Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY490568 Registered with Ofsted: 26/06/2015 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 Strong standard

The childminder creates a highly positive and nurturing environment where she firmly embeds and consistently upholds clear expectations for behaviour. Children understand exactly what is expected of them. She helps them recognise the impact of their actions. For example, when children wave toys too close to another child's face, she explains the risk and guides the children towards a safer choice. Through this calm and consistent approach, the childminder enables children to regulate their own emotions and behaviours with increasing independence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder builds secure, trusting relationships that support children's attitudes to learning. Children readily seek reassurance, communicate their ideas and engage in sustained, purposeful play. They imitate her respectful interactions by helping one another, sharing resources and showing genuine care for their peers. She reinforces these behaviours with explicit, meaningful praise that highlights their helpfulness, effort and cooperation. This deepens children's understanding of kindness and responsibility.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

She explicitly teaches the habits that underpin positive learning behaviours. She models how to sustain attention, breaks tasks into manageable steps and encourages perseverance when challenges arise. Children who return independently to earlier activities demonstrate their growing ability to recall and apply previous learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder considers individual needs carefully. For example, she supports children who struggle with changes in routine by preparing them sensitively. She prioritises attendance and punctuality, following up promptly when patterns emerge. As a result, children feel secure, behave exceptionally well and develop curiosity, resilience and confidence that prepare them well for future learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder focuses on promoting the highest levels of children's welfare and wellbeing. For example, she places an emphasis on ensuring children feel safe, settled and emotionally secure so they are ready and able to learn. She is highly reflective about her own wellbeing and manages this carefully, recognising that maintaining her own wellbeing enables her to provide the children with all they need from her. Children form secure attachments with her and confidently seek reassurance, support and comfort when needed.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Care practices are well tailored to children's individual needs. The childminder knows each child and their family circumstances well and uses this understanding to provide tailored support and guidance. Regular communication with parents ensures she remains fully informed of any changes that may affect children's welfare, enabling her to respond quickly and appropriately. Parents speak highly of the care their children receive and comment on the robust, regularly reviewed policies that underpin safe and consistent practice across the setting.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop a strong understanding of how to look after their physical health. Well- structured routines promote independence. For example, young children manage their own

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Expected standard

toileting needs, peel fruit and confidently drink from open-topped cups. Mealtimes are sociable occasions and promote healthy choices, positive manners and respectful interactions. The childminder continually checks in with the children throughout the day, supporting them to recognise and manage their emotions and to feel secure and regulated.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make positive progress overall from the starting points. They develop the skills they need for the next stage in their education, including developing independence and confidence in their own abilities. Children build communication and language skills well. They listen attentively and communicate their wants and needs to the childminder with ease. Children receive praise for their achievements, helping build their confidence and personal skills. As a result, they are increasingly keen to practise and show off what they can do. Children's physical development progresses as they build strength and control through a wide variety of opportunities indoors and out. Fine motor skills are developed through activities such as using tweezers to move small pompoms and threading cotton reels. Children learn how to use tools safely. Children with barriers to their learning benefit from targets and strategies to help them to close gaps in their development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a clear and accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching in her setting. She has designed a well-sequenced curriculum that reflects the children's needs and interests and her priorities to support their personal, social and emotional development. Her ongoing assessments provide an accurate picture of children's starting points and development and enable her to plan next steps that support continued progress. She knows the skills children must secure before moving on and plans learning so that new knowledge builds on what children already know and can do.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching is purposeful and focused on children's individual needs. Highly effective interactions allow her to introduce new vocabulary and concepts during meaningful play and use concrete and practical examples to strengthen children's understanding. She skilfully models language and correct pronunciation, which supports children's communication and confidence as speakers. Story times are interactive and engaging, helping children to explore ideas such as opposites and colour. The childminder places strong emphasis on children's physical development. She ensures they secure essential gross motor skills before progressing to more refined fine motor tasks. Mathematical concepts such as size, shape and early counting are taught through practical exploration and reinforced when children apply these skills independently in their play later in the day.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

While teaching supports children to meet expected levels of development, the childminder is not yet consistently planning to extend learning in the areas children are already securely on track. This limits opportunities for some children to broaden their knowledge and skills even further.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has created an inclusive and nurturing environment where children's individual needs are identified swiftly and accurately. She gathers detailed information from families before children start. This means she has relevant information she needs to ensure that children's individual needs are met from the onset. Ongoing communication with parents, alongside regular observations, enables her to maintain an up-to-date understanding of children's abilities and emerging needs. This allows her to respond promptly and to seek timely professional advice when appropriate. She regularly observes children, checks what they need to achieve next and adapts her support to build steadily over time and respond to each child's developing skills, knowledge and understanding. As a result, barriers to learning are reduced and children receive targeted support that reflects their individual circumstances.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder uses her knowledge of child development to plan appropriate next steps for children's learning. She has suitable expectations for children who may face barriers to their learning. The childminder takes action to support children who may face barriers to their learning to reach expected developmental levels. However, she does not consistently plan to deepen learning in areas where the children are already securely on track. This limits opportunities for some children to extend their knowledge and skills further across all areas of learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The provider currently has no children in receipt of early years pupil premium on roll but demonstrates a secure understanding of how to use this funding effectively should the need arise.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a clear and accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of her setting. She is ambitious and proactive in seeking out professional development and uses the knowledge she gains to make improvements to her practice. She attends training linked to the specific needs of the children in her care, demonstrating a commitment to meeting children's individual needs. However, while she engages in regular training, the professional development she chooses is not always sharply focused on the areas she most needs to strengthen in the setting. This means the childminder's professional development is not yet consistently targeted to the areas that would most strengthen the setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Strong and positive relationships with parents ensure that the childminder consistently has up-to-date information about children's needs. This enables her to offer timely support and guidance to parents, contributing to children's continuity of care. She also forms effective links with other settings that children attend and with the schools they later move on to. This helps to strengthen transitions and ensures that information about children's development is shared appropriately.

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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, settled and welcome in this warm and nurturing setting. They form secure and trusting relationships with the childminder and confidently seek her out for comfort, reassurance and support throughout the day. The childminder knows each child and their family circumstances well, and as a result, children experience care that reflects their individual needs. Parents feel welcomed and well informed and comment that their children are happy, making progress and keen to attend.

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About this setting

Children enjoy learning and engage enthusiastically in the experiences offered. The childminder's modelling of respectful behaviour ensures that children develop positive social skills as they play alongside one another, sharing resources and showing kindness. Daily routines foster a strong sense of belonging. Children talk about their families at mealtimes and plan their day together. Children are keen to help with tasks such as tidying up or preparing their own snacks. Children are proud of their achievements and excitedly celebrate new skills, often calling out, 'I did it!' or offering a 'high five' to their friends.

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About this setting

The childminder has a clear vision of what she wants children to learn and achieve and has high expectations for all children. Her well-sequenced curriculum is adapted to the needs of the children attending and builds on what they already know and can do. As a result, children achieve well from their starting points. Children communicate confidently, readily sharing their ideas and requests. The childminder introduces new language through meaningful interactions, stories and play. This helps children build the vocabulary and understanding they need for later learning. All children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, benefit from strategies and support that help them take part and achieve.

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Next steps

The childminder should plan next steps for children's learning that not only address gaps in their development but also extend learning in the areas where children are already developing well. The childminder should develop the focus of professional development by selecting training that is linked to her identified areas for improvement at the setting.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents and children 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): EY490568

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About this inspection

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

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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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