Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 136276 Registered with Ofsted: 01/04/1996 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children thrive in a calm and respectful environment. Expectations for their behaviour are clear, consistent and well understood. The childminder has established a culture of kindness, care and cooperation, underpinned by close relationships with children. Children feel emotionally secure and confident to seek reassurance when needed. They respond positively to guidance and show increasing ability to regulate their own behaviour, supporting a settled and purposeful atmosphere.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder supports children very effectively to get along with others and work alongside their peers. They share resources, take turns and play cooperatively. Children show kindness and consideration for one another throughout the day. The childminder models and reinforces positive behaviour through calm and consistent responses. As a result, children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning, remain engaged in activities and show pride in their achievements.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Routines are well established and purposeful. Children manage transitions confidently and understand expectations around group times, snack routines and tidying up. They demonstrate growing independence in self-care. The childminder adapts her expectations appropriately to children's ages, stages of development and individual circumstances. This ensures that all children are supported to succeed. The childminder promotes regular attendance and punctuality through clear routines and strong partnerships with families. This helps children to settle quickly and make the most of their time in the setting.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing throughout the day. She has a secure understanding of each child's individual needs, routines and family context. Secure and responsive relationships are a clear strength. Children demonstrate close attachments and confidently seek reassurance, comfort and support from the childminder. For example, children approach her readily to share their ideas during play and seek comfort when they feel unsure. This shows that they feel emotionally safe, valued and settled.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Care practices promote children's physical health and wellbeing effectively. Children develop strong self-care skills through well-established routines, including independent toileting, handwashing, snack preparation and mealtimes. For example, children independently wash their hands before eating and help prepare fruit for snack time. The childminder manages hygiene routines respectfully and maintains children's privacy. Everyday care routines help children begin to understand healthy choices, such as the importance of food, sleep and hygiene in keeping their bodies healthy.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children receive effective support to recognise, express and manage their emotions. The childminder responds calmly to children's feelings and models language that helps them express how they feel. For example, she helps children name emotions and talk about what might help them feel better. Consistent routines give children a sense of security and

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Expected standard

predictability. As a result, children are confident, settled and develop growing independence within a calm and nurturing environment.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of the curriculum and the quality of teaching. She makes informed decisions about curriculum design and delivery. The childminder draws on her knowledge of child development to shape learning that is purposeful, coherent and responsive to children's interests, starting points and next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is broad and carefully designed to meet the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage. The childminder plans thoughtfully for children's learning, with teaching taking place throughout the day rather than during set activities. For example, during play, the childminder encouraged children to count objects and compare sizes while building with blocks. She extended children's language by introducing new words and encouraging them to describe what they were doing. These interactions help children deepen their understanding through everyday experiences.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's communication and language across all areas of learning. She models a wide range of vocabulary, asks open questions and encourages children to share their ideas. Mathematical language is also woven into daily activities. For example, the childminder encourages counting, problem-solving and discussion about quantity and size during play. She also supports children's physical, personal, social and emotional development through warm interactions and consistent routines.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder adapts her teaching to meet children's individual needs. She uses ongoing observation and assessment to understand what children know and can do. This helps her adjust interactions and support children's learning during activities and daily routines. However, while adaptations are made during play, the childminder does not yet review consistently how well these changes support children who may face barriers to learning over time.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make secure progress across all areas of learning from their individual starting points. Their communication and language are a clear strength. Children confidently express their ideas, recall familiar stories and use an increasingly wide range of vocabulary during play, routines and group activities. Children who are quieter in communication show growing confidence to contribute, particularly during story time and shared activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children who may face barriers to learning, such as differences in communication or developing independence in self-care, are included well in daily routines and activities. They show increasing confidence and participation in play alongside other children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities engage in activities and experiences that support their development and help them continue to make secure progress. Children develop confidence, independence and age-appropriate skills through everyday routines, such as managing self-care, preparing snacks and making choices in play. Older children show emerging early literacy and mathematical understanding and are developing the skills needed for their next stage of learning. While children make secure progress overall, the childminder is continuing to strengthen how the impact of support for children who may face barriers to learning is reviewed over time.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has established an inclusive environment where she identifies children's individual needs promptly and understands them well. She knows children and their families closely. The childminder uses ongoing observation and assessment to recognise children's emerging needs, including differences in communication, confidence and emotional development. This helps the childminder identify and begin to respond to potential barriers to children's learning and wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder adapts her support through everyday practice. She adjusts interactions, routines and activities so children can take part in play, learning and care routines. For example, children who are quieter in communication are supported through modelling language, story time and interaction with other children. The childminder provides emotional reassurance and consistent routines to support children who are adjusting to changes at home. Partnerships with parents and carers are a strength and help support consistency for children.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder explains how she will assess, plan for and review children's needs. She discusses drawing on previous experience of working with external professionals, including speech and language services, and collaborating with other early years settings where appropriate. She also explains how early years pupil premium funding may be used flexibly to support resources or experiences linked to children's interests. The childminder monitors children's progress. However, she does not yet review consistently how well adaptations support children who may face barriers to learning or wellbeing over time. This means it is not always clear whether the support provided is making a sustained difference to children's development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of the setting's context, strengths and areas for development. She reflects on her practice with increasing confidence and makes decisions that are rooted in children's best interests, informed by secure knowledge of children's development, interests and individual circumstances. Leadership is child- centred and supports children's care, learning and wellbeing effectively. Feedback from parents and carers consistently describes the childminder as 'remarkable, warm and highly responsive'. This reflects the confidence families have in the childminder's care and practice.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder engages positively with parents, external professionals and the local authority. Effective partnerships support consistency for children, particularly at points of transition and where emerging needs are identified. The childminder maintains professional knowledge through training and guidance, including safeguarding and first aid, supporting safe and reflective practice. The childminder manages her workload effectively. She ensures that routines, planning and documentation are proportionate and manageable. The childminder reflects on her practice and identifies priorities for improvement. However, she does not yet review consistently how well these improvements impact children's experiences and learning over time. This means it is not always clear how changes to practice strengthen provision for children as their needs develop.

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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 experience a warm, nurturing and engaging environment, where they feel safe, valued and confident to explore. From arrival, children are welcomed into calm, familiar routines and quickly settle into play. They move confidently around the setting, choose resources independently and involve one another in their play. Deep and trusting relationships with the childminder help children to feel emotionally secure. Children readily seek reassurance, comfort or support when needed.

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

Children enjoy learning and achieve well. The childminder weaves children's learning naturally into play and everyday routines. She consistently uses interactions to extend children's thinking, language and understanding. Children develop early mathematical skills as they count, compare size and shape and use positional language during construction play. They solve problems together, for example, adapting tunnels so trains can pass through or exploring why ice melts during sensory play. Children confidently join in with familiar stories, recall key events and use a wide vocabulary to explain their ideas. Daily routines, such as snack time and story time, support children's independence, communication and positive attitudes to learning. This supports children to build age- appropriate skills, confidence and curiosity and prepares them well for their next steps.

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

Children thrive in a calm, inclusive and well-organised environment. The childminder embeds clear routines and consistent expectations. She helps children to manage their behaviour and develop positive social skills. Children show kindness, empathy and cooperation. They share resources and play alongside one another calmly and respectfully. Children confidently manage self-care tasks, such as handwashing, toileting and preparing food. The childminder consistently adapts care and learning to meet children's individual needs. As a result, children flourish in a setting where their wellbeing is prioritised and their individuality is recognised.

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Next steps

The childminder should monitor more closely the progress of children who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, and review support regularly to ensure that it is effective. The childminder should strengthen reflective practice by reviewing the impact of improvements more regularly so provision continues to meet children's changing needs.

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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

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About this setting

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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Our grades explained

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

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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