Macpherson, Natalie Clare

Macpherson, Natalie Clare

Unique reference number (URN): EY388894 Address: 22 Deepdene Avenue, Dorking, RH4 1SR Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 05/03/2009 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Macpherson, Natalie Clare

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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 develop essential skills as they progress through the curriculum the childminder provides. This includes developing independence skills, such as learning to feed themselves, master toileting and wash their hands. For example, children follow seven steps to ensure that they wash their hands thoroughly. This helps to prepare children for the next stage in their education whether that be nursery or school.

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Achievement Strong standard

During activities, children thoroughly enjoy chatting and engaging in conversations with the childminder. They are developing their speech and language skills well and becoming confident communicators. For example, children enjoy recalling past events, such as using a drill and making bird feeders at forest school.

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Achievement Strong standard

Snack time is a sociable occasion, and children enjoy helping. They are keen to cut the fruit and make choices about what they would like to eat. Children demonstrate their early numeracy skills by counting fruit. They successfully count 1 to 4 and are proud of their achievement.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children concentrate for periods of time at their chosen activities and persevere at tasks. They concentrate well and demonstrate their thinking skills to solve problems. For example, children focus on releasing ice from containers. They use a variety of tools and warm water, celebrating when they achieve their goal. As a result, children beam with pride.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder has a robust set of policies in place that she regularly reviews and shares effectively with parents to ensure that they are understood and followed. Children have secure attachments with the childminder and are very happy in her care. She knows them extremely well and swiftly responds to their varying needs. The childminder identifies children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to learning. She seeks support from professionals to ensure that she can meet their individual needs and help them to make the best progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes healthy eating and follows guidelines to ensure that children are safe at mealtimes. She gathers information about children's medical needs and dietary requirements to ensure that they eat the right food. This includes information about children's allergies, intolerances and preferences. At snack time, the childminder teaches children about making healthy choices, so they learn to adopt a healthy lifestyle for the future. The childminder reinforces table manners at mealtimes and role models how to be polite. Children copy her words and, as a result, learn to be courteous.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are learning to take care of their personal needs. They are becoming increasingly independent and confident with their personal skills. For example, children know they have to wash their hands before mealtimes to remove germs. This life skill is embedded in their routine.

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Expected standard

Outdoor play and adventures, such as forest school, provide the opportunity for children to securely develop their physical skills and benefit from fresh air and exercise. This supports children's fitness and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly reflective and actively seeks professional development opportunities. For example, she completes a speech and language course to develop her understanding of how to use a speech and language tool to assess children's stages of development. This helps to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with gaps in their learning, so they can have support to help them make progress. To further strengthen her practice, the childminder has identified an area for improvement and is completing training on the cycle of observation and assessment to further strengthen her knowledge and skills.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is proactive and leads a network with other childminders. For example, she organises a weekly toddler group, so they can share ideas and receive valuable support. She invites advisers from the local authority to attend to provide updates and advice. This group also provides the opportunity for her children to engage with larger groups of children to develop their social skills.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder communicates very well with parents and has positive relationships with them. She consistently shares information about children's daily activities and progress through an online app and termly reports. The childminder provides a variety of resources for children to share with their parents to support home learning. This includes helpful information, such as oral care, to promote health routines.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder knows children and their families well, and has good bonds with them. She encourages children to be polite and have manners. For example, the childminder gently reminds children to say, 'Please may I?' at snack time. She encourages children to offer fruit to their friends to promote sharing and taking turns. The childminder praises children for completing tasks and for being kind to their friends. This helps to boost their confidence and self-esteem. The childminder uses positive language, such as 'kind hands' and 'be gentle' during their play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder recognises that children are at different stages of development and knows to adapt strategies accordingly. However, this is not always as consistent, which impacts on children's understanding of situations. Occasionally, the childminder has a focus on negative words, rather than reinforcing the positive behaviour she expects to see. The childminder is reflective and is keen to develop strategies to further support children's positive behaviour management. She ensures that children have good attendance and parents follow procedures to inform her if they will be absent. This supports children to benefit from the learning experiences on offer.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides activities for children to explore and develop their curiosity. For example, young children enjoy examining items in a treasure basket, while others use play dough and tools to make shapes. The childminder supports children's play by asking open- ended questions and waits for them to formulate a response and reply. This supports children's thinking skills, speech and language.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder adapts activities and her teaching depending on children's ages and stages of development to ensure that they are included. This ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to learning can make progress.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder encourages children to be independent and take care of their personal needs. For example, she teaches children to put on their own shoes and master toileting skills. During play, the childminder counts items with children and uses mathematical language, such as 'big' and 'small'. The childminder reads books with children. They listen intently and engage with the story by pointing to pictures and asking questions. This helps children develop an interest in books.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder helps children to understand their feelings and emotions by using props. However, at times, children struggle to play cooperatively with their peers and need extra support to regulate their emotions. While the childminder uses strategies to calm situations, they are not always as effective as they could be. For example, sometimes explanations and discussions of children's behaviour focus on negative words rather than positive reinforcement. Therefore, children struggle to fully understand what is expected of them.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder adapts activities to meet children's ages and stages of development. For example, she positions resources low for young children to reach independently. If the childminder should receive extra funding, such as early years pupil premium, she would use it to provide extra resources or experiences to support children's learning. This could include outings to farms, forest school and the park.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Generally, the childminder completes assessments to identify gaps in children's learning. For example, the statutory 2-year progress check and a toolkit to assess children's speech, language and communication skills. Through this process, she identifies if children need extra support and puts strategies in place to help them make effective progress. For example, the childminder repeats words clearly that children say and uses opportunities to introduce new words to expand their range of vocabulary. However, knowledge and understanding of the cycle of assessment, such as plan, do and review, are not yet fully embedded in practice and could be strengthened. This would ensure that the impact of strategies in place are effective and developed further to support children's learning and development. The childminder's professional development plan includes training in this process to fully embed it in her practice.

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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 are happy and content in this setting. They eagerly explore the setting and independently access toys and resources. The childminder knows children and their families well. There is an effective settling-in process to help children to become familiar with the

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Inspector:

setting. The childminder promotes positive behaviour and uses strategies to help children understand their feelings and emotions. She role models good manners and reminds children to be polite. The childminder uses resources to support children who need help to regulate their emotions, such as emotion pictures and flash cards.

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Inspector:

Children enjoy exploring the play environment and the activities on offer. For example, they concentrate as they squirt warm water on ice to help it melt. The childminder supports children's learning and encourages them to think of ways to release the ice from containers. This helps children to focus on the task and develop their thinking skills. The childminder encourages children to be independent and provides opportunities for them to practise skills. For example, children enjoy peeling bananas and chopping fruit at snack time. They pour their own drinks and carefully drink from their cups. Children practise skills, such as putting on their slippers, and master going to the toilet independently. This helps to prepare them for the next stage in their education.

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Inspector:

The childminder takes children on exciting trips outside of the setting to broaden their experiences and help them to learn about the world around them. This includes a weekly visit to forest school where children learn about nature. They use tools to help develop their fine motor skills and coordination. Children recall using a hand drill to make a hole in a wooden disc and using seeds to make a bird feeder. The childminder assesses children's development and puts strategies in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to reduce barriers to their learning. She plans next steps for all children to ensure that they make positive progress.

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Next steps

The childminder should strengthen positive behaviour management strategies to consistently help children learn to regulate their feelings and emotions. The childminder should build further on her knowledge and understanding of the cycle of observation, reviewing the impact of strategies to provide high-quality support for all children.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and parents and 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 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. Lisa Smith

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Address:

Registered person: Macpherson, Natalie Clare

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 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

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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