Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY452019 Registered with Ofsted: 20/09/2012 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 Strong standard

Since starting with the childminder, who prioritises close partnership working with families, children demonstrate an extensive range of knowledge and skills. They are very well prepared for each stage of development, even when they initially begin with gaps in their learning, such as a speech delay. For example, children now confidently connect previous learning to new situations as they play. When pushing wheeled toys they independently sing different verses of the 'wheels on the bus' song, showing how they draw on earlier experiences. As a result, children make swift progress when barriers to learning are clearly identified and systematically addressed.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children display high levels of engagement, curiosity and perseverance during their self- chosen play. For instance, they persist in linking together long pieces of track, even though it initially proves fiddly. When they do not succeed straight away, they carefully examine how the connecting mechanism works and try again and again until it fits. Children proudly celebrate their success by cheering, 'I did it', and raising their arms in the air, giggling as the childminder joins in their excitement.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder's high expectations for children's positive behaviour are clearly understood and consistently reinforced through good role modelling and specific praise. This means children regulate their behaviour well and develop good habits. For example, they independently initiate washing their hands before snack time. Children also make confident, healthy food choices, inspired by their enjoyment of growing fruit and vegetables in the childminder's garden and joining shopping trips where they eagerly select and buy nutritious snacks.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Warm and responsive relationships between the childminder and children create a secure environment where children feel welcomed and valued. The childminder knows children extremely well and responds sensitively to their individual needs. This positive sense of belonging extends to the friendships children form with their peers, who are missed when it is not their day to attend. Children show an eagerness to learn, interact confidently and readily initiate their own ideas and conversations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Support is matched to children's age, stage and individual circumstances. Expectations are realistic and carefully adapted so that every child can experience success. The childminder promotes regular attendance and punctuality in ways that take account of family circumstances, ensuring children fully benefit from the high-quality provision she offers. For example, some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities attend on their own for part of the week, enabling them to receive focused attention from the childminder to support their ongoing progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder creates a homely and inviting environment where children's wellbeing is given the utmost importance. She adapts routines, activities, and the environment to suit each child's needs. As a result, children move confidently around the setting, demonstrating a true sense of belonging and knowing their views matter greatly to the childminder. They readily communicate when they feel tired, hungry or wish to play, and the childminder responds sensitively to these cues. For example, children are supported if they choose to relax and lie on the carpet to unwind or quietly look at a book on their own.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder establishes secure partnerships with parents and other settings children attend. She works closely with them to design and implement specific strategies that support continuity in children's care and learning. This collaborative approach is particularly effective when adapting care routines, ensuring children receive the right level of support as their sleeping and eating patterns change. Children's physical skills progress well, including their gross and fine motor skills. For example, they use gardening tools to scoop soil into plant pots with precision, developing the strength in their hands for early writing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children know that the childminder is always nearby to offer guidance and reassurance. They listen attentively as she acknowledges and validates children's feelings, helping them understand how their actions may impact others. This thoughtful support helps children to steadily develop their awareness of emotions and consideration for those around them.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder confidently delivers a personalised and enriching curriculum that reflects children's interests, needs, and abilities. In particular, she is highly skilled at developing children's thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, when children want to place toy cars onto a large transporter truck, she encourages them to test out a range of wheeled toys to discover which ones fit best. The childminder models her own logical thinking by making connections, drawing on children's previous experiences and explaining when similar ideas have worked before. In this way, the childminder seizes every opportunity to extend children's knowledge and skills through her extremely positive, meaningful and high-quality interactions.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder consistently incorporates mathematical language into everyday experiences. For instance, when filling a plant pot with soil, she carefully introduces concepts such as 'empty' and 'full'. She has robust assessment procedures in place to identify any gaps in children's learning and precisely plans activities to address these. The childminder intelligently adapts her teaching to meet children's emerging needs and demonstrates a secure understanding of when to seek additional guidance for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Effective support for children's personal, social and emotional development is woven seamlessly throughout the day. The childminder is highly attuned to how children are feeling. She offers reassurance, comfort and guidance, helping children learn ways to manage their emotions. Children are immersed in an environment rich with language. The childminder shows great expertise in extending children's vocabulary and sentence structure, encouraging meaningful two-way conversations and providing clear explanations when introducing new words.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder provides a highly inclusive environment, which is adapted to meet the individual needs of children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Her ongoing research and training, combined with her secure knowledge of child development, enable her to competently adapt her teaching with successful results. The childminder's accurate assessments and well-considered observations ensure she quickly identifies when additional support is required. She plans targeted and purposeful strategies so that children with speech delays confidently begin to use the key words she models, such as when narrating their actions during independent play. This demonstrates the highly effective impact of her approach to supporting children with SEND.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The knowledgeable childminder works extremely well in partnership with families and other professionals, including key staff from other settings children attend. Together, they develop personalised programmes that help to minimise any gaps in children's development. This includes carefully considering the knowledge and skills children need to learn and the most effective sequence in which to teach and build on them. Parents comment on how involved they feel in understanding and supporting their children's specific needs when barriers or delays are identified. They successfully use the strategies the childminder introduces to support their children's learning at home. As a result, all children continue to thrive and flourish, ready for their next stage in education.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The ambitious childminder has a solid understanding of the children in her care and their families. She regularly evaluates her practice and the provision she offers, seeking parents' views and reflecting on children's experiences to identify areas for further development. This enables her to design and deliver an inspiring curriculum that is carefully adapted so that all children can thrive. The childminder regularly prioritises her professional development and training. For example, she is currently working towards a higher qualification in childcare, which is having a significant impact on her practice. Recent research into supporting children's speech has enabled her to implement effective strategies in a clear and progressive way. Her determination to remove barriers to learning, alongside the inclusive environment she provides, ensures that every child achieves well.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder builds effective relationships with other childminders and is often approached to offer guidance and support to them. She has strengthened professional connections to promote consistency in learning and care for children who attend more than one setting. Partnerships with parents are trusting and highly effective. Parents express great confidence in the quality of care their children receive and deeply appreciate the childminder's detailed communication, advice and guidance, which helps them support their children's development at home.

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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

The childminder places children firmly at the centre of everything she does. Through her caring, attentive, and responsive approach, she creates a calm, nurturing and purposeful environment. Children quickly warm to her, confident that she is always available to offer encouragement, reassurance and celebrate their achievements. She thoughtfully recognises even the smallest accomplishments, and as a result, children are motivated to do their very best. For example, they proudly tidy away their toys before being asked. Children demonstrate that they feel extremely safe and secure. The childminder not only establishes trusting relationships with children but also builds strong partnerships with their families, fostering a collaborative approach to supporting children's learning and development. She has a secure understanding of each child's unique learning style, personality and needs, enabling them to grow in confidence as capable learners who are well prepared for their

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

eventual move to school. Children clearly and consistently thrive in her care.

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

Children blossom through the childminder's highly ambitious and skilfully delivered curriculum. They display impressive levels of concentration as they explore a wide range of stimulating and meaningful learning opportunities. Children thoroughly enjoy creating their own play experiences and take particular delight when the childminder joins in to extend their imaginative play. Children's logical thinking is skilfully promoted. For example, they smile and giggle as they race toy cars together, recognising that the greater and more controlled the force they use, the more likely the cars will travel around the looped track. The childminder seizes valuable teachable moments and asks thoughtful questions that extend children's ideas and help them make connections in their learning. Children make noticeable progress across all areas of the curriculum. This includes, significantly narrowing any gaps that the childminder identifies, such as delays in speech and language. Her purposeful

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

interactions consistently support and strengthen children's communication and language development.

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

Children benefit greatly from the many enriching experiences the childminder provides. For instance, she takes them to community events where they meet people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Through these opportunities, the childminder helps children develop understanding, acceptance and empathy towards people with disabilities, for example. Children begin to appreciate individuals' unique circumstances and show admiration for how people overcome challenges. These first-hand experiences help children recognise that everyone has their own strengths and differences, encouraging them to treat others with kindness, respect and dignity.

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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.

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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

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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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Our grades explained

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

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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