Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2840211 Registered with Ofsted: 04/06/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR

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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 develop extremely close and loving relationships with the childminder. They seek her out to play and share their experiences with and cuddle her spontaneously. The childminder knows the children very well and quickly identifies signs they are becoming tired, need the toilet or need reassurance to nurture their wellbeing. Children thrive with the childminder's consistent and embedded routines. This provides them with time to learn in focused activities, to play freely, to enjoy sociable mealtimes and to rest. The childminder remains extremely vigilant and adapts the routines according to children's lead to maintain their focus. She includes meaningful adaptations for children with barriers to their learning to nurture them through the changes in the day seamlessly. This helps all children, including new children, feel safe, secure and wanting to learn.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has high expectations of every child's behaviour. She is an exemplary role model, showing patience, empathy and respect to children while ensuring they learn why something is not acceptable. The childminder uses very successful strategies to gain children's attention. Children from the youngest age develop extremely positive attitudes and behaviour. They willingly help with responsible routine tasks, and older children show real compassion for others, such as finding adults a cushion to sit on unprompted. The childminder works proactively with parents to promote consistently high attendance and punctuality, making adaptations to support families in achieving this.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing. She ensures her policies and practice are continually reviewed to maintain this consistently. For example, she has significantly adapted the sleep arrangements in line with national guidance to ensure children are always safe. The childminder works successfully with parents to ensure children have extremely nutritious meals according to her policy. Her well-structured curriculum and interaction with children help them to develop long-lasting healthy habits, such as thorough personal hygiene routines and their understanding of healthy eating. She includes specific sleep-themed song sessions to help all children calm down and settle to sleep well.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop close attachments with the childminder from early on, demonstrating how safe and secure they feel in her care. This is enhanced through her skilful support and adaptations to ensure those with barriers to their learning are fully included. She supports children's emotional wellbeing extremely well. Through her highly effective partnerships with parents, she ensures she knows about any changes in children's lives to help them manage these, and where needed, supports the family as a whole. The childminder uses rigorous risk assessment to continually identify and remove any potential risks. She teaches children consistently how to keep safe, such as the importance of sitting to eat to prevent choking.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make expected progress from their starting points. They are interested and motivated learners who are keen to join in all the activities. Children develop high levels of independence, self-confidence and an interest to learn more. This all supports their future learning. Overall, children communicate effectively and learn new words to build their vocabulary. For example, older children learn what 'represent' means and younger children feel the texture of wool to understand what this is when singing songs. While they are encouraged to talk, on occasion they do not have time to respond to the childminder's questions to build further on their communication and learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make secure progress in their physical development. They use one-handed tools effectively and play with energy in the garden and on outings. Children develop extremely healthy eating habits and personal hygiene routines. They show a love of books, which they choose to read and choose for the childminder to read to them. She provides props to include and engage children of all stages.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder knows the children very well and delivers a well-planned and broad curriculum to help them make secure progress. She provides purposeful activities tailored to help children reach their learning goals. For example, children enjoy exploring a pretend pond with resources for learning about the life cycle of frogs. The childminder interacts using pictures to help younger children to learn what frogspawn and tadpoles are. She extends older children's learning with challenges to sequence the cycle stages to test their knowledge.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder joins in children's play with energy and enthusiasm to capture their interest and build on their learning. For example, she helps children to learn more about the woodlice they find, using magnifying glasses. This helps to nurture children's curiosity to learn more about the natural world. Children develop important skills to help them become ready for school. They listen well, communicate their needs and manage tasks for themselves with great confidence. The childminder uses sign language and props to include children with barriers to their learning, such as when reading stories. She threads mathematical language through their play, such as talking about 'lots' and 'more' and counting aloud. The childminder asks questions but does not consistently allow children time to think and answer when she continues to narrate their actions or answers for them.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents from the start to assess children's individual needs and development. This helps her to quickly identify and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning. The childminder exchanges information about children's development with some of the other settings children also attend, although this is not consistent to fully support all children's learning from when they start. She reaches out to external professionals for further guidance to help each child make the progress they are capable of, and to access any funding they may be entitled to.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder makes adaptations to activities to ensure children's needs are met and they are fully included. For example, she uses strategies such as books in which children learn to understand and process their emotions and feelings through colour representation. Children respond well to the changes in activities throughout the day, such as through using the picture timeline to help them understand what will happen next. This helps children to feel secure and supports their wellbeing effectively. The childminder uses professional development opportunities to help her address any barriers to children's learning. This includes undertaking emotion coaching training to help children learn to regulate their behaviour effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a secure oversight of the quality of her provision and continually reviews her practice. She invites external professionals to help her to identify and make improvements that will directly impact children's welfare and development. This includes making adaptations to include and meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with barriers to their learning. The childminder values professional development to enhance her skills further. For example, recent training has helped her build further on her knowledge of how babies learn and develop in readiness for a new child starting. She makes adaptations to her daily routine to also ensure she looks after her own welfare and wellbeing, such as taking time to rest when children are asleep.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder builds very successful and collaborative working partnerships with parents. She keeps parents fully involved in their children's developmental journey and provides continuous updates on their progress. She works with some of the other settings children also attend. However, this is not consistent to ensure she gains information from every setting in a timely manner to support children's development as well as possible from the start. She actively seeks and values feedback from parents and acts on their suggestions to develop her provision further. Parents speak very highly of the childminder. They say she has had a positive impact on their children's development, and children thrive with the childminder's patience, kindness and encouragement.

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

Children are very happy and settled in the childminder's care and enjoy their time with her. They develop warm and loving bonds with her and laugh freely together. Children benefit from an exciting curriculum to build on their learning and to help them to achieve well. This includes a focus on outdoor learning and daily outings to broaden their experiences further. For example, children visit the farm, parks, aquarium and aerospace museum to learn more about the world and the library to support their love of literature.

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

The childminder works closely with parents from the start to understand children's needs and developmental stage. This helps her to provide meaningful adaptations to fully include children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with barriers to their learning. For example, she uses songs to support children with changes throughout the day and specific activities to encourage their engagement. Children feel very secure in the consistent and well-structured daily routine and question when something changes, such as not going on a walk or trip out. They join in the activities with curiosity, exploring and engaging well. They make their own choices confidently and move around the safe and secure setting with familiarity. For example, they find their outdoor clothes and water bottles for themselves.

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

Children play well together, such as when using their imaginations creating meals and drinks in the play kitchen. They demonstrate extremely positive attitudes and social skills, learning to be kind, respectful and responsible. The childminder values each child's uniqueness and reflects their personal interests and life experiences in the activities she provides to ensure

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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

learning is fun. Children flourish under the childminder's core values that help them to become confident, curious and caring individuals.

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Next steps

The childminder should allow children more time to think and respond to questions to enhance their communication and learning further. The childminder should develop the partnerships with all the other settings children also attend to support their development further.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children.

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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 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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