Ciceu, Irina

Ciceu, Irina

Unique reference number (URN): 2774746 Address: 7 Ascot Grove, BASILDON, SS14 1GG Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 30/01/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Ciceu, Irina

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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 Expected standard

Children make secure progress from their start points and typically show that they achieve well across all areas of learning. They show their developing skills and knowledge through their understanding of daily routines and play. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. For example, babies develop core strength and balance before moving onto walking and older children develop social skills such as sharing and turn-taking that prepare them for collaboration and group activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children who are learning English as an additional language have a good grasp of their learned language. Opportunities to practise using English are limited because the childminder communicates mostly in Romanian. Children sing songs that help them to learn about spring. They enjoy exploring the sand, where they learn mathematical language and develop essential hand strength and small muscle skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show good mathematical awareness as they name colours, shapes and numbers as well as recognising different capacities and weights. Children are confident and polite. They have good manners and are able to develop friendships where they share and take turns.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show their knowledge about the wide world such as recognising the signs of spring and where animals live. They develop a range of physical skills such as climbing and balancing on stepping stones. They demonstrate their fine motor skills as they use a range of tools such as when digging with spades and connecting magnetic tiles.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children typically behave well. The childminder has set out very clear expectations that she models consistently. Children listen to the childminder and understand the age-appropriate expectations. Children are clear about their routines and show a good understanding of what happens during the day, including when to have snack and when to join group time. Typically, children concentrate well and show positive attitudes to their learning. Children show sustained engagement in learning when experiences are matched to their learning styles and interests. For example, when they explore their senses in the sand tray. Sometimes activities are not paired well enough with interests and motivations of some children. This means that they lose interest and struggle to remain engaged in play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder leads by example at all times. When praising children, she uses both English and Romanian to make sure positive choices are understood by all children. Children are supported well to develop self-esteem and resilience. They generally show high levels of perseverance as they construct with blocks and tiles. When they are accidentally knocked down by younger children, they start over with a positive approach.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder encourages attendance and she reports that children attend very well. Parents say their children cannot wait to arrive at the setting. Children are kind to each other. They play well together and there are very few disputes. Older children and babies play alongside each other with great tolerance and respect. There are warm and nurturing relationships between the children and the childminder. Children receive kind and responsive care and show that they feel safe and secure. They have high levels of self- esteem and a strong sense of self because the childminder has developed her provision to ensure that all children are reflected and their unique personalities are celebrated.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder has a thorough regard for her responsibilities within the early years foundation stage and has a range of policies and practice that support this. This includes a secure awareness of safer sleep practices and how to manage safety during mealtimes.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder encourages children to manage their personal care needs from a young age. Children confidently wash their hands to clear away their things after snack. Children enjoy putting on their shoes as they prepare to go outside.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children enjoy healthy snacks and nutritious home-cooked meals that the childminder provides. The setting has a healthy eating accreditation, and this helps to engage parents in making healthy choices at home as well as the menus provided by the childminder. Children drink water throughout the day and have a positive attitude to physical exercise, showing great enthusiasm as they engage in high-energy play in the fresh air.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder helps children to develop an awareness of their emotional needs. Children are supported to discuss how they feel and the childminder uses age-appropriate language to promote children's vocabulary relating to emotions, such as happy and sad. The effective routines and secure attachments underpin children's emotional wellbeing. The childminder works closely with parents to understand any changes at home that might impact on their emotional wellbeing, such as sleep routines or when parents work away from home. This means that support is matched with the unique needs of children and helps to remove any barriers they may face to learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has created an inclusive curriculum that focuses on the essential skills children need for a successful future. She supports children to develop their skills through hands-on guidance and role-modelling. The childminder recognises what children know and what they are capable of. She provides guided support to move children forward in their learning. For example, when children create structures with magnetic tiles, the childminder gives them time to think of ideas and gently encourages them with questions about how they might add different features, such as a roof or chimney.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder speaks to children in both English and Romanian. This helps them to settle quickly and feel a sense of belonging. Generally, children use a mixture of both Romanian and English language. While the childminder sometimes asks them to respond to questions in English, this is not consistent enough to help children to develop more confidence in using the English words that they learn.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder uses topics to broaden children's knowledge of the wider world. She provides a range of role-play opportunities that help children learn about people in the community who help them. The childminder promotes physical opportunities such as climbing and balancing. She adapts teaching to meet children's individual needs, such as offering wheeled toys to babies who are learning to walk and extending physical challenges for more able children.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder swiftly recognises children who may be at risk of falling behind. She uses regular observations of children to recognise what they can do and to identify if they have any gaps in their learning. She then plans carefully to help children to make more progress. For example, when she notices children who need support with their communication skills, she extends opportunities for them to hear additional vocabulary during their play. This helps children to build on their confidence to interact with others and develop their communication skills. The childminder has designed a responsive and ambitious curriculum which means teaching is adjusted to ensure that children receive the most appropriate support to make progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works with parents to provide tailored support that meets the unique needs of children. She discusses children's progress regularly and asks parents about their experiences beyond the setting. This helps to build a complete picture of how to best support children. This helps her to identify any additional support children may need to remove barriers to learning, such as when children are struggling with sleep routines and find it hard to stay focused during the day, she works with parents to identify a shared approach to sleep routines.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder attends training to broaden her knowledge of the range of barriers children might face to their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps her to recognise and respond to children who may need a more tailored approach to learning. As a result, children are able to quickly catch up with their knowledge and skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a clear vision for what she wants to deliver for children. She fully understands the community that she serves and how best to support the children who attend.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is organised and has a training plan for herself and any assistants that she works with. She is positive about improving her practice and attends regular training that helps her to reflect on her practice and improve her service. For example, she has attended training in special educational needs and/or disabilities to broaden her awareness of how she can remove barriers to children's learning. The childminder uses ongoing observation and feedback to support her assistants' ongoing professional development and improve teaching. She holds regular supervision meetings with her assistants to support their ongoing wellbeing and support them to manage their workload appropriately.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents and other professionals. She has started to develop relationships with other providers that children attend and continues to work on strengthening these. The childminder is reflective of her practice and is keen to engage in community projects and local authority initiatives that strengthen her curriculum offering. For example, the childminder took part in a healthy eating initiative that helped her to enhance her approach to promoting healthy lifestyles for children and helping them to develop healthy habits in the future.

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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 enjoy their time with the childminder. They arrive with great positivity and are warmly welcomed inside. Children follow familiar and comfortable routines such as placing their shoes by the stairs and placing their bags and belongings securely. This positive start to the day leads to happy and settled children who are very soon settled in play. The childminder organises days that are filled with learning experiences that stretch and challenge children. They enjoy a group singing session where they join in familiar songs that have been carefully selected to support learning. For example, they sing about the signs of spring and pretend to hop like frogs. Children revisit these songs often and demonstrate how they know more and remember more as a result of the repetition in learning.

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

Children benefit from warm and responsive care. From the moment they arrive, they receive attentive care that ensures their needs are met. Children show that they feel safe and secure as they explore the available resources and quickly engage in meaningful play. Children know that the childminder is ready to respond to them in every way and show confidence to seek her out for help if they need it. They show kindness to their peers and interactions are respectful. Children of all ages play alongside each other in harmony and older children behave as positive role models for younger children. They behave well and disputes are minimal. Older children have great resilience. When they face minor setbacks, they quickly carry on to achieve their goals.

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

Children attend well. Parents ensure that children arrive on time and value the benefits that attending the setting brings. The childminder embraces the community that she serves and, as a result, children's uniqueness is truly valued and they flourish under her care.

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Next steps

The childminder should match more precisely the available learning opportunities for children to help them become more deeply engaged in their play and learning. The childminder should help children to develop more confidence in their use of newly acquired English language.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents 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 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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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 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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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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