Benstead, Rebecca Elizabeth

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2764034 Registered with Ofsted: 29/01/2024 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

Children form deep bonds with the childminder, who is responsive to their needs. She provides reassurance and comfort when children show they need this and is swift to promote resilience when appropriate. This encourages children to persevere when their learning is more difficult.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has well-established routines that promote children's positive behaviours and attitudes towards learning and each other. She is calm and consistent in her interactions. The childminder knows each child well. When she needs to reinforce expected behaviours, the childminder does so gently but firmly. Children respond well to this, following the childminder's direction immediately. The childminder is swift to praise children when they listen well or show real effort or kindness to friends. Interactions between the childminder and children help children to become confident in recognising and managing their feelings and behaviours. For example, when children display feelings as they play, the childminder acknowledges and names the feelings and this helps children's developing understanding of their emotions and supports their ability to name their feelings.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is inclusive in her approaches to behaviour. She uses her comprehensive knowledge of each child to support them to consistently engage well with learning. Her interactions motivate children to persevere when an activity is challenging. This builds children's resilience and prepares them well for future learning. The childminder encourages children to share their wants, needs and ideas. She is respectful and interested in children's thoughts and is responsive to these. This encourages children to communicate further. The childminder promotes attendance for all children. She works with parents and carers to form a shared understanding of the importance of regular attendance and its impact on children's development and progress.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder knows all children and monitors their progress very well. She works in partnership with parents and carers to identify barriers to children's learning. The childminder provides targeted teaching to best support children's progress. She networks regularly with other local childminders and uses these meetings to have professional discussions that develop practice. The childminder provides children with a wide range of learning activities and experiences. She selects outings that meet the needs of children attending each day to help their confidence bloom. For example, children who enjoy quieter activities enjoy trips to parklands and beaches, and children who thrive in larger groups enjoy attending activities at the library and meeting up with other children and their childminders. This helps children's social skills to thrive. The childminder helps all children to make rapid progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children are happy and feel safe in the care of this childminder. The childminder knows all children's interests, characters and needs. She interacts frequently with children. These interactions are high quality and help build trusting, respectful relationships. The childminder follows support plans that professionals provide, such as speech and language plans and

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Expected standard

physical therapy plans. This targeted support helps all children to thrive and grow in independence and confidence.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make progress from their starting points. Children develop thinking and problem- solving skills as they join pieces of track together to form a sensory path. They persevere as they travel over the different textured track and find balancing tricky. Children develop a love of early reading and stories. Younger children enjoy sitting and looking at board books alone, they select one, read it and then select another. They enjoy making choices. Older children select stories and ask the childminder to read them. They listen with focus and attention and enjoy answering questions about the illustrations.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are prepared for their next stage in learning. They develop social skills. Children share and take turns with minimal support, showing real kindness towards each other. Children listen well to instructions and show confidence in well-established activities and routines.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make progress with their communication and language skills. However, teaching of this is not consistent in quality and does not best support children to develop their understanding of new words so they can use them correctly as they talk and play with others.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children's wellbeing to grow. She is responsive to their needs and quickly notices changes in their emotions. For example, she recognises when babies are tired and might benefit from a nap. Children demonstrate secure attachments to the childminder, who supports them to feel a sense of belonging when in her home. The childminder works effectively with families to support consistency in care. For example, she provides guidance on establishing effective sleep routines and promoting positive behaviours.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder helps children learn to care for each other and their environment. She encourages children to make choices in their day and adapts routines to best support children's needs. For example, when children express they are hungry, the childminder asks them if they want snack early and then they can focus better on their play. The childminder encourages children to work together to tidy away before they have snack. Children enjoy this responsibility and the childminder praises their effort and teamwork.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children typically receive support to develop healthy daily habits, such as spending time in nature and drinking water regularly. The childminder encourages children to bring a packed lunch that is balanced in nutrition. She provides parents and carers with government guidance on what foods may provide children with a meal that will fuel them well for the remainder of their day. The childminder reinforces these messages for lifelong health, through discussions, as children play. For example, older children pick up several books when tidying and she explains they must have strong healthy bones because they drank lots of milk at snack time.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of how to ensure that children are safe when eating. She has effective procedures in place for allergy and intolerance management. Children show positive levels of wellbeing. The childminder promotes happiness and health typically as children play and learn. The childminder promotes toilet training when children are ready. She works with parents to form a supportive and consistent approach. The childminder does not however consistently promote privacy for children when they use the potty and this lessens children's confidence to use it regularly.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder is very clear on the aims of her curriculum. The experiences and activities she offers to children are are wide ranging, enjoyable and promote their learning and development. The childminder typically supports children's communication and language skills to develop. She does this through sharing stories frequently through the day, singing songs and rhymes with children and narrating children's play. The childminder builds on what children already know and can do. For example, when children ask for a familiar story to be read, she asks probing questions to find out how much children can recall. The childminder extends children's learning well as she reads. For example, she asks older children how they think each character in the story may be feeling. The childminder does not however, consistently model new vocabulary clearly and correctly. This does not best support the youngest children to learn and use new words.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides children with activities and learning experiences that build on what children already know and can do. She supports children's next steps in learning well as they play and learn. For example, the childminder promotes children's independence. She encourages children to pour their own milk at snack time and select stories they wish to share with her. The childminder helps children's physical development to thrive. She supports babies to develop core strength and confidence to take steps as she holds their hands and offers encouragement to motion forward. Younger children develop their hand- eye coordination and whole-hand grasp as they pick up balls in a ball pool and throw them in the air.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children demonstrate counting skills as they count the chimes on a music station. The childminder speaks with them about the size of objects as children post items down a wooden chute. She discusses with them about which objects will fit in the hole. Children enjoy predicting which sized balls will fit. However, the childminder does not consistently promote children's early mathematical skills to develop as they play.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is reflective. She can identify strengths in her provision and aspects to enhance. The childminder engages in professional networking to ensure she continually refines her practice and meet the needs of children in her care. For example, she meets regularly with fellow childminders to discuss activities that have proved particularly successful in promoting children's progress and wellbeing. The childminder then adapts these to meet the needs of children in her own care.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works in partnership with parents and carers and professionals involved in children's development. She delivers targeted support from guidance provided by speech and language therapists and physiotherapists. The childminder has an induction process for children new to her setting that meets the individual needs of the child starting. For example, settling-in sessions are flexible in length and frequency to best support children. This helps children to establish a positive relationship with the childminder from the start.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder's positive working relationships with families typically support children to thrive. She regularly seeks feedback on her care from parents, and this helps her to continue to provide quality care. Parents value the childminder. They appreciate the bonds she forms with children, and the progress children make when in her care.

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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 show a real sense of belonging and thoroughly enjoy spending time in this setting. They confidently explore the environment, selecting activities to play with. Children of all ages focus well on their play. They are kind and caring towards each other. Children take turns as they explore textures of cereal in messy play. They share and take turns with each other. The childminder promotes positive and respectful relationships. She builds close bonds with children in her care. Children enjoy a curriculum with a clear intent and a wide range of activities that prioritise building their communication and language skills, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. The childminder shows comprehensive knowledge of each child. Her frequent interactions with children help them to progress, achieve and thrive. Children clearly feel safe and secure. The childminder works well with families. This promotes consistency in care and a shared understanding of

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

The childminder recognises the importance of children attending. When children are absent, she is quick to communicate with parents and carers and offer support to help children return to her setting as soon as they are well. Children develop confidence and independence. They ask the childminder for help or support when they need. Children progress well from their starting points and enjoy a wide range of learning experiences. Children enjoy daily outings in the fresh air. They explore parkland, beaches, play parks and the local zoo. They also take part in frequent meet-ups with fellow childminders. The childminder uses these experiences to provide children with opportunities to play in larger groups of children and further extend their social skills.

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About this setting

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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Next steps

The childminder should ensure that children have enough privacy when managing self- care needs, such as toileting. The childminder should further promote children's communication and language development through modelling new vocabulary clearly and fully. The childminder should consistently provide opportunities for children to develop their skills in early mathematics.

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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. This data is from 29 April 2026

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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

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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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