Downes Heather

Downes Heather

Unique reference number (URN): EY236195 Address: 9 Bury Road, Stanton, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 2BZ Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 24/01/2003 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Downes, Heather Elizabeth May

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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 secure progress across all areas of learning, particularly in their communication and language development. They learn the names of new shapes and colours and confidently use these in their play. Children choose stories they enjoy and listen attentively when the childminder reads to them. They are kind and invite each other into their play, and they are learning to collaborate and share. Children focus well when using crayons and pencils. They show sustained concentration as they make marks and draw shapes, developing their fine motor skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make effective progress with their mathematical learning as they independently count in their play and learn to recognise numbers. Children visit local nature reserves and learn how to care for wild ponies, developing their understanding of the world. The childminder teaches children's independence skills to help prepare them for the next stage in their learning. However, occasionally, she does too much for children.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes regular attendance to help children settle into routines and understand the expectations of the setting. She shares information with parents about children's individual routines and adapts her approach to ensure that their needs are met. The childminder gets to know all children and their families well and develops warm and trusting relationships with them. Children respectfully listen to the childminder and enjoy snuggling up to share stories.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Supporting positive behaviour is a key priority for the childminder. She works with parents to help children understand the expectations in her setting, such as sitting when eating and using good manners. The childminder teaches children how to collaborate and play together, and she adapts her approach to meet the individual needs of children. When children are reluctant to share toys, she sensitively discusses their feelings with them and helps them to understand how their actions affect others. Children enjoy tidying away their toys and preparing the table and chairs for focused activities. This gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility. The childminder models positive manners and praises and encourages children for being kind and helpful.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder prioritises children's wellbeing during the settling-in process so that she can create warm and supportive relationships with them, and so they feel comfortable in new surroundings. The childminder shares information with parents to support children who are toilet training. Older children confidently go upstairs to use the toilet and wash their hands. The childminder uses monitors to ensure that children use the stairs safely and offers regular reminders about safe behaviour. She supports younger children with nappy changing in a respectful and reassuring manner. The childminder shares information with parents so that children can enjoy a range of healthy snacks and meals. She talks to children about the importance of eating healthily, and she promotes healthy lifestyles by providing lots of time outside in the countryside to help develop children's wellbeing. The childminder encourages children to express their

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

views and feelings and listens respectfully to them. The childminder typically promotes children's growing independence, such as encouraging them to use cutlery to feed themselves. However, on occasion, she does too much for children, which limits opportunities for them to develop their independence skills fully.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder uses her knowledge of individual children to adapt her teaching to ensure that they make progress. She prioritises children's communication and language development, reading stories and singing songs with children. The childminder adapts her teaching to support children who need extra support with their speech development, for instance focusing on making sounds that animals make, and children enjoy singing rhymes about Old Macdonald's Farm. She also teaches children a range of new vocabulary and uses routine opportunities, such as mealtimes, to teach children conversational skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder offers children choices about what they want to play with and takes opportunities to extend their learning. When children explore puzzles, she teaches them shape names, such as 'rectangle' and 'hexagon', as well as new colours, such as 'purple'. The childminder also plans a range of interesting activities, including scavenger hunts in the local community, to identify and collect natural resources, such as leaves. This supports children's physical development as well as enhancing their understanding of the world around them.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder teaches children how to share and take turns. She encourages children to play collaboratively and provides plenty of time for children to express their views and opinions. Children share their feelings appropriately and listen to the childminder, following directions and confidently making choices.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents, gathering information about children's individual needs and interests when they start. She knows children very well and uses ongoing assessment to identify any additional support that may be needed. The childminder plans and provides appropriate learning opportunities to help children make progress. For example, using praise and positive reinforcement to help children regulate their behaviour and participate in routines, such as sitting at the table for meals. The childminder understands the importance of working with other professionals to meet the needs of children as well as how to use additional funding to support disadvantaged children to make progress. She is planning to undertake training on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities so that she is more confident in this area.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder monitors the progress of children and shares regular updates with parents. She offers flexible arrangements, in order to provide continuity of care for children and families. The childminder values and respects children's backgrounds and home lives, ensuring individual needs, such as their individual dietary requirements, are met. The childminder teaches children about a range of festivals, including Mother's Day and Pancake Day. She plans to take children to a local care home to socialise with older people to teach them about the needs of others.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents, sharing clear information about children's progress and offering helpful guidance to support their transition to the next stage in their learning. Parents are happy with the care the childminder provides. They speak highly about her effective settling-in process, and they appreciate her warm and calm approach. Parents also comment on the progress their children make, particularly their child's language development. The childminder is proud of how effectively she works with parents and families, as well as how she adapts her approach to meet the individual needs of children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder understands the strengths of her setting and considers ways to further improve her practice. She attends some training to keep her knowledge and skills up to date. However, this is not always strategically planned to further enhance her professional knowledge and skills. The childminder works closely with other local childminders to share ideas about how she can develop her practice. This helps her to manage her workload. She plans to make more use of community visits to develop children's understanding of the world. The childminder also works with other local settings and schools to share information, which supports children's development and eases transitions.

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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

The childminder welcomes families and gets to know children well. She promotes regular attendance and shares detailed information with parents to help children settle. The childminder implements a flexible and personalised settling-in process that helps children to settle with ease and form close trusting relationships with the childminder. Children are happy and feel secure in the setting. The childminder is calm, warm and responsive. Children approach her readily for reassurance when needed.

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

The childminder values individual children's backgrounds and uses what she learns about them to plan meaningful learning opportunities. For example, she adds numbers to toy cars and parking spaces in the toy garage so that children interested in cars can learn to identify numbers. The childminder also provides opportunities for children to choose what they want to explore and respects their choices. She finds out what children's individual learning needs are and adapts her approach to ensure that she teaches them effectively. The childminder teaches younger children to count up to 5 when reading books, and she teaches older children that 6 sided shapes are called hexagons. Children are confident and sociable, and they enjoy playing together.

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

The home environment is clean, safe and well organised. The childminder uses appropriate safety equipment and ensures that children are closely supervised when playing in the garden. She takes children out into the community to visit parks, local heathlands and garden centres. She meets up regularly with other local childminders so that children build their confidence, social skills and knowledge of the world around them. All children make secure progress in their development and are suitably prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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Address:

9 Bury Road Stanton Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk IP31 2BZ

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Address:

Registered person: Downes, Heather Elizabeth May

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Address:

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

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Next steps

The childminder should ensure that they consistently promote children's growing independence skills so that they can confidently carry out tasks for themselves. The childminder should ensure that they undertake appropriate professional development opportunities to enable them to develop good practice in line with current research.

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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.

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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

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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