Hayley Elizabeth Rich

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY552794 Registered with Ofsted: 21/11/2017 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 Needs attention

Babies and children, including those who face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, are not achieving well enough across all areas of learning, because of the weakness in the curriculum design. While some children engage in play and exploration, progress is largely incidental rather than meaningful. Children generally enjoy playing together, but they do not benefit fully from potential learning through activities. For example, they enjoy making marks on paper with heart stamps. However, children do not explore their own creativity, as the activity has a lot of adult direction.

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Achievement Needs attention

Although babies and children make some progress in their learning, their communication and language development is compromised. For instance, they are not supported well enough when language delays have been identified. Therefore, children do not make the progress they are capable of in their communication and language. Overall, they are not prepared as well as possible for moving on to the next phase of their education.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder's approach to managing children's behaviour is not always consistent or appropriate for the age and stage of the individual children. At times, she does not use positive approaches to support and manage children's behaviour. Furthermore, the childminder does not always apply behaviour expectations consistently. This means that some instances of unwanted behaviour go unchallenged. For example, when children take toys from each other, the childminder does not explain to them why certain behaviours are unwanted or help them understand the consequences of their behaviour. This means that children do not always understand what is expected of them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder is generally a positive role model to children and offers praise when children are kind to each other and when they demonstrate good manners. Generally, children show a positive attitude to the routines of the day and feel secure as they know what comes next. For instance, they know they sit and look at a book at the table while the childminder organises their lunch. Babies and children play and explore the environment, getting along with each other well most of the time. They reach out to the childminder for cuddles, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure in her care.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder records children's attendance accurately and promotes the importance of punctuality and attendance with parents.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children are not given consistent messages about healthy lifestyles and food or safe-eating practices. For example, food is not always healthy and, at times, does not meet nutritional guidance. Furthermore, the childminder does not always clear up well enough after mealtimes, and children are able to access food that has been on the floor. She does not consistently support children to learn about how to independently take an active role in their self-care, such as wiping their nose. This does not consistently support children to learn about how to keep themselves safe or the importance of being healthy and having a healthy diet.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

The childminder does not consistently support children, including those that face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, to develop an understanding of how to manage their emotions. For example, when children's actions upset their friends, the childminder does not support the children to understand about being mindful of their friends' feelings.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children develop secure attachments with the childminder, seeking her out for comfort and cuddles as needed. They move around the play area with confidence, showing a sense of belonging in the childminder's home. The childminder recognises when babies are tired or hungry and comforts and provides for them accordingly. She is aware of the need to conduct ongoing checks on babies and children as they sleep to ensure they remain safe.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum does not build effectively on what children know and can do. The childminder's process for deciding what children need to learn next is often generic to all, or most children. Activities are not always age-appropriate or purposefully planned to promote progress in the areas that each baby and child would benefit from most. For example, the childminder gives young children colouring sheets with complex instructions about colouring by number. As a result, children disengage and wander around the room. They have limited purposeful interaction from the childminder, which, at times, also impacts their behaviour as they become bored.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder has ongoing discussions and conversations with children throughout their day. However, she does not demonstrate a sharp focus on developing children's early communication and language skills. For instance, the childminder does not identify the impact of dummies on babies' speech development as they try to babble and talk. She supports children to develop a basic understanding of mathematics as they play. For example, children compare different-sized bean bags and balls and discuss the colours.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder understands the importance of knowing the children well to understand their individual care needs. She creates a warm and nurturing atmosphere that supports children's personal, social and emotional development. The childminder plans regular outings that support children's social and physical skills. For example, children enjoy going to local playgroups. This supports children to gain confidence in different environments.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Babies and children, including those who face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, do not always have access to activities that match their stage of development, so their individual learning needs are not fully met. The childminder's identification of children's individual needs, particularly their communication and language development, is not accurate enough. Although she notices emerging gaps, such as delayed speech, she does not put clear plans in place with focused activities to support these children to make progress.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder does not have high enough expectations for children, including those who may face barriers to their learning. Although she is aware of when children need additional support, the childminder does not prioritise early and accurate assessment of children's development needs. Furthermore, she does not make timely referrals or consistently seek advice from other professionals when needed. Further professional development and reflective practice are required to ensure that children's needs are identified, and interventions are implemented to consistently support children's learning and development.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder welcomes all children and gathers information from parents about their children as part of their induction. She uses this information to review how she can meet children's individual care needs.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has not notified Ofsted of changes to individuals caring for children on the premises. Following discussion, she now understands her responsibility to do so, and the event did not impact on the safety of the children.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has a broad overview of the strengths and challenges of her provision but does not demonstrate effective oversight. The childminder has not thought about how she can support the needs of all children within the daily routine, such as when some children are sleeping and some are eating. Furthermore, she has not considered how the weaknesses in her practice impact on the needs of all children. For example, she does not show a clear understanding about how to support children's behaviour. As a result, she does not always take action to support children to understand the impact of their behaviour on their friends.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Although the childminder undertakes some development opportunities, the programme of training is generic and does not precisely identify the gaps in her knowledge and understanding. She ensures that any assistants complete mandatory training, such as paediatric first aid, and provides them with regular supervision, including monitoring their ongoing suitability.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder gathers information from parents during children's inductions to help her understand children's backgrounds. This includes information to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. The childminder works closely with parents and pre-schools children attend. She shares information and supports the children to settle into their new settings with ease.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not 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 not 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 broadly outlines what she wants children to learn. However, she struggles to articulate a clear and coherent curriculum that ensures progression for all children, including children that face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. The childminder has some understanding of children's development and what she wants them to learn next. However, the childminder does not plan activities to support children's next steps in learning and, at times, the content of what she teaches is not pitched at an appropriate level for all children. This does not support children to make consistent progress. The childminder does not consistently focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. This impacts the progress children make in this area of learning, especially for those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Opportunities to develop typical age-appropriate vocabulary through interactions are not yet sufficiently embedded in

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

practice. The childminder has previously completed a professional development programme on communication and language. However, she is not currently using her learning from this training to support the children to make progress.

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

Children behave well most of the time. The childminder encourages children to use good manners and to help each other. For instance, older children help younger children as they get ready to go out. However, the childminder does not always address or manage children's behaviour well. For example, she does not provide consistent support to help children understand how their behaviour impacts on their friends.

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

Children show that they are happy, comfortable and settled in the childminder's care. They laugh as the childminder plays with them and seek comfort and cuddles when they are tired or needing reassurance. Children have a sense of belonging as they confidently move around the environment and independently access a range of toys. The childminder provides opportunities for children to develop their social skills, through planned visits in the community, such as to local playgroups. She understands the needs of the individual families that use her service and works with parents to ensure that children can attend regularly.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure children's good health is promoted and consistently support children to learn about healthy lifestyles, including providing healthy, balanced and nutritious food that adheres to nutritional guidance 06/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure a consistent approach to supporting children's behaviour so that children understand expectations and recognise the impact of their behaviour on others 06/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

establish and implement a curriculum that is ambitious, sequenced and well delivered through effective teaching and high-quality interactions to ensure that children make progress across all areas of learning, especially communication and language 06/03/2026

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Action Completion Date

identify and undertake relevant professional development opportunities to further develop 06/03/2026

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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

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Action Completion Date

knowledge and skills to impact positively on children's learning and development

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and assistant 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 inspection

We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information about this. This data is from 13 February 2026

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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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