Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2742867 Registered with Ofsted: 29/09/2023 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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Achievement Expected standard

Children are confident to communicate their wants and needs to the childminder and demonstrate their independence. For example, they use cutlery to help themselves to fruit during snack time, independently wash and dry their hands and put on their coats for outdoor play.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show increasing confidence as they make marks with crayons and trace letters of their name, demonstrating progress in the development of their small-muscle skills. They achieve success within the area of physical development as they competently run and jump to catch bubbles in the outdoor space, climb up steps and slide down slides.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children enjoy dancing to familiar songs, following the childminders actions and enjoy turning pages and lifting flaps as they explore books. They use their communication and language skills to describe the animal pictures as they self-select them from a jar. These skills support them to be ready for their next stages in learning, including starting school. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported well to participate in all the activities on offer and make progress from their starting points.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children enjoy mealtimes and the childminder sits with them, making this a social occasion. Children show independence in health and self-care, and the childminder is beginning to support children and their families as they start potty training. Children understand the importance of healthy eating and are offered an abundance of fruits and vegetables to try at snack times. They enjoy trips to the park and all of the opportunities they get to experience fresh air and exercise. They understand the importance of daily exercise in order to stay fit and healthy. The childminder's care practices are differentiated, and she uses her knowledge of the children to ensure all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are well supported and cared for.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have strong attachments with the childminder, and they regularly go to her if they are tired or upset for comfort and cuddles. She has embedded clear routines for sleeping and eating so children have the energy they need to approach all that is on offer. The childminder explains to them how they need to stay safe while out and about. The childminder talks to children about how they are feeling, and how to use their 'kind hands' to show respect for each other. Strategies for supporting children to calm down or to take time out to rest are not fully embedded. Further support is needed for children to manage their own feelings and behaviours which will, in turn, support their emotional well- being.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder knows what she wants children to learn. She confidently describes how she plans around children's interests and next steps. She identifies her strengths in supporting children's communication and language, confidence and independence. She regularly assesses what children know and can do and ensures that her teaching is specifically tailored to children's different ages and stages. She reflects on her teaching and evaluates how to improve to ensure children achieve the best possible learning outcomes. She describes how she could further support children's learning and introduce them to new skills, for example, by encouraging them to make their own play dough, rather than just manipulating it. She recognises that this would provide children with further opportunities to strengthen their small-muscle skills and further develop their skills in mathematics.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The provision is organised so children can access resources to support them with all areas of the early years foundation stage. There are clear routines in place for group times, free play, mealtimes and opportunities for fresh air and exercise. The childminder builds on children's vocabulary, naming the different foods as children point to them during meal times. She supports their confidence in speaking as she repeats and adds to their own spoken words. She models counting and explicitly teaches children about the names and properties of shapes.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder adapts all her planned activities to ensure all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can participate and be fully involved in the planned learning. She plans to further support and enhance children's learning outcomes as she works towards effective strategies to managing children's behaviour to the highest level.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder provides a fully inclusive offering and adapts her teaching to meet the needs of children of different ages and stages. For example, during circle time, she swiftly directs any assistants that work with her to support the younger children as they follow their interests. This allows the childminder to support and extend older children's learning, who are keen to engage in reading about science.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder's partnership working with parents and initial assessments of children allow her to quickly plan to support children to meet their individual milestones. She regularly reviews targets set to ensure all children, including children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder accesses training in supporting children with specific needs and seeks advice from external professionals as needed. She understands the importance of swiftly identifying any barriers children may face to their learning and advises parents on how to access support, For example, from speech and language therapy and occupational therapy services as needed. She effectively uses funding she receives to offer additional hours to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. This ensures they get the most from her offering and have the opportunities to achieve the best possible outcomes. She takes children on trips to the park, zoo and library to help to ensure they receive a broad and balanced curriculum.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder identifies the strengths of her setting and is working hard to gain further knowledge and training to support her as she identifies her areas of improvement. She has begun to take steps to access further training to ensure she can fully support children regardless of their needs. She understands she needs to gain further knowledge and skills

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Needs attention

to support her to manage children's behaviour to greater effect. The childminder shows passion for continuous improvement in her offering and wants children to achieve the best possible outcomes whilst in her care.

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Needs attention

The childminder directs any assistants that work with her well and ensures they have an abundance of training opportunities, including opportunities to gain recognised early years qualifications. She fully understands the importance of swiftly identifying any barriers children may face to their learning and uses external agencies, such as the speech and language therapy service, to support children with language delay. She knows that she can contact colleagues within her local authority when needing advice on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Needs attention

Any assistants that work with the childminder are fully involved in planning and assessing children's progress but are not over burdened with workload. They show high levels of positive wellbeing.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder's behaviour expectations are not clear and consistent. She does not always follow through when children do not respond to instructions, or they do not understand what is expected during short periods of sitting, such as story time or focused activities. Children do not receive enough guidance to recognise how their actions affect others, especially when sharing toys. The childminder does not consistently support them with positive ways to use resources and play alongside their friends. She does not make her boundaries consistently clear. This means children do not always understand what is expected or how to behave in different situations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Children show affection towards the childminder and the warmth she offers them supports them to feel secure in her care. She works hard to model manners to children and does her best to resolve disputes. She reminds children of the importance of sharing and turn taking and using their indoor voices.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder ensures that she follows up on children's attendance, and she explains the importance of punctuality, so children get the most from her provision.

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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 does not always make her expectations clear, or follow up or reinforce them, for example, when she teaches positive behaviours, such as turn-taking. Children do not receive consistent guidance to help them understand and copy the behaviours she models. Children enjoy the responsibility of carrying out small tasks. For example, they put tissues into the bin and tidy away the crayons after they have finished drawing. They sit for meals alongside their friends and the childminder. She talks of the importance of sitting when eating to keep themselves safe.

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

Children show they are happy as the childminder greets them with a huge smile each morning. Families of the children that attend describe the childminder as warm and nurturing, which supports their children to feel safe and secure in her care. The childminder provides a stimulating and well-organised environment for children to explore. Children enjoy engaging with the childminder and choosing what they would like to play with.

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

The childminder plans activities to strengthen children's small-muscle skills. Children show confidence and enjoyment as they roll, squeeze and pinch play dough to make pizzas. She supports their communication and language as she introduces them to the new vocabulary of 'hard', 'soft' and 'squishy' when talking to them about how the play dough feels. She supports them to keep their play going by asking questions, such as what toppings they are going to put on their pizzas. Children enjoy the opportunities the childminder provides for being imaginative.

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About this setting

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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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following action by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure consistency in supporting children's behaviour, so children are always clear of her expectations and fully understand clear boundaries for their behaviour 12/06/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, staff 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 March 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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