Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY469744 Registered with Ofsted: 15/11/2013 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 progress across all areas of the curriculum from their individual starting points. They communicate clearly and confidently, expressing their needs and wants and responding to questions in ways that are appropriate to their stage of development. Children are happy, independent and curious. They thoroughly enjoy exploring their environment and learning about the world around them.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make progress in their physical development and enthusiastically engage in experiences in the local community, such as celebrating their friends' birthdays at the local play group, which help them to develop an increasing social awareness and sense of their own uniqueness as they learn they must wait until it is their turn to blow out the candles.

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Achievement Expected standard

They also enjoy participating in singing and movement sessions in the local community, which further supports the development of their confidence, communication and physical skills through music and sensory activities. The experiences and opportunities available to children help them to gain the essential knowledge and skills they need to be suitably prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has established a busy but positive environment with clear expectations for behaviour. Kindness and respect are insisted upon, and children are expected to show care and consideration for others. Children behave well and demonstrate consistently positive attitudes. There are some well-embedded routines, such as washing hands before and after eating, in place. However, there is scope to develop these further. For example, the childminder does not have consistent structure or expectations around mealtimes. This means that sometimes children move between eating and play. Strengthening mealtime expectations and routines would further support children's self-regulation and social development in preparation for the next stage of learning, including the move to school when the time comes.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children consistently demonstrate positive attitudes. The childminder is tuned in to children's cues and consistently models the language of feelings, such as tired or hungry, enabling children to recognise and manage them. She recognises the importance of regular attendance and works closely with families to promote and encourage this. Communication with families is positive and proactive, ensuring continuity and a consistent approach.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides a warm, safe and welcoming environment, in which children feel secure and valued. She develops positive, trusting relationships and demonstrates a sound understanding of children's individual needs, enabling her to respond appropriately. Consequently, children form secure attachments and seek reassurance when needed, which supports their emotional wellbeing and helps them to feel settled. Suitable routines are in place to support children's hygiene, toileting and self-care. The childminder works in partnership with parents to promote continuity in children's care. For example, she supports with potty training. These approaches support children to begin developing independence and prepare them for the next stage in their learning. However, routines are not always applied consistently. As a result, children do not always make the progress they could in managing their self-care independently.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are encouraged to adopt healthy habits, including handwashing and opportunities for active play. Nevertheless, opportunities to extend children's understanding of effective hygiene practices are not always fully utilised. Overall, children's welfare and wellbeing are appropriately supported, although improving the consistency of routines would further strengthen outcomes.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and her teaching. She makes informed decisions to support continuous improvement, including using grant funding effectively to enhance resources and address identified next steps in children's learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Her chosen curriculum supports children's language development, vocabulary acquisition and early mathematical understanding, alongside their physical, personal, social and emotional development. She provides warm, secure interactions and engaging experiences that reflect children's interests and starting points. The childminder narrates play and models language consistently, supporting children to explore, participate and develop confidence.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder embeds mathematical concepts, including size, shape and number, within both planned and child-led activities. She supports children to engage in counting, shape recognition and colour matching through effective modelling and guidance. She adapts activities for different ages and stages of development to promote progress from individual starting points.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

However, in adult-led learning, the childminder does not consistently extend learning beyond the chosen activity. For example, when children successfully match objects by colour, she does not routinely introduce additional challenge or deepen thinking through questioning. As a result, children miss opportunities to apply knowledge and consolidate skills through sustained engagement. More precise planning and effective differentiation would further strengthen teaching, ensuring that children remain consistently challenged and deeply engaged in their learning for longer periods.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder identifies children's individual needs through detailed starting-point information, ongoing observations and close partnership with parents. She tracks children's progress carefully and reviews the impact of support, adapting her approach to help each child continue to move forward in their development. The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including those known to children's social care. She works collaboratively with families and engages external professionals when needed to plan targeted support and improve outcomes.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Although no children currently attending qualify for additional funding, the childminder confidently explains how she would use this to provide equitable experiences and enhance learning should circumstances change. She understands her responsibilities in identifying need, implementing appropriate support and working alongside parents and other professionals to ensure a tailored approach for every child.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder accesses relevant training and seeks professional guidance when needed, demonstrating a proactive commitment to inclusive practice. She knows how to obtain further advice, resources and potential funding to support children effectively and has identified opportunities to access additional SEND specific training to further strengthen her knowledge and practice.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents speak very positively about the childminder, describing her as caring, professional and approachable. They report that she provides a safe, nurturing, home-from-home environment that supports growing children's independence, confidence and security. The childminder carefully tailors settling-in sessions to each family, helping parents to feel reassured and children to feel secure and well settled. The childminder communicates proactively with parents and uses information about children's routines, interests and needs to support their wellbeing and learning. She also ensures that information about children's development and welfare is shared effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is clearly passionate about wanting the best for the children in her care. She demonstrates a solid understanding of her professional responsibility and reflects thoughtfully on her practice to identify clear areas for development, such as increased professional networking and sourcing further training. She proactively works to address these priorities to enable her to provide all children with the valuable and meaningful learning experiences and opportunities.

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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 settle quickly and benefit from a well-resourced environment that enables them to make their own choices about their play. They show increasing curiosity and confidence as they engage in a wide range of play experiences based on their interests. For example, they delight in dressing up and using a pretend microphone to sing songs as they engage in imaginative play and enjoy sharing familiar stories and sorting objects by colour. Children have numerous opportunities to develop their communication, critical thinking and physical skills across a range of activities and experiences. The childminder models language well, introducing new and ambitious vocabulary such as 'trapezoid'. This helps to broaden children's vocabulary and supports early mathematical understanding from a very young age.

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

The childminder provides a warm and inclusive environment where children's emotional wellbeing is prioritised. She uses information from parents and her own observations to provide activities and resources to meet children's individual needs. Responsive interactions, praise and encouragement help children develop independence, social skills and 'can-do' attitudes. Children quickly form warm, trusting attachments to the childminder, readily seeking cuddles and interactions. These positive relationships help children feel secure and supported, enabling them to seek comfort when needed and approach their learning with confidence and resilience.

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

The childminder provides a broad range of experiences that support children to develop some of the important personal and social skills they will need for the next stage of their

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About this setting

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

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About this setting

Local authority: Dudley learning. She makes effective use of local playgroups and the wider community to deepen children's social awareness and understanding.

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Next steps

The childminder should ensure that adult-led learning provides sufficient challenge and opportunities for children to deepen thinking, apply knowledge and consolidate skills through more sustained engagement. The childminder should establish and implement consistent routines and clear expectations at mealtimes. The childminder should fully embed routines for self-care consistently to strengthen children's independence and better prepare them for future learning and life skills.

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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.

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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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