Cannon, Rachel

Cannon, Rachel

Unique reference number (URN): 2744903 Address: 10 Lonning Foot, Carlisle, CA6 4AB Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 31/10/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Cannon, Rachel

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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 steady progress from their starting points, developing the skills needed for the next stage of their education. They communicate confidently using babble, words and gestures, expanding their vocabulary through books, stories and songs. For example, children successfully identify and use the names of farm animals independently.

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Achievement Expected standard

Through play, children explore mathematical concepts such as 'full' and 'empty' while filling containers with water. They also develop an understanding of textures and colours as they plant flowers for a special family celebration. Children enjoy physical activity outdoors. They develop their walking, running and climbing skills, and they gain spatial awareness as they chase leaves.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop independence and self-care skills. For example, they learn the skills they require to wash their own hands and manage dressing and mealtimes with increasing confidence.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop their hand–eye coordination and control of their movements. They begin to understand that their physical actions create marks and that these marks can carry meaning as they develop early skills and knowledge for later writing and creativity. Familiar routines and new experiences help children feel secure and ready for transitions to school. Overall, children show confidence, resilience and curiosity across all areas of learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder creates a nurturing environment where children feel safe and valued and have a sense of belonging. She prioritises emotional wellbeing, fostering positive relationships, and encourages children to seek reassurance through cuddles, help and distraction. Her clear guidance supports all children, including those who occasionally become overwhelmed, through teaching sharing and turn-taking. For example, children share resources in the home corner and 'wriggle up' to make space for their friends in the play tent, demonstrating collaboration and empathy.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children engage in activities that capture their interest and develop persistence, such as manipulating tricky stickers to decorate special cards. These activities promote concentration and a positive 'can-do' attitude. However, some younger children occasionally lose focus during group activities and remove themselves from learning opportunities, which can impact their attitude and hinder progress. Children benefit from consistent attendance, which supports their learning and development. The childminder works with parents to ensure attendance is prioritised, adapting sessions when needed. Strong relationships with parents help them understand the importance of regular attendance, with feedback confirming the positive impact on children's progress and learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder fosters strong, trusting relationships with children through her calm and nurturing approach. She creates a secure, welcoming environment where children's physical health and wellbeing are central to daily routines. For instance, she offers children a range of nutritious foods, encouraging them to explore new tastes and textures and helping develop healthy eating habits. During mealtimes, children are closely supervised and reminded to chew their food carefully, supporting safe eating practices.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder prioritises children's care, ensuring routines are followed with warmth and respect, while fostering independence. Children take pride in tasks such as washing hands and helping to put on boots and coats. Daily care routines, including safe sleeping practices and maintaining dignity during nappy changes, are seamlessly integrated into the day. The childminder encourages children to participate fully in these routines, building on what they already know and can do and promoting their ongoing progress. Children enjoy baby yoga where they move their bodies in different ways, and they benefit from regular outdoor play in a thoughtfully designed, safe space. Before heading outside, the childminder encourages children to think about the weather. They help choose clothing to stay warm and dry before excitedly heading outside.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

By working closely with parents, the childminder offers tailored settling-in sessions, ensuring each child's individual needs are met, supporting emotional wellbeing. The childminder also helps children to understand and manage their emotions, encouraging positive conflict resolution and promoting social skills as they develop their social play and friendships.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder delivers an ambitious, well-balanced curriculum that generally supports children's progress across all areas of learning. She uses children's interests to shape activities and models positive behaviour, helping them develop confidence, curiosity and resilience. Learning is broken down into manageable steps. For example, children use scoops to sort coloured dinosaurs, developing hand–eye coordination and independence in tasks such as dressing and early mark-making. Occasionally, the childminder's interactions with children are less consistent, and some children lose interest and do not fully engage in activities, which can limit learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, support for communication and language is a particular strength. Children develop a love of books and storytelling and are supported with gestures, simple signs and everyday conversation to build vocabulary and confidence. Open questions extend thinking, though at times the childminder uses language that is too complex, limiting children's processing skills and responses.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder promotes physical development daily in the outdoor area, where children climb, negotiate steps and use the ball pit, developing strength, balance and coordination. She models positive behaviour, and children learn to share and take turns, understanding the childminder's expectations.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder fosters an inclusive environment where all children are valued and supported. Overall, she communicates with parents effectively, gathering detailed information during settling-in sessions and using regular observations to understand each child's development. Although there are currently no children on roll with identified barriers to their learning or wellbeing, the childminder has previous experience of supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She demonstrates a secure understanding of how to recognise emerging needs and access appropriate support. For example, she has completed training on supporting children with autism, which has strengthened her ability to meet children's individual needs effectively.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder closely monitors children's progress, adjusting her approach based on children's individual needs. She is aware of how to access additional support for children with SEND and maintains regular communication with parents of children with emerging medical or developmental needs. The childminder also understands how the early years pupil premium can be used to support children and families. She also uses community outings and regular visits to local playgroups to widen children's experiences. As a result, children are beginning to recognise and value differences between themselves and others as they develop respectful relationships.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates effective leadership, using government guidance and ongoing training to enhance her skills and tailor children's learning to meet their individual needs. She completes regular mandatory training, including safeguarding and paediatric first aid, ensuring regulatory standards are met and proactive measures are taken to keep children safe.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is committed to professional growth by attending local authority training and networking with other professionals. She actively researches best practices to enrich children's outcomes, such as adapting meals to promote oral health and reduce tooth decay. Drawing on her experience and sound knowledge of child development, she regularly monitors children's wellbeing and progress, addressing potential barriers to learning with targeted strategies. While the childminder reflects on her practice, she does not target professional development opportunities precisely to enhance her teaching skills even further.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parent and carer feedback highlights their positive involvement and strong, inclusive partnerships. Parents report that their children are eager to attend and happy in the childminder's care, reflecting effective relationships that support progress from their starting points. Communication with parents is effective, with updates on progress and activities. However, there is room to strengthen two-way communication by providing more personalised updates on daily routines, learning experiences and progress. Enhancing this would further strengthen the partnership, support home learning and enable the childminder to assess progress more effectively, leading to stronger outcomes.

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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 thrive in this warm, nurturing environment, demonstrating confidence and curiosity as they explore resources and activities tailored to their interests. They form secure bonds with the childminder, who understands their individual needs, creating a space where they feel safe, valued, supported, and eager to learn through interesting activities. For instance, children engage in recognising and sorting various shapes. They adjust their approaches as they match shapes, demonstrating growing concentration, high self-esteem and the ability to self-regulate their emotions when challenges occur. The childminder embeds learning opportunities into everyday routines and activities successfully. Overall, she plans a stimulating, well-structured environment where learning is generally well sequenced to build on children's existing skills and knowledge. For example, children refine abilities by practising dressing and undressing dolls, while younger children

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

master taking off their own coats and shoes. These activities support children's progress in self-care, fostering independence that is crucial for later transitions, including toilet training and preparation for school.

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

The literacy-rich environment enhances children's confidence and language development. During shared reading, children become absorbed in books and label and describe images with the childminder's guidance. This fosters children's language skills and emotional understanding, helping children to articulate their thoughts and feelings effectively.

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

Children interact harmoniously, with the childminder gently guiding them through disagreements. For example, when playing with a ball pit and pop-up tent, children collaborate by sharing space and resources, encouraging problem-solving and cooperative play. These interactions nurture their ability to negotiate and form meaningful friendships.

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

At snack time, children independently follow established routines, washing their hands and dressing for outdoor play. In the garden, they explore activities and share equipment, with the childminder reinforcing rules that create a calm, purposeful learning environment. This consistency helps children feel safe, included and motivated to explore. As a result, children make progress from their starting points and develop a strong sense of belonging in this inclusive, supportive environment. The childminder works closely with families to ensure smooth transitions, supporting children to settle quickly into routines and feel at home.

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Next steps

The childminder should focus professional learning opportunities more precisely on strengthening her teaching skills to extend children's learning and development even further. The childminder should continue to develop her interactions with children to extend their communication and language skills. This will support the consistent implementation of the curriculum for children of different ages, so that all children benefit from meaningful learning opportunities. The childminder should further strengthen systems for communicating with parents and carers about children's education and care to ensure effective two-way information sharing and to promote more opportunities for parents to support their children's learning at home.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents and carers during the inspection.

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 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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1 to 1

We carried out the inspection under section 49 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.

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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

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 .

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

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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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