Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY423093 Registered with Ofsted: 28/03/2011 Registers: EYR, CCR

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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 sets high expectations for children's behaviour and consistently supports them in developing respect, kindness and consideration for others. She has introduced highly meaningful initiatives to help support positive behaviour, such as 'star of the week' and a shared setting teddy, which children take home over a weekend. Alongside family photos, the childminder skilfully encourages children to recall, share and reflect on their experiences with the teddy with others. Friendships are developing well, and children receive sensitive support to enhance their confidence when interacting with their peers.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates an excellent understanding of children's individual needs and adapts daily routines with flexibility and care. She recognises when children require rest or an early snack and adjusts routines accordingly. This highly responsive approach ensures that children remain settled and well supported, enabling them to engage confidently in their learning and play. Children form secure attachments with the childminder and demonstrate trust and confidence throughout the day.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder helps children of all ages understand and manage their emotions. She offers consistent guidance and allows children the time they need to reflect on and regulate their feelings. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to their learning, confidently use polite expressions, such as 'excuse me' and 'sorry'. This demonstrates the highly positive and respectful environment the childminder has created. Excellent partnerships with parents and carers support children's consistent attendance and punctuality.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder provides a nurturing and warmly responsive environment. She skilfully uses daily routines, such as welcome songs, along with visual aids to help children recognise and manage their emotions. This supports all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who face barriers to their learning, to gain confidence in describing how they feel. The childminder encourages children to express themselves through dance and movement. Children learn to negotiate space safely and with awareness of others.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes children's health and wellbeing through rich experiences. She actively involves children in planting, growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables and thoughtfully incorporates them into engaging cooking activities. The childminder encourages children to explore, prepare and taste new foods. This helps them develop a positive understanding of healthy eating habits.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder helps children develop independence in their personal care. She has recently introduced well-considered resources, such as mirrors, to enable children to practise blowing and wiping their noses independently. She reinforces the importance of handwashing, ensuring that children develop a secure understanding of how to prevent the spread of germs.

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Expected standard

The childminder creates a highly inclusive environment. She provides meaningful opportunities for children to reflect on past experiences, such as looking through photos and recalling shared events. She values children's contributions and consistently encourages them to listen to one another. This supports secure relationships, as children celebrate their achievements and show respect for others.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder carries out detailed assessments of children's progress, which she shares with parents. This enables her to identify any support needs and take swift action. The childminder demonstrates an excellent commitment to supporting those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning. She works extremely closely with specialists who visit the setting to provide targeted advice and guidance. She implements this support with precision, using it to inform tailored interventions.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder shows a proactive and ambitious approach to developing her professional knowledge. She attends training to support children's specific needs and applies this knowledge confidently in her practice to ensure early identification and targeted intervention.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder makes purposeful use of additional funding to provide carefully selected, high-quality resources that meet children's individual needs. She demonstrates an excellent ability to remove barriers to learning, ensuring that all children can fully access and benefit from the curriculum. For example, she provides a rich range of sensory activities that support children's self-regulation and emotional wellbeing.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has recently introduced a lending library that enriches children's learning beyond the setting. She thoughtfully selects a broad and engaging range of books, including those that reflect children's home languages and backgrounds. This significantly supports children's ongoing learning at home and demonstrates the childminder's commitment to inclusive practice and highly effective partnership working with families.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may have barriers to learning, manage their emotions well. They develop the necessary skills to interact in group activities and cooperate with their peers. Younger children listen attentively to one another and participate confidently in group activities. Older children show genuine care and compassion towards younger children as they offer support, share resources and help them to engage successfully in activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate increasing confidence in their communication, with clear progress in their pronunciation and expanding vocabulary. Younger children show an understanding of number and confidently count objects in their play. However, older children do not consistently develop their understanding of more complex mathematical concepts. Children are very independent and able to manage their own personal care and hygiene routines. Younger children confidently put away their shoes after outdoor play. They know the routines well and prepare for group time. All children are prepared for the next stage of learning, including the move to school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides a well-planned curriculum across all areas of learning. She knows children well and, through regular assessment, maintains a clear understanding of what they know and can do. The childminder uses this information effectively to shape experiences that build on children's starting points and next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder carefully considers the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to learning. She adapts the environment where needed and ensures that children have time and space to successfully explore activities with their friends.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children's communication and language development effectively. She introduces new vocabulary, such as 'under' and 'over', as children enthusiastically dig tunnels through their creations. The childminder uses effective strategies to foster children's speech development, enabling them to actively participate in activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports younger children in exploring colours, shapes and patterns through a range of activities. However, she does not consistently make use of opportunities to extend the mathematical development of older children to build on their knowledge and understanding further.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's physical development well. Younger children independently climb and slide, clearly enjoying their achievements. Older children move across stepping stones with control, building on their coordination and balance.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has made improvements since the last inspection and generally evaluates her practice effectively, ensuring that routines and activities continue to meet the evolving needs of the children. She adapts her environment as needed to reflect individual requirements. For example, she has created sensory areas to support children in regulating their emotions, which has had a positive impact, particularly in helping them manage their behaviour.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder provides regular supervision for her assistants, supporting both their ongoing professional development and their wellbeing. This helps maintain a consistent approach across the setting. The childminder demonstrates a strong commitment to her professional development. Recent training has enhanced her ability to support children's speech and language development, and she has shared this knowledge with her assistants to ensure targeted support for individual children. The childminder is quick to identify any gaps in children's learning and takes prompt action to address them. She works closely with parents and other professionals from other settings that children also attend to ensure targeted intervention. Parents and carers speak highly of the childminder's clear communication about their children's progress, as well as the guidance she provides to support learning at home. They also commend the positive

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

support she offers, which has significantly improved their children's oral health and toothbrushing routines.

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

The childminder knows the children well and provides a calm, caring environment where they feel safe and valued. Secure attachments are evident. For example, younger children seek reassurance from the childminder when necessary, and she quickly comforts them through gentle interaction and cuddles. Older children confidently approach the childminder to seek support, showing that they feel emotionally secure and listened to.

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

The childminder strives to ensure that children who face barriers to their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive targeted support from outside agencies. This helps ensure that they thrive in their development and learning. All children confidently move around the setting and enjoy a wide range of engaging activities, including story times, singing, creative experiences and outdoor play.

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About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): EY423093 Older children are encouraged to take an active role in simple tasks and enjoy helping to prepare snacks. They further develop their independence as they learn to handle tools and carry out tasks with increasing confidence. The childminder involves younger children in simpler tasks, such as washing fruit, and they delight in exploring using their hands. She reminds children how to use tools safely and gives clear explanations to ensure all children understand why this is important. This helps them to learn how to manage risks and keep themselves safe.

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About this setting

Children delight in exploring their local community, which supports them to develop a better understanding of the world around them. They enjoy visits to meet community figures, such as the police, and learn about how they help people. Children take part in bug hunts in the garden and local fields, where they excitedly search for insects, talk about what they find and recall their experiences alongside their friends. These activities support their developing relationships, communication and language development.

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About this setting

The childminder works alongside parents to support children's positive future outcomes through regular attendance. All children, including those with SEND, are confident to play, explore and learn. They make secure progress from their starting points.

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Next steps

The childminder should strengthen opportunities to embed mathematical understanding further, particularly for older children, during their play.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistants and the 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. Type: Childminder

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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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

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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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