Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2749169 Registered with Ofsted: 08/11/2023 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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Achievement Expected standard

Children make expected progress from their starting points and are prepared for the next stage of their education. They are confident to ask for help, ask insightful questions and talk about what they want to learn next. For example, the children are excited to go to school and learn to write and draw. Their love of books is evident. They enjoy being read to, and pre-school children confidently use key vocabulary from stories in their play and conversations. For example during a dough activity, they reference train rides from the stories they have read.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children have an appropriate understanding of their emotions and what behaviour is expected of them. They remain well focused during both free play and guided activities. When faced with new or challenging tasks, they persevere. For example, when using dough equipment to make 'food', they keep trying to cut and shape it correctly using the utensils. Adaptations of activities are designed well. Children typically are able to access all 7 areas of learning, either independently or with thoughtful adult support.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children understand the routines and expectations at the end of free play. They listen well and receive effective support if things do not go quite as planned. They are developing their personal and self-care skills successfully and are well prepared for the next steps in their learning. For example, children can use cutlery at mealtimes and are able to feed themselves independently.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has clear high expectations for the children at her setting. She implements simple and effective boundaries. Children understand what is expected of them and what is happening next. The childminder uses sand timers to wrap up an activity before snack time. This supports children to understand routines and manage transitions calmly. The childminder communicates these effectively with parents. This ensures continuity of care and learning between home and the childminder's setting.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Routines at the childminder's setting are simple, predictable and calm. This creates an inclusive learning environment. It allows all children to develop and thrive because they know the expectations of them. When children do struggle to share or tidy up, the childminder calmly and supportively intervenes. Children follow the expected hygiene routines and understand why they need to do this. For example, they wash their hands before snack time and after using the bathroom. They confidently explain that this is 'because of germs'. This demonstrates age-appropriate awareness of self-care and hygiene practices.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder models kindness and good manners always. This ensures that the children in her care are developing these habits and using them in their everyday experiences. This helps build positive relationships between the children and the childminder. Attendance and punctuality are promoted well. The childminder follows up absences and keeps an accurate log. She understands this is helpful preparation for school, and so do the children.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder's responsive and calm demeanour ensures children enjoy her company. She mirrors the children's home experiences to create a home-from-home childminding experience. Emotional development is a high priority, and children understand how to express their feelings in a calm but age-appropriate way. For example, children are able to express when they are tired or frustrated. They then choose to access a calmer activity such as reading a story. Children discuss going to school next year, and the childminder promotes this excitedly.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder ensures children's personal care needs are always attended to. This includes transitioning out of nap time for older children. The childminder understands that this is essential for starting school well. She encourages children to drink, finish their snack and reminds them to go to the bathroom. These useful skills promote independence and age-expected development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder plans trips to the local park, libraries and play dates so children can meet others of a similar age. Through these activities, children access equipment that supports their developing gross motor skills and interact with a variety of children and adults. These experiences help them form secure attachments and build friendships. Children are developing an understanding of healthy food and drink choices. Healthy choices, such as rice cakes and fruit, and good manners are promoted and used, such as 'please' and 'thank you'.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder understands the 7 areas of the early years foundation stage and demonstrates solid awareness of how young children develop. She bases her curriculum on the children's emerging needs, skills and their current interests.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder designs activities thoughtfully and intentionally so that all children are able to make secure progress from their starting points. She gathers a range of information from parents at the beginning of the child's journey with her. She maintains regular communication with parents throughout their time at the setting to ensure learning opportunities are communicated and she is kept up to date about the children's progress and development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder prioritises planning high-quality communication and language experiences. She selects books thoughtfully and introduces vocabulary from stories and activities that children can use in their everyday play. At times, however, she uses nicknames and simplified language instead of the correct terminology, which does not maximise progress for children who are learning English, as they are not hearing language that helps widen their vocabulary.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

During free play and guided play, the childminder skilfully narrates what is happening and asks the children open-ended questions. The children are eager to respond to these questions. For example, she encourages discussions about making food for families before a flight. They use dough and talk about the different modes of transport they would use when going on holiday. The childminder adapts the dough utensils to ensure children can use them without adult support. This allows the children to make 'food' without adult support, ensuring their fine motor skills and independence are prioritised. Generally, the childminder gives children time to respond and join in. However, on occasion, she does not pause long enough for children to answer her questions or asks too many questions. This limits children's opportunities to process their ideas and develop independent thinking.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder understands how to support children who are disadvantaged or with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She uses starting-point information from parents and gathers ongoing assessments to make informed judgements and decisions. These assessments directly inform her planning and the children's next steps. For example, she adapts the food and drink menu to ensure every child's needs are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

At the time of the inspection, no children with SEND were on roll. However, the childminder maintains links with the local authority and other professionals to ensure that any child can access the support they need to make progress. The childminder understands how to use additional funding if and when this becomes relevant for her setting. She is aware of the graduated approach of 'assess, plan, do, review'. She assesses children's needs, plans and delivers appropriate support, and reviews how effective it has been. To further develop her practice, the childminder should continue her professional development around SEND to stay fully up to date with current knowledge so she is able to confidently apply this in the future.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a positive awareness of her own strengths and areas for development. While she is not currently supporting any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, she recognises the importance of continuing to build her knowledge in this area through further research and training. This reflects a clear commitment to ongoing professional development and to providing high-quality care and education for all children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder actively engages with the local authority and has established links with other professionals in the area. This work creates opportunities to share knowledge and improve her practice. The childminder also continues to access online training related to the early years foundation stage. However, moving forward, this training should be more closely tailored to the specific needs of her setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder ensures relationships with parents are effective and centred around the needs of the child. Communication is clear and informative. The childminder ensures that parents are kept informed about their child's daily experiences and next steps, supporting smooth and meaningful handovers. She quickly identifies when families may need flexibility or help with drop-off or pick-up times. She also monitors absences and responds promptly to any signs of illness. To further develop her practice, the childminder should continue to strengthen her knowledge and understanding of supporting children with additional needs, including how these needs could be effectively met within her setting.

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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 are happy and secure as they start their day in the childminder's home. Simple predictable routines help the children understand the childminder's expectations. These routines also support the development of their independence. Children show confidence in their learning. They talk with the childminder at length and enjoy sharing their achievements. During a dough activity, they make pretend food to take on holiday. They ask thoughtful questions and speak about the holidays they have taken and the different forms of transport they used. For example, they say, 'I went to the airport on a train, then on a plane and then in a car.' Children demonstrate confident language and imaginative thinking, bringing real- life experiences into their play.

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

Children move around the childminder's home easily and with confidence. They show a strong sense of belonging and that they feel safe in her care. Warm, positive interactions take place throughout the day. Children talk openly about their families, their day, food, holidays and trips. The childminder listens carefully and uses these conversations to plan their next steps. She builds these ideas into the curriculum to extend learning. Children benefit from clear narration during play and from well-timed, open-ended questions. These approaches deepen their engagement and support strong progress.

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

Children develop their fine motor skills during puzzles, role play, and using musical instruments. They use a confident pincer grip to pick up small pieces and place jigsaw parts accurately, showing secure fine motor control, hand–eye coordination, and early problem- solving skills. They show high levels of enjoyment and concentration and ask for help when they need it. Reading is a high priority. The childminder shares a love of books with the children. She teaches new vocabulary such as 'squishy' and 'squash', and children use these words confidently during play. They show respect for the environment. They tidy away resources carefully before choosing to play with something new.

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Next steps

The childminder should give children time to try things independently so she can assess their skills accurately and plan what they need next. The childminder should use the correct words when speaking to the children to model clear language and help them widen their vocabularies, particularly those who are learning English.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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.

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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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