Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY475130 Registered with Ofsted: 09/04/2014 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 clear progress in their development in relation to their starting points. They demonstrate well-developed language skills. For example, children communicate confidently with one another, asking questions and sharing their ideas. During the story of 'The Three Little Pigs', they explain that another word for 'hungry' is 'starving'. They also use descriptive vocabulary such as 'squidgy' when talking about the house made of straw.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show confidence and independence in their play. They solve problems as they plan and build houses using straw, sticks and bricks. They persevere when using the 'bricks' to construct a garage for their 'motorbike' to protect it from the rain. Children move around the environment with ease, independently accessing resources and making purposeful choices in their play. All children gain skills that will prepare them for their move on to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations for behaviour. Children understand the rules and show respect for the toys and resources. The childminder has developed a secure relationship with the children. As a result, they play well together and demonstrate they are safe and secure in her home.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder knows the children well and intervenes sensitively when younger children occasionally struggle to share. She provides many opportunities to encourage children to play alongside each other and collaborate in their play. The childminder works in partnership with parents to encourage the importance of regular attendance and punctuality.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder uses praise regularly, particularly when children attempt something for the first time. For example, during an activity, the children were trying to make the different expressions to match the moods of the 'colour monsters'. Younger children happily join in with sounds if they cannot fully copy the expressions. The childminder skilfully uses this opportunity to recall when they had made these noises during the previous storytelling session.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder is sensitive to children's care needs. Nappy changing is a calm, personable experience, and the childminder talks to the children throughout the routine.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder gives older children the opportunity to develop their confidence by accessing the toilet independently. They return, excitedly sharing that they like the smell of the watermelon handwash. This shows their understanding of the need to wash their hands after using the toilet.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder develops secure attachments with the children in her care and knows them well. This helps to embed a sense of belonging as the children feel confident, safe and secure to explore the childminder's home. The childminder reminds children about personal safety when they attempt to build constructions on the tables, which they cannot quite reach. She sensitively suggests that they do their building on the floor, as it will be safer. She helps children to gain an understanding of the importance of health and wellbeing as they clean their hands for lunch and talk about what is in their lunchbox. Children have regular exercise as the childminder walks them to the local school and park. This helps to develop their physical skills as they climb on the playground equipment and walk carefully along the paths.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder plans a curriculum that builds on what children know and can do. She generally uses her assessments to provide activities and experiences that support children's learning across the areas of development. However, next steps are not always sharply focused, particularly in relation to developing children's mathematical understanding. In addition, there are fewer opportunities for children to develop their emergent writing skills. Despite this, children continue to make steady progress from their starting points and remain engaged in their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder places a clear emphasis on children's personal, social and emotional development. She encourages children to talk about their feelings, for example, when sharing 'The Colour Monster' story. Children join in enthusiastically, using facial expressions to represent different emotions and beginning to relate these to their own experiences. This supports their growing understanding of emotions and relationships. She also promotes children's physical development through daily visits to the local park, where they use a range of equipment and develop coordination, balance and confidence.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children's communication and language effectively. She engages in their play, showing interest and extending learning through thoughtful questioning and modelling language. She adapts her interactions to meet children's individual needs. As a result, even the youngest children communicate confidently, use an increasing range of vocabulary and express their needs clearly.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates an understanding of inclusive practice and early intervention and has attended appropriate training to support her in her role. She speaks confidently about the children she supports. She understands the processes to follow when she identifies children who may have a delay in their development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

She knows the importance of working with other agencies to ensure that children receive the support they need in a timely manner. The childminder demonstrates an understanding of how she would use additional funding to enable children to receive the same opportunities as their peers to ensure that they make the best progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder uses her ongoing training to understand children's stages of development and applies this knowledge in her everyday practice. She generally uses assessment effectively to monitor children's progress and plans next steps to support children's learning. However, she does not always implement these at every opportunity, for example, when planning children's next steps in mathematical learning. The childminder recognises that this could be more consistent.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder provides stories and activities to help support children's communication and language skills at home. This joined-up approach with parents helps them to support their children's learning to ensure that children continue to make progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has reviewed her provision and made changes to the layout of her downstairs area to better accommodate the needs of the children. She has also updated her risk assessments to ensure that children remain safe at all times. To support her practice, the childminder has sought advice from the local authority and undertaken relevant training.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

She is committed to professional development, having recently completed a leadership course. She applies the knowledge gained to support her assistants, providing regular supervision and training to help them develop in their roles. In addition, she has become involved in research on children's communication and language and is keen to share findings from an early years perspective.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has built effective relationships with local schools. Through voluntary work in classrooms, she has gained insight into what schools expect children to know and do and uses this to inform her provision.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

She regularly evaluates her practice and involves both children and parents in this process, ensuring that the provision continues to meet the children's needs effectively.

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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 are happy and confident in the childminder's home. She supports independence from an early age. For example, children freely access their water bottles to keep themselves hydrated. The childminder encourages children to wash their hands before mealtimes. She inspires children to be responsible for opening the packaging in their lunch boxes. She supports younger children to peel their bananas, intervening sensitively if they need assistance.

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

Children establish close relationships with the childminder. For example, younger children snuggle onto the childminder's lap for a story, and older children come to listen to the childminder read. She pauses to ask the children questions and encourages them to talk about what happens next. Children demonstrate they are familiar with the story. This supports children's listening and attention skills.

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

The childminder develops children's communication skills well. When children pronounce words incorrectly, she sensitively repeats the correct pronunciation back to the children, so they learn how to say the words correctly. This supports children's self-esteem and sensitively gives them the knowledge of how to speak correctly.

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

The childminder provides a warm and homely environment, and children play well together. They engage in animated conversations about their creations and confidently ask questions of each other. Children develop their imaginative skills through make-believe play and the childminder joins in, keen to extend their learning through effective questioning. Children enjoy looking at the photo albums showing activities they have done. They excitedly point to the pictures, and the childminder uses recall to ask them if they remember these occasions.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:30 - 17:30

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The childminder supports transitions well. She has established good relationships with the local school. As a result, she understands the school's expectations and is able to prepare children well for the next stage in their education.

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Next steps

The childminder should ensure that planned next steps are embedded consistently to extend children's learning. The childminder should provide additional opportunities for children to develop their emergent writing skills across the setting.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, the children and the 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. 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. 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 .

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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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