Traynor, Heather Nike

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2766373 Registered with Ofsted: 18/01/2024 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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Achievement Strong standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing other barriers to their learning, develop a wealth of skills and knowledge to help them become ready for starting school. Two-year-old children put on their splash suits by themselves, as they know how to do it. Children excitedly find their name when they arrive and confidently place it on the self-registration board. Children's literacy awareness is enhanced further as younger children start to notice the different letters that make up their name and their friends' names. These skills enable children to take care of their own needs competently and to manage tasks independently.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children enjoy exploring nature as they spend much of their time outside. They demonstrate their inquisitive mindset as they delight in seeing the aeroplanes taking off nearby and use their binoculars to look more closely. This reflects how well children develop an increasing awareness of the world around them.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are confident communicators. They use their words freely as they play and talk confidently to adults. Children ask questions and are keen to find out more, reflecting their curiosity and willingness to learn.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder offers a homely, welcoming setting where every child is valued and included. The relaxed, nurturing setting enables children to explore freely and benefit from the extensive range of well-planned activities. The childminder is an extremely positive role model. She demonstrates kindness and fairness in her interactions with children, and young children replicate these traits in the relationships they build with others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder and her assistants have created an environment where every child's individual needs are fully understood and planned for. Children benefit from high levels of praise and positive attention. This helps them to feel good about themselves and develop a positive self-image. From a young age, children learn about their emotions. They use books and visual cues to help explain how they are feeling. This enables very young children to quickly develop strategies that enable them to feel calm when needed and regulate their emotions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children develop extremely positive attitudes towards their learning. They concentrate well and are keen to practise new skills. For instance, when younger children are shown how to replace the lids on paint sticks, they repeatedly do this after they have finished using them. Children know they need to tidy away once they have finished playing with resources so that toys remain safe and ready for another child to use. The childminder and her assistants have instilled these gentle rules and helped to create a very calm and positive learning environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children attend regularly, as the childminder works closely with parents to identify any issues that may prevent regular attendance.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder works extremely closely with parents to fully understand every child's care and learning needs so that she can provide for these accordingly. This includes children who may need some additional support, or those who are facing different challenges. The childminder's sensitive and caring approach means that all children thrive within her setting and benefit from a very positive start to their learning journey.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder and her team of assistants know each of the children and families exceedingly well. Stringent policies and procedures are in place to support every child's health and welfare needs. This includes making appropriate adaptations to practice in line with updated guidance. There are meticulous risk assessments and routines in place to keep children safe on outings. Children learn about safety as part of everyday experiences. For instance, in the woodland, children know which plants are prickly and should not be touched. When crossing roads, the childminder teaches children how to notice potential hazards so that young children become increasingly aware of possible risks.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's health is given the highest priority. The childminder grows her own produce so that children see where food comes from. They try new fruits each week to widen the range of healthy foods they enjoy. Frequent visits to soft play, gymnastics and swimming, combined with trips to the woods, parks and beach, enable children to benefit from fresh air each day and plenty of exercise.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has created a curriculum that focuses precisely on building and enriching children's knowledge and skills. There is clear purpose and intention behind every activity. The childminder has created an extremely engaging, enticing and inspiring learning environment within her home that captures young children's interests and enables them to explore freely to enhance their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder ensures her team of highly qualified assistants utilise their skills and expertise to enrich children's play and learning experiences. Adults' interactions with children are of high quality and skilfully extend children's levels of understanding. For instance, when children pick up small wooden bee figures, the childminder knows exactly when to extend this activity to expand on the learning taking place. She adds simple items, such as pretend flowers and leaves, and reminds 2-year-old children as they play how bees collect pollen from flowers. Young children respond enthusiastically and confidently recall this information and link it to the honey they buy and eat with their breakfast. These gentle, well-timed interactions demonstrate how skilful the childminder is in building on children's learning and helping children to consolidate what they already know and can remember.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder successfully weaves different aspects of learning into the snack routine. For instance, she enables children to use their mathematical skills to confidently count how many pieces of fruit they have. The childminder introduces new fruits to the children to try, and they use their words to describe how fruits taste and what they look like. These opportunities enable younger children to develop an extensive range of vocabulary, and this supports them well in becoming confident communicators.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has high expectations for every child. She skilfully adapts her teaching and the range of learning experiences she provides so that every child can take part. The childminder uses her meticulous, accurate assessment process to carefully monitor children's development. This enables her to precisely identify at an early stage if any gaps are emerging.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder works closely with parents to recognise any barriers to learning that children may face. She uses funding extremely wisely to enrich the range of learning experiences that children benefit from. For instance, she takes children on outings and organises experiences they may not have at home, such as bus rides to the library.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder knows that some children learn better in the natural environment. She notices that when learning takes place outside, some children concentrate for longer and are more motivated to practise a different range of skills, such as using mathematical concepts. Therefore, the childminder plans her daily routine to take account of this. This means planning is always extremely purposeful and means that every child is encouraged to become a successful learner.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is experienced in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children who have previously been known to social care, and children who face other barriers to their learning and wellbeing. She understands the importance of ensuring she provides a programme of support that reduces these barriers and enables every child to reach their full potential.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is a highly experienced early years leader. She uses her extensive professional experience to organise her service with precision and purpose. The wellbeing of children, families and her assistants is at the heart of everything she sets out to do. For instance, she regularly checks in with her assistants to monitor their wellbeing and to ensure that workloads are manageable. The team of assistants frequently update their existing in- depth knowledge through the completion of additional training and by incisive reflective discussions together.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Parents comment on the professional service and praise the way in which their children love to attend. The childminder regularly seeks their views on what is working well within her service and what further developments could be made. This reflective approach contributes fully to the constant review process and well-embedded cycle of continuous improvement.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has an excellent understanding of the setting's strengths and has extensive, well-considered plans in place to further develop her service. She is particularly responsive to the needs of families and works with them sensitively to offer support and to help to overcome any barriers to success. Decisions are consistently made in the best interests of children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning. Highly effective partnerships are in place with other settings children may attend and local schools to ensure information about children is always shared appropriately.

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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

The childminder offers a very welcoming, homely environment. Children arrive with excitement and knock on the door with anticipation. They greet the childminder with a big smile and are clearly ready and excited to start their day. Children follow simple routines each day that help them to feel safe and secure. For instance, they store their shoes by the door and know where to put their lunch box. Children demonstrate confidence and emotional security. They separate from parents easily and are keen to start exploring the many activities on offer.

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

The childminder plans activities with purpose, and resources are presented in an exciting, enticing way. This encourages children to become deeply engaged in their learning. For instance, as part of topic work on minibeasts, the childminder uses earth and different containers for children to explore to look for different creatures. This attention to detail helps children to focus for longer and confidently recall what they already know about different bugs and insects.

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

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enjoy their learning and make substantial progress from their starting points. The childminder has created a clearly sequenced programme of learning that builds on what children already know and can do. Children develop high levels of independence and the skills required to move on to the next stage of their learning.

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

Children thrive in the childminder's calm and nurturing environment. They benefit greatly from the childminder's gentle approach and the extremely positive way in which she plans for and supports their learning. Children's regular attendance is promoted effectively through secure partnerships with parents and fully established procedures.

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

Every child's unique qualities are fully understood and valued. When children need some extra help with their care and learning needs, this is identified quickly, and relevant plans are promptly put in place. This means that every child, irrespective of their starting points, is supported to achieve and reach their full potential.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged learners, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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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 : 07:30 - 17:30

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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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