Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY441297 Registered with Ofsted: 27/02/2012 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 are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. They make steady and consistent progress across the curriculum, particularly in communication and language. All children use a wide and varied vocabulary to express their ideas well. They learn to enrich and deepen their language by, for example, asking for a satsuma at snack time rather than simply saying orange. Children show real enjoyment during music and singing activities. They carefully handle instruments and join in with familiar songs and rhymes developing confidence and sharing in social experiences.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children consistently demonstrate a positive attitude to learning and sustain concentration during experiences. When working with dough, they apply secure mathematical understanding, using language such as more, less, bigger and smaller as they compare quantities and shapes. They sort and organise objects with increasing accuracy, showing that they understand how to group items by shared features.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children show growing independence in their self-care routines. When preparing to go outdoors, older children put on their shoes and coats without prompting. They manage their zips with minimal support, asking only for help to start them off before completing the task themselves.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder provides a warm, nurturing environment where children feel secure and understand what is expected of them. Clear rules and routines help children learn how to manage their own safety. For example, the childminder reminds them to sit properly on their chairs so they do not slip and hurt themselves, supporting children to recognise and reduce simple risks.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children seek comfort and connection throughout the day, for example, coming for a cuddle when they are tired, showing that they trust the childminder and feel emotionally safe in her care. Through calm, consistent role modelling, the childminder supports children to work cooperatively. Older children share resources thoughtfully, such as dividing dough so younger children can join in. The childminder gently reminds them at intervals that 'sharing is?' and children happily respond, 'caring'. Relationships are consistently positive.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children engage well with the wide range of play experiences available. They show curiosity and confidence when sharing what they know, for example, excitedly talking about different bodies of water they might find an octopus living in. Whilst engaged in these experiences, children learn about the world around them, expanding their knowledge and understanding.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Attendance procedures are well established. Parents agree arrival times and understand the importance of regular attendance in supporting children's routines, care and development. They follow clear processes when children are absent and recognise how these measures contribute to safeguarding and consistency for their children.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder expertly supports children to recognise, express and manage their emotions. Children use emotion stones to identify different expressions and talk confidently about what makes them happy or excited. When children feel overwhelmed, the childminder speaks calmly and reassuringly, giving them the time and space they need to self-regulate. This consistent, sensitive approach helps children develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder carefully tailors routines that are individualised to meet the needs of all children. The childminder promotes children's appreciation of a healthy lifestyle, actively helping them understand why eating fruit and vegetables is good for their bodies. She complements the healthy lunches provided from home with a wide variety of fresh produce at snack time. Children recall visiting the shops to buy strawberries and enjoy discussing the different fruits they like, showing their growing awareness of healthy choices.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder encourages children's oral health well. She helps children learn how to brush their teeth and supports parents to ensure children are registered with a dentist. This shared approach strengthens children's understanding of how to care for their teeth.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's physical development is well supported. Outdoors, they use large ride-on cars to negotiate space and confidently climb the steps to the slide. Older children model safe ways to come down, showing younger children how to slide on their bottoms rather than face first. Children learn how to use their bodies in a variety of ways, developing balance, coordination and confidence.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder delivers an highly ambitious and broad curriculum. It builds securely on what children already know and can do. She has consistent and clear expectations for children's achievement. The childminder is skilful in adapting her teaching to meet children's emerging interests. Her warm, intuitive responses keep children fully absorbed in the inspiring experiences available. This flexible and child-centred approach ensures every child remains highly engaged. This supports all children to continue to make excellent progress across all areas of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder monitors children's progress through observations, precise tracking and responsive planning. Her assessment systems are rigorous and sharply focused. This enables her to identify even the smallest gaps in learning and adjust the curriculum to address these swiftly. Children have ambitious, and personalised next steps. These are shared with parents, ensuring learning is consistent.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder teaches mathematics explicitly through purposeful, everyday experiences. She uses routines such as portioning fruit to embed counting and comparison. The childminder introduces concepts of volume and weight through water play. Children confidently apply mathematical language and ideas within their independent play. This supports them ready for the next stage of their learning.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has a secure and accurate understanding of the strengths of her setting. Since the last inspection, she has made purposeful improvements to the outdoor environment. Children now spend significantly more time engaged in exploratory, physical and imaginative play. This is evident in the way children confidently navigate the garden, choose resources independently and sustain their interest for extended periods.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder evaluates the quality of education and care with increasing rigour. She actively seeks feedback from families and external professionals, including health visitors, and uses this information to shape focused improvement plans. This reflective approach ensures that changes are meaningful and directly benefit children's learning and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Partnership with parents is a notable strength. Parents consistently comment on the childminder's open, honest and reflective communication. This enables them to work collaboratively with the childminder to support children's development both at home and in the setting. They describe feeling fully informed about their child's progress and confidence in the guidance they receive. This support learning outcomes for children.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is committed to ongoing professional development and engages in training that enhances her practice. For example, she completed a course on supporting early communication and has implemented some of the strategies into her practice with children to support their emerging language. Parents have since reported noticeable improvements in their children's confidence and language. This demonstrates that training is having a positive and measurable impact on children's outcomes.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder provides an inclusive environment where every child is carefully observed and assessed from their starting points. She monitors children's development closely so that any gaps are identified quickly and addressed through targeted support. Although there are currently no children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who face other barriers to their learning, the childminder adapts routines, resources and interactions so that all children can participate and make steady progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works with parents to understand each child's home language and cultural background. She uses this information to plan meaningful experiences, for instance some words and print from children's home languages are displayed within the setting. The childminder recognises that this is not yet fully developed so that children see their languages and identities represented more consistently. This richer representation may further support children who have English as an additional language to feel secure and participate confidently.

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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 extremely settled within the childminder's setting. They are confident in navigating the safe and secure environment, and show high levels of curiosity as they explore. Children show respect and care for the environment. They work together to help tidy up before going into the garden and open doors for each other as they put the box of wooden play fruit away. Children display impeccable manners, they say 'please' and 'thank you' without prompting when they are given snack or a new resource. They understand that

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About this setting

Registration date: 27/02/2012 it is polite to wait until everyone is finished before asking, 'please may I get down from the table'.

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About this setting

Children eagerly engage in learning a new skill as they watch the childminder blow bubbles. The childminder models how to purse their lips and blow gently through the wand. She offers clear and simple instructions. The children concentrate and persevere, trying several times before successfully creating bubbles themselves. Their faces light up with pride and excitement as the bubbles appear. The childminder joins in celebrating their achievements, reinforcing their confidence and recognising their effort and determination.

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About this setting

Children thrive in the nurturing environment and develop warm, positive relationships with others. Older children play together harmoniously, sharing ideas and building a shared narrative as they engage in imaginative play in the garden. They naturally include younger children, offering simple roles and gentle encouragement to help them feel part of the group. This supportive dynamic strengthens friendships and promotes a strong sense of belonging.

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Next steps

The childminder should enrich opportunities for children to share and celebrate their home cultures to further strengthen their sense of belonging.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection. The views of parents were also collected. 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. Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:30 - 17:30,Friday : 08:30 - 13:00

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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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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

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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