Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2780872 Registered with Ofsted: 30/04/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR

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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

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning, make rapid progress in their learning, particularly in their communication and language and physical skills. Children feel safe and secure in this outdoor environment. They build trusting and positive relationships with the childminder. This means that children develop the confidence to explore and to follow their interests. For example, children ask to observe the tadpoles and visit the fairy garden. Children make rapid progress in both their communication and language and physical development skills.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are extremely well prepared for school. They learn how to differentiate sounds, both in nature and words. For example, they play 'I Spy' around the forest area. Children begin to understand some terminology they will need for school, such as lining up. Children enjoy more formal physical education sessions as they get closer to the school transition. They develop secure independence skills in managing their own clothing. This supports children's confidence within transitions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has created an incredibly calm and positive environment. All children learn the skills they need to get on with each other. The childminder and her assistants role model calmness, patience and kindness, Children copy this both in their interactions with adults and each other. Children talk to each other politely. For example, they use the word 'please' when asking other children to take care of their potion. Children are extremely kind to children reluctant to leave their parents and carers, and encourage them to come and play. Children's behaviour is impeccable because they fully understand the rules of the setting and know why they are in place. The childminder has built up extremely positive relationships with children. They feel fully confident to come to her with questions and concerns. Children enjoy conversations with the childminder. They want to tell her about what is happening in their lives. For example, children talk about their upcoming holidays.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children in this setting are extremely curious about their surroundings. They have excellent attitudes to learning and can focus their attention on one thing for some time. For example, they carefully observe a moth leaving a cocoon, which they found when gardening. They join in enthusiastically with the stimulating and fun activities the childminder leads. For example, older children eagerly act out making 'silly soup' to develop their early literacy skills. The childminder explicitly teaches children how to approach problems fairly. For example, when given a choice of activities, children vote carefully for their preferred option.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has a clear vision of what she wants children to learn based around the forest school ethos. Children learn how to take care of themselves, their friends and the environment. The curriculum is play based and focuses on outdoor play and nature, encompassing all areas of learning. It is extremely well sequenced, and children are very well prepared for school.

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Needs attention

Children learn about themselves and understand their own bodies. The childminder teaches them how to keep themselves safe and how to make risk assessments. Children use tools when they demonstrate the responsibility needed to handle them. For example, children competently grate chalk to mix in with their potions. The childminder plans many opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Children ably take chalk and use their small-muscle skills to draw on logs and the ground. They use their large-muscle skills as they explore as a group how to balance the see-saw.

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Needs attention

Children take ownership of their own learning. This is supported and scaffolded by the highly skilled childminder, who makes every interaction a teaching opportunity. The childminder has a secure ability to differentiate the level of learning within an activity. For example, she sets children numerical problems to think about involving simple addition, while asking others to count. The childminder is highly inclusive and has high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

There are robust procedures in place for identifying children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other barriers to their learning or wellbeing. The childminder has a secure knowledge of how children develop. She has high expectations of children, which helps her to swiftly identify gaps in their learning. The childminder also gathers information from parents and carers when the children start to help support her understanding of their individual needs. She continues this process and high-quality interactions with children. The childminder's continuous monitoring and assessment help children to reach their targets and next steps.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children with SEND or other barriers to learning make rapid progress as the childminder makes personalised adjustments and support for them. For example, she understands the importance of confidence for children who need support to develop their communication skills and offers them the space and time they need. Children who need support with physical development are assisted in building up their balancing skills and strength to master different surfaces.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder works closely with other agencies to support children with SEND or other barriers to learning, including other settings that they attend. She also liaises closely with parents so that all adults involved with children provide a continuity of care that fully supports rapid progress. Parents are incredibly pleased at the progress their children make and speak highly of the childminder's support.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

The childminder has appropriate policies and procedures in place but on one occasion has not implemented them correctly. For example, she has not notified Ofsted of a new assistant. This does not consistently promote children's welfare and wellbeing. The childminder has created a welcoming environment where children thoroughly enjoy their play. All their play takes place outdoors. The childminder liaises closely with parents and carers to ensure that children have the appropriate clothing to stay warm and dry in cold or rainy weather. She ensures that there is ample shade in warmer weather. The childminder knows children and their family circumstances well. She ensures that children are fully supported for their individual and varying needs. This means that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning or wellbeing, receive the same level of care as their peers.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children develop independence in their own personal care as appropriate for their age and stage of development. The childminder teaches younger children the specific skills they need, while older children demonstrate high levels of independence. Children learn the importance of hydration and how healthy food supports the body. Mealtimes are a social occasion where children set up and help to clear the table. The childminder and her assistants sit with the children as they eat. They are highly alert to the possibilities of allergies and choking. Children's manners are embedded, and they are polite to each other and staff. The childminder follows parents' care routines where possible and has suitable areas and procedures for sleeping.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has not informed Ofsted that one of her assistants is working with her, which is a breach of her statutory requirements. There has been no impact on children's safety as they are not left unsupervised. The childminder also has robust recruitment procedures and has ensured that she has a copy of the assistants' DBS certificates. Assistants have a full understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has a very clear vision of what she wants her setting to be and is well on her way to achieving this. She is highly dedicated and ambitious about the forest school ethos and children learning in an outdoor environment. The childminder continually strives to improve her practice and the setting.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder ensures that her own skills and knowledge are kept up to date. For example, she recently attended professional development about supporting children's oral health. She ensures that her assistants have the necessary support and training and shares her own learning from courses with them. Assistants feel incredibly valued and enjoy their working environment. They feel supported in carrying out their roles to a high standard.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder works incredibly closely with parents and carers. She fully involves them in their child's education. Parents speak extremely passionately about their children's progress and care in the setting. The childminder liaises fully with the special educational needs team at the local authority to give children with special educational needs and/or disabilities the best continuity of care. The childminder ensures that children are aware of the local community where they litter pick and regularly visit the local forest. The childminder communicates with several primary schools that children from the setting attend to ensure that their transition is smooth. She also works closely with other settings children attend, such as local pre-schools.

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

Children feel secure in this friendly and nurturing setting despite the childminder not ensuring that an assistant working with children has been deemed suitable by Ofsted. They flourish and thrive, thoroughly enjoying their play and learning. They follow a gentle process of leaving their parents or carers when they are ready. Children are greeted eagerly by their friends encouraging them to play. Children build positive and trusting relationships with the childminder. Their individual needs are extremely well met and valued. Children feel a solid sense of security and belonging. This gives them high levels of confidence to try new activities and to persevere at more trickier tasks. For example, children carefully cut cucumbers into small pieces to feed the tadpoles.

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

Children have excellent attitudes to learning. They are incredibly curious about the world around them. For example, children peer under logs to find bugs and other creatures. They learn to respect creatures and to handle them gently, then return them to where they found them. Children are equally kind and respectful to each other and collect each other's water bottles at mealtimes. They behave impeccably and fully follow the ethos of taking care of each other. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning or wellbeing benefit from the same high expectations and access the same learning as their peers. Children play collaboratively with little need for adult support. They take turns and share resources easily.

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

Children enjoy a wide range of activities in this outdoor and forest school setting. They have numerous opportunities to develop their large-muscle skills with swings, slides, climbing and

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 running. Children develop their language skills and widen their vocabulary at a rapid speed. They constantly chat to the childminder, who listens carefully and extends their vocabulary. This helps children to develop their skills even further. The childminder works closely with families to promote children's attendance and follow up any absences.

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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 action by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

The childminder should improve knowledge of the matters that need to be notified to Ofsted, including the recruitment of new assistants. 08/07/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistants, parents and carers 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. Local authority: Bedford

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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. 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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