Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2754357 Registered with Ofsted: 23/10/2023 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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Achievement Strong standard

Children feel at home and extremely comfortable here. This means that they are open to learning and achieve very well. They have the confidence to explore and find out about new things. They are able to focus their attention on tasks. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make superb progress, particularly in their communication and language skills. They learn new words rapidly and communicate their wants and needs extremely well. They also achieve well in their physical development and problem-solving skills. For example, children work out that they can lift equipment onto the decking and hold on to it to get up the step. Children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning and development, pre-school or school. They develop independence in their self-care and the confidence to speak to adults.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has created a calm, gentle and nurturing environment where children feel safe to try new things and play with other children. She has built trusting and positive relationships with children, which fully supports their learning. The childminder recognises the differing characters and personalities that children have and supports them individually in their play. Children clearly benefit from her kind and respectful manner and mirror these qualities when playing with each other. The childminder fully supports children in learning to get along with others. Children are content and happy, and behaviour is exemplary. Where necessary, the childminder offers gentle guidance. The interactions between children are thoughtful and considerate. For example, outdoors, children joyfully peek out of the little house windows together, making each other giggle.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is highly inclusive, knows children in her care extremely well and acts on their individual needs. She fully considers their age and stage of development. She recognises that circumstances change and children may react differently at different times. She offers tailored support to children and their families. The childminder works closely with parents and carers, sharing strategies so that children benefit from a consistent approach. The childminder ensures that parents are aware of the importance of regular attendance and punctuality. She has procedures in place to follow up on absences and is flexible in her approach. For example, she offers to pick children up where possible to help them attend regularly.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are a focus and strength of the setting. The childminder is highly skilled and effective at ensuring children's individual needs are securely met. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning or wellbeing develop emotional stability and can learn alongside their peers. The childminder recognises the importance of children being happy and confident to enable learning. She builds secure and responsive relationships with them quickly to support this. The childminder is highly respectful of the children in her care, ensuring that they are comfortable with their care routines. She ensures that children's individual needs inform care routines, such as sleeping and eating. She works closely with parents and carers, particularly when babies are weaning. The childminder is highly alert to the possibilities of allergies or choking.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are incredibly well supported in their physical development and to understand how to manage their health and personal safety. The childminder is supportive, encouraging children to have a go at something difficult. For example, they try hard to manage outdoor steps by themselves. The childminder recognises when to offer support and when to encourage them to persevere. The childminder supports children to recognise and manage their emotions through gentle and calm discussions.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder's curriculum is highly ambitious and tailored to the needs and interests of the children she cares for. The curriculum is play-based and child-led. The childminder aims for children to be happy, confident, kind and as independent as they can be for their age and stage of development. She recognises that children learn best when they have secure attachments and their emotional wellbeing is high. Therefore, children's personal, social and emotional development is a high priority. Children develop their social skills further as they visit other childminders and playgroups, for instance.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum covers all areas of learning and particularly focuses on developing language skills and increasing vocabulary. For example, the childminder adds vocabulary in context, such as 'bumpy' as children push a car over a ramp. The childminder ensures that children have opportunities to develop mathematical skills and language, such as around shape, size and counting. Children develop their large and small muscle skills, such as by climbing slides and manipulating play dough. The childminder uses continual assessment and observations to ensure rapid progress. She is highly effective at adapting activities, helping children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have full access to the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder continually reflects on the curriculum and makes adaptations and changes, such as adding the slide to encourage climbing, to further improve the children's experiences.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has a deep knowledge of the development of young children. She also gathers detailed information from parents and carers or other settings when children first start with her. Using this information and her own observations, she creates a baseline to identify if and where children need further support. Therefore, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other barriers to learning are swiftly identified so that support can be given immediately.

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Inclusion Strong standard

To support children with SEND and other barriers to learning, the childminder continually reflects on adaptations, support or resources. This helps to ensure that children continually make rapid progress and access the same learning as their peers. She regularly reviews the practices in place to ensure that they are having the best impact on children's learning. She researches barriers to learning and attends training to further develop her own understanding of the needs of children with SEND. The childminder ensures that all children have access to rich experiences of life, such as visits to farms, museums and parks, which help them understand and make links in their learning and progress. She works closely with parents and other agencies to ensure that children with SEND receive consistency in their care and education.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is passionate about creating a nurturing and calm environment where children can flourish. Since her registration, she has made improvements to her indoor and outdoor areas to create her clear vision. Recent changes include new furniture and flooring, ensuring the garden is suitable for learning all year round. All areas are easily accessible to all children and encourage exploration. The childminder is highly reflective of her own practice and works tirelessly to improve the outcomes for children in her care, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder fully understands the context of her setting and the surroundings, and she ensures that children have lots of opportunities to take trips out. For example, based on children's interests, children enjoyed a visit to a military museum in London to extend their experience of aeroplanes. They meet regularly with other childminders and visit parks and farms to learn more about the world.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder recognises that her strengths are in building trusting relationships with children and their families. She offers incredible support to parents and carers, both practically and emotionally. She is responsive to their needs and flexible in her approach. Parents say she is like family, is patient and creative, and has a solid sense of fairness. The childminder is highly experienced, with a wealth of knowledge. She has high expectations of her own practice and is dedicated to improving, undertaking regular professional development to enhance her skills.

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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 and thrive in this extremely welcoming and nurturing environment. They are incredibly confident and happy and have a full sense of belonging. The calm and gentle nature of the childminder supports their emotional wellbeing, which ensures they are ready to fully access the wide range of learning opportunities available. Children build positive and trusting relationships with the childminder and each other. For example, at lunchtime, children check that they all have food and no one is left out. They feel confident to explore their environment and show high levels of concentration in their play. For example, children use their small-muscle skills to manipulate dough to the shapes they want. Children behave very well. The childminder has high expectations and gives children lots of praise and encouragement. They understand how to keep each other safe as the childminder gives gentle reminders of how to be careful with sand on a windy day, for instance.

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

The childminder knows individual children incredibly well. She makes excellent use of this knowledge to offer interesting play opportunities and highly effective support and guidance. For example, children explore rolling different cars down a ramp and contrast them with other items. The childminder ensures that activities are tailored to individual children and their needs. For example, exciting resources are placed on low tables to support children who are learning to stand. As a result, children are highly engaged in their play. Children show age-appropriate independence skills, putting on their own boots and washing their own hands.

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

The childminder ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make the best possible progress. She carefully monitors their progress and identifies their next steps in learning. She works extremely closely with parents and carers, who are very pleased with her communication and the care of their children. The

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

childminder promotes the importance of attendance to parents and has strategies in place to support this. For example, she offers a collection service, if necessary.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children and viewed written feedback from 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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