Clarke, Claire Victoria

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2771156 Registered with Ofsted: 11/01/2024 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

The childminder creates a warm, calm and highly organised environment where children feel safe, secure and confident in what is expected of them. Clear rules and well-established routines underpin daily practice, enabling children to develop excellent behaviour and positive attitudes. These expectations are consistently reinforced through age-appropriate strategies, praise and modelling, helping children to make positive choices and understand boundaries. The childminder works closely with parents to promote consistency, regular attendance and punctuality. Predictable routines and clear communication help children feel settled and ready to learn. Overall, children display very positive behaviour, kindness and cooperation, showing pride in their achievements and developing strong foundations for future learning and transitions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Strong, trusting relationships are central to the setting. The childminder greets each child warmly, offers reassurance when needed and engages in meaningful interactions throughout the day. As a result, children feel valued, emotionally supported and confident to express themselves. The childminder supports children effectively to develop social skills, including sharing, turn-taking and cooperation. The childminder encourages children to resolve minor conflicts independently using simple language, promoting self-regulation, resilience and mutual respect.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children demonstrate high levels of independence and responsibility within daily routines, such as tidying away, managing personal care and preparing for activities. The childminder adapts her approach to meet individual needs and developmental stages, ensuring that all children can succeed.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children typically make secure progress from their starting points and focus intently during learning. They concentrate and persevere with tricky tasks, such as a colour scavenger hunt. Children are beginning to regulate their emotions, knowing when to ask for help and when to seek comfort. They can follow instructions well and are developing the skills they will require for the next stage of their learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop well into confident communicators. They can express their needs to the childminder and enter into back-and-forth conversations with each other. Children learn to use resources with purpose, such as making pretend soup for each other in the nature kitchen. They develop secure hand–eye coordination and enjoy an active lifestyle. For example, children are keen to spend time outside, playing energetically.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children learn to recognise numbers and to begin to solve simple mathematical problems, such as to sequence large number spots in the correct order. Children learn to do things for themselves, in preparation for starting school. They become increasingly independent in meeting their own personal care needs, including with their toileting.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are happy and settled, and they demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in the childminder's care. Parents report she creates a nurturing, 'home-from-home' environment where children form secure attachments and feel valued. The childminder supports children effectively to understand and manage their emotions through warm interactions, reassurance and meaningful conversations. Close partnerships with parents ensure that children's individual needs are well understood from the outset. The childminder gathers relevant information about family circumstances, routines and any specific requirements, enabling her to provide tailored support. She works collaboratively with parents during key developmental stages, such as toilet training, promoting consistency and building children's independence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children benefit from a healthy range of nutritious, home-cooked meals and snacks, with careful consideration given to dietary needs and allergies. Mealtimes are positive social occasions where children sit together, developing good manners and communication skills. However, the childminder does not always support children in their understanding of why healthy lifestyles are important, including how nutritious food, physical activity and rest support their growth, strength and energy for learning and play. Daily routines are well established, and they support children's overall wellbeing. The childminder prioritises safety, teaching children how to manage risks appropriately. Through the attentive care and positive relationships, the childminder nurtures children to flourish and develop the confidence, skills and understanding needed for their continued wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a clear ambition for children to become confident, independent and well prepared for their next stage of learning, including school. She understands all the areas of learning and uses daily routines, play and conversations with families to build an accurate picture of what children know and can do. This helps her shape a curriculum that reflects children's interests, stages and emerging needs. The childminder actively promotes communication and language across all areas of her provision and helps children to develop a love of books. She models language and asks questions when sharing stories with children. Children enthusiastically offer answers to her questions. However, the childminder does not plan for the introduction of new words during sessions, which would broaden children's vocabulary.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder weaves mathematical learning through daily routines, such as counting the number of coloured water containers for a colour-mixing activity. Focused teaching on different weights in the nature kitchen thoughtfully weaves mathematical ideas into meaningful contexts. This promotes discussion, stimulates questioning and supports recall of information. Children are keen to participate in the activities on offer and learn to regulate their emotions when playing together with gentle encouragement and high praise. Through a range of engaging outdoor opportunities, children's physical development is promoted effectively. They develop hand–eye coordination and finger strength through mark-making and creative play, such as ice painting, while also strengthening their large-muscle groups as they build balance, strength and coordination.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder ensures that she gets to know families well when they join, so she can offer an inclusive environment. She promotes children's diversity and culture through celebrations and food. She engages in thoughtful discussions with children where they share experiences of their own differences. This helps children develop their sense of belonging. The childminder reflects regularly on what is working well and what could be improved, plans next steps, puts them into practice and reviews the impact. She identifies appropriate use of any additional funding to support children to reduce barriers to their learning or wellbeing. She keeps her professional development up to date to ensure that she has the knowledge to support any child when they arrive.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder carefully observes each child to identify their individual needs at an early stage and shares this information effectively with parents and other settings that children may attend as well. Ongoing assessment is used well to build a clear understanding of what children can already do and where they may need additional support. The childminder thoughtfully adapts activities, daily routines and the learning environment to ensure that all children are fully included and able to participate with developing confidence.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder understands her responsibilities in providing an inclusive childcare service, where all children can grow and succeed. She has a good awareness of the strengths of her provision and has identified areas for future development, such as her ongoing plans for the sleep area, which reflect her consideration of both her practice and the individual needs of the children. The childminder understands her statutory responsibilities and ensures that all requirements are met. She maintains appropriate records, including attendance, risk assessments and safeguarding documentation, which she reviews regularly. She is fully committed to her own and her assistants' professional development by keeping their knowledge up to date through regular training, and she supports the assistants through supervision.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parent engagement is very positive, with feedback highlighting the daily updates and information they receive about their child's progress, individual needs and next steps in learning. Parents report that they feel so well supported and confident that they can share information or seek advice from the childminder at any time. However, the childminder has yet to strengthen support for children and families to develop their understanding of the safe use of digital media and online platforms. The childminder loves her job and expresses how training helps her build confidence in her abilities to continuously deliver high-quality care and education. The childminder builds positive partnerships with staff at other settings children attend. This promotes consistency and continuity in each child's care and development.

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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 natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. Each child is valued for their unique interests, abilities and starting points, and the childminder supports them accordingly. Regular attendance helps children build confidence and resilience and establish routines, allowing them to make secure progress. Through play and daily activities, children develop the knowledge and skills needed for a positive start in life through a key focus on their next steps. They are socially confident, and they communicate their needs and form positive relationships with the childminder, assistants and their peers. The childminder also guides

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Inspector:

children in understanding how to keep themselves safe. For example, children talk about where it is safe to cross the road and how they need to stop, look and listen.

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Inspector:

Children feel happy and secure, and they smile, laugh and display a sense of belonging, feeling welcome and valued. Children communicate effectively when given the opportunity to choose a puppet linked to a favourite nursery rhyme to sing and carry out the actions together. All parents report that their children are keen to attend, enjoy sharing their daily experiences at home and share how the childminder and her assistants go above and beyond for every child. Children develop their physical skills through a mix of planned and spontaneous opportunities that promote core strength, balance and coordination. Daily outdoor play enhances their physical confidence and awareness of the natural world. The children thrive on being outside and are confident accessing all the resources.

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Inspector:

Children respond extremely well to defined boundaries and clear expectations, demonstrating cooperative behaviour and respect for routines. The childminder consistently models good practice and encourages children to use their words to share and seek support. They show good manners towards both peers and adults, reflecting a culture of respect and kindness. Children are supported well to meet their own needs, especially with handwashing, at snack and mealtimes and when independently dressing. Established routines, attentive care and safe practices form part of everyday life for everyone.

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Next steps

The childminder should further strengthen the communication and language curriculum by intentionally introducing new words, supporting children to broaden their vocabulary. The childminder should build on her current practice by making learning about healthy lifestyles more explicit so that children develop a deeper understanding of how healthy eating, exercise and sleep affect their bodies, leading to positive choices in the future. The childminder should strengthen support for children to learn about the safe use of technology and online resources.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistants, children and parents 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 the 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. Kirstyn Moffat

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30

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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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