Austin, Joanna Kelly

Austin, Joanna Kelly

Unique reference number (URN): 2770494 Address: 12 Mill Road, Rochester, ME2 3BT Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 11/01/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Austin, Joanna Kelly

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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

All children are making excellent progress from their starting points. They cooperate extremely well with others and use language, visual prompts or support as needed from the childminder to express their feelings and needs. Children regulate their emotions effectively. They demonstrate high levels of resilience, perseverance and pride in their achievements. Children are confident communicators. They consistently hold conversations with each other and the childminder about a range of subjects. Children ask questions, share ideas and make predictions.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children thrive as they receive consistent and purposeful praise to support their achievements. This helps children to develop high levels of self-esteem and confidence. Children receive support to learn early independence, such as feeding themselves and developing their own self-care skills. As a result, all children are incredibly well prepared to effectively move on to the different stages of their learning and development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has created a very respectful culture. Her expectations for behaviour are clear and consistently understood by children and their families. The childminder works proactively with families to promote regular attendance and punctuality, and she shares information when needed. The childminder models kindness and empathy. She supports children as they begin to recognise and respond to the feelings of others. As a result, children increasingly manage their emotions, check on their friends and resolve minor conflicts independently.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Relationships between the childminder and children are warm, secure and respectful. During group activities, toddlers listen attentively, join in with enthusiasm and remain engaged for sustained periods. Children confidently tidy away resources with minimal prompting and move smoothly between activities. All children demonstrate that they understand the routines well.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Well-established routines, such as time for rest, nappy changing and mealtimes, result in an environment where children understand the boundaries and expectations. Babies learn to recognise when they are tired and when it is nap time. They happily go with the childminder and quickly settle and sleep for as long as they need. There is a trusting and deep bond between the childminder and families, and they see each other as family. Children feel safe in the setting. They create deep friendships and trust.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder supports children to recognise and think about the feelings of others during their play. This helps children of all ages to develop the skills to negotiate with each other. The childminder enriches children's lives because of her welcoming and inclusive practice. For example, she helps children at all stages to develop secure and responsive relationships through high-quality interactions built on reassurance and trust. As a result, all children thrive, and those with additional social and emotional needs show rapid progress with their confidence, speech and wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder consistently promotes children's positive health and wellbeing. She teaches children the importance of effective personal hygiene. Children talk about having to wash away germs before eating. The childminder rigorously reviews and updates her practice and procedures. She follows nutritional guidance and provides healthy and balanced meals. The childminder shares menus with parents and carers. She closely monitors children's allergies and intolerances, ensuring children are safe at mealtimes. For instance, she teaches children about healthy foods and how to eat safely.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

By working in very close partnership with parents when children first join the setting, the childminder gains a very detailed understanding of children's routines and care needs. She provides a warm and nurturing environment, which helps children to form secure attachments with her. Children are very happy and settled in the childminder's care. They are extremely confident to seek her out for comfort and reassurance.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder successfully implements a broad and enriching curriculum, where children benefit from the wide range of learning opportunities available to them. She plans for the areas of learning very carefully, both indoors and outdoors. The childminder thoughtfully provides interesting experiences for all children. For example, she plans the paint exploration area to contain a wide range of resources so that children can investigate mixing paint. This gives children the skills needed to fully extend their imagination and creativity.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children learn new skills while using scoops and spoons. For example, babies develop their small muscles as they move cereal between bowls. They imitate words and sounds they hear. This further supports their early language development. Older children thoroughly enjoy story time. They respond well to questions and anticipate what is coming next in their favourite books. This consistently supports their emerging literacy skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder weaves mathematical learning very effectively into daily routines and play. She encourages children to count during their everyday routines and consider concepts such as 'more' and 'less'. As a result, children make excellent progress in their mathematical development.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Support for children's personal, social and emotional development is embedded within the childminder's curriculum. She consistently acknowledges how children feel and hugs and comforts them. The childminder gives children ways to manage their emotions when they become frustrated or overwhelmed. Children have opportunities to learn about events throughout the year. The childminder incorporates celebrations such as Holi, St Patrick's Day and seasonal events. This allows all children to learn about how people celebrate in different ways around the world.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder uses her knowledge of children very effectively to shape her planning and ensure that each child extends their learning. She shares updates with parents and carers in person and through assessments. This enables parents to contribute to their children's learning and reinforces consistency between home and the setting.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder knows children very well and perceptively identifies their individual needs. She recognises the barriers children face to their learning. The childminder thoughtfully adapts her provision to meet their changing needs. She is mindful of children's interests and carefully plans her provision to help children feel happy, safe and secure. The childminder ensures that any assistants she works with understand the individual needs of children and the adaptations in place. This ensures children receive consistent care and support.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Routines are flexibly adapted to ensure that children feel settled, included and emotionally secure. The childminder uses calm and responsive interactions that support children to take turns, share and respond positively to their friends. Through these well-considered experiences, children's confidence, self-regulation and emotional development are consistently strengthened.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder works closely with parents and carers and other professionals to understand children's experiences beyond the setting. This helps children to feel supported as they move between home, school and the childminder's setting. There are currently no children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) on roll. However, the childminder has completed training and has a deep understanding of the approach to support children with SEND. She knows how to monitor children's emerging needs and how to seek advice, guidance and specialist support from the local authority and other professionals if required.

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Inclusion Strong standard

As a result of this high-quality, inclusive provision, children develop the essential skills, confidence and readiness needed for future learning and successful participation in group activities.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder shows considerable dedication to the children and families that attend her provision. She devotes her home and life to providing a wonderfully welcoming and highly stimulating provision that helps children to thrive and achieve considerable skills.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has an accurate understanding of her strengths and areas to work on. She regularly reviews her practice and identifies any training or changes that would benefit children's learning and development. For example, following observations of children during their play, she has undertaken improvements to the outdoor area, allowing children to enjoy highly engaging experiences at all times.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder ensures that her assistants attend a rolling programme of training courses. As an example, recent training has helped her assistants to strengthen their understanding of language development to further extend children's communication skills. Consequently, the childminder and her assistants report that they feel incredibly well prepared to extend the language of children who are starting to talk more confidently. The childminder's assistants report being happy, feeling valued and keen to come to work. The childminder successfully establishes positive partnerships with parents and carers. She keeps them fully informed about their children's day, achievements and next steps in learning. The childminder shares ideas and tips to support parents, such as the importance of healthy eating and knowing how to prepare food safely. Parents speak highly of the childminder and compliment the warm and loving home environment, stating it is perfect and

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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 experience a highly nurturing, calm, safe and emotionally secure environment. They feel safe, valued and deeply understood. Trusting relationships underpin daily practice. Children confidently express their thoughts and feelings. They seek reassurance when needed and show a deep sense of emotional wellbeing. The childminder responds sensitively to children, validating their emotions and modelling language to help them make sense of their feelings. This supports children to regulate their behaviour and engage positively in their learning. Consequently, all children achieve well from their starting points.

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

The childminder ensures that her curriculum planning considers the needs and next steps for all children. She makes sure that all activities and experiences she offers suit the varying ages and stages of the children. For instance, the childminder uses her regular assessments of children to identify any gaps in their knowledge or skills.

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

Outdoor play is a daily feature for children. The childminder adapts her support so younger children receive help safely, while older toddlers practise climbing, balancing and riding independently. Parents and carers feel welcomed and included through regular communication. This supports continuity for children between home and the setting.

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

The childminder knows children and families extremely well. She reflects carefully on children's next steps, including helping highly capable children to build confidence in wider peer groups. This ensures that children are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on strengthening the transformational impact of her practice on outcomes and experiences for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children with medical needs and children who are new to the setting or who face barriers related to their communication, physical development or emotional security.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistants, parents and carers 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 : 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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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

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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