Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2773238 Registered with Ofsted: 21/03/2024 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

Children make sustained progress from their starting points and develop a secure range of skills across the curriculum. They learn practical skills that promote independence and prepare them for school readiness, such as pouring their own drinks, toilet training and opening items from their lunch box with ease. Children show perseverance and resilience. Younger children maintain attention for extended periods, for example when fitting together the pieces of a Russian doll. Prior learning is clear in how they recall stories, repeat songs and use vocabulary learned in earlier play. They make secure progress in communication and language. Children interact confidently, respond to questions and use new vocabulary, such as 'pull', with increasing accuracy.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children show curiosity as they explore materials, test ideas and take pride in what they create, such as mixing chalks with puddle water to make paint. They refine fine motor control through turning pages, placing objects with care and connecting small pieces. All children access the environment confidently and participate fully, which supports their growing independence. The childminder carefully considers any potential barriers to individual children's learning and tackles them swiftly to minimise any impact on their development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder sets clear expectations and models calm, consistent behaviour. She explains rules in simple language and reinforces them throughout the day. She praises children for the specific skills they are learning, for example 'great pouring' as they fill different containers with water. This helps children understand what they have achieved and builds their confidence to repeat these skills independently. The childminder helps children to recognise their feelings by naming emotions and offering simple choices, which supports them to calm themselves and return to play. She supports children to resolve minor disagreements by staying close, acknowledging each child's feelings and modelling simple phrases, such as, 'It is their turn now, then it will be your turn.' The childminder encourages children to listen to each other and offers calm reminders about fairness, helping them learn how to manage conflict and express themselves.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children behave very well. They move between routines with ease and show respect for the environment and for one another. Children sustain attention during activities and remain focused when watering the plants or exploring why magnets stay on the metal tray when it is turned upside down. They show curiosity, persistence and enjoyment in their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder establishes routines that help children feel secure. She teaches them what happens at snack time, how to tidy away toys and how to prepare for outdoor play. Children know where items belong and complete these steps with growing independence. She speaks with parents about the value of regular attendance and explains how consistent routines help children feel settled, stay safe and build habits needed for future learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are very happy and settled. They show they feel safe as they approach the childminder for help and express what they want and need. She is attentive to children's care needs and promotes healthy routines. Hygiene practices respect privacy, and she teaches why drinking water matters. Shared snacks give children choices and encourage them to try fruits and vegetables they may not have tasted before. She offers choices throughout the day, helping children develop independence and confidence in using the resources around them.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder supports children's emotional development through stories and picture cards. The childminder uses familiar books to talk to children about how characters feel and links this to children's own emotions. Young children use the cards to show how they feel and explain why. Daily outdoor play strengthens physical health. At the allotment, children help grow food, cook with it and share it with families, learning where food comes from. They explore the community by visiting gardens, shops, buses, farms and libraries, where they interact with a broad mix of people. Books and resources within the setting reflect different backgrounds and abilities, helping children develop awareness of diversity.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children form close bonds with the childminder and seek reassurance, cuddles and help. She teaches safe walking, road awareness and simple risk assessment, such as checking branches before climbing. Routines for handwashing, toileting and mealtimes are well established. Attendance is monitored carefully, and the childminder speaks with parents about how consistent routines support safety and emotional security, helping children feel settled and ready to take part in routines with increasing independence.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is planned with clear purpose and meets children's individual developmental needs. Activities and resources link directly to their next steps, and the childminder is ambitious for every child. Each interaction is used to teach, whether introducing new vocabulary, extending language, modelling how to share and take turns or explaining why fruit supports a healthy body. The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of the early years foundation stage. For instance, this is evident in how she uses interactions with intentional focus to build knowledge and strengthen early learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder carefully resources free play and planned experiences to promote children's confidence, language and independence. She teaches practical skills, such as putting on coats, shoes and drinking from a cup, showing children how to manage tasks themselves. She responds to children's ideas and allows them to shape play. The childminder regularly checks on children's understanding and revisits their learning when needed. For example, when a child struggled to separate magnets, she modelled the action with gestures and language, then applied the same skill later when helping them open a yoghurt lid. She links skills to daily life, such as pushing buttons on toys to prepare children to use the water fountain or pouring water for plants to support pouring drinks across routines and play.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Activities are adapted for different ages, including low-level resources for younger children and personalised items linked to interests and next steps. Literacy, mathematical language and emotional understanding are woven through stories, songs, counting, grouping objects and discussing feelings. For example, during a story about animals, the childminder names creatures, such as owls and robins, encourages repetition and talks about who looks tired, excited or worried, helping children use early maths language and emotion words naturally.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder creates an inclusive environment where every child is known very well and supported to take part in daily experiences. She identifies emerging needs with accuracy because she observes children closely and reviews what she sees with purpose. Assessment is purposeful and continuous, strengthened by parents' contributions, which provide a detailed picture of each child's development.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder adapts the curriculum with precision, so children can rehearse new skills in varied ways. Adjustments include simplifying tasks and using clear language supported by pictures and gestures, enabling all children to participate fully. Individual needs are recognised and supported through quiet areas, familiar resources and consistent routines that help all children feel settled.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder uses her knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities to explain clearly how she identifies concerns, uses the referral process and seeks professional advice. She responds swiftly when children face barriers to learning or wellbeing, completing targeted training and working closely with parents to adjust routines sensitively. This ensures that children feel secure, confident and ready to engage.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Progress is monitored rigorously. Adaptations are reviewed and refined, so they continue to meet children's needs and strengthen their participation. She attends groups that promote children's understanding of diversity and reflects this learning in her provision. Early years pupil premium funding is planned carefully, targeted to reduce barriers and reviewed with parents and the early years team. It is used to help children develop independence and access experiences with growing confidence.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is committed to providing high-quality care and education. She maintains effective partnerships with parents and shares clear information about children's learning. Daily messages and photos outline what children have been doing and how families can build on this at home. Parents report that communication is consistent and that the childminder understands children's development well. Transition arrangements are planned with families so that children settle at a pace that suits them. Parents know how to raise concerns and understand the procedures in place.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder sets clear expectations for behaviour and works with other early years providers to support continuity of care. She reflects on her practice and identifies areas to develop, such as strengthening outdoor experiences for younger children. Ongoing training is used to deepen her knowledge and shape her curriculum. She also shares practical guidance with parents through her online pages, including information on toileting, safer eating, outdoor play and managing behaviour. Risk assessments are robust and reviewed regularly. They identify changes in the environment and ensure that any adjustments needed to maintain safety are put in place promptly. Accident records are completed and shared quickly. The childminder ensures that her assistant remains suitable and keeps safeguarding knowledge up to date. Attendance is monitored carefully, and parents are reminded how consistent routines support safety,

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

emotional security and promote secure routines that underpin learning.

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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 experience a day that is calm, well planned and thoughtfully organised. They enter the setting with confidence because routines are familiar and the environment is arranged so they can move freely and make choices. Young children show a clear sense of belonging, settle quickly and seek reassurance when needed before they return to play.

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

Children explore a well-considered range of experiences that reflect their interests and stage of development. They show curiosity as they investigate materials, test ideas and repeat actions to understand how things work. The childminder notices what captures their attention and responds with timely support, helping them sustain concentration and deepen their involvement. Children practise early problem-solving as they work out how to fit cubes together, balance along a beam or explore how to connect a car track with increasing control.

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

Relationships are warm and respectful. Children are listened to, and their attempts to communicate are valued. They respond positively to the childminder's calm explanations and clear expectations, which help them understand what is happening and what will happen next. This supports their sense of security and helps them manage transitions throughout the day.

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

Children experience the wider world through regular outings. They visit local places with the childminder, where they observe everyday life, meet different people and learn how to behave safely in new environments. These experiences broaden their understanding and help them feel confident beyond the home setting.

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

Children show growing independence as they take part in familiar routines. They learn where items belong, how to organise their belongings and how to manage simple tasks with support. They take pride in their efforts and show enjoyment in their learning. Throughout the day, children feel valued, understood and supported to take part in daily learning with increasing confidence.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of any disadvantaged children, 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, the children and the parents during the inspection.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 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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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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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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