Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2757050 Registered with Ofsted: 27/11/2023 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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's welfare and wellbeing effectively, creating a safe and caring environment where children feel comfortable and settled. Children develop knowledge of healthy lifestyles as they talk about the food they are having for snack. The childminder is attentive to the allergy needs of children. Children enjoy trips out in the local environment, building their physical skills as they explore the local parks and soft-play areas. The childminder understands the importance of physical activities and has provisions in place to implement these inside in wetter weather.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Relationships are warm and responsive, enabling children to form secure attachments and feel emotionally supported. The childminder uses calm, positive interactions to help children recognise and manage their feelings, which supports their confidence. The childminder works closely with families to share strategies for supporting routines, such as toileting, which parents report has had a positive impact at home. The childminder creates methods for maintaining children's privacy when nappy changing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder encourages children to complete practical skills independently. For example, children are provided with a flannel to wash their own faces and hands after snack. The childminder offers praise to build children's self-esteem. The childminder could talk to children more about making healthy choices to support them to develop knowledge about healthy lifestyles.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children make some progress from their starting points. However, they are not yet consistently reaching their potential. Children demonstrate some enjoyment in their learning and try new activities and experiences. However, due to a lack of purposeful interaction and encouragement, children do not remain at activities for long, which impacts on the learning that takes place. As a result, children do not have the necessary skills for the next stage in their learning and development.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children develop confidence in their physical skills as they access play equipment out in the local park. Some children develop their communication and language skills. However this is not consistent for all. For example, children's vocabulary is not extended through daily play opportunities and routines. The childminder has started to introduce strategies for supporting children's communication and language development; however, these are too new to see if there has been any impact.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder's approach to managing children's behaviour is not consistent. At times, the childminder changes her expectations or does not follow through with requests, which means children do not always know what is expected of them. For example, the childminder asks the children to support with tidying up. However, this is not followed through, and children are able to continue playing and getting more toys out. Challenging behaviour or repeated incidents of behaviour are not always managed. Children struggle with sharing toys and taking turns at activities, and the childminder does not always use appropriate language to support children to adapt their behaviour. The childminder does not have consistent routines in place. Children do not always know what is happening now and next. This impacts on children's behaviour.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder monitors children's attendance and puts strategies in place quickly to find out why children do not attend when they are expected. The children have a strong attachment to the childminder and seek her out for comfort throughout the day.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum lacks sufficient depth to support children in developing the skills and knowledge they may need for the next steps in their future learning and development. The childminder gathers knowledge of children's starting points. However, she does not plan activities that engage children's interests. Therefore, children spend little time at activities and do not develop concentrations skills. The childminder has reflected that her teaching is inconsistent and does not enable children to achieve high ambitions. The childminder does not ensure that she works collaboratively with her co-childminder to support all children's learning and development.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder completes regular assessments, which are used to create children's next steps to their learning, and these are shared with parents. However, the information is not used to plan a curriculum that engages children or to support the gaps in children's learning and development.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Children's personal, social and emotional development is supported well. The childminder is calm and caring. She interacts at the children's level during play, which promotes participation and supports their confidence. There is an emphasis on early mathematical development, including activities that involve simple counting and number recognition. However, these activities do not always closely match children's abilities. The childminder has recently started to take action to introduce strategies for supporting children's communication and language development, such as using signs. However, these are not used consistently enough to have a significant impact on children's emerging language.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Children have regular access to outdoor areas, where they develop their physical skills. The childminder plans experiences that broaden children's understanding of the world around them. This includes trips in the local area, such as visits to the library for rhyme and story sessions.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder has only recently started to take action to reduce barriers to children's learning. She has recently attended training to help her learn how to create communication strategies for all children. These include introducing communication aids for those who are non-verbal or who are early on in their language development. For example, the childminder has started to introduce early signing. These interventions are new, and the childminder does not use these consistently within her practice. Therefore, the full impact of them is not yet able to be seen.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder's curriculum has not been created to meet the needs of the children who attend her setting. She does not provide consistent and high-quality teaching experiences to support children's individual emerging needs. The childminder prioritises gathering information about children's starting points before they begin at the setting and, where a child needs additional help, she knows where she can seek appropriate support from relevant sources. The childminder works with other professionals to ensure consistency for children and follows the tailored plans they have created for her.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder plans some activities matched to children's interests to try to increase their concentration levels. However, these do not work in practice as interactions do not consistently engage children and children lose interest. At times, the childminder understands the barriers to learning some children may have and creates smaller versions of activities to support their individual needs.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Since her last inspection, the childminder has spent time enhancing her safeguarding knowledge. This includes completing training with the local authority. The childminder is aware of the importance of always ensuring children's safety. The childminder has completed training opportunities, including inclusion. However, the benefit of this is yet to be seen in practice.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder is aware of what she needs to improve on to enhance the children's development and learning experiences. However, although she has received advice from other professionals on how to improve her setting, she has not yet embedded these into her practice to consistently support children's learning. Although she acknowledges that she needs to use her newly acquired knowledge to drive improvement, she is not aware of how to put this into practice, and as a result, strategies have been implemented that do not work for the children attending. Consequently, continued weaknesses remain.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The curriculum has not been developed to match the learning and development needs of the children who attend the setting. The childminder does not work collaboratively with her co-childminder to meet the needs of all children who attend the setting.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder is aware that she needs to ensure consistent approaches to behaviour management are in place. The childminder does not establish effective routines for the children to follow. She does not ensure that children understand what is expected on them. The childminder is aware that the strategies she has learned need to be embedded. The childminder works hard at establishing strong relationships with the parents and values their contribution to keeping her informed about the children who attend.

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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 make some progress from their individual starting points. However, at times, the childminder does not match focused activities well enough to children's developmental needs. The childminder does not consistently provide high-quality teaching experiences for children to support them with meeting their next steps in their learning and development. The childminder is knowledgeable about the children in her care. However, the curriculum is not comprehensive and has not been created to meet the needs of the children who attend the setting. This means that children do not receive the educational input required to promote best outcomes in their learning and development.

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

Children are confident. They know where resources are stored and make independent choices about what they want to do. However, routines are not well established. Children do not always know what is expected of them, and this impacts on their behaviour. Children find it difficult to concentrate on one activity, flitting about and not focusing their attention. When the childminder asks children to help tidy up, they do not do this, and the childminder does not follow this up. This means children receive mixed messages and are unable to learn the rules of the setting.

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

The childminder works with other professionals to support children with barriers to their learning. She is aware of the gaps in children's learning and uses regular assessments to monitor these. The childminder creates appropriate next steps for children, but does not work collaboratively with her co-childminder to ensure that shared activities meet the needs of all children she is responsible for.

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

The childminder provides a warm and welcoming environment, where children feel happy and settled. They enjoy spending time with the childminder. The childminder is mindful of promoting regular attendance for children and encourages parents and carers to let her know if children cannot attend.

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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

improve the quality of teaching so that all children receive high-quality learning 02/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

establish effective routines and use consistent strategies to promote positive behaviour management 28/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

access continued professional development to gain appropriate knowledge and skills that ensure that all children benefit from high-quality provision, and implement methods for robust reflective practice to recognise where further improvement is needed. 28/04/2026

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 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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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and the children. She read written comments left by parents and considered their views 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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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

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

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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