Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 121685 Registered with Ofsted: 28/04/1993 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 Strong standard

Children make rapid progress in all areas of learning, particularly in their communication and language development. They express their ideas and needs with increasing confidence. Furthermore, children express great delight as they listen to their favourite stories. They demonstrate high levels of independence for their age and stage of development. Children show perseverance as they independently put on waterproof clothing and boots in readiness for outdoor play. Children count with meaning and are experts in learning about the world around them.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children independently wash their hands before mealtimes and after playing outdoors. At mealtimes, children feed themselves confidently and manage their own belongings. This supports the development of self-help skills and independence in preparation for their move to nursery or school. Children are developing strong physical skills as they climb and navigate small steps outside with confidence and control. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, thrive in the setting and make consistent progress from their starting points in all areas of development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has an excellent understanding of each child's individual character, which enables her to build highly secure, trusting relationships. She establishes clear and consistent boundaries, which the children know very well. The childminder is highly skilled at nurturing children's emotional development and consistently promotes kindness, respect and empathy throughout her home. This helps children develop a secure understanding of their emotions and those of their friends.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is an inspiring role model. She is kind and warm in her interactions, promoting manners and friendships as children play. Children demonstrate polite, considerate behaviour and treat one another with care. Young children play harmoniously together, confidently taking turns as they explore the inspiring and carefully chosen resources available. The childminder adapts her interactions to help young children understand their emotions and behaviours.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has embedded familiar routines into the children's day. This helps children confidently remember and follow daily routines independently and without being prompted, including tidying away resources and washing their hands before mealtimes.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has systems in place to record children's attendance and promotes the importance of regular attendance with parents from the outset. This establishes clear expectations and helps children develop consistent routines, further enhancing their wellbeing and readiness to learn.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children thrive in the care of the nurturing childminder. She carefully plans settling-in sessions with parents to gather detailed information about babies' care routines and children's likes and dislikes. The childminder places a high priority on developing a deep understanding of the children and their families. This helps her make adaptations to her care routines to meet the needs of the individual children she cares for. The childminder builds warm and trusting relationships with each child, which helps them feel safe, secure and confident in the setting.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children benefit from frequent opportunities to develop their physical skills. They build strength, coordination and confidence through daily outdoor play and purposeful movement activities that align with their ages and stages of development. The childminder supports children with medical needs effectively. She works closely with parents and health professionals. follows individual care plans and administers medication safely when required. This ensures that children's medical needs are met consistently and sensitively.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes children's safety and wellbeing through gentle reminders, such as encouraging children to walk indoors. She supports children's emotional development effectively through stories, songs and daily interactions, which help children recognise, express and manage their emotions.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder meticulously sequences her curriculum around the personal, physical, social and emotional needs of the children she cares for. She skilfully uses themes linked to children's previous experiences. This fosters children's deep engagement and curiosity. The childminder uses regular assessments from the outset to precisely focus on children's next steps in learning, making adaptations to her curriculum for children who may face barriers to learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder plans activities to develop children's learning. For instance, children learn about winter animals, such as polar bears. The childminder uses every opportunity to introduce new vocabulary. Furthermore, she effortlessly narrates alongside children's chosen play. The childminder carefully selects stories, which she shares with enthusiasm, capturing children's interest and encouraging active participation. She interacts warmly with the children, often incorporating songs and rhymes. She uses age- and stage-appropriate props and resources that help children make sense of their learning. As a result, young children become confident communicators. The childminder helps young children learn early counting concepts. She seamlessly counts and uses mathematical language across all areas of her curriculum. This helps children develop a secure understanding of mathematics from an early age.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is passionate about inclusion and provides remarkable support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She has developed a robust observation and assessment system that helps her swiftly identify any potential barriers to children's learning or development. The childminder uses her observations effectively to tailor the support she provides, including for children with SEND. She works closely with parents and provides them with regular updates about their child's learning and development, including practical strategies to support learning at home. Furthermore, the childminder works with other professionals and staff at other childcare settings children attend. This helps ensure that children with SEND receive coordinated and timely support.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder consistently adapts her teaching to meet children's differing needs. All children, including those with SEND, benefit from the meticulously planned environment alongside the childminder's high-quality interactions. Consequently, children thrive and make rapid progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder targets her training to the unique needs of the children. This furthers her expert understanding of how to adapt her practice to support children's diverse needs. The childminder has a deep understanding of how additional funding should be used to address children's individual gaps in learning and to support their progress and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly reflective and demonstrates an exceptional commitment to continually improving her practice. She actively seeks high-quality, targeted training to ensure that she meets the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, the childminder has undertaken training to deepen her understanding of children's physical development. This has enabled her to evaluate her provision and make highly effective enhancements to promote children's physical skills both indoors and outdoors. Furthermore, the childminder networks with local childminders, who she has professional discussions with to share practice. This approach helps her reflect on her practice and identify how she can strengthen her teaching even further.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Partnerships with parents are exemplary. The childminder shares regular updates, support and advice, including how parents can extend children's learning at home. She knows how to work with other professionals. This ensures that there is a coordinated approach for children with SEND. The childminder has developed relationships with staff at the local schools, which supports her in sharing information in readiness for children's eventual move to school.

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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 flourish in the highly nurturing care of the childminder. The childminder creates a calm, predictable environment where children thrive due to well-established routines and consistently high expectations for their individual abilities. Children thrive in their sense of belonging and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in the childminder's home. This is further strengthened by the shared expectations of regular attendance that the childminder shares with parents when children start at her setting.

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Inspector:

Kelly Lane Children benefit from a rich and engaging curriculum that supports all areas of development. The childminder adapts her environment to support children who may face barriers to their learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps all children thrive in their development in readiness for later learning.

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Inspector:

The childminder's interactions are highly effective. She effortlessly narrates alongside children's chosen play, modelling rich vocabulary and mathematical language. Children count using their fingers, describe quantities, and confidently use number language during play. For instance, children count and compare the different quantities of stones they scoop to fill buckets in the garden. Furthermore, the childminder skilfully uses naturally occurring moments to extend children's learning. For example, when children discover a slug in the garden, the childminder encourages them to observe carefully. She helps children learn about being gentle. This supports their understanding of how to care for others. Children watch with amazement as the slug moves along. The childminder introduces new vocabulary, such as 'antennae'. Children listen intently and repeat the new words confidently. This supports their rapidly developing communication and language skills.

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Inspector:

Children benefit greatly from daily outdoor play and physical challenge. They climb steps, use ride-on toys, crawl confidently across outdoor spaces and explore sensory resources, developing strength, coordination and confidence. Children develop inspiring physical skills. The childminder follows their lead and thoughtfully adapts the environment, for example by moving resources further away to encourage crawling. This helps children develop the skills they need for later walking.

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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 disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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.

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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

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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