Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2796237 Registered with Ofsted: 30/07/2024 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder understands how cooperative play will support children in their next stage of learning and enable them to build respectful relationships with their peers. He has adopted strategies, such as supporting children to take turns. For example, children come together for circle time, when they are encouraged to take turns to select objects from the 'tap tap' box. However, the impact of these new strategies cannot yet be seen in practice. Some groups of children are not able to regulate their behaviour, and they snatch resources from others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Attendance is closely monitored, and the childminder supports parents to understand the positive impact that punctuality and full attendance have on developing routines that children will experience in their next stage of learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Children form close relationships with their childminder. They enjoy the time they spend in his care, laughing at the jokes they share. Children demonstrate that they feel safe in the childminder's care and regularly approach him for support and reassurance during play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Relationships between the childminder and families are respectful, with parents reporting how their children enjoy attending. The childminder shares information about children's routines to provide parents with an oversight to their children's day. However, the childminder does not consider how to communicate effectively with parents to promote individual children's development. For example, he has not considered alternative ways to highlight the impact the prolonged use of dummies and bottles has on children's communication.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Snack times are safe and well organised, and the childminder considers children's dietary needs. Children all wash their hands and sit together to enjoy their snacks. The childminder encourages children to select healthy options independently, while ensuring the safety of children who have allergies.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

The childminder has begun to provide support for children to identify and express their emotions. He is beginning to introduce visual prompts and simple sign language to encourage children to identify their feelings and regulate their behaviour. However, these are not yet used consistently enough to have a positive impact on children's emotional understanding.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Children do not always engage well in their learning because activities do not provide appropriate challenge. As a result, children become disengaged and wander off to play elsewhere in the setting. This does not prepare children for the routines they will experience in the next stage of their learning.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Children do not make appropriate progress across all areas of learning, particularly in their communication and language development. At times, children become frustrated at being unable to express their emotions. This can lead to unwanted behaviours, such as snatching. This does not help children to develop the social and emotional confidence they will need to participate in larger groups.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Children do develop some physical skills, and they are beginning to count during everyday routines, such as tidying away their toys.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

The childminder does not monitor children's progress effectively. The resulting lack of knowledge of their needs means that his teaching is not adapted to support the different abilities of children. For example, during a craft activity, the childminder does not differentiate his teaching around fine motor or language skills. As a result, older children get bored at the lack of challenge, and young children cannot respond to his complex questions.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

The methods the childminder uses to assess children's progress do not enable him to provide the precise support children require during activities. Planned activities do not build on children's current knowledge and skills and support them in making appropriate progress. For example, young children, and those who have limited language skills, are encouraged to respond to complex questions that are beyond their abilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

The childminder introduces books and stories during activities to develop children's interest in literacy. However, these sessions do not consider the different ages and abilities of children, and they often become distracted. Furthermore, the childminder does not take decisive action and adapt his teaching when he identifies that children are no longer engaged.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Children gather some mathematical knowledge in age-appropriate ways by counting blocks into bags when tidying up, and all children enjoy physical activities during trips out to local parks.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

The childminder does not have a robust understanding of children's individual learning needs. Current methods used to monitor children's development are ineffective, and the childminder is unable to gather an appropriate understanding of children's progress across the areas of learning in the early years foundation stage.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

The childminder does not adapt his teaching to support the specific needs of children who face barriers to learning. For example, young children who require additional speech and language support are provided with the same ambitious teaching as older children.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

The childminder has begun to seek advice from other professionals regarding the individual needs of children who may face barriers to learning. He has recently completed additional training that focuses on supporting children's language development. However, the new strategies that he has introduced, such as the use of Makaton, are not yet having a positive impact on children's learning.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

The childminder is aware of how to allocate any additional funding children may receive. He explains how he will provide additional resources and support that are aimed at promoting the development of children whom the funding is intended for.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Since the previous inspection, the childminder has been unable to sustain improvement. Although he has completed some additional training aimed at supporting the identified needs of children, the changes made following this recent training, specifically around developing children's communication skills, are not embedded in practice. As a result, they do not have a positive impact on children's learning.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

The childminder receives advice from other professionals to develop and implement an appropriate curriculum that focuses on meeting the individual needs of all children who attend. Despite this extensive support, the childminder does not demonstrate teaching skills or provide activities that build on children's existing knowledge and extend their learning further. Activities are not well differentiated. Very young children and pre-school-aged children are given the same learning goals in play. This means that children do not make appropriate progress and are not sufficiently prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Parents do not always have an appropriate understanding of how to further promote children's development at home. The childminder does not establish ways to support parents to understand the impact the continued use of dummies and bottles can have on their children's communication skills. As a result, there is inconsistency in how children's learning and development are supported at home and in the setting.

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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 plan or implement a curriculum that provides children with the knowledge and skills required for their next stage of learning. The activities and teaching he provides do not build on what children already know and can do. For example, the childminder does not adapt the organisation of activities or his interactions to reflect the different ages of children involved. As a result, some children do not understand the purpose of activities, and others become bored.

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

The childminder does not adapt and focus his teaching on meeting children's individual and specific needs. Children who require additional support for their speech and language development are exposed to the same vocabulary as their peers. For example, the questions that the childminder asks during a sensory activity are too complex for these children, and they are unable to respond.

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

The methods that the childminder uses to monitor children's progress do not support him to have a robust enough understanding of their learning needs. This impacts on his ability to provide activities and teaching that will support children's precise learning needs and enable them to make sustained progress from their starting points. Furthermore, the childminder does not effectively share the knowledge that he does gain with parents in order to promote a collaborative approach to supporting children's development. For example, parents are not aware of the impact that prolonged use of dummies and bottles can have on children's language skills.

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

Children do feel settled and safe in the childminder's care. They demonstrate close attachments and generally enjoy the time they spend in the setting. Children enjoy trips out to local parks, where they develop physical confidence and learn about potential hazards in the environment. Along with the childminder, children learn about and engage in their community. They attend group play sessions where they socialise with their peers and learn about what makes them and their friends unique.

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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 actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

develop and adapt a curriculum that identifies what individual children need to learn and provides appropriate challenge for all children 06/04/2026

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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Action Completion Date

establish robust methods of assessment that monitor children's progress effectively in order to understand their individual learning needs and inform future teaching and learning experiences 06/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

implement effective ways to share information with parents to support their child's development, especially their communication and language skills 06/04/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, the co-childminder 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 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. 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

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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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