Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY350855 Registered with Ofsted: 02/07/2007 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 steady and age-appropriate progress from their individual starting points across the areas of learning. Their communication and language skills are developing well. Younger children use a growing vocabulary and form simple sentences, while older children listen carefully, follow instructions and communicate confidently.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop effective personal, social and emotional skills. They learn to share, take turns and build positive relationships with their peers. Children learn to understand their feelings and cooperate during play. They develop their independence through everyday routines. Children learn to put on their coats and shoes and follow positive hygiene practises. They understand why washing their hands keeps them healthy.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children learn about healthy choices. At snack time, they talk about fruits and how these foods give them energy. Outdoors, they develop stamina, balance and coordination. With guidance, they explore equipment safely and learn to manage risks.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder provides a warm and nurturing environment. Respectful and trusting relationships help children to feel safe and secure. The childminder acts as an active play partner, engaging purposefully in children's learning. This encourages children to stay focused, persist with tasks and develop positive attitudes towards their play and exploration.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Clear and consistent boundaries help children to understand what is expected of them. The childminder explains rules in age-appropriate ways, such as why they must remain seated while eating. She is a positive role model, consistently promoting good manners, kindness and cooperative play. Through group activities and games, children learn to share and take turns, developing their social skills effectively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder supports children's emotional development by helping them to reflect on real experiences, such as times they felt sad or happy. Activities, such as drawing themselves while looking in a mirror, help children to recognise and interpret facial expressions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents and carers to promote positive behaviour, reinforce consistent expectations and encourage regular attendance. This partnership approach supports children's wellbeing and contributes positively to their learning and progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides a warm and welcoming environment that supports children's wellbeing and sense of belonging effectively. She tailors the settling-in process to each child. The childminder works closely with parents and carers to understand children's home routines and family backgrounds. This helps children to feel secure from the outset. Children benefit from a nurturing atmosphere, where they feel safe and emotionally secure. They develop positive attachments and confidently seek reassurance when needed. Children learn about personal safety through regular outings. For example, children talk about road safety and holding hands when walking near a road.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Consistent routines are well established, which helps children to understand the expectations in the setting. Children learn to wash their hands after outdoor play and before meals. The childminder supports children to develop independence in managing their own self-care needs, such as wiping their noses and putting on outdoor clothing. The childminder is beginning to help children to recognise and manage their emotions through stories and activities that help them understand their emotions.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Care practises are responsive and meet children's individual needs. The childminder notices when children require comfort, rest or food and adapts routines accordingly. As a result, children feel protected, settled and happy in the childminder's care.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has made improvements to her curriculum since the previous inspection. She has acted on guidance provided by the local authority and now delivers a curriculum that is broad, well sequenced and firmly rooted in all areas of learning. She uses children's starting points and ongoing assessment well to generally plan purposeful and meaningful activities. This ensures that all children make steady progress from their individual starting points.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

There is a focus on developing children's communication and language skills. Daily stories, songs and carefully planned small-group sessions support children's early literacy effectively. The childminder successfully incorporates mathematical learning into enjoyable activities, such as play dough. She gives children regular opportunities to name shapes and colours, count objects and use number names in sequence. The childminder promotes children's independence, confidence and social development well. She provides regular outings with other childminders. This helps children to form friendships beyond the setting and strengthen their personal, social and emotional development as they become confident learners.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of what children know and can do and has clear intentions for what they need to learn next. She generally plans activities across all areas of learning that meet children's individual needs and support them towards achieving their outcomes. However, she does not consistently adapt her teaching during spontaneous play to extend learning and deepen children's understanding. For example, when using the doctors role-play kit, the childminder names the items in the bag but does not always explain what they are used for. This occasionally limits opportunities for children to know more and remember more.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder typically has an understanding of each child's individual needs, identified through her regular observations and assessments. This enables her to plan appropriate experiences that support children's age and stage of development. The childminder makes thoughtful adaptations, so all children can participate fully. For example, she provides suitable dietary alternatives for children with allergies and uses visual aids to support children who find communication more difficult.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works effectively with external agencies to support children who may be more vulnerable. She ensures that practical resources, such as spare outdoor clothing, are available, so every child can access outdoor learning in all weathers. The childminder uses additional funding purposefully to widen children's experiences, including visits to local farms and activity centres.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children's progress is monitored closely through ongoing assessments and regular discussions with parents and carers. Where needed, the childminder seeks guidance from health visitors, speech and language therapists and other professionals, implementing suggested strategies well. Communication with families is effective, with daily updates and signposting to further support where appropriate.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder understands how to support children known to social care. She works in partnership with parents and professionals to promote children's wellbeing and reviews their progress regularly to ensure positive outcomes.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has made steady improvements since her previous inspection. Support from the local authority has strengthened her understanding of how to deliver her curriculum more effectively. The childminder has also applied learning from training that focused on younger children, enabling her to enhance her practice and better support children's early development. The childminder recognises that she is still on a journey of improvement and continues to seek further training and guidance to help her to extend and refine her practice.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents and carers feel well involved in their children's care and education, attributing this to the childminder's clear and effective communication. The childminder carries out regular assessments of children's learning and shares these with parents and other professionals, where appropriate. This ensures that parents remain well informed about their children's progress and that any additional support needed during transitions is identified promptly. This helps children to move smoothly on to their next setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Although the childminder is committed to ongoing improvement, her self-evaluation processes are generalised. They do not consistently identify precise priorities for development. This limits her ability to enhance her teaching skills and apply new learning consistently across 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 feel safe and secure in the childminder's care. They benefit from her warm and nurturing approach and quickly settle. Children demonstrate a sense of belonging within the setting. They show confidence as they independently select from the wide range of well- planned play opportunities available to them. Children develop positive social skills. They use positive manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you'. Children show an emerging understanding of kindness as they share resources and play cooperatively. For example, they willingly hand out dough to the childminder, explaining that, 'It is kind to share.'

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About this setting

Opportunities to explore their local community enhance children's learning. Regular visits to local parks, libraries and playgroups broaden children's social experiences and increase their awareness of the world around them. The childminder uses these outings to also promote children's physical development effectively as they build stamina, strength and confidence during walks and outdoor play. Children enjoy squeezing, rolling and pressing dough. These experiences build hand strength and coordination.

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About this setting

Children develop independence through everyday tasks, such as tidying away toys and helping with simple routines. This helps them to build confidence in their abilities. Children thoroughly enjoy their learning as they explore different toys and engage in imaginative play. The childminder skilfully responds to children's interests, using these to plan meaningful and engaging experiences. For example, she creates a picnic themed role-play area to spark conversations about healthy eating, while extending and developing children's vocabulary.

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About this setting

All children make typical progress from their starting points. The childminder has a secure understanding of what each child can do. She uses this knowledge to plan purposeful activities that build on their existing skills. The childminder's observations and ongoing assessments ensure that children's learning is generally well sequenced and adapted to meet their individual needs.

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Next steps

The childminder should develop interactions to extend and expand on what children know and can do, to help them make even more progress in their learning. The childminder should further develop systems to evaluate strengths and areas to improve in her provision, and target these more precisely to bring about continual improvement.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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. Unique reference number (URN): EY350855

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 06:30 - 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

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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