Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY426691 Registered with Ofsted: 11/04/2011 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 Expected standard

The childminder creates a calm, predictable environment where children understand and follow clear expectations for behaviour. She has introduced simple, consistent routines and reinforced them positively to improve children's behaviour. For example, the childminder encourages children to take turns turning the pages of a story and using resources to create a picnic. Children respect each other and listen to each other's ideas. When they create their own narrative during 'doctors' play, they listen to one another and build shared storylines. The childminder is close by to support children when needed. These strategies strengthen children's cooperation, patience and social awareness.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder builds trusting relationships with children, and they respond positively to her guidance. Children seek the childminder for interactions and invite her into their play. The childminder models polite and considerate behaviour. She encourages children to develop confidence in resolving small disagreements constructively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works closely with families and knows them well. She discusses punctuality and attendance openly with parents. She provides practical guidance and makes reasonable adjustments for families facing barriers, ensuring that they can access their funded entitlement both at her setting and at other settings their children attend.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder adapts her expectations according to each child's age and individual needs. The tailored approach helps all children meet expectations and make positive progress in their behaviours and attitudes.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides effective care practices that meet children's individual needs well. She takes time to understand each child's background, routines and preferences. She uses her knowledge of families to engage children in recalling their home experiences. This helps children feel valued and emotionally secure.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder builds warm, positive relationships with children, and children form secure attachments to her. Children seek reassurance confidently, and the childminder responds sensitively, helping them feel safe and settled in their environment. The childminder is mindful of quieter, younger children, ensuring that they have space and time to participate, express themselves and receive the attention they need. Through calm, consistent interactions, the childminder helps all children strengthen their confidence and resilience.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's understanding of personal safety, physical development and wellbeing through clear routines. She reminds children to remain seated while eating and to hold the handrail when using the stairs. These consistent expectations teach children how to keep themselves safe and make positive choices.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder creates positive relationships with families, which helps ensure continuity between home and her setting. She communicates regularly at the beginning and end of

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Needs attention

each day and shares photo updates. This partnership ensures consistency for children and puts their welfare and emotional wellbeing at the centre of the childminder's daily practice.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder understands inclusion and creates a welcoming environment where every child can participate fully. She identifies gaps in learning through observation, assessment and ongoing discussions with families. Although her delivery of the curriculum is not yet consistent, she adapts learning well for children who experience barriers to learning. The childminder ensures that these children access meaningful learning experiences that help them begin to make progress from their starting points. She uses her knowledge of each child to identify when they may need additional help, and she raises any concerns with parents sensitively and promptly.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder adapts routines, interactions and activities to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing. She adjusts activities thoughtfully for quieter, younger children, ensuring that they access learning experiences that match their stage of development. She invites them to join activities, supports their learning needs and offers reassurance when needed. The childminder values children's different interests and tailors activities to reflect and extend these.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder makes reasonable adjustments and reviews their impact over time. She signposts and refers families to external agencies, such as health visitors and early help teams, to secure tailored support when required. The childminder's approach reflects an inclusive ethos, in which she welcomes, values and supports every child.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children make inconsistent progress through the childminder's curriculum. Some children build knowledge securely, but others do not acquire the foundational skills they need because activities often fail to build on what they already know or can do. The childminder identifies gaps in children's learning but does not consistently create learning opportunities to close them. Children who are quieter and younger than their peers receive targeted support that helps them overcome barriers; however, this support is not consistently delivered, and progress from their starting points is varied.

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Achievement Needs attention

The curriculum sometimes lacks consistent sequencing, so children do not always develop the skills required for their next stage of learning, including the move to nursery or school. Although the childminder has begun to adjust her approach, these changes are at an early stage and do not yet show clear impact on children's readiness for future learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder has made progress and has started to construct and deliver a broad curriculum; however, it is not consistently clear or well sequenced. She reviews what she wants children to learn and has started to make progress, including plans to help them understand emotions. However, she does not always apply it consistently in daily practice. Teaching does not reliably extend children's learning and help them make consistent progress.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder uses her understanding of individual needs to plan activities that interest children, and she creates some meaningful learning. She teaches concepts such as 'in front', 'behind' and 'next to' at mealtimes, helping children learn positional language during practical routines. She also introduces mathematical language when children choose cups in the home corner, encouraging them to notice colours, shapes and numbers. The childminder reads stories with enthusiasm and supports children's personal, social and emotional development by offering comfort, modelling positive interactions and maintaining predictable routines.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder adapts activities for younger children so they can access learning successfully. During a cutting activity, she selects equipment to support children whose physical skills are still developing, enabling them to participate with confidence. The childminder monitors children's progress, shares information with parents and uses assessment to plan meaningful next steps.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder shows commitment to improving her provision and has begun to make progress in strengthening her curriculum. She identifies areas she wants to develop, such as helping children understand emotions and prepare for starting school, but she has not yet translated these intentions into a clear or well-sequenced plan. She reviews areas of her provision, yet her decisions do not lead to consistent improvements in teaching. As a result, the quality of education varies.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder understands how to assess children's learning, and her assessments are generally accurate. She identifies what she wants children to learn, but she does not always deliver this in practice to extend learning. She does not consistently use what she knows about children to check if the curriculum supports their learning or builds on their knowledge. The childminder encourages quieter, younger children to participate in play with their peers, offering reassurance and modelling how to join in.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder does not access the training available, which limits her ability to strengthen curriculum delivery and ensure that teaching becomes more consistent. She builds warm relationships with families and communicates openly with them. Children also benefit from regular opportunities to visit the local park and library, widening their experiences and developing confidence in their community. However, the childminder has not established systematic routines to review her provision and evaluate the impact of changes or plan next steps for improvement. Provision requires strengthening so that the curriculum is intentional and children acquire the knowledge and skills they need to be ready for their next stage of learning, such as starting school.

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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 well settled in the calm and nurturing environment the childminder creates. They form secure attachments with the childminder, who responds with warmth and kindness. All children show curiosity as they explore the toys and activities available, choosing what interests them and growing in confidence in their play. The childminder has started to make changes to improve her curriculum, but the changes are not yet consistent or typical of everyday practice. It remains neither clearly sequenced nor sufficiently ambitious, and opportunities to extend children's knowledge are sometimes overlooked. For example, when children read a book with the childminder about bees collecting nectar, she shares the story with enjoyment yet does not build further on this moment to deepen their understanding of the natural world. This does not fully prepare children for the next stage of their learning, resulting in varying progress.

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

Children play alongside one another with growing awareness of turn-taking and sharing. They enjoy taking turns performing their favourite nursery rhyme for one another, showing early confidence and enthusiasm as they wait patiently for their friend's turn before sharing their own. The childminder models positive interactions and has made notable progress in supporting children's behaviour by providing calm, consistent guidance that helps them manage small disagreements and understand simple boundaries. Children feel a sense of belonging as they participate in daily routines and receive reassurance from the childminder. Families value the relationships the childminder builds with them and appreciate the regular updates about their children's experiences and achievements.

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

Children feel safe in the setting. They confidently approach the childminder when they need comfort or support. The childminder recognises each child's needs and adapts activities so they can all participate at their own pace. Children also develop early independence skills, such as attempting to manage their lunch boxes and getting themselves ready to play outdoors.

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

The childminder has not consistently identified or addressed weaknesses in her curriculum and teaching. Although she has begun to make improvements, her training and professional development have not yet strengthened curriculum delivery in a sustained way. To help children flourish, the childminder needs to embed recent curriculum improvements, deepen her subject knowledge and ensure that learning builds progressively over time.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

access training and support to continue to strengthen curriculum delivery to ensure that children make sufficient progress in their learning 27/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that the curriculum is consistently well implemented to build on what children know and can do, extending their learning and enabling them to make sufficient progress 27/03/2026

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Friday : 07:30 - 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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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.

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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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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