Rooney, Amanda Kay

Rooney, Amanda Kay

Unique reference number (URN): 2768639 Address: 19 Cecil Street, Kettering, NN16 9LG Type: Childminder Registered with Ofsted: 20/12/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Rooney, Amanda Kay

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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 make excellent progress across all areas of development. They excitedly explore their environment and develop their learning and skills during play. Children are confident communicators. They express their wants and needs with adults as well as their peers. Children develop their gross motor skills outside and demonstrate strong fine motor skills as they mark make on paper. Children learn about the world around them as they dig in the soil to look for worms and other bugs.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning, such as school. Children manage their own self-care effectively, older children go to the toilet independently, cut their own toast and pour their own drink at snack time. Children have rich experiences that enable them to socialise well, they have developed strong friendships and play together. They express their play ideas and negotiate how they will play together. This is an important skill that children need when they mix with a larger group of children, such as at school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children are extremely engaged and show positive attitudes to their learning. The environment is carefully planned out to allow children to mix the resources to enhance their play. The childminder and assistant play with the children and provide age-appropriate levels of challenge to keep children interested and developing.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder provides strong strategic leadership by organising targeted training and establishing consistent routines that promote positive behaviour and attitudes. She sets clear expectations and ensures these approaches are applied throughout the day. This creates a harmonious environment, where children feel secure and consistently respond well to the routines and expectations the childminder has established. Both the childminder and assistant are excellent role models. Children resolve their disagreements among themselves with skilful support from the childminder.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Routines are embedded and highly organised. This helps maximise the time children have to be deeply involved in their play and learning. Children demonstrate they know these daily routines through their actions. They feel prepared for what is happening next. For example, children line up to wash their hands before sitting at the table for snack without prompting. Attendance is closely monitored by the childminder as she fully understands the importance of consistent attendance. She shares her policy with parents so they understand the benefits of regular attendance.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has designed and embedded a high-quality curriculum that meets the needs of all children. The childminder tracks children's progress through ongoing observations, conversations with the assistant and families. This helps her to help build a clear picture of what the children can do, and what they need to learn next. The environment

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Expected standard

and activities are clearly adapted to support the children in achieving their planned next steps. The childminder and assistant play with the children and use their interactions carefully to extend on children's thinking and learning. For example, when children are making potions in the garden,the assistant uses questions, such as 'I wonder', and 'what idea could you try next?' This supports children to think deeply, test their ideas and stay engaged in their play. This supports children to make accelerated progress in her care.

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Expected standard

Throughout the day, children have access to a wide range of books, both inside and outside. The childminder and assistant read these to the children at key times of the day, such as during their snack. Children demonstrate their growing love of reading when they regularly ask for books to be read to them. This work supports the children to develop an early love of reading as well as developing children's communication and language skills.

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Expected standard

Children are exposed regularly to early mathematical language, for example they read stories, such as '10 Little Dinosaurs'. The childminder counts objects out loud and children follow. Outside, the children explore what toys will 'sink' or 'float' in water. This approach strengthens children's early number sense and reasoning skills and helps them build secure foundations for future mathematical learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder's thoughtful leadership ensures that children experience a warm and nurturing care, that largely focuses on supporting children's confidence and positive wellbeing. The children have developed close relationships with the childminder and assistant and will seek them out for comfort and support when needed. This demonstrates that children feel safe and secure with the childminder and assistant. The childminder knows the children extremely well and uses this information to best support their learning and wellbeing. Due to this, the childminder can quickly notice any emotional changes. For example, the childminder notices when children are more quiet than normal and calmly asks them if they are ok. She encourages children to talk about their feelings and describe what is upsetting them. This helps children feel seen and understood by the childminder and supports children to develop a strong sense of belonging in her care. Children have

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

opportunities to learn about different emotions and feelings. For example, during stories the childminder uses spontaneous opportunities to talk about how the characters in the story might feel.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have daily access to fresh air and enjoy exploring the well-resourced garden. The childminder offers a range of healthy snacks and lunches for the children to eat. Children dig for vegetables in the mud and pretend to cook them in the mud kitchen. Therefore, healthy lifestyles are positively promoted during mealtimes and through play. However, opportunities to help children understand why certain foods are healthy for their bodies are not yet consistently embedded. As a result, children do not always develop a secure understanding of how food choices support their overall wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The environment is very inclusive for all children. Resources and toys are accessible at low levels, so children have the freedom to choose what they want to play with that day. This supports children to make independent choices and follow their own interests with confidence. The childminder and assistant work well together to ensure they meet the needs of all children. This is done through ongoing observations, conversations and reflecting on how they can support each child's individual needs. They work with parents closely to identify any barriers to the children's learning or wellbeing. For example, when children become upset during toilet training, the childminder has open conversations with parents and together create a proud jar for children to use when they try on the toilet. This has a positive impact on the children and their wellbeing has improved.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Although the childminder does not currently have any children on roll with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or children who are known or previously known to social care, the childminder is confident around answering scenarios about how she would support children who may have barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. She is able to explain how she would change the environment to reduce any barriers, and how she would undergo any training that would enable her to offer high-quality inclusive support. However, as yet, the childminder does not have a full understanding of the SEND support available in the local area. As a result, she is not yet able to confidently signpost families to the full range of support available to them.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is an enthusiastic leader. She knows her setting, curriculum and children extremely well, and is passionate about getting it right for every child. She has a reflective approach and, overall, she identifies her strengths and areas for further improvement. The childminder understands the importance of professional development, and ensures herself and any assistants undertake regular training to develop their skills and knowledge to provide high-quality care and education. For example, both recently attended training on early writing and reading, which has influenced the resources now available to children to enhance their mark-making skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder provides regular supervision meetings. These are used an an opportunity to discuss any worries or concerns and as a space to work together to develop the environment and activities. The childminder supports assistants with workload issues to ensure a positive work-life balance.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parent partnerships are effective. Parents are very happy with the level of care and attention their children receive. Parents are well informed about their children's day as well as the progress in their children's learning and development. The childminder promotes open communication between herself and families, as she understands the huge benefit this has on the children and families.

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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 at this setting feel safe, valued and welcomed. The childminder and assistant work hard to ensure every child develops a strong sense of belonging and children flourish. Children are extremely well settled and have high levels of engagement and wellbeing. Children enjoy learning as they use their fine motor skills to peel stickers and create their own pictures, which they proudly show to visitors and the childminder, who replies with lots of praise. Younger babies are fully included in the day, they are held closely while the group of children listen to stories.

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Inspector:

Jess Copson Children explore carefully chosen and interesting resources in the environment, such as different shapes shells in a jar and light tables, this helps sparks children's thinking and curiosity. Children have free flow into the garden and to a calmer living room area, meaning that children are given freedom and choice about where they explore and play. The activities are mainly led by the children's ideas and interests in the moment. For example, while playing outside, the children decided to decorate the play house, they spent time together sticking pieces of paper on the windows and walls.

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Inspector:

Children get to explore different places and events outside the house. They visit parks, attend play groups and soft-play areas. This means that children get to learn about their community, develop their physical development as well as how to socialise with other children. They learn skills that support them when they move to bigger settings, such as school.

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Inspector:

Children's uniqueness is celebrated. Children have access to books about people's differences, such as food allergies. They learn about how differences make them special. Children's art work is displayed for children to see and be proud of. Children giggle together as they role play doing work on their laptops, as well as exploring the dress up box and pretending to be different characters. This helps develop children's imagination skills as well as their communication and language skills.

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Next steps

The childminder should enhance opportunities to teach children about making healthy choices for their bodies. The childminder should widen their knowledge and training around special educational needs and/or disability support in the local area.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistant, 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: Wednesday : 08:00 - 17:30,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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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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