Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY304682 Registered with Ofsted: 22/07/2005 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

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.

p.1

Achievement Strong standard

All children, including those with additional needs, make excellent progress across all areas of the curriculum due to the childminder's attentive and high quality teaching. Children engage in meaningful play and build vital skills necessary for their next steps in learning.

p.2

Achievement Strong standard

Children gain secure communication, language and literacy skills. They are articulate communicators who engage confidently in conversation using excellent vocabulary. Children have a passion for books and show great ability to retell stories. Children learn to do things for themselves. Older children show very effective independence skills as they prepare their own lunch. Younger children learn to use spoons to feed themselves independently. All children gain a wide range of physical skills. Babies learn to crawl and pull themselves up, while older children learn to skilfully balance on logs in the forest. They are extremely well- prepared for their next stage of learning.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has very relaxed and happy relationships with children where they feel free to be themselves. She creates a very positive and encouraging environment where children concentrate well and persevere with tasks. Children act with kindness and care towards each other. They show warmth and respect for each other as they play cooperatively during pretend home play. Children learn how to manage their feelings. For example, when they feel tired they sit quietly on floor cushions with books. Stories about how to be calm support children to regulate their feelings and the childminder teaches children to take deep breaths when they get overexcited.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder manages children's behaviour in positive ways that are appropriate to their stage of development, with adaptations for children who need extra support. For example, she shares her expectations with older children and works with them to help them to resolve any differences they have with each other. The childminder encourages children to share and to take turns, for instance to share paint pots while painting pictures. She encourages regular attendance by talking with parents about how this supports children's progress.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children make their own healthy choices, for instance, they choose to have fruit at snack time. The childminder provides nutritious meals and snacks that meet special dietary needs. She teaches children about the value of different food groups, such as fruit and vegetables and children use this information to make healthy decisions. Children show excellent independence skills as they prepare their own sandwiches at meal time. The childminder considers all aspects of children's safety wherever they are. She checks all areas of her home to minimise the risk of hazards. The childminder teaches children how to use tools safely, such as plastic knives to prepare fruit. She discusses road safety with children and they act with care and caution when they go out on daily trips with her. The childminder ensures that meal times and sleeping arrangements are safe and suitable for children, including those with additional needs.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children have increasing awareness of different feelings. The childminder uses visual resources, stories and discussion to teach children about emotions. This helps them to understand themselves and each other. Children have warm, secure relationships with each other and with the childminder.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is carefully organised in depth and breadth to provide children with a broad variety of highly stimulating activities. This meets the needs of all children, including those with additional needs. Through regular and thorough assessments, the childminder ensure that children have the right level of challenge to support their rapid progress.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's personal, social and emotional and physical development. She places high emphasis on developing children's communication, language and literacy skills. For instance, the childminder provides an excellent range of high-quality books in all playrooms which children eagerly engage with. The childminder makes expert use of fun games where children choose an object from a bag and describe it. This helps children to gain excellent communication skills. Role play is used very effectively to utilise and develop children's understanding of the world and thinking skills. For instance, children decide there is a pretend fire in the home corner and the childminder makes a very skilled intervention by introducing a toy megaphone. Children learn that it is used to make their voices louder and they say "leave, it's an emergency". Children gain excellent mathematical skills. Even younger children confidently count to beyond 10. Children use a range of high

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

quality Montessori resources to practise their sorting, grading and measuring skills.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has a comprehensive approach to identifying and supporting children who need extra help in their learning. She monitors children's progress rigorously. This begins by assessing children's individual starting points, followed up by regular observations and progress checks at age 2. Language-focused assessments identify any learning needs in that area. If any gap in learning is identified, the childminder responds without hesitation by expertly adapting activities and routines to meet children's individual needs. This makes a demonstrable difference and leads to very secure progress. She uses the skills and knowledge gained from attending a level 3 special educational needs coordinator training course very effectively. For instance, completion of this course has led to rigorous monitoring of children's progress and the ability to plan and carry out activities, and review and amend them to meet children's needs precisely. She follows regular advice from health

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

professionals to support children's physical development. This includes specific daily exercises to promote best outcomes for children. The childminder has excellent knowledge of relevant agencies to provide further assistance to children and shares this information with parents.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly motivated to provide the best possible care and learning for children. She is very committed to the continual development of the skills and knowledge for both her and any assistants. For example, between them they have attended a wide range of courses, such as promoting positive behaviour and supporting children's language and literacy skills both of which led to greater understanding and outcomes for children. She regularly and comprehensively supervises and supports any assistants. They discuss children's progress and planning to promote best outcomes for learning.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has a very ambitious and highly inclusive curriculum that includes well- considered enhancements to meet the individual needs of children who require extra help. She has a robust approach to self-evaluation and sets highly relevant goals to build ongoing improvement. The childminder has very good partnerships with parents. For example, she liaises closely with parents to follow any advice given by health professionals to support children with additional needs. Parents borrow books to share with their children at home to support their language and literacy development and learning. The childminder has regular parents' evening, sends termly reports, and uses secure messaging to keep parents very well informed of their children's development. Parents comments gathered during the inspection include that the setting is 'highly nurturing and professionally run' and children 'grow, thrive and flourish'.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.4

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.4

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

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

Children thrive well in a nurturing, highly supportive homely environment. They explore and learn with great confidence in the knowledge that they are each deeply valued. The childminder builds strong, trusting relationships to ensure that every child feels safe and very well supported during their play. Children are highly motivated, independent and curious learners, and they make very good progress. The childminder has organised children's play and learning very effectively over 3 separate rooms, each having a different focus. For example, there is a soft, comfortable room where children can unwind and look at books to learn about different emotions. They use different sensory toys to explore sounds and visual effects to promote a secure sense of wellbeing. In another room, older children have the opportunity to concentrate quietly as they complete more complex puzzles. They weigh and grade different objects to support their mathematical skills very effectively.

p.5

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

Children carefully select toys and activities of their choice and fully engage with and enjoy their play. Children show creative flair and deep concentration as they get involved in creative activities. They skilfully use a range of tools, such as paintbrushes, shape cutters and colouring pens, to make bright, colourful prints and patterns on paper. The childminder extends their learning by offering children scissors, which they use expertly to cut out shapes from paper. The childminder helps children to gain a very good understanding of the world. For instance, she takes children on walks across different terrains so children learn how to go up and down hills. They explore wooded areas of the park, collect sticks and learn to balance on logs. The childminder carefully adapts all activities to meet the specific needs of each child, including those with additional needs. All children attend regularly and

p.5

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

punctually and learn important skills in preparation for school.

p.5

About this setting

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

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.6

Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children. She considered parents comments during the inspection.

p.6

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 6 March 2026

p.6

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.7

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.

p.7

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8