Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY343689 Registered with Ofsted: 28/10/2006 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 Expected standard

Children make positive progress from their starting points, particularly in their personal, social and emotional development. They are confident and demonstrate high self-esteem. Children are beginning to build friendships through cooperative play, where they learn to share and wait their turn. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or other barriers to their learning, benefit from adjustments that help them participate fully in daily routines and activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children enjoy stories and songs that help them build language and early literacy skills. They enjoy action rhymes and using ride-on toys, which help them develop their physical skills. Overall, children are developing the knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of learning, including nursery school. They become increasingly independent. They develop resilience as they learn to negotiate and consider the feelings of others. Children enjoy a wide range of experiences that help them understand their diverse community and the wider world.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works in partnership with parents to ensure children attend regularly. This promotes consistency for children and ensures they benefit from the wide range of educational experiences on offer. The childminder makes sensitive adjustments for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with other barriers to learning, to help them meet expectations and, overall, develop positive attitudes to learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave well and understand the childminder's clear expectations. She creates a calm, positive environment that helps them feel secure and able to explore freely. Parents say their children enjoy being active, exploring outdoors, getting messy and making connections with friends. Children show suitable levels of engagement in play and are confident to chat with visitors. Although, the childminder does not capture children's emerging curiosity consistently in order to deepen their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Relationships between the childminder and children are warm and nurturing. She models kindness and respect, supporting children to resolve minor conflicts, understand others' feelings and learn to share and take turns. The childminder takes account of children's developmental stages, when supporting behaviour. She uses simple explanations and consistent routines to help them understand boundaries.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have secure bonds with the childminder that help them feel settled and safe. She finds out about their individual care routines, when they join the setting. Daily routines, including sleep and mealtimes, are organised well. The childminder promotes healthy lifestyles, such as regular exercise, good oral hygiene and balanced nutrition. The childminder adapts routines to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, she works with parents to change her menu to help children who struggle with sensory experiences, such as textures. These practices ensure all children enjoy a sense of wellbeing and belonging.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children learn about personal safety. The childminder helps them dress appropriately for the weather, manage risks during outdoor play and use equipment, such as bicycles, safely. She helps children to begin to understand the risks of using digital technology and how to keep safe online. Guidance from the childminder helps children understand their emotions and the impact their actions have on others. This means they learn to manage their feelings and behaviour effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder knows children's interests and has a secure understanding of how they learn. She has regular discussions with parents about children's progress and what they need to learn next. The childminder provides a suitable range of resources that children can access and lead their play and learning. For example, children enjoy filling and emptying different sized vessels with water. The curriculum generally supports children's personal development, communication and language skills and independence well. The childminder promotes children's physical development through a wide range of activities on and off the premises. She adapts activities for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who have other barriers to learning, such as providing push-along toys to help children build their core strength.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder helps children to make some connections in their learning. For example, she shows them how to make footprints in the mud in the garden, which is like the squelchy mud in their story. However, the childminder does not consistently introduce new words to help children describe what they are experiencing and extend their vocabulary. For instance, she does not talk about what children are seeing and noticing when they spin a whisk in water.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder helps younger children to identify familiar numbers in their play. They count one, two, three as they race their vehicles in the garden. Older children identify letters and numbers during walks in the community. However, the childminder is not always perceptive to children's emerging curiosity in order to extend their understanding of mathematical concepts, such as capacity, weight and measure.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder creates an inclusive environment, where all children are welcomed and, overall, supported well to make positive progress. Books for each child, that include photos of their families and pets, give children a sense of belonging. The childminder identifies children's individual learning needs through ongoing conversations with parents and regular reviews of children's progress. She responds thoughtfully to the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and other barriers to their learning. For example, the childminder uses visual signs to support children who struggle to communicate verbally and adapts daily routines to ensure children attend regularly. Where gaps in children's learning are identified, the childminder works closely with parents and external professionals to ensure children have the support they need to catch up. She attends additional training to ensure she has the knowledge and skills to support them. The

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Inclusion Expected standard

childminder uses additional funding to target children's individual needs, such as providing additional equipment to help develop their physical skills. She evaluates the impact of these adjustments to ensure they are promoting children's positive progress. She finds out about children's home languages and their family traditions so that they can be reflected in the setting. Through regular trips, children begin to develop a broader understanding of the diverse community they live in.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder prioritises children's wellbeing and safety and is committed to continuous improvement. She acts in the best interests of children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder works in partnership with parents and external agencies to support children's learning and welfare. She seeks parents' feedback and suggestions for activities. They appreciate the childminder's effective communication, home-from-home environment and that their children are kept safe.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder understands the strengths of her setting and is reflective about the areas requiring further development. She is keen to rebuild her professional network to reflect on her setting and share ideas and best practice. Her professional development is ongoing. She accesses regular training through the local authority to keep her knowledge and skills up to date. The curriculum, overall, promotes children's positive progress. However, the childminder's teaching of mathematical concepts and extending children's vocabulary further is not consistently high quality, to help children make the best possible progress.

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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 are welcomed and demonstrate they feel safe in the childminder's care. They develop secure attachments to her. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who have barriers to their learning benefit from adjustments in the setting. For example, changes are made to the food provided or how it is presented, and quiet spaces are provided for children who feel overwhelmed.

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

Children quickly grow in confidence. They are happy to chat to visitors about their favourite toys and show excitement at the prospect of singing familiar action rhymes. Children show a secure sense of belonging as they settle into familiar routines and enjoy the home-from- home environment. They enjoy songs, favourite stories and imaginative play. Overall, children make positive progress from their individual starting points.

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

Children develop increasing independence in their self-care and begin to understand why good health and hygiene are important. They use a knife and fork, dress themselves for outdoor play, know when to wash their hands and brush their teeth. Children build secure social skills, including sharing, taking turns and understanding the feelings of others. Children attend playgroups, where they build friendships with other children with whom they will move on to school. They behave well. Consistent routines and gentle guidance from the childminder help children to understand her expectations.

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

Children benefit from a wide range of experiences, indoors and outdoors. They enjoy messy play, such as painting. Children explore the natural environment and how the seasons change during walks in the community and visits to local parks. They learn about animals during a visit to the local farm. Children build on their physical skills, using ride-on toys. They develop some understanding of risk and their own safety, such as when crossing a road or climbing a tree safely.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:30 - 17:30,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday : 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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Next steps

The childminder should be more perceptive to children's emerging thinking and curiosity during their play, to fully explore their understanding and extend their knowledge of mathematical concepts. The childminder should consider how she will introduce new words to children consistently during their play, to build on their growing vocabulary.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and parents 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. This data is from 12 February 2026

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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

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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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