French, Caroline Anne

French, Caroline Anne

Unique reference number (URN): 2828038 Address: The Annexe, 7 Lob Lane, York, YO41 1BN Type: Childminder without domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 11/02/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Caroline French

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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 Strong standard

Children are motivated, engaged learners who build knowledge and skills over time. They make strong and sustained progress across the early years foundation stage, particularly in communication, language and social development. Children who begin with delayed language make clear gains from their starting points. They communicate with growing confidence, engage in purposeful conversations and express their thoughts independently during play and learning.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children demonstrate confidence in their early mathematical skills. For example, older children enjoy sorting different-sized coloured bears into different coloured cups. They confidently use tweezers to pick out the bears and count them into matching coloured piles. Children independently sort number cards in order and are starting to add and subtract single numbers. Younger children use small coloured sensory balls to explore and sort. All children develop their physical skills inside and outside. They manage transitions confidently. Children are emotionally secure and are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children develop meaningful, trusting bonds with the childminder. The highly stimulating learning environment supports the childminder's expectations for behaviour and respect for others. With her highly effective teaching methods, the childminder helps children understand what behaviour is expected of them. From an early age, children are taught to share, take turns and treat others with respect. Children develop self-regulation effectively, demonstrating independence, resilience and self-control. They respond positively to boundaries and choices, sustaining engagement and making thoughtful decisions that support their learning and wellbeing. The childminder is an excellent role model. She promotes respect and highly positive behaviour. Children manage their emotions very well and learn what is right from wrong at a very young age.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, follow familiar routines and are developing strong self-regulation skills. The childminder establishes consistent and effective routines that help children feel secure and confident. Routines are personalised and agreed alongside parents to ensure consistency of care. In addition, the environment is both calm and purposeful, with children excitedly exploring a variety of thoughtfully arranged resources, displays and books. The childminder makes her curriculum accessible to children of every age group and offers support to ensure that younger children are fully included. By working closely with parents, she encourages regular attendance, highlighting the positive impact this has on children's development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Consistent routines help children to become independent and build important life skills. The childminder holds high standards, and children confidently maintain good hygiene. They are eager to share why they need to wash their hands to stop germs. They confidently complete age-appropriate personal care tasks. For example, they put their puddle suits and wellies on independently, older children use safety knives to cut up their own fruit for snacks and younger children are starting to use cutlery to feed themselves. All these routines are supervised carefully and sensitively by the childminder to ensure their wellbeing. The childminder recognises and responds promptly to children's cues, balancing encouragement for independence with reassurance when needed.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children consistently demonstrate that they feel safe, remain engaged for sustained periods and respond positively to guidance. Daily routines, such as mealtimes, rest, toileting and transitions, are well organised, predictable and closely aligned with children's home routines. This helps to ensure continuity of care and support for children's physical development, personal safety and overall health. The childminder demonstrates a highly effective and consistent commitment to promoting children's welfare and wellbeing. Her care practices are highly effective in meeting individual needs, with routines adapted sensitively to ensure each child feels secure, calm and well supported. Warm, responsive interactions from the childminder enable children to form strong attachments, fostering emotional security and confidence from the outset. The childminder has strong, trusting partnerships with parents that further strengthen children's welfare, ensuring that information is shared effectively and

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder provides a very ambitious, well-thought-out curriculum that is adaptable and coherent. The curriculum is inclusive, engaging and carefully tailored, enabling children to develop knowledge, skills, confidence and independence. The curriculum is designed to ensure children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning and development. The childminder ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, thrive in their learning and development. Furthermore, she accurately assesses individual starting points and develops highly individualised learning plans to support all children to achieve their full potential, despite their starting points. The childminder systematically ensures that any necessary individual adaptations and adjustments are implemented to ensure sustained progress for all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder supports children's communication and language development very well with lots of verbal interaction. Children listen with keen interest, join in conversations and confidently share their own ideas and experiences with each other. Older children read independently and show a keen interest when being read aloud to. Younger children demonstrate a love of exploring books, pointing at pictures and naming their favourite characters in the story. Early mathematical language is woven through all activities. The consistent childminder ensures that every activity and interaction is purposeful. As a result, all children develop the skills they need to support them to thrive in their next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder promotes physical health very well. Children have an abundance of opportunities to develop their physical skills indoors and outdoors. Younger children explore soft play cubes and show skill in navigating an obstacle course with confidence. Older children learn to catch and throw balls to each other with skill and concentration. Children show pride in the fruit and vegetables they are growing in the garden. They recall picking and eating the sweet juicy strawberries they grew. Children are supported to build on their understanding and make connections between what they know and have experienced.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Activities and trips away from the home are purposeful and support children through meaningful learning. The childminder promotes inclusivity and children having value in celebrating what makes us different. Children look at each other's family photo books and learn about the people who are important to them. As a result, children play collaboratively together and develop strong friendships and respect for one another.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is inclusive, engaging and carefully tailored, enabling children to develop knowledge, skills, confidence and independence. The curriculum is designed to ensure children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning and development.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder works very effectively with external agencies, when needed, ensuring timely and coordinated support. She is an experienced childminder who consistently creates a welcoming and inclusive environment where every child is valued and supported to make consistently secure progress in their learning and development. Children's individual needs are identified early through careful and accurate observation and assessment. Support is carefully planned and adapted so that all children can succeed. The childminder conducts detailed conversations with parents on children's progress and regular planned assessment checks. She works closely with the local authority and other professionals when required. The childminder attends relevant specialised training based on the needs of the children in her care. She demonstrates professional confidence when adapting her provision to support children effectively. This helps ensure that any emerging barriers to learning or wellbeing are

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Inclusion Strong standard

recognised quickly, handled with care and expertly supported.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those facing other challenges, consistently benefit from flexible routines, focused adult support and well- planned adjustments. Funding is used well to provide extra resources, such as sensory lights, sensory materials and resources to promote communication and physical skills. This helps all children to stay involved and to develop confidence, independence and positive relationships. All children demonstrate that they feel included and consistently well supported, resulting in their individual barriers to learning being swiftly identified and very effectively addressed. The childminder ensures that she makes a sustained difference to children's learning opportunities and achievements.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is professional and well organised. She demonstrates an ambitious attitude towards professional development. The childminder is motivated to provide high-quality care for all children and is open to new ideas, concepts and approaches. She researches different approaches to supporting the diverse needs of all children, including medical needs. The childminder works very carefully with all parents and carers to ensure she has a detailed grasp of the diverse needs of all children. In addition, her supportive relationships with other childminders encourage her to continually review and adapt her own provision and to share best practice with others in the sector. The childminder is reflective of her practice and identifies areas of strength and areas to prioritise for improvement to sustain and raise the quality of care and learning for all children. For example, she has recently attended a course to develop her knowledge of supporting challenging behaviour and

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder provides a very safe, inclusive and high-quality learning environment. She applies policies and procedures consistently, reviews them regularly and ensures care and learning are highly effective and well organised. The childminder reflects on her practice and her ongoing professional development to support continuous improvement. She works with the local authority and other early years professionals to ensure that her provision is of high quality. The childminder promotes mindfulness and ensures that she manages her workload effectively and acts as a mentor to other childcare practitioners and parents.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Purposeful partnerships with parents have a clear impact on children's learning, development and wellbeing. Regular communication and collaboration enable families to contribute to planning and reviewing children's experiences. This successfully supports continuity between home and the setting, strengthening progress and fostering secure attachments.

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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

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, feel a strong sense of belonging. The childminder values and celebrates each child's individuality using a range of inclusive resources that reflect different disabilities and medical needs, helping every child feel recognised and appreciated. She promotes a 'can do' attitude to learning. As a result, children enjoy a calm and harmonious environment where they demonstrate that they feel safe, valued and confident to be themselves. From the moment they arrive, children settle quickly into familiar routines that help them feel secure. They choose what they would like to do, join in with group experiences and take responsibility for tidying away resources. Children have access to quiet spaces where they can independently manage their feelings, ask for comfort when needed and develop emotional awareness.

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

The childminder gives children plenty of time to complete their chosen activities and focus for long periods. For example, prior to mealtimes, the childminder gives children plenty of notice that it is nearly time to wash their hands and get ready for snack. She reassures children that they can go back to the activity when they have eaten and had a drink of water to keep hydrated. Children respond well and eagerly listen to these instructions. These routines help children become more independent and get ready for the next steps in their learning, including nursery and school. The childminder monitors children's attendance and promotes the importance of children attending the setting.

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

Learning is highly enjoyable, purposeful and very closely matched to what children are interested in and what they need to learn next. Interactions are highly interactive, purposeful and linked directly to each specific learning aim. Children listen inventively during stories and group times, showing a very high level of interaction and high levels of respect for others. The childminder actively involves children in stories that are very engaging and interactive. She consistently asks children probing questions based on their individual ages and stages of development. This intuitive approach helps develop their individual thoughts as they eagerly anticipate what might happen next in the familiar and interactive story. The

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Address:

Type: Childminder without domestic premises childminder provides highly engaging opportunities for children to learn and explore about the diverse environment around them. They thoroughly enjoy trips to the local woodland and grow fruit and vegetables in the garden, which they eat as part of their healthy meals. Children are highly engaged in all activities as a result of the childminder having very detailed information about what motivates them. The childminder sparks their individual curiosity and desire to learn something new every day. As a result, children are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in their next stage of development, such as school.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection. She also took account of written reviews from parents and other professionals.

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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. Registration date: 11/02/2025

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 05:30

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About this inspection

Local authority: East Riding of Yorkshire

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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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