Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2676179 Registered with Ofsted: 04/04/2022 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

Children make progress in short periods of time of attending. Pre-verbal children understand their sounds and intonations can be used to communicate and frequently respond to questions they are asked by the childminder. For example, when the childminder asks if they have finished eating or would like more, children respond confidently and use different babbles to represent 'more'. Children understand their voices are valued, and they feel pride when they succeed, smiling and giggling when the childminder praises them. Children show their developing physical skills, for example young children have plenty of space to practise crawling and begin to pull themselves up on low-level furniture, with minimal support. Children are well equipped with skills and experiences to enter their next stage of learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children show high levels of understanding of the expectations for behaviour. The childminder is prompt to remind children of what is expected and addresses any misinterpretations children have. The childminder supports children through routine tasks of how to keep themselves safe. For example, at mealtimes, when the childminder gets young children ready in high chairs, she tells them she is fastening straps to keep them safe while they eat. This exposes children to language that helps to create an embedded understanding of safety for later life.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has created an environment where children are fully respected, listened to and consistently responded to. This respect is mutual; children respond well to instructions and show their understanding of what happens next. For example, when the childminder calls 'time for snack', young children hold up their arms or position themselves near the kitchen door to show they are ready. The childminder reinforces positive behaviours, praising frequently and accompanying this with claps for younger children, who become excited when they do well.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's attendance. She works closely with families to tailor the care she offers, to meet the needs of all families and children who attend.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's wellbeing and goes above and beyond to support children to feel secure within her care. For example, before children attend, she visits them in their own homes. Where she begins to build sensitive and caring attachments, she gathers information about children's interests and care routines to enable her to pre-plan activities that spark children's curiosity and replicate routines from home, to support children to feel a solid sense of security and belonging.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Because the childminder's routines are well established, children show their understanding of hygiene routines from a young age. For example, when the childminder picks them up and goes to the sink, young children lean out toward the tap to wash their hands before mealtimes.

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Expected standard

The childminder is highly intuitive to children's sounds and responses. For example, when young children make different sounds, she names the emotion and/or how they are feeling, such as tired or happy. This helps children to develop an early understanding of emotive language and recognise different senses, such as hunger and feeling sleepy.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has an expert knowledge of child development and the way children learn. This translates to her carefully planned curriculum. For example, even before children can walk, she encourages them to wash their hands after every nappy change. This enables children to understand and embed key sequences towards being independent from a young age. The childminder is highly aspirational and describes in detail how she sequences her curriculum for all children to enable them to progress and support them to be ready for their next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder prioritises her interactions with children and shows high levels of understanding of the impact her interactions can have on children's learning. Subsequently, every moment with children is an opportunity to learn. For example, while young children explore stacking cups, the childminder skilfully introduces maths, counting each cup slowly to allow children to recognise mathematical language. Children pause and look, to confidently encourage the childminder to count again, showing their early maths recognition. Additionally, the childminder supports children's developing communication and language skills. For example, while children eat, the childminder uses descriptive language such as 'tasty' and 'delicious' to support children to hear a range of words to build their vocabulary.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder plans visits to local parks, to enable children to use a wider range of physical skills. She skilfully describes how to use their hands to pull themselves up and push through their legs, to support children to coordinate their movements and climb to the top of large play equipment. The childminder adapts her interactions depending on the age and stage of the child, purposefully placing items out of reach for younger children to reach and grasp, to develop their physical skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has clear processes in place to assess children's learning from the first time she meets them. She involves parents in the initial conversations about what their children can already do. She uses this information to plan the resources she provides and adapt the activities to extend children's learning beyond what they already know and can do. The childminder regularly reviews children's progress to enable effective next steps for learning to be implemented. The childminder understands some children may receive additional funding. She plans to use such funding to purchase resources to enhance children's engagement and to fund outings to places that children may not experience elsewhere.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder is reflective of what she provides children and is able to distinguish and explain how she would adapt her activities and environments to enable all children, including those with differing needs to participate and learn. Additionally, the childminder has attended training to support her confidence and knowledge in providing support for children with a variety of needs. Although the childminder has some processes in place to support children with additional needs, these are not yet fully embedded. Therefore, these are not consistently positively impacting children, including those who have barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is extremely reflective; she identifies areas of strength within her own practice and areas that she may improve in the future. She strives to provide children with the highest quality of experiences and interactions to support their learning. Coupled with this, the childminder has attended training to build her own confidence and knowledge of strategies she can use to support children who may have barriers to learning, such as special educational needs and/or disabilities. She has broadened her professional links and shows a clear understanding of other services she can access should she require this in the future.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder swiftly identifies children who may receive additional funding. This enables her to plan experiences and activities that children may not have experienced elsewhere. The childminder works closely with parents. They feel informed about their child's day-to-day experiences and comment on the childminder's dedication and passion to supporting them as a family. This helps parents to feel fully reassured when their children attend. However, the childminder does not inform parents of children's next steps for learning, to consistently support children's progress between home and 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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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

From the moment children arrive, they show high levels of curiosity and explore the activities the childminder has provided. Due to the childminder's enthusiasm, frequent engagement and skilful interactions, children remain curious and happily continue to participate even when they face challenges. From a young age, children experience a carefully considered and consistently implemented curriculum. For example, the childminder expertly plans times into children's routines to support their independence, from a young age, such as handwashing after nappy changes.

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

Children benefit from the highly secure relationships the childminder builds with them. The childminder spends time with children before they attend to support them to develop excellent bonds with her. This helps children to feel fully confident to attend in a short space of time. The childminder emphasises the importance of children's attendance to parents and works closely with them. However, she has not yet begun sharing what parents could do to support their children's progress.

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

The childminder is highly responsive to children's attempts to communicate, young children develop skills they need, in order to communicate, such as eye contact, pausing for responses and engage with the childminder frequently, even before they can use words. The childminder identifies children's needs swiftly and strives to provide a fully inclusive experience. However, she has not consistently embedded the support or strategies for children who may experience a range of barriers to learning, such as children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 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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Next steps

The childminder should consistently implement support to enable children who have barriers to learning to make progress. The childminder should further engage with parents to support their understanding of children's next steps for learning, to consistently support children's progress between home and the setting.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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 is from 20 March 2026

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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. 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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