Symes, Jennifer

Symes, Jennifer

Unique reference number (URN): 2772510 Address: 37 Smithy Lane, Widnes, WA8 5DF Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 25/01/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Symes, Jennifer

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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 demonstrate a love for books. They choose stories to look at with the childminder and on their own. They enthusiastically link words to the illustrations they see and quickly build a wide vocabulary. By the time they leave for nursery or school, children are able to listen and speak confidently in small groups. All children, including those who may face barriers to their learning and/or their wellbeing, make rapid progress in their learning and development.

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Achievement Strong standard

From a young age, children learn skills to promote their independence. They put on their shoes before they go outside and know how to clean their hands before they eat. This helps children prepare for routines they need for school. Children are very happy, motivated, independent learners. They follow their own interests, returning to their favourite resources to help consolidate what they can do before building on their skills. Children consistently develop understanding, gain confidence and feel valued.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has provided a harmonious environment, where children thrive in the relaxed, nurturing and positive setting. The childminder has high expectations of children. She sets clear, age-appropriate and consistent rules, which help children establish positive attitudes towards their learning and others. Her gentle guidance and clear rules support children to behave well and know what is expected of them. As a result, they feel safe and develop positive attitudes to learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has developed warm and trusting relationships with children, who also form positive friendships with each other. During planned experiences, children listen attentively and work together with their friends. Through these interactions, the childminder helps children to manage their emotions and self regulate their behaviour. For example, she gently reassures children they will all have a turn during outdoor games and group activities. The childminder knows the children in her care well and builds secure relationships that give children the confidence to explore their own unique interests.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder works closely with parents to establish clear expectations around punctuality and regular attendance, which helps children to attend consistently and settle quickly into the day. She ensures that communication with parents remains open, allowing her to share and gather key information relating to children's wellbeing and progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder works closely with parents to help ensure that consistent, age-appropriate care routines and practices are in place to help children feel secure in the setting. She discusses aspects of children's development, such as weaning and toilet training, with parents to help ensure that transitions for all the children in her care, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are well managed. The childminder has high expectations for all children's welfare and wellbeing. Children benefit from secure relationships. They form strong attachments with the childminder, which helps them to be emotionally secure. She supports children to identify and manage their feelings and works closely with parents to extend this support at home. Additional funding is used effectively to provide specialist teaching such as music sessions, which help children to relax and encourage teamwork.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes inclusion very effectively. She proactively researches information specific to individual children's needs. For example, the childminder provides bespoke visual and sensory resources to support children's care and develop independence. The childminder teaches children how to keep themselves safe and regularly reminds them of this. For example, children learn about road safety and evacuation procedures. Children's physical development and wellbeing are promoted well. The childminder ensures that children have regular opportunities to access fresh air and exercise throughout the day.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder sets a clearly sequenced curriculum that encompasses a strong ethos of allowing children time for deep exploration, repetition and experimentation. She uses tracking to regularly review what children know now. Therefore, she is able to tailor her teaching and activities to meet the needs of all children, including those who may have barriers to learning, and help them continuously make excellent progress. For example, she plans mark-making activities to develop children's fine motor skills and hand–eye coordination to help them achieve their targeted next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder utilises the local environment and venues effectively to create memorable experiences that enhance children's learning. For example, children are delighted to visit a zoo and ride a horse on a nearby farm. Opportunities for children to develop their communication and language skills are well embedded. The childminder sings songs and reads stories to children, developing an early love of reading. She encourages children to label their emotions while at play and introduces words that link to what children see and do, contributing to their rapidly growing vocabularies.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder skilfully incorporates concepts and language relating to mathematics into daily routines and play, aiding children's early understanding. For example, as children slice bananas, the childminder counts out the number of pieces of fruit on each plate.

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Inclusion Strong standard

In advance of children joining her setting, the childminder gathers detailed information from their parents to help her establish consistent care routines that reflect children's individual needs. This includes incorporating time for children to sleep and rest. The childminder reflects on children's ages and stages of development to help ensure that they can access a diverse and relevant curriculum that supports their learning. For example, resources are stored at a height that children can reach, enabling them to make choices for themselves.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The experienced childminder uses her accurate observations and assessments of children to plan and adapt her clearly sequenced curriculum. This includes providing individual speech and language plans to target specific next steps in learning. As a result, gaps are quickly identified and checked. The childminder embraces opportunities to strengthen and quality assure her knowledge and practice.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder regularly networks with other childminders to share good practice and ideas. Her strong working relationships with parents and other professionals, including established links with local schools, help ensure that her practice reflects children's individual needs and aspects of different cultures. When any additional funding is received, the childminder carefully selects resources and activities that help to enhance children's learning and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates dedication, passion and commitment to her role in continuously raising the standard of care she provides to children and families. She has a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and takes purposeful action to improve practice. She values opportunities to reflect on her consistently strong practice and makes adaptations to other areas she identifies for further improvement. For example, after reviewing her practice, the childminder refreshed her training on how to support children's emotions, enabling her to embed strategies within daily routines and help children to broaden their emotional intelligence.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has established professional relationships with external agencies, other settings that children attend, local childminders and schools. She recognises the impact this has on her own wellbeing as well as forming a supportive network. She embraces professional development using a variety of methods, including online and face-to-face training courses. This gives the childminder a greater awareness of developing bespoke materials, such as visual teaching resources for children who speak English as an additional language.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder sensitively manages conversations she has about children's progress and wellbeing with their parents to help maintain a respectful and trusting partnership. They comment positively about the care and support their children receive. Parents report on the secure, trusting and supportive relationships they have built with the childminder.

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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 benefit from the childminder's extremely welcoming and organised home, which helps them to feel safe, secure and ready to start their day. They are happy, calm and inspired to learn. Children independently explore the rich variety of easily accessible resources that the childminder has thoughtfully provided based on children's interests and stages of development. As they freely move around, the childminder encourages the children to solve problems for themselves, helping them build on what they already know and can do. Children form strong attachments with the attentive childminder. Young children

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About this setting

new to the setting receive abundant levels of focused and nurturing care. These supportive relationships enable children to feel safe and valued.

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About this setting

Children are curious and demonstrate continued interest as they engage in well-planned activities. They develop independence and the skills required to move on to the next stage of their learning. They confidently use language to describe what they see, talk about their experiences and share their thoughts and feelings. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enjoy their learning and make substantial progress from their starting points. Children play harmoniously alongside their peers in the inclusive environment, helping to develop their social skills. Extremely positive relationships are well embedded.

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About this setting

Children thrive in the childminder's calm and nurturing environment because of the childminder's well-established routines. The childminder's high expectations ensure that all children are well prepared at times of transition. Family input is encouraged, and parents are actively included in discussion around funding, trips and menus. Information shared by parents enables the childminder to closely follow home procedures, such as sleep routines, which supports children's understanding of what to expect throughout the day. Children's consistent attendance is promoted effectively through secure partnerships with parents and structured routines and procedures. The childminder has consistently thoughtful and positive engagement with parents, professionals, childminders and the local community.

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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 children who may face any barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents and children throughout 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. Unique reference number (URN): 2772510

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30

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Address:

Local authority: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

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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.

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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

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

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