Angus, Michelle

Angus, Michelle

Unique reference number (URN): EY335104 Address: 14 Oakwood Street, SUNDERLAND, SR2 7LT Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 22/06/2006 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Angus, Michelle

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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 Expected standard

The caring childminder builds warm, supportive relationships with children. Children play happily with their friends in a predictable environment where familiar routines help them to feel secure. Children know what to expect throughout the day, for example that lunch comes after tidy-up time. When caring for babies, the childminder mirrors routines from home, such as sleeping times. This helps them to feel relaxed and at ease in her care.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder takes account of children's age and level of understanding when supporting their behaviour. Her expectations are clear and appropriate. Children take responsibility for simple tasks, such as clearing away their toys. They respond well to gentle cues that help them to understand right from wrong.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder encourages children to help one another and to share and take turns. Children show positive attitudes and behave well. They engage well in appealing activities. However, more focused teaching in the curriculum would help them to be more ambitious and motivated to learn more.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Parents can choose attendance patterns to suit their needs. This helps to ensure that children attend regularly and on time.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children benefit from warm, responsive care that supports their emotional wellbeing effectively. They show trust in the childminder and are at ease in her care. The childminder's nurturing approach helps children to feel settled and confident. She gets to know children well and quickly recognises behaviours that show they are unsettled. She responds sensitively when children need comfort and knows what soothes them. For example, she knows that some children respond well to having their head stroked when they feel unsettled. While she acknowledges children's feelings and talks to them about emotions, a more focused curriculum, particularly for communication and language, would help children to recognise, explain and manage their feelings even more successfully.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supervises children closely to keep them safe in her care. For example, she checks sleeping babies regularly and observes children closely while they are eating. She works with parents to ensure that children benefit from nutritious food in the packed lunches that they bring.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder teaches children ways to support their own health. For instance, she supports them to brush their teeth and encourages them to wash their hands. Children learn the importance of these hygiene routines. Babies become increasingly active while crawling and climbing safely in the childminder's home. Older children enjoy plenty of fresh air and exercise during outdoor play. They develop a range of habits that support their good physical health and wellbeing.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children make some progress from their starting points and enjoy taking part in activities that interest them. For example, they enjoy creative experiences when making pictures with stamps and paint. They develop their imagination when they pretend to make and sell ice cream. Children practise small physical skills when they line up bricks and twist cogs on a puzzle.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children develop some early communication skills but, for some, their progress in language development is slower than in other areas of learning. This affects how securely they build the knowledge they need for later learning. Children who face barriers to their learning do not receive the support they need to overcome them or catch up in their learning.

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Achievement Needs attention

Overall, children are not yet gaining the secure foundations they need for success in the next stage of their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder focuses on children being happy and confident learners. The recently reviewed curriculum provides opportunities for children to lead their own learning. The childminder plans some play experiences that, generally, help children to learn. However, activities are often based on children's interests, rather than what they need to learn. The childminder's understanding of how to plan and sequence learning is not secure and does not help children to build consistently on what they already know and can do.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Although the childminder monitors the progress that children make, her assessments are sometimes inaccurate. She does not have a secure understanding of what children should be typically achieving for their age. Her expectations are not sufficiently ambitious, which means gaps in children's learning are not always recognised or acted on. While some adjustments are made for children who have barriers to their learning, these are not consistent or focused well enough on those children's particular needs.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder encourages children to join in with songs, which, generally, helps children to develop their language skills. However, the curriculum for communication and language lacks ambition. The childminder does not encourage children's speaking skills well enough to encourage more progress in this area of learning. She encourages children to count during play, which helps them to develop mathematical understanding. Activities such as painting and stamping help children to develop their creativity, alongside their hand strength and coordination. The childminder teaches children to take turns while playing together.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder welcomes all children into her home and understands that they bring with them a variety of experiences and needs. While she monitors children's learning, and sometimes notices that they may face difficulties, she is not fully confident about what to do if she is concerned about a child's development. She has not established partnerships with other professionals and external agencies to help to determine the best way to support children. This means that children may not get the help that they need as swiftly as they could.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Many children attending speak 2 or more languages. The childminder works closely with their parents to share words and phrases that help the children to develop their language skills. She works alongside parents of children who have barriers to their learning to help them to settle happily and confidently into her care.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder understands that some children might be eligible for early years pupil premium funding. She understands how this can be used effectively, but has not yet taken steps to access this to support disadvantaged children.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder wants the best for the children in her care. She works with her co- childminder to monitor and review the provision. This has led to recent changes to her approach to teaching towards a child-led approach. However, this is not embedded, and improvements are needed to ensure that children receive consistently effective teaching and learning experiences.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Professional development is not focused enough to strengthen practice. For example, a deeper understanding of typical expectations for children's achievements would support more accurate assessments and help the childminder to identify gaps in learning more swiftly. Additionally, the childminder needs to develop her knowledge of how to support children who need extra help, including when and where to seek external support.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Parents speak highly of the childminder. She asks for their views regularly to help shape her services. She shares information with them about their child's time with her and supports them with routines and activities at home. For example, parents appreciate her support in encouraging children to try new foods.

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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 explore a range of activities that spark their interest. They enjoy creative play, imaginative games and opportunities to practise early physical skills. They join in with songs and counting, and they take pride in small achievements. However, children do not always experience teaching that helps them to build progressively on their knowledge and skills. Some children, particularly those who need extra help, do not receive support early enough to secure stronger progress. While children make some progress from their starting points, their learning is uneven. Gaps in learning and development are not always recognised or addressed swiftly.

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

Overall, the childminder's clear focus on promoting children's wellbeing contributes to how happy and safe they feel in her care. Children are beginning to build the foundations they need for the next stage in learning. Clearer expectations and more purposeful teaching would help children to achieve more.

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

Children spend their day in a calm and caring environment where they feel safe and valued. The childminder offers consistent reassurance. She values each child as an individual and understands what helps each one feel comfortable. This helps them to settle quickly into her care. Babies benefit from familiar routines, and older children move confidently between play and daily tasks. Children trust the childminder and show this through playing confidently and happily throughout the day.

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

Children enjoy being with their friends. They develop social skills, such as waiting their turn or helping one another, and respond well to the childminder's gentle guidance. They play cooperatively and show genuine enjoyment in shared activities. These positive relationships

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About this setting

help them feel that they belong. Children feel safe, cared for and included. Parents talk about the 'family feel' and value the childminder's warm approach. Children benefit from healthy routines, close supervision and plenty of opportunities for movement and fresh air.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

improve understanding of typical development so children's progress is recognised accurately and gaps are addressed earlier 11/05/2026

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Action Completion Date

plan learning with clear intentions so children make steady, consistent progress and build firmer foundations for future learning 11/05/2026

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Action Completion Date

deliver a more ambitious communication and language curriculum so children develop stronger speaking skills, which also support their wider learning 11/05/2026

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Action Completion Date

strengthen understanding of how and when to share information with other professionals or agencies so that children who need additional help receive effective support more swiftly. 11/05/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and a parent 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): EY335104

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:00 - 18:00,Friday : 07:00 - 17:00

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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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