Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2752851 Registered with Ofsted: 20/10/2023 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 daily routines help children to be content and emotionally well regulated. Children know, for instance, what time they will sit down and have a snack. This helps them feel safe and confident. The childminder has established suitable boundaries for children to follow, creating a safe and structured environment. For example, she expects children to be kind and gentle with one another, and they respond well to these clear expectations. Children mainly behave well and demonstrate positive interactions with their peers. On some occasions, when the learning is either too advanced or not challenging enough, children may become bored or frustrated and show this in their interactions with each other. When this happens, the childminder and her assistant intervene promptly, offering support and guidance to help children manage their emotions and behave in an acceptable manner.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder provides good support for attendance. She closely monitors children's attendance to ensure their safety and overall development. She understands the importance of developing partnerships with families to identify any concerns.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The relationships between the childminder and the children are warm and caring. The childminder helps all children feel happy and safe. She understands the importance of building secure attachments with the children in her care. The childminder successfully teaches children how to develop healthy lifestyles. She provides a nutritionally balanced diet. For example, children enjoy healthy snacks of fresh fruit and vegetables and create their own pizzas with tomatoes, sweetcorn and mushrooms. The childminder encourages children to drink fresh water to stay hydrated. Children learn which food and drinks support their good physical health. Children are taught how to stay safe on outings. For example, the childminder and her assistant talk to children about road safety. The care routines implemented by the childminder typically help children to develop good hygiene habits. For example, children are guided to wash their hands before mealtimes. Children learn to

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

manage their personal care and show appropriate independence in using toilet training routines. Sleep is managed safely. The childminder understands the requirement to check on sleeping children regularly and uses a baby monitor to ensure that she can hear them at all times.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder ensures that her setting is inclusive and open to all. The childminder has an appropriate attitude towards the expectations of all children. She wants the best for all the children in her care. Typically, the childminder understands how to identify if children have any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She gathers information about all children to help her meet individual needs quickly. She finds out about the additional languages children speak at home and helps them quickly settle in and feel included. The childminder works in partnership with parents to consider what support children may require and encourages children to access additional services, such as speech and language groups, where appropriate. The childminder has an understanding of the funding available

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Needs attention

to support disadvantaged children. The childminder generally meets the needs of children with SEND, ensuring that they receive the necessary support for their overall development.

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Achievement Needs attention

Not all children make the progress they are capable of. Children's learning is not focused on their individual development needs. For example, children all carry out the same activities, such as drawing on paper and sharing the same books regardless of their individual stages of development. This means some children do not engage in the activities well because the learning is either above or below their level of development. This means that some children are not making progress at a sufficient rate. The curriculum has not been designed effectively to ensure that children experience, learn and master all of the information and skills they will need for their future, and the inconsistencies in the quality of the teaching and interactions affect their achievement. Children do not consistently build on their learning over time. For example, some older children are not yet demonstrating the attention and

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Achievement Needs attention

listening skills required for their move to school. Nevertheless, overall, children acquire basic communication and language skills because the childminder promotes learning new words, sharing books and rhymes, and talking to children about the daily events. Children learn to get along with others well and develop adequate social skills to support their personal and emotional development. Numbers and counting are introduced to children through rhymes.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder has a simple curriculum in place that promotes children's development in some of the areas of learning. She has organised the learning environment and her daily routine to provide children with a range of play experiences. For example, children begin their day by choosing stories to read and looking at flash cards. The childminder encourages children to engage in imaginative play as they pretend to grow like flowers. A variety of physical activities, including outings to local parks and play centres, support children's physical development effectively. However, the childminder has not fully considered each child's individual progress. She has not carried out the statutory assessments required. She has failed to assess children's progress and understand what they know and can do to shape the teaching and learning. This affects children's achievement because the childminder has been unable to identify the most appropriate next steps for their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

On some occasions, activities do not support learning at the children's stage of development. At times, children's play lacks purpose, and the childminder and her assistant fail to promote learning. Consequently, children become disengaged.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Overall, the childminder helps children develop effective communication and language skills. For example, she introduces children to new words, such as 'soft', 'squashy' and 'fluffy', as they share books. Children enjoy the rhymes the childminder teaches them. They talk to one another and learn how to take turns in conversation because the children and her assistant are typically good role models.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder ensures the safe management of the setting. For example, the mandatory training in first aid and safeguarding is undertaken to enhance children's safety. However, the childminder has failed to ensure that she or her assistant have access to suitable and relevant professional development opportunities to help them learn more about high-quality early years education. This has contributed to her failure to carry out statutory assessments of children's progress. Due to failings in assessment practices, the children's learning is often incidental.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder's assistant says she is happy and enjoys her work. The childminder helps her assistant understand her role through their daily discussions. Despite this, the childminder has not put in place an effective supervision programme for the assistant. This means the assistant is not clear about how to develop her personal effectiveness and teaching. This is a requirement of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'. The childminder has a positive attitude towards taking the necessary actions to bring about improvements for children.

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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 arrive happily and confidently, ready to begin their day. They eagerly join their friends for story time and greet one another with excitement, showing that they feel welcomed and secure in the lively environment. From the moment they arrive, children appear comfortable and settled. They separate from their parents with ease and quickly become involved in the experiences available to them. Children develop warm and secure relationships with familiar adults, which helps them feel safe, valued and confident to explore their surroundings. The relaxed and playful atmosphere helps children feel at ease, and families appreciate the welcoming environment that helps children settle quickly and enjoy their time in the setting.

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

Children confidently lead their own play and follow their interests. They choose books they would like to read and enjoy sharing stories together. Children also demonstrate their imagination and enthusiasm by initiating games with friends, such as hide and seek. Through these shared experiences, children develop important social skills. They learn to cooperate with one another and take turns, and they begin to understand the importance of sharing and working together. Children show they are familiar with daily routines and move between activities with confidence. They demonstrate growing independence as they make choices about their play and engage with the resources available.

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

Children's individual care needs and interests are recognised. However, learning experiences are not always sufficiently tailored to meet each child's stage of development. As a result, activities do not consistently build on what children already know and can do or help them make the best possible progress. In addition, the required progress check for children aged between 2 and 3 years has not always been carried out and shared with parents. This means parents do not always receive a clear written summary of their child's

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Inspector:

Lois Hulley development in the prime areas or guidance about support to help prepare them for the next stage of learning.

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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

develop the curriculum so that it responds to each child's individual needs and helps them build on what they already know and can do 09/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that each child's progress is reviewed between the ages of 2 and 3 and that parents and/or carers receive a written summary of their child's development in the prime areas 09/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that assistants receive appropriate and relevant professional development opportunities for continuous improvement 19/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that parents are provided with information about what children are learning in the setting and what they can do to further support their children's learning at home 19/03/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, the assistant 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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About this setting

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