Ashton, Kate Mary

Ashton, Kate Mary

Unique reference number (URN): EY382297 Address: 5 Overdale Road, Romiley, Stockport, Cheshire, SK6 3HL Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 29/09/2008 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Ashton, Kate Mary

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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

Babies are beginning to develop their physical skills. They stand at low-level furniture, leaning into the equipment to support themselves. This helps them to develop their core strength. Older children navigate obstacles with ease, for example as they carefully manoeuvre up and down steps. Alongside large physical skills, children's small physical skills are equally well supported. Babies use wooden spoons to mix a 'potion' of twigs and petals in the garden. Older children pick up objects with tweezers to develop their coordination. Children practise and master their physical skills through varied and interesting activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children hear lots of words as they play, and this develops their emerging language skills. Older children in particular engage in discussions and conversations, often asking inquisitive and curious questions. Frequent reading activities help to expose children to new words and enhance their emerging vocabulary. Children are happy, settled and often laugh with their peers, demonstrating their enjoyment in the childminder's care. Children acquire key skills and a wonderful 'can-do attitude' to enable them to thrive when they eventually move on to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are encouraged to have a go. They learn from their mistakes and develop resilience. For instance, children persevere to remove stickers from the backing paper. This requires endurance, focus and intricate movements. Their attitude towards this task is impressively calm and resilient. Children benefit from flexible routines to meet their ever- changing emotional needs. For instance, when playing outside, children say they feel cold and quickly return indoors to warm up.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children develop secure friendships. They enjoy spending time with their peers, smiling and giggling as they play. The childminder teaches children how to play cooperatively as she encourages them to share and take turns. House rules, such as 'be kind and share', are reinforced by the attentive childminder regularly. She uses written signs to communicate expectations with older children, and gentle verbal reminders for younger ones. This adaptation helps everyone to understand what is expected of them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder frequently provides children with animated praise and encouragement. For example, she claps to celebrate their achievements and uses descriptive words such as 'fantastic' and 'brilliant' to encourage them. This genuine praise helps to build children's self- esteem and sense of self-worth.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder populates an attendance record. She promptly follows up any absences with parents. She has a clear focus on promoting punctuality to enable children to benefit from uninterrupted learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Routines and daily plans are flexible and quickly adapted, if needed. For instance, if children become tired, they are offered a warm and quiet space to rest. The childminder is vigilant and checks sleeping children often. Her recent training on 'safer sleep' enhances her careful and attentive approach during rest times.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children benefit from daily fresh air and exercise. They fly kites in local parks and explore nature every day. Their health and wellbeing are promoted through this learning in nature and outdoors. Furthermore, children learn about diversity in people and their communities as they mix with a range of new people and friends during regular outings and trips, contributing to their emotional and social confidence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder teaches children about their emotions. She empathises when children become upset and offers them plenty of caring and warm interactions. Children benefit from these strong relationships shared with the kind childminder.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children's health and hygiene. She attentively encourages children to wash their hands prior to eating and wipes the table at mealtimes with antibacterial wipes. Overall, hygiene practices are effective. The childminder understands the importance of maintaining hygiene procedures at all times and she intends to continue to implement these with rigour to promote children's health.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder continually observes children and celebrates special 'wow' moments in their development. She records their progress through her simple and effective tracking procedures. The childminder knows what children can confidently do and where they need additional help and uses this good knowledge to inform her targeted teaching. The curriculum design is ambitious, fun and rich.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Books and reading are integral to the childminder's curriculum and planning. Children enjoy listening to stories regularly throughout the day. There is a cosy reading teepee outside with an inviting toy fire in the centre. This enables children to sit together and enjoy reading collectively. The childminder uses props to bring stories to life. This promotes children's active engagement in story sessions. This regular investment in books and reading helps to foster children's love of literacy from an early age.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder carefully plans the day and makes good use of her time. Transitions between activities are smoothly managed and children are continuously engaged in purposeful play. The childminder often incorporates mathematics into these transitional times, such as counting the children before returning indoors, extending children's awareness of numbers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides ongoing narration, and younger children hear lots of new words, developing their emerging vocabulary. For example, the childminder introduces descriptive words such as 'bubbles' and 'waves' during water play. Older children are confident communicators, expressing their opinions with ease. Children of all ages develop their communication skills well. However, sometimes older children dominate the conversations, and younger children are not provided with opportunities to join in through babbling or gestures.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has a sound understanding of children's different needs, interests and backgrounds. She uses her professional observations to develop a picture of children's abilities and carefully targets her teaching to reduce barriers to learning and support different needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

When children first start attending, the childminder gathers detailed information from parents about children's care routines and interests. She adds her own professional observations to identify children's starting points. All subsequent activity planning and teaching are focused on helping children move on from these starting points. As a result, children are supported to make progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works closely with other professionals. She benefits from their expertise to help her support children in her care. She has a number of childminder friends who offer her professional support. She attends childminder conferences, enabling her to network with other professionals and develop her skills and practice. The childminder benefits from the support of the local authority quality team, who offer guidance, as required. This effective collaboration with other professionals helps to ensure that children receive the care they need and deserve.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is experienced and has worked with young children for many years. She continually strives to improve and develop her provision. She engages with honest reflection and therefore focuses her development plans in the right areas. Further improvements in communication and hygiene practices will help to raise standards even more.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder knows all children in her setting very well. She invests time to understand their interests, abilities and any barriers to their learning. Every child's uniqueness is celebrated and nurtured, enhancing everyone's opportunities to be the best they can be.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder offers a home-from-home atmosphere and often invites parents into her setting to discuss children's progress informally. Parents comment positively about the kind, caring and ambitious childminder and the quality of their experiences. Children benefit from the trusting relationships fostered between the childminder and parents.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder regularly completes training courses. This professional learning helps her to extend and develop her good knowledge and skills.

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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 safe and caring environment. The childminder cares deeply about the children and families she supports. She is warm and affectionate towards children, and they benefit from her supportive interactions. Children enjoy undertaking small responsibilities, which successfully helps to foster their sense of self-confidence. For example, children take pride in pouring drinks and cutting fruit at lunchtime. Children are settled, happy and quietly independent.

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Inspector:

Michelle Jacques The childminder has high expectations of children from the moment they join her. She plans a range of exciting experiences both in her home and in the local community. There is mix of adult-led and self-chosen play. This helps children to learn new skills and practise and master what they already know. The childminder makes subtle suggestions to guide and extend children's learning. This helps to deepen their knowledge and extend their skills. For example, when children count to 3, the childminder prompts counting higher numbers to develop their mathematical fluency and knowledge. When children play in the sand, the childminder encourages them to make marks with their fingers. This helps them develop their early writing skills, through fun and engaging play. The childminder adapts resources, toys and activities to enable every child to access suitably challenging play. For example,

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Inspector:

babies scoop water with large containers, while older children are challenged to use syringes, which requires more refined coordination. This skilful differentiation of teaching helps to ensure that all children are fully included and well supported to make progress. The childminder is a positive role model, and her teaching is having an impact on children's progress.

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Inspector:

Children are calm and relaxed. They find consistent and familiar routines reassuring, which helps to promote their cooperative behaviour. The childminder teaches children about emotions and feelings through reading and games. Children's purposeful and positive behaviour is impressive, minimising disruption and enabling them to focus on learning and having fun. This is a caring, safe and stimulating setting where children are supported both emotionally and developmentally.

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Next steps

The childminder should manage group discussions to ensure all children are given opportunities to contribute to conversations to extend their language skills even more. The childminder should continue to implement her hygiene practices with rigour both indoors and outdoors.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children 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.

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Address:

5 Overdale Road Romiley Stockport Cheshire SK6 3HL

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Address:

Operating hours: Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:30 - 17:00

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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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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

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