Spendlove, Lucie

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2773490 Registered with Ofsted: 08/02/2024 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder provides an inclusive environment with high expectations for children's behaviour. She clearly relays these to children through consistent and gentle reminders. These include discussions about turn-taking and tidying up. This helps children to develop their understanding of what exactly is expected of them. The childminder adapts her approaches to support all children's ages and abilities. She implements consistent boundaries reducing barriers to children's learning and/or wellbeing. The childminder helps families to apply these expectations and they observe positive development from these, supporting their wellbeing also. The childminder uses her extensive knowledge to implement strategies, such as breathing techniques, to help children begin to regulate their emotions and behaviours.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Through the childminder's calm, nurturing and consistent approaches transitions are seamless and children follow routines well. This supports children to develop highly positive attitudes to their learning. Children show excellent focus and communicate their ideas through sustained and purposeful play. The childminder offers lots of positive praise, including 'high fives' to highlight children's helpfulness, cooperation and effort. Children acquire an understanding of kindness and enjoy responsibility. The childminder has formed trusting relationships with children and their families. She prioritises attendance and punctuality, following up promptly when patterns emerge. As a result, children feel secure and behave exceptionally well. They develop curiosity, resilience and confidence that prepare them well for future learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder uses robust assessment and monitoring of children's learning and development. Alongside this, she gets to know children and their families extremely well. This helps her to quickly identify and support any emerging gaps in children's learning. For example, the childminder uses sign language and communication programmes to support children's speech and language skills. She actively seeks training to deepen her own knowledge based on children's needs and abilities, including behaviour training. This enables her to implement highly effective and tailored support plans. The childminder shares these with parents and carers, extended family and other settings that children attend. This creates a joined-up approach that is highly impactful on the outcomes for children that face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. The childminder works closely with health visitors to implement support for families at home and the setting, including around behaviour and

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Inclusion Strong standard

sleeping routines. This provides continuity, helping children to feel supported and valued.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has a very clear understanding of her role in supporting all children in a timely and efficient way. She adapts routines, expectations and activities to suit the needs of all children. This ensures children access an inclusive curriculum. For example, a recent implementation of a visual timeline supports children to know what is coming next. This helps children to regulate and prepare for the next transition. The childminder demonstrates

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Expected standard

her awareness of how to use additional funding to provide a positive impact on children's learning experiences and opportunities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are well prepared for their next stage of development, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Children develop their social interactions as they enjoy discussions with their peers and the childminder about their recent holidays. They recall where they have been and younger children use language, such as 'aeroplane' and 'fast'. Older children demonstrate their concentration and focus when drawing and colouring. They comment they are 'mixing colours' as they foster their curiosity and use new language, such as 'dark purple' and 'dark blue'.

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Achievement Expected standard

Outside, younger children confidently ride the 3-wheeled scooters and negotiate space well. Older children pour and use new tools, such as funnels, to refine their smaller physical skills as they carefully pour the water through these. Children develop their love of books and stories. They listen intently to the story of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and repeat key phrases of the story and know what is happening next. They use number language, as older children confidently count the foods in the story from 1 to 5 and younger children continue counting 6,7,8. Although, some children do not benefit more time to respond, to supporting their learning further.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder adapts her practice and routines to suit the needs of individual children in her care, reducing barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. She ensures the settling-in process for children and families is robust and this helps children to settle quickly. For example, children settle naturally into their new environment. They form relationships with the childminder before she takes them on outings, ensuring they feel safe and secure. The childminder helps children to learn about their personal safety and introduces a song about keeping their bodies safe. Furthermore, she helps children to learn about road safety when on outings into the community.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children show confident independence skills. They enjoy cutting their own fruit for snack and older children attend to their own toileting needs. Younger children talk about washing their hands, commenting they need to use 'soap', as they begin to understand the importance of hygiene routines. The childminder is a positive role model. She explains to children she is washing her hands after nappy changes and reminds children to cover their mouths when coughing. Children demonstrate their awareness of various fruits and they have lots of discussions around food names and what they like to eat. However, although the childminder helps children to learn about various foods, she does not yet provide consistent opportunities to further develop their understanding on the effects of healthy and unhealthy foods on their bodies. Subsequently, this does not fully support children to develop their awareness of healthy habits for the future.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder places a focus on helping children begin to understand how they are feeling. Children enjoy the story about a monster that changes colour. They make connections between the colour and emotion. For example, children use an angry tone as they recognise they 'angry' coloured monster. The childminder talks with children about what might make them feel this way, including, when someone snatches a toy and hurts them. This helps children to develop links in how they feel, as well how these things can make others feel angry too. This fosters their empathy for others.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has created a broad and varied curriculum that provides all children with many opportunities to practise and develop new skills. She monitors children's development closely and uses their interests to plan activities that build on what children know, can do and need to know next. The childminder understands the importance of helping children to embed their learning, recalling on what they have done previously. For instance, she has recently implemented a memory book containing pictures of outings and activities. This helps children to remember their learning experiences.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder makes the most of spontaneous learning moments using her interactions well to target their next steps in learning. For example, she uses children's interests to help them explore other aspects of learning, including creative development. The childminder encourages children's imaginations as they explore role play through a sensory farm activity. As younger children enjoy painting with trucks on cardboard, the childminder weaves in early mathematical skills when discussing the patterns of the tyres.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children benefit from an environment rich in language. The childminder consistently narrates what she is doing, introduces new vocabulary and uses props, including flashcards and visuals. She displays the lifecycle of a caterpillar and children point to this, confidently matching the picture with the story. They comment it turns into a 'butterfly' as they flap their arms. However, at times, in the childminder's eagerness to help children, she does not always provide enough time for children to respond to her questioning. This does not fully encourage children to develop and use their thinking and problem-solving skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of reflection and self-evaluating her teaching and provision, to further develop her own skills and knowledge. She works closely with local authority and seeks out information to inform her practice. For example, she has introduced a more-defined self-registration system for children. This further builds on children's sense of belonging. The childminder targets her training based on the emerging needs of children. This ensures the strategies she implements are effective, including sign language. Subsequently, children achieve tailored outcomes quickly. The childminder recognises that further evaluations on her interactions with children will raise the quality of teaching further.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents and carers speak highly of the childminder and the support she provides for their families. This includes home-learning bags, sharing advice and plans for children. The childminder values her parent partnerships and is dedicated to supporting them. She makes decisions based on the best interests of children. Parents report on the progression their children have made, particularly in their confidence and independence. The childminder has formed robust links within the community. She volunteers at a local school to gain more knowledge about helping to prepare children for school. Children enjoy regular outings to the local parks, they go on bus and ferry trips and visit local beaches. These experiences provide children with a sense of the world around them.

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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 settle quickly in the warm, welcoming and nurturing environment the childminder provides for all children. Children benefit from the well-organised and inclusive environment. They make steady progress across the curriculum from their starting points. Children access a variety of activities that sharpen their knowledge and skills. These include older children learning how to swing themselves on the swing in the garden, developing their leg and core strength. Younger children develop their stability and coordination as they throw, kick and play catch with the childminder. Children develop their social interactions with their peers as they interact with each other through their role play. Children enjoy their time at the setting, forming positive attitudes towards their learning.

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

Children demonstrate secure attachments with the childminder. This helps them to feel safe and valued in the her care. The childminder forms positive partnerships with parents and carers from the start and welcomes their views and opinions. She promotes attendance and punctuality with parents. Routines are well embedded and children behave well. They demonstrate their understanding of the clear expectations the childminder implements, such as tidy-up time. This creates a culture of familiarity and belonging for all children.

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

Children develop their independence from a young age. For example, children help to load the dishwasher after their snack, pour their own drinks and begin to peel their oranges and bananas. This helps children to gain fundamental skills in managing small tasks themselves, in preparation for their next stage of learning, including school. Children are proud of their achievements, commenting on their accomplishments.

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Next steps

The childminder should provide children with more time to respond to questions she asks, supporting their thinking and problem-solving skills. The childminder should refine interactions during daily routines, such as mealtimes, to encourage children's awareness of the effects of healthy and unhealthy foods on their bodies.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection. Parents shared their views with the inspector.

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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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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 17:00

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About this setting

Local authority: Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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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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