Carter, Amy Louise

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2779839 Registered with Ofsted: 05/04/2024 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 Expected standard

Children access an inclusive learning environment and are typically prepared for the next stage in their learning. However, a weakness in the consideration of greater enhancement to the support for parents does not always ensure that children's development learning is consistent. Children do hear effective modelling of language and new vocabulary. For example, the childminder brings in words such as 'delicious' and enhances their awareness of letters and the sounds they make. Children are beginning to play alongside each other, achieved through the clear role modelling by the childminder and her sequencing of the curriculum.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are developing confidence in their surroundings and happily access activities and experiences on offer. For example, they use natural objects to make a model with the dough and persist to use pipettes to move water from one pot to another. Children thoroughly enjoy role play times and delight in taking food orders from the childminder and pretending to be judges at a baking contest. They giggle and joke with the childminder, who makes experiences fun and engaging.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children show high levels of engagement in activities. They are keen to explore the invitations to learning that the childminder offers, and they join in with their friends and play alongside each other. The childminder creates a positive environment for children, and she has high expectations for their behaviour and offers them kind and courteous guidance. Children who are less confident look to the childminder for reassurance and demonstrate they feel secure in her care.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children learn about mutual respect, which the childminder models successfully. For example, she asks children permission before attending to their personal care. Children take great delight in their achievements, grinning with pride as the childminder offers effective praise. This helps boost their self-esteem and sense of pride.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder supports children's regular and prompt attendance with parents. She works with parents when their children do not attend on a full-time basis to enable them to occasionally attend during the school holidays. The childminder and parents understand the importance of children attending regularly to then benefit from the relationships they establish with her and with their friends. This contributes to the progress children make in their development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides a safe and welcoming setting where there is a clear focus on promoting children to be independent from a young age. She encourages children to do tasks for themselves, such as gathering the items needed to set the table for lunch. Mealtimes are a social occasion. Children receive clear guidance about the rules for safety, such as when eating, giving them reminders about why they must remain seated. Children develop a clear understanding of the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles and spend most of their day in the outdoor environment, in the cabin where they free flow to the garden. The childminder encourages children to prepare their own food, such as helping to chop their chosen fruit to accompany their sandwich at lunchtime. The childminder responds appropriately to children's care needs and recognises when children need to rest, and she makes frequent and physical checks on them while they sleep.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are beginning to recognise, express and manage their emotions, understanding that the childminder is always on hand to offer the support they need. Children learn to persist at their chosen task and can concentrate for lengthy periods at activities, as they capture their imagination and interest.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder focuses her curriculum with clear intentions for activities that she designs to support what each child needs to learn next. She offers children invitations to learning that she knows will grasp and capture their interest across all areas of learning. She accompanies these with resources and activities that she knows are favourites of the children to give them comfort. This allows those who are building in confidence to feel secure in the environment and move on to exploring when they are ready. The childminder introduces mathematical concepts as children play. For example, they look at the sizes of the cars and trucks and explore positional language such as 'under' and 'on'.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has clear priorities for children's learning, such as independence and confidence along with other individual goals. She is continually reflective of her curriculum and learning environment, enabling her to make worthwhile changes. For example, she reviewed the placing of equipment and found that children then accessed all the areas of the log cabin and linked outdoor spaces freely. This increased their involvement and independent choosing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder sequences children's learning thoughtfully so that they can practise and embed new skills and vocabulary. Children enjoy the closeness of story time with the childminder. They freely access books, and the childminder links aspects of the story to children's home lives, such as visiting the library. She makes effective use of interactions with children and models new words. However, she does not always consider how she can offer greater support to parents to close possible emerging gaps in learning even more swiftly. This means that children's learning is not always as consistent as possible. The childminder promotes children's physical development effectively through active play in the garden. For example, children develop the ability to balance on the low beam, working out to place another tyre underneath for stability.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder promptly observes and assesses children's levels of development when they start attending her setting. She makes regular observations of children during their play to help her plan for their next steps in learning and to check the progress they make. She fully recognises each child's unique personalities, learning needs and styes, enabling her to plan for the next stages in their learning journey. The childminder develops secure partnerships with parents and carers and gains a wealth of information about their children's care, routines, likes and dislikes from the outset.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has clear prior experience of caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She understands how to promote inclusivity and reduce barriers to children's learning, including working with other agencies and professionals. She recognises how to make the most effective use of any additional funding children may receive to support children's next steps in their learning. The childminder recognises the ever-changing needs of children and their families and how barriers to learning may emerge. She has high expectations of all children, and she uses her knowledge and partnerships with parents generally well. This helps children make typical progress in their learning from their starting points.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is reflective and, since she started, has ensured she has completed all required training. She has not yet focused her professional development on sharply building her knowledge and skills to ensure the highest levels of teaching and children's learning. That said, the childminder has carefully and continually reflected upon and reviewed her provision and impact of children's learning. She incorporates differing approaches to learning within her curriculum, and she has a keen interest in bringing nature into the setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has secure rapports with parents, who explained that they have a trusting relationship and feel confident knowing that their children are safe, secure and happy. The childminder shares developmental information with parents, such as through written progress assessments. She recognises how she can explore even greater ways to support parents so that they can continue to promote their children's learning at home. The childminder is responsive to children's changing circumstances, such as supporting aspects of adjustment in their home lives.

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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 settle well under the skilful support and encouragement of the childminder who is sensitive to each child's individual needs. Those children who need more time and support receive this without hesitation. This enables them to feel secure and thrive in her care and to engage in the many stimulating activities she provides at their own pace. Children have secure relationships with the childminder and confidently look to her for guidance and help. They attend regularly, which helps to further support the trusting bonds that are clearly evident.

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

All children, including those with barriers to their learning, benefit from the high expectations the childminder sets. The childminder welcomes children and their families as a unit, understanding the importance of developing secure relationships. Children develop a clear awareness of the impacts of their behaviours on others through the kind and gentle, yet consistent, approach from the childminder. For example, they learn to share resources through the effective guidance. Children have a secure understanding of their daily routines and readily help to gather the equipment needed to prepare their fruit at lunchtimes. They receive worthwhile praise and encouragement, building positively on confidence and self- esteem in readiness for their next steps in their learning journey.

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

Children access a wealth of activities and experiences that the childminder plans successfully. She sequences learning effectively that is based upon each child's interests and the priorities for their learning. Children explored ice, where the childminder planned for each child's learning style, such as with pipettes for collecting the water and hammers to

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 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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crack the ice. This meant that children remained fully engrossed in their learning as they played alongside each other.

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Next steps

The childminder should extend the focus of professional learning programmes to further enhance her levels of teaching, the curriculum and children's learning. The childminder should explore alternative ways to further support children's learning at home.

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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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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