Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2790767 Registered with Ofsted: 11/06/2024 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder provides clear, consistent leadership of behaviour and routines. She is highly inclusive in her approach and considers all children's ages and stages of development as well as their individual needs when setting behaviour expectations. She plans and adapts daily routines thoughtfully, ensuring that they meet the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, she uses the language of feelings when children are finding activities difficult and tailored sensory strategies to help children regulate and move smoothly through transitions. This creates a calm, predictable environment where children feel secure and ready to learn. Children show engagement in their play and routines. They settle quickly, show patience in routines, show confidence in expressing their needs and move around the setting with purpose.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder and her assistants build warm, trusting and respectful relationships with children. They consistently model positive behaviour, praising children's efforts and using stories and play-based interactions to reinforce their expectations. As a result, older children play incredibly well together. They check on one another and solve minor disputes independently by reminding each other to share and take turns.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Attendance is promoted effectively. The childminder takes decisive action to tackle barriers to attendance. She communicates sensitively with parents to ensure that children arrive on time, settle well and benefit fully from all the day's learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's wellbeing and ensures that it is consistently promoted in the setting. The childminder and any assistants she works with work closely with families to build a detailed understanding of each child. Children benefit from warm, trusting relationships with them. They know the children incredibly well and are highly responsive to their needs.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder uses activities, such as stories, emotion cards and mirrors, to help children recognise and talk about their feelings. This supports children's emotional development and wellbeing. Children show impressive understanding as they imitate facial expressions independently and discuss their emotions with the childminder and her assistants. They are happy, settled and confident throughout the day.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop positive, healthy habits, as the childminder plans a wide range of physical activities indoors and outdoors. They learn about healthy eating with activities, such as exploring and talking about new foods during healthy eating week and enjoying nutritious daily snacks. They benefit from the childminder's ongoing conversations with families about balanced lunch options. Children learn about good oral health when they explore and take home dental packs, for example. Routines are predictable and calm, and children learn about the importance of rest, with activities such as afternoon yoga.

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Expected standard

Inclusive care practices are a strength. Tailored strategies, such as sensory toys, visual cues to say what is happening next and well-paced transitions ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities feel calm, supported and fully included. All children experience high-quality care that promotes their wellbeing extremely well.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has experience working as a special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) teaching assistant. With this experience, and further training, she understands how to use the assess, plan, do, review approach incredibly well. She identifies children's needs quickly and accurately from the moment they join the setting. She gathers detailed information from families and uses observations and assessment trackers. This means that children's emerging needs, including those with SEND, are recognised early. Children's needs are met with well-matched support, such as signing and visuals to show what is happening next. This supports children's communication and understanding of daily routines. The childminder uses sensory activities and resources, such as sensory baskets and floor tiles, to help all children feel calm and settled.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Partnerships with parents are highly effective. The childminder communicates regularly through daily conversations and online messaging, for instance. Parents report feeling well informed, supported and confident in the progress their children make. Where children face barriers, such as finding transitions difficult, the childminder works sensitively with families to agree practical adjustments. This helps to reduce stress and support children's wellbeing.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder understands how to use funding well, making sure that resources and activities directly support children's individual needs. She works proactively with external professionals, making timely referrals and valuing specialist advice. Children are included in the setting and make meaningful progress from their starting points.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make steady progress across all areas of learning. Older children talk confidently about their play, express their needs clearly and play and share well with others. Younger children build their early communication skills by labelling objects, using single words and joining in with some familiar songs and routines. However, younger children sometimes miss opportunities to strengthen their communication when group singing and story sessions are not pitched precisely to their stage of development.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make excellent progress from their starting points. Tailored strategies, such as sensory activities, signing and carefully supported transitions, help them move through the day with increasing ease and confidence.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop the essential knowledge and skills they need for future success. They show growing independence as they choose activities, manage routines and carry out self- care tasks, such as wiping their noses, washing their hands and buttering their own toast. These experiences build resilience, confidence and readiness for their next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of how children learn and designs a curriculum that supports children's development across all 7 areas of learning, with activities that build children's knowledge and skills over time. Children's physical development is well supported through a range of indoor and outdoor activities, such as climbing slides, kicking and throwing balls, running in the garden and scooping, pouring and moulding shapes with oats. The childminder and any assistants she works with weave mathematical learning into daily routines, play and songs, helping children develop early number sense.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Personal, social and emotional development are well supported. The childminder plans activities that help children begin to understand, name and talk about their emotions. She adapts her teaching thoughtfully to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, move calmly through the day and build on their social skills and confidence.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

In general, the childminder and assistants' interactions are of a high quality during daily routines and activities. They build on all children's communication and language by modelling speech, introducing new vocabulary, narrating children's play and extending children's sentences. However, some group times, such as singing and story times, are pitched too high for younger children, meaning they are less engaged. This limits opportunities to strengthen younger children's early communication and foster a love of stories.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. She is reflective in her approach and takes timely, effective action to drive improvement. For example, she invests in resources that directly support children's individual needs. She adapts routines and activities to ensure that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can participate successfully. She is keen to enhance the outdoor area to further support children's imaginative play.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder leads assistants well, offering regular, constructive feedback that builds confidence and expertise. She fosters a positive, collaborative working environment where communication is open and workload is manageable. Her supportive approach ensures that they feel valued and able to carry out their roles effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Any assistants have completed relevant professional learning to strengthen their understanding of the early years foundation stage and enhance the quality of activities. They are keen to develop further and would benefit from precisely matched training to further support the needs of individual children in the setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Partnerships with parents are highly effective. The childminder engages thoughtfully with families through daily conversations, regular updates and online messaging, for instance. She shares children's learning and progress clearly, ensuring consistency between home and the setting. Parents speak positively about the care, communication and progress their children make.

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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 thrive in a calm, nurturing atmosphere that supports their emotional wellbeing and helps them feel well cared for throughout the day. They form warm, trusting relationships with the childminder and any assistants she works with, who respond sensitively to their needs. For example, children cuddle in close to share songs and stories, building their communication and language. They smile happily as assistants invite them to join imaginative play with others, such as making pretend drinks or feeding each other fruit in the role-play kitchen. These shared moments strengthen children's sense of belonging and ensure that everyone feels included.

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

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from consistent routines and well-planned activities that support their wellbeing. The childminder works closely with families to form strategies of support and ensure that children arrive at times that best meet their needs. They move smoothly through transitions with the help of sensory resources and the childminder using signing to communicate what is happening next. As a result, children settle quickly each morning and move through the day happily and confidently. This supports their regular attendance and helps them make steady progress from their starting points.

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

Children show independence, confidence and engagement with their learning. For example, they freely choose from a range of inviting activities. They delight in sharing sensory activities, such as discovering coloured animals while they scoop, pour and mould oats. Younger children label colours and repeat single words, while older children chat happily with the childminder about their trips to the beach. These activities support children's physical development, social skills and communication and language.

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

Children feel valued, learn to appreciate their own uniqueness and appreciate the diverse world around them with thoughtful story sessions and resources that reflect diversity. This helps children to feel secure and respected and supports their understanding of the world. Children build on their social skills and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Younger children learn to share and take turns with gentle support, while older children show patience and collaborate very well.

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Next steps

The childminder should organise group times to support all children's engagement, learning and development. The childminder should strengthen staff expertise through precisely targeted training that deepens their understanding of children's individual needs in the setting.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistants and children during the inspection and considered the written views of parents.

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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

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About this setting

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

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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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Our grades explained

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.

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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

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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