Pollicott, Stuart Glenn

Pollicott, Stuart Glenn

Unique reference number (URN): 2750150 Address: 73 Hands Road, Heanor, DE75 7HB Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 22/11/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Pollicott, Stuart Glenn

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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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has created a nurturing and inclusive environment where behaviour expectations are consistent and clearly understood by all children. Children of different ages, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or with barriers to their learning, interact and learn in harmony alongside one another. They benefit from a family-style setting that encourages their social development well. Older children ably support their younger friends, demonstrating patience, kindness and cooperation, which helps to build secure relationships and a sense of belonging.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder's daily routines are well established and flexible, with children actively involved in preparing and maintaining their environment. Children enjoy helping to organise activities and support mealtimes. The childminder's inspiring modelling fosters children's independence, responsibility and awareness of shared expectations of how to behave. The childminder tailors support to individual children's needs, age and stage of development. Children develop important characteristics, such as their ability to keep on trying and motivation, that support their thirst for learning even more.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children are encouraged by the childminder to work together, take turns and show respect for one another, which promotes empathy and positive social interactions. Trusting relationships with the childminder help children feel secure and valued. The childminder takes a decisive approach to checking children's attendance and punctuality. Clear guidance and consistent routines help families to establish positive habits that support children's learning, wellbeing and engagement. These combined approaches enable children to thrive, develop positive attitudes to learning and be well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are given the highest priority and consistently underpin all aspects of the childminder's practice. He uses his expert knowledge of early childhood nutrition and child development to support children's physical health and wellbeing very effectively. Children benefit from freshly prepared, home-cooked meals that are carefully planned to provide balanced nutrition and to meet their individual dietary needs. The childminder talks to children about the food they eat, helping them to understand how healthy choices help their bodies to grow strong. This contributes to children developing positive attitudes towards life-long healthy lifestyles. Children also benefit from regular physical activity, including outdoor play and active experiences, which supports their strength, coordination and overall fitness.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children form very secure and trusting relationships with the childminder. They approach him with confidence for reassurance, conversation and support, showing that they feel safe, emotionally secure and valued. The childminder is highly responsive to children's emotional needs and supports them to understand and express their feelings appropriately. Through sensitive interactions and meaningful discussions, children learn to manage their emotions and develop confidence and resilience. Care routines are managed safely and sensitively, with careful attention given to children's individual needs. Sleeping, feeding and personal care routines are well established and nurturing. These consistent routines help children to feel secure, promote their independence and ensure that all children thrive.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder takes a highly proactive and thoughtful approach to inclusion, providing an environment in which every child feels respected, supported and able to engage fully. He identifies and monitors children's individual needs rigorously through detailed observations, ongoing discussions with parents and regular assessments of children's ongoing needs. This allows him to provide timely and personalised support that makes a significant difference to disadvantaged children's learning and development. Children with emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities, such as speech delay or those who speak English as an additional language, benefit from strategies tailored to their strengths. This helps them to make clear progress and develop confidence.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Barriers to children's learning are thoughtfully addressed by the childminder through very well-considered adaptations to activities, resources and routines, ensuring all children can participate meaningfully. For example, the childminder makes effective use of visual prompts, gesture-based cues and small-group support to help children to follow instructions and engage in play alongside their peers. The childminder makes innovative use of early years funding to reduce barriers and enhance learning opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged children. He works closely with families and external professionals, creating consistently positive support across home and setting. Children thrive regardless of their background or needs. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education. They are capable and ready to succeed.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a highly effective and committed approach to continuous improvement of the quality of his provision, ensuring that children in his care thrive. He has a deep understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. The childminder's capable leadership ensures that decisions are always made in the best interests of children. He has enhanced the curriculum to include purposeful outdoor learning experiences, allowing children to explore, investigate and engage meaningfully with their environment. The childminder's expert knowledge in child development helps children to thrive in their learning.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

With extensive experience as an early years teacher, the childminder applies expert knowledge of child development to his practice. He tailors activities to meet children's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder works closely with external professionals to make sure each child receives the right support in a timely way. He builds professional and supportive relationships with harder-to-reach families, including children known to social care, supporting attendance, routines and engagement in learning. The childminder also collaborates with other professionals to share good practice and continually improve his provision. He attends high- quality professional development that is ongoing, ensuring that children's learning and

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Expected standard

overall development are supported to the highest standard. For example, he works closely with the schools that children go on to attend to further develop his curriculum in mathematics. This helps children to be well prepared for school when the time comes.

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Achievement Expected standard

Generally, children, including those who experience barriers to their learning or wellbeing, make consistent progress from their starting points. They are curious and eager to explore, showing increasing confidence as they develop new skills. Children engage in a wide range of activities and sustain their concentration well, both during adult-led experiences and in their own chosen play. They listen carefully to instructions and communicate their thoughts and needs with growing clarity.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children who speak English as an additional language develop their communication skills effectively. They begin to understand and use new words through clear modelling, repetition, gestures and familiar routines. They feel secure and valued as their home languages are recognised and reflected well within the setting.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop independence as they follow well-established daily routines. They ably tidy away resources, manage their personal care and understand the importance of good hygiene. These skills help them to become increasingly self-reliant and well prepared for the next stage in their learning, including starting school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has designed a rich and purposeful curriculum across all areas of learning. He carefully plans learning activities to build on what children already know and can do, supporting their knowledge, skills and wellbeing effectively. The childminder has a keen focus on developing children's early literacy skills through children's love and interest in books. For instance, during story time, the childminder reads aloud with children. He introduces new vocabulary such as 'kennel' and 'sty', which children use in their imaginative play. He provides plenty of opportunities for children to enjoy drawing and making marks, teaching children that marks can have meaning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum for mathematics is thoughtfully sequenced and helps children build their knowledge and skills over time. Purposeful activities are woven throughout the day to support children's understanding of number, shape, space and measure. For example, the childminder provides well-considered learning experiences, such as in the role-play kitchen, where children use their imagination to make pancakes. He skilfully guides children to talk about the instructions, including what ingredients they need and how to make pancakes. This consolidates children's previous learning about Shrove Tuesday and helps them to remember more. However, at times, teaching does not build sufficiently on what older children already know and can do in mathematics. Older children's thinking and reasoning are not always extended fully, and learning is not consistently deepened. During child-led play, the childminder adapts his teaching effectively to meet children's individual needs,

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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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 flourish in the warm and purposeful environment the childminder has created with his co-childminder. Children arrive excited and happy, waving to their parents and settling quickly into the day. Families comment on how much their children enjoy coming and how

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Inspector:

Tracy Hopkins safe and cared for they feel. The childminder knows each child and their family well. He understands what children can do and what they need to learn next. Children take part in a wide range of activities that build on their interests and abilities. They enjoy trips in the local area and attend group sessions that help them to meet children of different ages and backgrounds and to learn about the wider world.

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Inspector:

Children have a love of books and stories. Shared reading includes animal noises, actions and new vocabulary, which children then use during pretend play, such as when making homes for toy animals with building blocks. Children enjoy a variety of learning activities, such as drawing on large sheets of paper on the floor and pretending to cook in the kitchen, making pancakes while giving instructions and exploring ingredients. These carefully thought-out learning opportunities help to develop children's communication, vocabulary, imagination and physical skills.

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Inspector:

The childminder's well-considered everyday routines help children to build independence, confidence and resilience very effectively. Children benefit greatly from being given responsibilities, such as to help set up activities, tidy resources and care for their environment. They show kindness and cooperation, with older children supporting younger children during shared play. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who speak English as an additional language, are fully included. Barriers to learning and wellbeing are reduced through carefully adapted support that the childminder thoughtfully provides. Children flourish and make steady progress. They are very well prepared for school, confident, capable and eager to continue their learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should strengthen practice even further so that teaching builds more consistently on older children's existing mathematical knowledge.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to the childminder, parents, carers 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:

Registered person: Pollicott, Stuart Glenn

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Address:

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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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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