Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 160378 Registered with Ofsted: 08/09/1992 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 make sustained progress in all areas of development based on their starting points, including those children who may face barriers to their learning. They develop their language skills through sharing their thoughts, listening to stories and asking questions. From a young age, children learn new vocabulary established through rhymes and activities. By the time children move onto nursery or school, they have achieved the skills needed to become articulate and confident.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are encouraged to be independent and manage tasks for themselves. They are praised for their accomplishments, such as dressing themselves without any help. They begin to solve problems as they play. For example, children independently match colours during a sorting activity, which helps to strengthen their critical thinking skills. This helps to prepare them for the next stage in their education, such as going to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is kind and respectful and builds very warm relationships with children. She is an extremely positive role model who sets clear expectations for children's behaviour. She reminds children to be polite and to say 'please' and 'thank you' and to share toys and resources with other children. The childminder sets consistent, age-appropriate rules that children understand to help them feel safe and to consider others. Children confidently make choices in their play and during routines. For example, they express their preferences when deciding what foods to eat at snack time.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave very well. They understand the boundaries and routines. The childminder uses praise to reward children for positive learning behaviours. Parents feed back that the childminder has high standards that positively influence their children, such as treating others with kindness and respect.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

From the beginning, the childminder establishes positive relationships with children and their families and ensures that parents understand the importance of punctual and regular attendance for children's development and learning. The childminder understands the need to address any issues concerning this should they ever arise.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

A real strength of the childminder's provision is the warm and loving bonds she has with children. Children's happiness and safety are at the heart of everything she does. The childminder provides children with familiar routines, such as during mealtimes and sleep times. She understands that children need to be aware of and supported through transitions. This approach supports children's wellbeing effectively as they understand what is about to happen next. Children learn good manners, modelled sensitively by the childminder. She carefully supervises children when they are eating and has effective systems in place to regularly check children who are sleeping. Children benefit from the access that they have to the childminder's garden, where they can run around in the fresh air and practise their physical skills. They grow and harvest vegetables, which the childminder cooks into a range of nutritious meals that the children

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

thoroughly enjoy. The childminder gathers information from parents on children's food preferences and allergies to ensure their safety.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder teaches children to become independent in their own care needs, such as handwashing and going to the toilet. She knows children well and recognises when some children need more support than others, adapting her approach for children's age and stage of development. Age-appropriate strategies are used to help children to manage their emotions. For example, she soothes and cuddles children who are becoming tired and fractious. Children seek out the childminder for help and reassurance when needed. They demonstrate their love and trust for the childminder, and they move about her home with confidence and ease. The childminder has strategies in place to support children who may face barriers to their learning, such as those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder gathers important information from parents to help identify children's existing knowledge and what they need to be learning next. This supports the childminder to tailor children's learning to their age and stage of development. She recognises different ways to support children's unique learning styles and preferences. For example, she skilfully extends older children's thinking to link with their own experiences, both during discussions and when reading stories. This supports children's imagination, recall and literacy skills. Younger children are exposed to sounds and have vocabulary broken down. They learn that horses 'neigh' and dogs 'bark'.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder weaves mathematics into her curriculum. She uses every opportunity to encourage children to count and name shapes. Children are very well supported in their emotional development and enjoy a variety of experiences to develop their physical skills, such as when visiting a nearby park and meeting up with other children to run around in the fresh air.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, the childminder can identify the areas that children need to be learning next and what activities and resources need to be provided to enhance children's experiences. However, children do not always have an appropriate balance of activities between those they choose for themselves and adult-led activities. The childminder does not always recognise when children need more adult-led involvement to extend their thinking skills. As a result, learning can sometimes be more incidental rather than purposeful.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder provides education and care that is inclusive. She has a full understanding of children's unique needs and the different challenges that some may face, such as children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. She knows how to adapt her curriculum effectively to ensure that children at all stages and ages of development make progress in their learning. Parents feed back that the childminder is approachable and very knowledgeable. They mention that she frequently provides help and advice on topics such as eating and sleeping. This helps to create a shared approach to children's learning. The childminder understands the role of outside professionals who help to provide additional support and experiences for children who are at risk of falling behind. Alongside any assistants she works with, the childminder regularly engages in additional training to further her knowledge. These

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Inclusion Expected standard

additional skills enable the childminder to provide targeted support and effectively help her to monitor and review children's progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder regularly updates her professional knowledge and that of any assistants she works with, helping them identify their own individual training needs. For example, the childminder provides them with the opportunity to complete a course in Makaton so children can be better supported in their communication, particularly for those children who are very young or have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder continuously reviews her provision to ensure that she promotes the wellbeing of children and any assistants she works with. She demonstrates a high commitment to tailoring her provision and meeting the unique needs of the children in her care.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder forges professional links with parents. She communicates effectively with them and involves them in their children's learning and development. Parents feed back that they are given very regular progress reports and meet with the childminder to establish children's future goals. This shows a positive and very responsive attitude for continuity of care between the provision and home and helps to remove any barriers to learning. The childminder updates her policies and procedures and regularly shares these with parents.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder ensures that her curriculum is broad and balanced and covers all areas of learning. She thoughtfully provides a wide range of resources that children find inspiring. However, the childminder would benefit from providing more purposeful adult-led learning so that children can fully benefit from more precise teaching.

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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 benefit fully from the warm and welcoming environment that the childminder provides. The childminder has a strong focus on children's emotional security, which helps children to feel safe and secure. She plays alongside children, offering cuddles and reassurance when needed. The childminder has high expectations for all children. She shares her experience of supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the progress that all children make from their starting points.

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

The childminder works closely with parents and regularly shares information on children's development. She uses regular assessment to identify any gaps in children's knowledge. She uses this information to plan her curriculum and adapt if necessary for those children who may face barriers to their learning, such as children who speak English as an additional language.

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

Children are curious and busy. They demonstrate high enjoyment as they explore the large variety of toys and resources that the childminder provides for them. The childminder identifies children's interests, and this helps her to engage children and challenge them in their learning. For example, for children who have enjoyed putting shapes into the correct corresponding space, the childminder introduces puzzles to establish what children already know and can do.

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

Children are independent in their play. They demonstrate high levels of confidence and show their capabilities. For instance, children who have recently developed their scissor skills competently use scissors to cut up pieces of malleable dough when making 'pancakes'.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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About this setting

Local authority: Surrey The childminder monitors children's attendance and timeliness. She shares this information with parents and explains why this is important. Consequently, children attend on time and very regularly. This pattern helps them to achieve better outcomes in life and prepares them well for the next stage in their education, such as going to school.

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Next steps

Provide a balance of adult- and child-led activities to ensure learning is more precisely targeted to children's next steps. Be more consistent in the implementation of the curriculum so that all children fully benefit from more purposeful teaching.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to the childminder, children and parents 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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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. 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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