Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY243498 Registered with Ofsted: 15/08/2002 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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Leadership and governance Exceptional

The childminder works collaboratively with the local authority and early help to initiate highly impactful, targeted support events in the home setting, addressing identified community needs such as oral hygiene, healthy diets, eating habits and wider developmental priorities, improving outcomes for children, families and the wider sector. This work has a transformational impact on the childminder's own practice and other local providers in the community. For example, sessions hosted in the childminder's home and/or during children's home visits give parents in-depth knowledge and extremely practical strategies to introduce new methods and foods, helping children overcome sensory barriers and dietary complications. This support has an extremely positive impact on children's health and wellbeing. The childminder also promotes advanced specific teaching skills acquired from evidence-based training and guidance on early speech development, supporting parents to

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

build children's self-esteem and confidence so that they progress to communicating effectively and begin to close developmental gaps. Children excel in their starting points and become more resilient to new social situations, displaying self-awareness and confidence.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

The childminder remains highly motivated and consistently strives to improve outcomes for all children. Her exemplary role modelling of play and enthusiastic behaviour strongly influences children's learning and attitudes. She consistently manages her workload effectively and demonstrates a continuous commitment to professional development, using evidence-based research to inform awe-inspiring practice. She shows flexibility in her support for families, meeting parents at times and locations that fit around their routines, which reduces barriers such as travel or work commitments and helps children settle into care more smoothly.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

The childminder also recognises the wider challenges families face. She effectively signposts parents to local food banks and shares healthy, low-cost recipe ideas while delivering guidance about oral hygiene and reducing acidic foods to promote better oral health for all children. Through early help visits and discussions, she raises awareness about the impact of excessive screen time on speech development and how limited real-life interaction can affect children's social skills, encouraging parents to create more opportunities for communication and shared experiences at home. These actions contribute to improved developmental outcomes for children beyond the setting.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

The childminder ensures effective transitions to school, including for children with higher support needs, by coordinating closely with parents and professionals. She gathers detailed information about children's development, interests and starting points from registration through home visits and ongoing dialogue. Her inclusive, resourceful approach ensures learning remains engaging, diverse and meaningful.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

The childminder maintains an exemplary safe and inviting culture, minimising risk through vigilant supervision and proactive teaching of safety and kindness. Her teaching style is innovative, supporting learning at home and celebrating diversity, real-life experiences and community involvement to transform the outcomes of children by ensuring inclusivity and

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Strong standard

equality. As a result, children and families develop confidence, resilience and positive attitudes to learning, securing ground-breaking foundations for future success.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children make impressive progress from their individual starting points, particularly in communication and language. They grow in confidence and show high motivation to participate and are willing to have a go at new experiences. Through consistent routines, children develop increasing independence and self-help skills, demonstrating secure fine motor control and perseverance. They feel emotionally supported, which builds resilience and a positive sense of self.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children confidently use language to express needs, join in with songs, count objects and engage in back-and-forth interactions. They show curiosity during outdoor play and outings, developing physical skills and a growing understanding of the world. Story times capture their attention, with children responding using words, actions and sustained listening. By following their interests, children engage deeply in role play and imaginative learning, applying language and early mathematical ideas meaningfully. Older children sustain concentration, explore more complex ideas and engage in deeper conversations. Overall, children display positive attitudes to learning, strong engagement and readiness for the next stage of development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder acts as a consistently positive role model and creates a language-rich environment that leads to positive behaviour for all children. She narrates routines and play effectively, building children's understanding and communication skills. Children form sensitive, trusting relationships and display high levels of curiosity, confidence and positive attitudes to learning. They willingly have a go, join in and anticipate routines, such as handwashing and mealtimes, which help them feel safe and secure to thrive.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

She promotes inclusion and emotional security through reassurance, praise and genuine care. Children behave kindly, share, take turns and show patience while waiting. Clear expectations and well-narrated routines support smooth transitions, cooperation and independence. Children tidy away, access drinks independently and respond confidently to their own care needs.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder's patient approach enables children to develop advanced self-help skills, including dressing, using utensils, managing spills and preparing food safely. Children show pride, resilience and determination when overcoming challenges. Emotional wellbeing remains central to practice, allowing children to explore, communicate needs and transition calmly, demonstrating confidence, responsibility and a strong sense of belonging.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder supports children's welfare to a consistently high standard and shows clear passion for improving outcomes for every child. She builds children's confidence and self- assurance through inclusive practice that meets individual needs and encourages kindness, cooperation and helping others. Her in-depth early years knowledge underpins high standards of practice and enhances children's wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prepares all food in line with safer eating guidance and actively teaches children about healthy, balanced diets, oral health and safe eating habits. She supervises meals carefully and promotes healthy lifestyle choices. Her leadership ensures children's welfare needs are met at all times, including providing spare clothing and communicating effectively with parents about the benefits of outdoor play and self-help skills.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder identifies additional needs early and acts promptly, securing referrals and signposting that lead to effective support, including identifying hearing issues linked to speech delay. She works closely with parents and other professionals to implement care plans and support school transitions. Her safeguarding knowledge is thorough, and she works proactively with families to overcome barriers to attendance, behaviour and transitions, resulting in positive, sustained outcomes for children.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a highly impactful approach to teaching that enables children to overcome next steps in development, particularly in communication and language. She motivates children to participate confidently and provides frequent opportunities to practise self-help skills through daily routines, such as dressing, food preparation and fine motor tasks. Teaching remains consistent across care and play, meeting each child's age and stage while supporting emotional needs, confidence and resilience. The childminder places a strong focus on communication, language and mathematics. Children confidently count, sing, listen and practise speaking skills. She uses outings and outdoor play to promote curiosity and gross motor development, building on positive experiences. Her story reading is engaging and interactive, encouraging single-word responses, listening and early conversation by allowing children time to think and respond.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder uses children's interests to create language-rich experiences through role play, books and imaginative play. She demonstrates knowledge in how to adapt teaching for older children, offering appropriate challenge through deeper conversations, complex role play and mathematical concepts, such as buying items with role-play money. She matches activities with other settings to support continuity of learning. Teaching remains highly responsive, extending critical thinking, resilience and positive attitudes to learning through flexible, engaging and inclusive practice.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder knows children well and uses this knowledge to promote next steps in development through play and daily routines. She adapts teaching effectively to meet each child's age and stage, identifies barriers to learning and provides targeted support that builds self-confidence. She consistently follows children's interests, works meticulously to ensure all children, including those who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who may have barriers to their learning, feel included. The childminder shows high levels of patience and care. Her practice makes a sustained difference to children's outcomes.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder interacts sensitively, supporting emotional wellbeing and responding promptly when children feel anxious in new social situations. This approach builds trust and strengthens key-worker relationships. She identifies developmental gaps and overcomes barriers, such as low confidence or anxiety. This has a positive impact on children's emotional security.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder supports transitions between routines extremely well and remains vigilant to individual needs. She engages younger children while waiting through mark making and shared stories, encouraging patience. The childminder is highly enthusiastic when reading to children. For example, she uses actions to ensure stories are engaging and adapts her teaching to build children's confidence and school readiness. The childminder is fully aware of how to access and use any additional funding effectively to help improve outcomes for disadvantaged 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 feel happy, safe and secure, and they thrive in their emotional health. The childminder provides consistent reassurance and praise, actively building self-esteem through warm, secure relationships with children and their families. These trusted relationships create a strong foundation that supports every child to grow in confidence, both in their sense of self and in their interactions with others. Children confidently explore a range of carefully selected resources that promote their next steps in development. The childminder plans learning thoughtfully. She offers engaging toys, such as fidget toys, building and balancing blocks, and animal figures. These resources spark curiosity and support learning through physical actions and enable the childminder to build effectively on what children already know. Children make choices in their play, which encourages purposeful engagement and sustained interest.

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

Children communicate with confidence. The childminder actively supports communication by role modelling words, promoting children to practise speech sounds and developing early conversational skills. She allows children time to think and respond, valuing each contribution in meaningful contexts. This patient approach strengthens confidence in communication and promotes expressive language development.

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

Parent partnerships are exceptionally strong. The childminder hosts early help support sessions in the home to give parents knowledge and practical strategies to introduce new methods and foods. This helps children to overcome sensory barriers and dietary complications and has a transformational impact on children's welfare.

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

Children showcase increasing independence in their play and daily routines. They try new skills with determination, particularly when developing physical abilities. The childminder supports children as they practise pulling off and putting on mittens, gloves and hats, both on themselves and on dolls. These experiences strengthen advanced physical coordination

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About this setting

Registration date: 15/08/2002 and build essential life skills that promote independence. Children feel proud of their achievements and show motivation to persevere.

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About this setting

Children thrive across all interactions, as play and care routines remain highly impactful and thoughtfully planned. Children confidently seek comfort and reassurance when needed, knowing that the childminder responds sensitively and consistently. This emotional security enables children to explore, take risks and develop resilience. The childminder provides language-rich activities and routines that further support children's development. She uses clear, purposeful interactions and children's interests to build on current skills. This approach enhances speaking and listening abilities, promotes deep concentration and encourages advanced interaction from an early age.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of any disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing that they may care for in the future.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders 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. Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR

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About this inspection

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

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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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