Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2786677 Registered with Ofsted: 03/06/2024 Registers: EYR

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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, including those with barriers to learning or wellbeing, make progress through the curriculum and are supported to understand and follow consistent boundaries and routines. This helps them to develop an awareness of what is happening now and what will happen next. As a result, all children experience smooth transitions and feel safe, secure and ready to learn. All children make steady progress from their starting points and display confidence in their play. They are beginning to use language to communicate their needs, such as requesting a preferred game or song.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show interest in books and enjoy sharing stories with the childminder. They independently select books for the childminder to read together, demonstrating positive attitudes towards early literacy and language development. However, sometimes, the childminder does not extend children's language through the use of open-ended questions and sustained back-and-forth conversations.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate high levels of concentration and perseverance during play. For example, younger children persist with shape-sorting activities, carefully manipulating pieces until they successfully match them to the correct spaces. Overall, children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes positive behaviour effectively and creates a nurturing environment, where children learn to be kind, respectful and use good manners. She acts as a positive role model, and children behave well and show consideration for others. The childminder knows the children well and has formed strong relationships with them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children have opportunities to play with others and develop important social skills, such as sharing, taking turns and cooperating with their peers. This helps them to begin to understand how to manage their emotions. The childminder provides a range of resources covering all age groups; however, resources for younger children are less accessible, limiting opportunities for babies and toddlers to independently select and freely explore materials.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder supports all children to understand what to expect and routines are effectively embedded throughout the day. Children learn how to work collaboratively with others and are supported to develop their independence. The childminder encourages children to complete age-appropriate tasks for themselves and provides guidance, when needed, helping them build confidence and self-help skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents to promote prompt and regular attendance. Through ongoing conversations, she highlights the importance of consistency and routine for children's learning and wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder typically provides a nurturing and inclusive environment, where children feel safe, secure and valued. She is committed to promoting children's welfare and wellbeing. For example, she supports all children, including those with additional needs, to develop independence in their self-care skills. Children settle quickly with the childminder because she works closely with parents to understand their individual needs. She follows children's home routines, including sleep patterns, to provide consistency and support their wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children respond positively to praise and show pride in their achievements. They follow established hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before meals. The childminder has identified the need to further promote children's understanding of oral health and is exploring ways to incorporate this into her practice. The childminder provides healthy snacks and opportunities for outdoor play, where children develop their physical skills through activities, such as climbing and messy play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder uses stories and rhymes to help children understand and manage their feelings. Children recognise emotions in themselves and others, take turns, share resources and show kindness towards their peers. Consistent daily routines, including opportunities for rest, support children's emotional wellbeing. The childminder supports children effectively as they move on to pre-school or school. She shares relevant information with parents and other settings to help ensure a smooth transition to the next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder delivers a curriculum that reflects children's interests and considers barriers to learning. She extends learning through play, for example, by introducing cars and ramps to explore concepts, such as fast and slow. However, some resources are not always suitable for the youngest children. For example, construction bricks are too challenging for babies to manipulate, limiting their opportunities to develop early stacking skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder accurately identifies what children know and can do and plans appropriate next steps. She shares these with parents to support children's learning at home. She models language effectively and repeats words to support vocabulary and pronunciation. However, she sometimes uses too many closed questions, limiting opportunities for children to develop conversation skills. Children enjoy books and regularly choose stories to read with the childminder. They enjoy snuggling up with the childminder to share stories. The childminder promotes children's mathematical development through counting, shape recognition, problem-solving and number songs. For example, children work out how train track pieces fit together and count during play.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder places a strong focus on children's emotional wellbeing and independence. Children develop self-care skills, confidence and social skills that prepare them for future learning and the move to school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works closely with families from the start. This allows her to identify any potential barriers to children's learning and take swift action to minimise them. For example, she works with parents to mirror routines from home to support children to settle.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are quickly identified, with tailored plans created, implemented and systematically reviewed to ensure that they remain effective and responsive to each child's development. The childminder seeks advice from external professionals, when appropriate, and actively pursues professional development opportunities to further enhance her practice. Partnerships with parents are well established, ensuring that meaningful information is shared and used to support children effectively.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder generally adapts her practice to ensure all children can access the activities on offer. For example, she uses visual timetables and provides food to all children so that children who may have additional needs do not feel isolated. As a result of this inclusive provision, children typically develop the essential skills, confidence and readiness needed for future learning and successful participation in group activities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a strong commitment to providing high-quality care and education. She maintains her professional knowledge through mandatory training and undertakes additional professional development to enhance her understanding of children's individual needs. This ensures that her practice remains current and effective. For example, she has recently completed training to support children who may face barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder regularly reflects on her practice and evaluates the quality of her provision. She identifies areas for development and implements changes to further enhance children's learning experiences and outcomes. This ongoing commitment to improvement contributes positively to the quality of care and education that children receive. For example, she has been developing her understanding of healthy eating and has adapted her practice to provide nutritious, home-cooked meals.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Partnerships with parents are positive. The ongoing exchange of information with families ensures that parents feel fully engaged in, and contribute significantly to, their children's education. They report that she helps them understand their children's development and enables them to support learning at home.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall, the childminder uses her knowledge and skills to ensure children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning. The childminder has some experience of working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and uses this to benefit all children, including those with any identified barriers or gaps in learning, such as speech delay. She identifies her training priorities effectively and plans to continue to develop her knowledge of how to best support SEND children further.

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

Children benefit from the childminder's calm, welcoming and nurturing environment. They settle quickly and separate well from their parents. Children demonstrate a sense of belonging as they confidently choose their preferred toys from the wide range of play opportunities the childminder thoughtfully provides. Children show they feel valued and special as the childminder praises their achievements and efforts.

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

The childminder promotes children's independence effectively, encouraging them to make choices and carry out tasks for themselves. Children confidently take responsibility for tidying away toys and resources and routinely follow good hygiene practice without prompting. Children enjoy a range of activities, such as playing with dough, where they use their imagination to create models and express their ideas. These experiences help to strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers, supporting the development of the skills needed for early writing. Children enjoy recalling commonly known stories and songs to support early reading skills. They have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills as they go on walks, play in the garden and access a range of sensory materials outdoors.

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

The childminder knows the children well and she generally targets her learning opportunities on children's next steps in learning. As a result, children make steady progress. Parents comment positively on the progress their children have made since attending the setting, describing it as 'coming on leaps and bounds'. The childminder generally plans a broad range of learning experiences that reflect children's individual interests and developmental needs. This helps to ensure that children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning and their eventual move to school.

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Next steps

The childminder should consider simplifying activities for the youngest children so all activities are relevant to their stage of development. The childminder should make further use of open-ended questions to extend children's communication and speaking skills.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and parents during the inspection.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30

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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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3

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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