Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2758904 Registered with Ofsted: 20/11/2023 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave well and show a clear understanding of the childminder's routines and expectations. This helps create a calm environment where children feel secure and ready to learn. They are generally motivated and show interest in activities, engaging well for most of the day. The childminder supports children's listening skills effectively, and children typically listen carefully and respond to instructions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children generally express their preferences, ideas and interests with confidence. They independently choose books for story time and communicate when they want to continue or finish an activity. The childminder values these interactions and adapts activities to reflect children's interests, which supports their engagement and confidence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children demonstrate kindness and respect towards others and resources. They typically play cooperatively, such as taking turns on the car ramp or sharing resources at snack time. This is supported by the childminder, who uses praise and encouragement to help children understand positive social behaviour.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder also recognises the importance of regular attendance and generally works flexibly with parents to support this. Overall, children develop positive social, emotional and communication skills in a supportive environment.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a positive commitment to promoting children's wellbeing and welfare in the setting. She typically supports children in developing good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before meals and disposing of tissues in the bin, helping them understand self-care. The childminder also generally encourages independence during snack time, supporting children in preparing fruit safely while modelling how to use safety knives carefully. She provides attentive support, for example balancing the needs of younger and older children by offering reassurance to one child while reading with another. These positive interactions ensure children are well supported in a nurturing environment.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are supported to recognise and express their emotions. For example, they are helped to name how they are feeling when upset and are comforted through calm reassurance. They are supported to manage their feelings with the childminder when they need time to settle.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

There is a clear focus on promoting healthy lifestyles, with the childminder working in partnership with parents to support weaning and encourage babies to explore different food textures. This helps establish positive eating habits early on. Children also benefit from regular outdoor play, where they are generally supported to develop physical skills, such as climbing stairs to use the slide.

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Achievement Needs attention

Progress is not consistently effective due to weaknesses in curriculum planning and delivery. The curriculum is not always well planned, sequenced or matched to children's individual starting points, which limits how well all children achieve. Adaptations for different ages and stages are not consistently in place, and although the childminder shows some awareness of how to support communication and language, planning is often incidental. As a result, children's progress, particularly in communication and language, is variable, and opportunities to target next steps precisely are sometimes missed. Therefore, learning is not always as purposeful or impactful as it could be.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children do make some progress in their learning and development. Babies develop their physical skills well through opportunities to move and explore. Children also build independence and are supported to develop positive relationships. They learn to manage friendships and show respect for others from different backgrounds and abilities, which supports their personal and social development and helps prepare them for the next stage in their education.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

There are inconsistencies in curriculum delivery, with some areas of learning receiving insufficient focus. Teaching is often incidental rather than clearly planned with intent. As a result, the quality of teaching is not yet consistently effective. While interactions are positive, they are not always sharply focused on extending learning or addressing misconceptions. This means that gaps in children's understanding are not consistently identified or addressed in a timely way, which can limit progress. To improve outcomes, the childminder needs to develop more consistent, purposeful planning that closely matches children's next steps across all areas of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder demonstrates a developing understanding of the curriculum and how children learn, particularly in promoting independence and confidence. Children are given time and space to explore, which supports their curiosity and engagement. There is a clear focus on physical development, with opportunities for children to climb, use slides and develop coordination skills. The childminder is effective in knowing when to step back, allowing children to try for themselves and promoting resilience and problem-solving skills. Children are supported to develop their personal, social and emotional development as they are encouraged to take turns while pushing cars along the track.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder supports early language development through shared stories and interactions, introducing new vocabulary, such as 'orchard', and revisiting prior learning, for example linking discussions about a strawberry plant to previous snack experiences. She is also beginning to introduce early mathematical concepts through everyday activities, such as counting items in books and during play. These approaches demonstrate an understanding of how children learn through repetition and meaningful context.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder's use of assessment is not yet effective in identifying precise next steps or ensuring that activities are well matched to children's individual needs. Observations of what children know and can do are not always an accurate reflection of their development and are not used consistently to inform curriculum planning. As a result, the childminder is not always able to clearly demonstrate how she would plan targeted experiences to address potential learning gaps and support children in making improved progress.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder understands her statutory responsibilities, including completing the progress check at age 2, and recognises the importance of sharing concerns with parents and other professionals where appropriate. She demonstrates a positive attitude towards supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and/or those who may face barriers to their learning, showing a clear willingness to ensure all children are included and supported effectively.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Although the childminder does not currently care for children with SEND, she recognises the need for further training to confidently adapt activities to meet a range of needs. She has begun seeking support from a local special educational needs coordinator to strengthen her knowledge and practice, demonstrating a positive and proactive approach. However, further development is required to ensure assessment and planning consistently support all children to make good progress from their starting points.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Professional development is not consistently targeted to the specific needs of the children attending, and this means that improvements are not always timely or sharply focused. The childminder has a broad awareness of the strengths and areas for development in her provision. She reflects on her practice and engages in ongoing discussions with her co- childminder, which supports day-to-day consistency.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder demonstrates greater confidence in supporting younger children and babies, although her knowledge of how to plan effectively for older children preparing for school is more limited. While she uses an online system to identify next steps, her understanding of the early years foundation stage curriculum is not yet sufficiently secure to ensure consistent, high-quality planning.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder builds positive relationships with parents, sharing daily information and offering guidance on care routines, such as toileting and eating. She gathers relevant information from the outset to understand children's backgrounds, including those who may face barriers to learning or have special educational needs and/or disabilities, which supports inclusive practice.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder recognises these areas for development and shows a positive attitude towards improving her practice. She seeks support when needed and understands her own areas for improvement. However, further training and more focused self-evaluation are required to strengthen curriculum knowledge and improve outcomes for all children.

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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 do not consistently make the progress they should across all areas of learning, as the curriculum is not always well sequenced or precisely targeted to meet their individual needs. As a result, some learning takes place incidentally rather than through carefully planned experiences that build securely on what children already know and can do. This means that opportunities to deepen learning, particularly across all areas of the curriculum, are sometimes missed, and progress is therefore variable. The childminder is aware of these areas for development and demonstrates a positive attitude towards improving her practice. She shows a willingness to engage in professional development to strengthen the quality of teaching and improve outcomes for children.

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

Children enjoy their time in the setting and feel safe and settled. They form close attachments with the childminder and often stay close by, for example sitting with her for stories or going to her when they need comfort. They play with a range of familiar toys, such as using the pretend kitchen to make food, pushing cars down ramps or building with blocks. Children return to activities they enjoy, which helps them feel confident and secure. Children communicate in different ways, including using gestures, sounds and simple words, with the childminder and each other. Babies and younger children settle into routines and move around the space with confidence, and this is supported by the childminder. They confidently find their own water bottles and cups and help to prepare their own things for lunch. Children begin to do things for themselves, such as choosing what they want to play with, helping to

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

tidy away and trying simple self-care tasks, which supports their growing independence.

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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

plan and organise the curriculum so it matches the needs of the children attending, and have a clear understanding of what each child should do next in their learning 30/06/2026

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Action Completion Date

strengthen teaching and broaden the curriculum across all the areas of learning so children make positive progress supported by well-planned learning opportunities and high-quality interactions 30/06/2026

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Action Completion Date

undertake professional development to effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and/or those who may face barriers to their learning 01/07/2026

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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

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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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Our grades explained

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

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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