McDougall, Courtney Laurie

McDougall, Courtney Laurie

Unique reference number (URN): 2753628 Address: 5 Foster Walk, Salisbury, SP4 8RE Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 20/10/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: McDougall, Courtney Laurie

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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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder always prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing. For example, she acts swiftly if children feel unwell and works closely with parents to input supportive strategies. She has formed nurturing relationships with children and is responsive to the changing needs of children and their families. The childminder makes adaptations to suit these changes and provides a supportive approach, including being flexible with care and offering supportive guidance. Children's individual needs are fully met, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder helps children to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to lead a safe and healthy lifestyle. Together, they discuss the importance of washing germs away, as children clean their hands independently. She uses mealtimes as an opportunity to discuss healthy foods and helps children to learn how to keep themselves safe when eating. The childminder has recently placed focus on supporting children's awareness of oral hygiene and healthy eating, providing children with toothbrush packs and helping them to explore a variety of healthy foods.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder incorporates culture and diversity throughout her curriculum and invites parents to share traditional recipes, clothing and special celebrations or events. This expands children's awareness of similarities and differences between each other, helping children and families to feel deeply valued. The childminder supports children to develop their understanding of their own emotions. She uses stories and consistently weaves vocabulary based on emotions into daily occurrences. For example, children help to tidy, and the childminder praises them. She asks children how that makes them feel and they say 'happy'.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop a wide range of vocabulary and communicate their needs. For example, children use their imaginations when exploring sensory play and explain that they have made a 'pineapple smoothie'. Children enjoy back-and-forth conversations with the childminder. Children develop more intricate physical skills using tweezers to pick up coloured chickpeas and lentils to transfer into pots. Children enjoy a game of catch, building on their hand-eye coordination and using their bigger arm movements to catch and throw the ball.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate confidence and a real sense of belonging as they make choices, guiding their own learning. They develop a love of stories, and throughout their daily routines, choose these independently for the childminder to read. Children, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, make steady progress from their starting points. Children gain the skills they need to support them for their future learning, including school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has established a nurturing environment, enabling children to feel secure and relaxed. She has built trusting relationships with children and is a good role model. For example, she gently reminds children to use their manners and models language around emotions. This helps children to begin to form positive habits for their future learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations of behaviour and promotes this well using her daily interactions with children. She uses positive reinforcement to set clear boundaries, including treating others with kindness and care. Expectations are appropriate to children's needs and abilities, and the childminder adapts these as necessary. This supports children, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing to access and engage with consistent routines and expectations. The childminder implements strategies, including reflective time and discussions around expectations and consequences. At times, these strategies are not as effective in supporting team working with their peers. This means, on occasions, children do not work together to fully focus and engage with their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder discusses the importance of attendance and punctuality with parents, considering individual circumstances and supporting families when required. This ensures that children's needs are at the forefront. This helps them to feel valued, supporting their positive attitudes towards their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has vast knowledge of child development and incorporates this into her ambitious curriculum. She makes effective use of her accurate assessments and observations to plan and deliver a well-sequenced curriculum. The childminder plans her environment to ensure that children can access their interests, practise and develop what they can do and learn new concepts. Children, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, can access a fully inclusive curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has recently introduced a scrapbook of children's previous learning. Children enjoy looking through the photos together, supporting their emerging relationships and revisiting what they have learned. This helps to consolidate their learning experiences and build on their personal, social and emotional development. However, the childminder does not target her training to help embed collaborative working between children. Consequently, at times, children lose their focus on the intended learning outcome.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder engages children well through singing songs that relate to their play, including 'Five little speckled frogs'. This helps to widen their language skills. She encourages children to take their time as they speak to support them to develop their pronunciation of words. This impacts positively on their thinking skills as well as their communication. The childminder supports children's maths and literacy skills well throughout daily routines. She helps children to remember familiar stories, such as 'The Gingerbread Man', and explores shapes as they build with magnetic tiles.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder uses effective assessments and monitoring procedures to help swiftly identify emerging gaps in children's learning. This enables her to implement more targeted and tailored support, helping to minimise barriers to children's learning. This means all children make steady progress from their starting points and are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder forms open and honest partnerships with parents. She ensures that she gathers detailed information from previous settings children have attended, helping to build secure starting points for children. This provides continuity of learning, and children receive the additional support they need quickly. For example, the childminder recognises how attending weekly toddler groups helps those children who are less confident to build on this during larger group singing times.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has robust knowledge of children and their families. This helps her to adjust daily routines to suit the needs of children, for example helping children to prepare for the transition home through introducing more calming activities, such as stories and songs. She has a thorough understanding of how additional funding can be used to support individual children. Although the childminder uses assessment well to identify when children may need additional support, she has not targeted her training in this area to help extend and deepen her knowledge further. Subsequently, this will provide more robust processes to further support children's learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder uses self-evaluation and reflection well to identify strengths and areas for development. She makes decisions based on the best interests of the children, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, showing dedication and commitment to her practice. The childminder thinks carefully about the learning environment. For example, she observes children's interests of putting things into baskets, so adds another one to encourage children to transfer objects. This helps to extend children's learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has formed a supportive network with other childminders. They share resources, activity ideas and support each other's wellbeing. The childminder is knowledgeable and keeps herself refreshed and updated with recent changes to legislation and guidance. The childminder does not yet target her training to consistently build on the quality of teaching and learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents have high regard for the childminder, commenting on her reliability and supportive approach. They value the open and honest conversation and information-sharing. Parents relay how their children 'love to attend' the childminder's home-from-home setting. The childminder reflects on her workload and is managing this well. She understands the importance of looking after her own wellbeing and can call on fellow childminders for support when needed.

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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 demonstrate they are happy, feel safe and secure in the childminder's welcoming and nurturing home. The positive learning environment helps children to make progress across the areas of learning. Parents comment on how quickly children settle. Children

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About this setting

develop secure and trusting attachments with the childminder and seek her out for support and comfort. For example, children cuddle into the childminder as they listen to a story.

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About this setting

Children benefit from ample opportunities to explore their local community and develop their physical skills, including walks to the park and gymnastic clubs. This exposes children to larger groups of children, encouraging their social interactions, in preparation for school. The childminder places focus on children's communication and language and consistently narrates to children, introducing more complex vocabulary and concepts. For example, when children use their imaginations and make a snail with dough, the childminder repeats 'slow slithering snails'. The childminder weaves various mathematical concepts through spontaneous learning moments, such as counting objects in books.

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About this setting

The childminder is passionate about providing a curriculum that helps children to build on what they know and can do. She is clear on her intent for children and provides various opportunities for them to explore their learning. She ensures that activities are age- appropriate and specifically set up to meet children's individual needs and abilities. The childminder maintains robust two-way communication with parents. This helps the childminder to provide targeted care and learning for children, including those who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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Next steps

The childminder should develop consistent strategies to help children understand what is expected of them so that they can play and learn together more effectively. The childminder should focus her own professional development more sharply on how she can best support children's individual needs.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and the children during the inspection. Parents shared their views with the inspector.

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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): 2753628

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Address:

Registered person: McDougall, Courtney Laurie

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 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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