive ways. For example, when younger children become frustrated because they cannot manage certain activities, the childminder adapts these tasks and encourages them to try again. This helps ease children's frustration and enables them to understand their feelings and respond in positive ways.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder's curriculum focuses on embedding routines that support children's physical health and wellbeing. The childminder values the importance of physical exercise. Children enjoy plentiful activities to support active play through daily trips and outings. Routines around mealtimes support children in enjoying nutritious and healthy foods. The childminder gently reminds children about drinking water regularly throughout the day. Children learn the importance of drinking enough water to stay hydrated.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder's high expectations help children learn how to build positive relationships with others. The childminder plans a curriculum that follows children's interests and helps them make age-appropriate progress across all areas of learning. She reviews children's progress regularly. The childminder plans interesting experiences to support children in building on their achievements. However, she does not consistently identify the smaller, more precise steps to help children move forward even more effectively. This can sometimes limit the clarity of the childminder's teaching intentions and reduce opportunities to target specific skills with greater precision.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder places a strong emphasis on developing children's communication and language skills. She narrates children's play and introduces new vocabulary to broaden their language and support their growing confidence in expressing themselves. The childminder promotes a love of books, and children enjoy sharing stories with her. Mathematical language is woven naturally into play, as the childminder introduces concepts such as counting, sorting and recognising shapes to build foundations for future learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of supporting children's physical development and tailors everyday activities to help them practise new skills. For example, she encourages younger children to explore the marks they can make using coloured pens, helping them develop early fine motor skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder provides a warm, inclusive and welcoming environment where every child is valued as an individual. She takes time to get to know each child and their family, ensuring that she understands their routines, interests and backgrounds so she can meet their needs effectively. The childminder's secure knowledge of child development enables her to identify what children need at different stages and plan experiences that support their progress. The childminder carries out regular observations and uses these, alongside information gathered from parents when children first start and through ongoing daily conversations, to support each child.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Although the childminder currently has no children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) on roll, she understands the importance of providing high-quality childcare for all children. She is reflective of her professional development. The childminder reviews her training needs and seeks opportunities to strengthen her skills so she can support all children, including children with SEND or those who may be disadvantaged. For example, she has received Makaton training, which has enhanced her ability to use sign- based communication. This enables her to help children express their wants, needs, and wishes more confidently, promote inclusivity, and ensure that every child can participate fully.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder continues to build on her well-established practice, which has a positive impact on children's development. She reflects on her work and actively seeks the views of parents and children. The childminder responds to any suggestions for improvement. For instance, she has varied the times she provides care for children to support the individual needs of families. The childminder extends her knowledge of how children learn by undertaking relevant training. This includes developing her understanding of different learning styles and enhancing her skills in supporting early communication. For example, her training in Makaton has strengthened her ability to help children express themselves from an early age.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder shares detailed information with parents about children's care and learning. She offers guidance when needed, such as with weaning and potty training. Parents use this information to continue children's learning at home, helping them develop the skills they need as they progress towards moving on to school. However, where children attend additional early years settings, the childminder has not yet established effective partnerships with these providers to fully support continuity in children's care and 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 enjoy a broad curriculum that builds on their interests and supports their positive attitudes to learning. They form secure and trusting relationships with the childminder, and they feel valued and safe. Children confidently choose from toys and resources that spark their imagination. For instance, children role play having picnics with the childminder and enjoy selecting play foods. The childminder follows children's play, joining in and supporting their imaginations. The childminder weaves in new learning during play to help children develop age-appropriate knowledge and skills. For example, she teaches children the names of new foods they see, such as 'croissant'. During these times, the childminder praises children's efforts and models good manners. Children respond to the childminder with kindness and respect, helping put toys back in boxes to provide themselves more floor space to play.

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

The childminder offers children daily opportunities to be physically active. Children learn about their community and the world through outings to local parks and gardens. The childminder uses these opportunities for children to learn about the natural world and meet and socialise with other friends to develop their social skills.

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

The childminder helps children understand what is expected of them. Children develop positive relationships with the childminder. They attend regularly, as the childminder helps parents understand the importance of this to support children in their foundations for ongoing learning. The childminder understands and values the importance of working with families and their vital role in children's lives. The childminder knows how to reduce barriers to children's learning, particularly for those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Tuesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 15:30,Wednesday : 08:30 - 17:30

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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 adjust curriculum planning to focus on smaller, well-defined steps that build progressively towards each child's learning goals. The childminder should build stronger links with other settings children attend so that information is shared consistently and collaboration can better support each child's progress.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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. This data is from 11 February 2026

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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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