Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 501893 Registered with Ofsted: 01/08/2001 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

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.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Children have positive attitudes to their learning. They enjoy the responsibility of helping with small tasks such as tidying up and preparing activities. Children receive lots of positive praise from the childminder. They make steady progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. Children enjoy learning and are motivated to explore, practise new skills and talk about their experiences. Children's communication and language development is well supported. All children use a broad vocabulary, speak confidently, ask questions and seek out help when needed. Opportunities to develop children's skills and knowledge in the outdoor area all year round are reduced. This impacts children's ability to explore and develop their interests in the outdoor environment.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Children build friendships, manage their feelings appropriately and show independence in daily routines. Children develop early mathematical understanding through play and everyday experiences. They count during activities and routines and recognise numbers and colours in their environment. Children enjoy imaginative play and link their play to personal experiences, such as visiting the dentist. Children demonstrate developing language skills and social understanding. As a result, they are prepared for their next stage of learning, including the move to school, and take pride in their achievements.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder creates strong bonds with children. She knows and is sensitive to each child's individual emotional needs and wellbeing. All children, including those who may be shy or reserved and who may have barriers to their learning, are highly confident and flourish. Children are motivated learners. The childminder is an excellent role model for children to learn from. She consistently teaches children about the impact of their behaviour and has high expectations of them. All children are keen to help others, understand the rules and routines and instinctively follow them. For example, when tidying up, children recognise one of their friends' toys that they have forgotten and suggest they take it to them. When one of their friends becomes unwell, they offer comfort and reassurance. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are motivated, interested and busily engaged in their play. They show concentration and a positive approach when solving problems. For example, they work together to find out how to get the dough out of the moulds. Children are happy and content, and they demonstrate a love for learning.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of children's punctuality and attendance on their routines, helping children settle quickly and accessing planned activities. Any absences are quickly addressed and recorded and, where necessary, external agencies are notified.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children's wellbeing is supported by the childminder's nurturing approach. She provides a home-from-home space where children feel safe enough to explore. She makes sure the areas children use are safe and secure. Children learn the foundations of a healthy lifestyle as they talk about healthy foods. The childminder provides healthy, nutritious meals and offers children daily opportunities to practise their own hygiene habits, such as washing their hands independently before and after eating, personal care routines and handling messy play resources.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have plenty of time to develop their social skills and become aware of the world around them because of the activities the childminder arranges. The childminder takes children to visit local parks and attends childminder group activities. These experiences help build children's confidence and develop a sense of belonging in their community. However, those children who prefer to learn outdoors do not have consistent opportunities to explore and develop their knowledge and skills in their preferred learning environment.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder is sensitive to children's individual circumstances and works in partnership with parents and carers to support significant transitions, such as moving on to school. She introduces relevant language, stories and discussions to help children understand changes in their lives and monitors their behaviour closely, adapting practice where needed.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides a purposeful curriculum that supports children to explore, question and develop confidence across the areas of learning. She establishes positive relationships, enabling children to fully engage knowing she is there to support them when needed. The childminder uses daily routines to extend learning. For example, she supports children's independence skills to make their own lunch, including buttering their bread and selecting their sandwich filling. The childminder holds meaningful conversations with the children, such as the importance of not using too much butter as this is unhealthy. This means that from an early age, children demonstrate effective independence skills.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Planned experiences support children to build knowledge and skills over time. During dough activities, children show unlimited perseverance as the childminder explains how to push the dough through tubes. Children shout out in excitement when they succeed and are praised for their persistence. This strengthens children's early mathematical understanding, language development and fine motor skills. The childminder uses stories deliberately to support children's next steps in learning. Children repeat words, building familiarity with language and increasing their confidence to join in. Children who prefer to play and learn outdoors do not have regular access to the outdoor provision. This reduces opportunities for children to develop their skills and knowledge in their preferred learning environment.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder adapts her teaching effectively for children of different ages and abilities, ensuring that every child can participate and progress at their own pace. She works closely with parents to provide a consistent approach to learning both at home and with the childminder.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder identifies children's individual needs when they start at the setting through close observation and regular discussions with families. She gathers information about their interests, routines and experiences at home, which helps children settle quickly into the setting. Positive, trusting relationships with parents support children's emotional wellbeing and enable the childminder to meet their individual needs effectively.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Reasonable adjustments are made to help children feel safe and included. Care routines such as sleeping, feeding and nappy changing are adapted to reflect familiar home practices, helping children feel comfortable and secure. This supports children's engagement in play and daily routines.

p.4

Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder monitors children's progress through ongoing observation and discussions with parents and carers. Where emerging concerns are identified, she works in partnership with families and seeks advice from external professionals as appropriate. The childminder adapts care sensitively and knows children well. She has undertaken additional training to understand the experiences and care needs of the children she cares for. This enables her to provide the emotional and educational support that each child needs.

p.4

Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder makes effective use of additional funding to support children's inclusion in learning, for example by purchasing monthly subscriptions to curriculum and interest-based activities. This ensures children's continuous engagement in activities that provide the skills and knowledge for their next stage in education.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear commitment to providing a safe, nurturing and welcoming environment where children make consistent progress. She draws on her experience to make decisions that support children's care, learning and wellbeing, especially for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning. Regular communication with parents and carers ensures they are up to date with their child's progress and next steps in learning.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder keeps mandatory training up to date. She engages in professional development opportunities to support and inform her practice, ensuring it remains current and responsive to children's needs.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder reflects on her practice and responds positively to external guidance. For example, she has acted on previous inspection recommendations by developing health- focused routines, especially at mealtimes, which have had a positive impact on children's engagement and wellbeing. She also uses professional networks, local authority information and online resources to inform her work. Overall, her leadership ensures the setting runs smoothly and that children benefit from well-organised provision that supports their development and readiness for the next stage of learning.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

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

Children are warmly welcomed into a safe, secure, carefully planned and stimulating learning environment. They benefit hugely from the childminder's child-centred curriculum. She has a clear understanding of what she wants children to learn at each age and stage of development. The childminder has high expectations for all children in all aspects of their learning. Children make positive progress, including the most vulnerable children, from their starting points in their communication and language, physical, and personal, social and emotional development. Children master key skills they need for their future development

p.5

About this setting

Registration date: 01/08/2001 and are well prepared for school. For instance, from an early age, children develop their hand–eye coordination and independence extremely well. They prepare their own lunch and help ensure their toys are tidied away after use. They demonstrate high levels of focus and perseverance as they join in with modelling dough activities to achieve an intended outcome.

p.6

About this setting

Children develop their physical and socialisation skills as they take part in organised movement classes with other childminders and the children they care for. Children recall blowing and catching bubbles, making shapes with their body and balancing items on their head.

p.6

About this setting

The childminder provides a highly effective, language-rich learning environment. She models language for children to learn from and teaches children of all ages how to use new words in context. Children are confident communicators. For example, children talk to others clearly, listen intently and respond with relevant, well-thought-out responses. Children make wonderful progress in their communication and language development.

p.6

Next steps

The childminder should provide children who prefer to play and learn outdoors with daily opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in their preferred learning environment.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder.

p.6

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

p.6

About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

p.7

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.7

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.7

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.8

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.

p.8

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8