Hughes-Clarke, Gemma Louise

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2780958 Registered with Ofsted: 09/05/2024 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 progress well from their starting points in learning. They learn skills for their future and move on to school. This includes children managing their own personal needs, such as washing their hands prior to eating and after messy play activities. Furthermore, they develop an understanding of healthy drinks and how to brush their teeth to promote healthy habits. Children develop their understanding of how to use their bodies to move in different ways. This includes older children learning how to use their legs and feet to make a swing move forwards and backwards. Younger children begin to pull themselves up to standing, as they hold on to equipment and resources. This helps to develop their physical skills. Children who have gaps in their language skills are supported to learn the correct pronunciation of words. Children who speak dual languages are supported to use their home language and English to communicate.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder teaches children to learn rules and boundaries. She reinforces these when necessary to all children. Children show the childminder that they understand these rules and if they see others doing something they should not, they remind them of the rules and how to behave positively. The childminder models how to play alongside others, helping younger children to develop their social skills. Children are reminded to use good manners, such as when they ask for objects. This encourages children to be polite. Children receive praise from the childminder for their achievements. For example, she gives them stickers and praises them when they try foods they have not tasted before. This is to encourage children to try different foods, helping to expand their diet.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Overall, children show an understanding of the routines the childminder embeds at the setting. This includes children taking off their shoes and placing them in the allocated space when they arrive. The childminder works closely with parents to promote children's attendance. She understands the importance of children's regular attendance to support opportunities for them to interact with others and build on their social skills.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are invited to attend settling-in sessions when they first start attending. The childminder finds out about children's likes, dislikes and interests from parents and provides for these. She gets down to children's level and plays alongside them, giving cuddles when needed. This helps to promote children's emotional wellbeing. Children learn about feelings and emotions. For instance, the childminder shares books about different coloured monsters who have different feelings. This helps children to relate colours to describing different emotions.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children to eat nutritious food and drinks. For instance, she shares information with parents about providing healthy foods for children. Children are supported to try different healthy food options. The childminder supports children to understand the importance of oral health. For example, the childminder takes children on visits to the dentists. She provides opportunities for children to practise using a toothbrush.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes children safety well. She supports children to learn how they can keep themselves safe. This includes talking to children about only accessing appropriate information when they access the internet at home. When walking in the street, the childminder talks to children about how to cross roads safely. She teaches children to keep safe and stay furthest away from the road while walking on the pavement.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder designs the curriculum effectively to focus on individual children's next steps in learning. For instance, she encourages older children to complete tasks on their own to promote their independence in readiness for school. This includes supporting their independence during snack time and teaching them how to manage zips on clothing. The childminder supports younger children to listen to stories and nursery rhymes to help develop their early communication skills. Overall, this contributes to children progressing well. At times, the childminder does not consistently support children to build on what they already know and can do. For instance, during an activity with coloured water and pipettes although the childminder planned to teach children how to create different colours, she did not implement the activity well to achieve these aims.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

That said, children with identified gaps in learning at supported well. The childminder provides experiences for them to build on their speaking skills and to develop their understanding of words.

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Inclusion Expected standard

When children first start attending, the childminder gathers information from parents to help her identify children's abilities. She completes regular assessments of children's abilities to help identify if they are meeting appropriate levels of development or if gaps appear in their learning. Overall, children who face barriers to their learning are supported well. The childminder makes referrals, in partnership with parents, to other professionals to help support children's individual needs. This includes seeking support from speech and language therapists to help close gaps in children's language skills. The childminder attends training courses to develop her knowledge of how to use sign language to support children's understanding of words. Furthermore, she provides children with activities to support their pronunciation of some words. This includes showing children images of objects that begin

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Inclusion Expected standard

with the same sounds and enabling children to practice letter sounds. Generally, this meets children's needs well and contributes to closing gaps in their learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder spends any additional funding that some children receive to meet their individual needs. For example, when children show an interest in insects, she purchases resources that enable them to look more closely at insects they find in her garden.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall, the childminder reflects on her practice well. She has improved opportunities for children to regulate their emotions and to develop their literacy and imaginative skills. Furthermore, she has developed a specific area for younger children in her garden, to promote their safety. The childminder reflects well on ways to enhance the curriculum, for instance to stimulate children's curiosity to explore the natural world. She plans to strengthen opportunities for children to learn about the lifecycles of animals. The childminder helps children to develop an understanding of the community around them. For instance, she takes children on visits to the library, museum and parks to provide opportunities for them to interact with others and to learn about the world around them.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder shares information with parents about children's development. This includes providing them with a termly tracking document to show how she is supporting children's learning. Parents are encouraged to continue their children's learning at home. This includes supporting parents to sing nursery rhymes with their children to help develop their early speaking skills. The childminder's partnership working with other early years settings children attend and schools they move on to is not as effective. For instance, she does not share information with them about children's care and learning needs to help provide more consistency for children. The childminder supports children who face barriers to their learning. This includes providing children who speak dual languages, opportunities for them to hear the language they hear at home and to learn English.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder promotes her own wellbeing, taking time for herself and meeting with colleagues regularly. She builds on her professional development. This includes attending training events to develop her knowledge of how to support children to understand how to promote their oral health. This includes helping them learn about the sugar content of some drinks and the impact this can have on their teeth.

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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 are emotionally secure. The childminder welcomes them warmly into her care and shares information effectively with parents to understand and meet children's individual needs. Children feel reassured, for instance, as the childminder provides cuddles and comfort to settle them, when needed. Older children confidently share their thoughts and views with the childminder, talking about family members and previous experiences. Older and younger children laughed and screamed with excitement as they play outdoors. This shows that children feel safe and secure and develop positive relationships with the childminder and their peers.

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

Children make steady progress from their starting points as the curriculum is designed to meet their individual needs. Children are keen to learn new skills and revisit previous learning, such as counting images. The childminder supports children to use higher numbers while counting. Children learn ways to remember specific number, for example they learn that number 8 looks like a 'snowman'. If gaps appear in children's learning, the childminder knows to provide targeted support to help close these. This includes supporting children to develop their speaking skills and pronunciation of words.

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

Children benefit from close partnerships between the childminder and parents. For example, the childminder works flexibly and collects some children from their home to support parents to promote children's attendance. Children learn how to behave and be safe around animals. For instance, the childminder shows children how to stroke her cats kindly. Children learn to play alongside their peers and share resources, such as tools to scoop and pour sand.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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About this setting

Local authority: Nottinghamshire County Council

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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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Next steps

The childminder should strengthen the planning and implementation of activities to support children more effectively to build on what they already know and can do. The childminder should strengthen consistency in sharing information with other settings that children attend and with schools, to support continuity in their care and learning.

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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 inspection

A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection. This data is from 1 May 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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