Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY429734 Registered with Ofsted: 07/07/2011 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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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has extensive experience supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and she has undertaken targeted training to meet their needs. Some still attend her provision before and after school. She successfully provides an inclusive provision, ensuring all children's needs are carefully identified, assessed, considered and supported. She expertly adapts areas and her support to meet their individual needs to a high standard.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder liaises with parents and all those involved with children's care and learning. This helps ensure that children receive a highly consistent approach and make very good progress from their starting points. She appreciates the importance of seeking help from outside agencies and implementing additional approaches to support children. This also includes children who may face barriers in their learning and/or wellbeing. For instance, children who speak English as an additional language and those who experience significant life changes. The childminder sensitively and diligently works in partnership with parents. She learns about children's cultural backgrounds and preferences and seamlessly incorporates them throughout her provision, such as learning words and playing songs in children's home languages. This helps children feel included, valued, and secure. They develop a deep level of pride in their own identity and culture, while building respect and

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Inclusion Strong standard

understanding for diversity and difference.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make progress from their starting points, particularly in their communication and language skills. They quickly learn how to form clear sentences and develop an understanding of the meaning of new words. Children eagerly choose an item from a bag that represents a rhyme and song and join in with words and actions. They confidently use different-sized pipettes and make marks with brushes dipped in water, developing their hand strength, coordination and control. This helps to strengthen the muscles they will need for early writing. Children demonstrate a growing understanding of early mathematical concepts through counting and comparing quantities in play. They show their physical strength and coordination as they fill and pour water from different-sized containers, developing coordination and accuracy.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children who face barriers in their learning and/or wellbeing benefit from high-quality, targeted support. Through planned interventions and close guidance, children swiftly grow in confidence and emotional resilience.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has established a positive environment where expectations for behaviour are clear and understood by children. Children's warm and respectful relationships with the childminder support the development of their confidence and sense of security. The childminder actively incorporates activities that support children in building positive relationships and respect for one another, such as taking turns in group games. The childminder works in close partnership with parents to implement positive strategies to resolve any negative behaviour. She helps children recognise and understand their own feelings and those of others. As a result, children learn and use a wider range of emotional vocabulary, including words such as 'nervous' and 'excited', to express their feelings.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The well-established routines and expectations support children's independence, such as changing their clothes and tidying away resources. Children are actively encouraged to contribute to the visual timetable. This supports children in understanding the structure of the day, and children's voices are consistently valued as they make independent choices. For example, when they are ready to eat lunch. The childminder is a positive role model. She consistently uses good manners when speaking with children. This stimulates children to use the same respectful language. Children are motivated to learn, they show curiosity and remain engaged in meaningful activities. The childminder recognises the importance of children's regular attendance to promote their wellbeing and their understanding of following daily routines. She works with parents to encourage regular attendance and punctuality. This helps children to fully benefit from their time with the childminder.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder creates a safe and welcoming environment where children show that they feel at ease. Children particularly enjoy the inviting outdoor area, which offers many opportunities to be physically active and learn to manage risk effectively. For example, they safely climb through the bars of the dome-shaped climbing frame and balance on raised planks of wood. In addition, children learn to stay safe as they use real tools at forest school sessions. Attendance at an organised dance group enables children to explore different ways of moving their body to the rhythm of songs.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The relationships the childminder builds are child-centered but also include children's families. These partnerships with families mean that parents feel confident to share information openly. This enables the childminder to respond swiftly to any changes in children's needs to support any barriers to their wellbeing. The childminder responds sensitively to children's routines, such as sleep and weaning. This continuity of care between home and the setting supports children to progress at a pace that is right for them.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder identifies key moments in children's play to support them in developing a secure awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, such as good oral health and drinking only milk and water. The childminder supports children in understanding the effects of warm weather on their bodies and how to take appropriate steps to protect themselves from the sun. Children are immensely independent from a young age. They carry out age- appropriate responsibilities and manage their personal needs. The childminder gives children time and encouragement to change their own wet clothing following water play.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Since the last inspection, the childminder has worked well with the local authority to strengthen her knowledge of teaching skills and provide an appropriate curriculum. She has carefully adapted her curriculum to reflect children's interests and preferred ways of learning. The childminder places an emphasis on outdoor learning to incorporate all areas of learning and development. This results in sustained engagement, concentration, and imaginative play, with children making secure progress. However, the childminder does not consistently support children in making predictions and solving problems independently during play. For example, when children want to make their pretend porridge thinner, she quickly tells them to add more water rather than encouraging them to think of a solution. As a result, children's critical thinking skills are not consistently extended.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder seeks information on what they know and can do when they start with her and uses this to help plan and tailor the environment to aid their learning and development. However, the childminder is yet to work in partnership with other settings that children attend to fully support children's continuity in learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children's mathematical development. Children excitedly search for numbered apple pictures hidden around the garden and confidently place them in the correct numerical sequence. The childminder adapts activities to help children equally benefit from every experience and achieve their next steps in learning. Forest school sessions provide children with meaningful opportunities to assess and manage risks safely. Through the supervised use of real tools, children develop resilience, perseverance and self-confidence, which prepares them well for future learning. The childminder effectively builds on children's interests and experiences by revisiting and extending activities introduced at forest school. This helps children to consolidate and deepen their understanding through repetition.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is dedicated to her role. Since the last inspection, she has worked closely with professionals from the local authority to improve the quality of the provision she provides. She has worked hard to implement an ambitious and varied curriculum that is full of awe and wonder. The childminder has made significant improvements to the outdoor area recognising that this is most children's preferred area for learning. Children of all ages love to lie on the blanket and observe cloud formations and suspended coloured ribbons that wave in the breeze. The childminder consistently reflects on the quality of her teaching and seeks ways to further enhance children's experiences. She has a clear action plan in place. However, the childminder is yet to work in partnership with staff at other settings that children attend to fully support their continuity of learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder completes regular training and is a member of several professional organisations which support her to remain informed of the latest guidance and practices. In addition, she liaises with other childminders to continue building her knowledge and skills. Following recent training to build on children's language skills, the childminder has introduced a song bag containing items that represent a wide variety of songs and rhymes. This has had a positive impact on children's language acquisition and concentration. Parents speak very highly of the childminder. They appreciate the updates they receive about their child's day and progression. They also comment on how their children show they love attending and value how the childminder tailors activities to each child's individual needs.

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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 this nurturing and home-from-home setting. They develop close, trusting relationships with the childminder. These secure attachments help them to feel safe, emotionally secure and ready to learn. Children confidently make independent choices from a rich and varied range of resources and activities. These experiences are carefully planned and well-adapted to meet the unique needs of all children, including those who face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. They effectively support each child's progress, development, and individual interests. Children are independent and demonstrate a secure sense of belonging as they proudly place their belongings in their own tubs. They do not hesitate to express their wishes to the childminder, where their thoughts are consistently valued. The superb inclusive learning environment sustains children's engagement for extended periods. Children thoroughly enjoy immersing themselves in their chosen play and welcome the

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

childminder's meaningful interactions. They select natural materials, such as sawdust, fresh herbs, and flower petals, and mix them with varying amounts of water to make a 'meal' for themselves and the childminder.

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

Children benefit in a language-rich environment and show a keen love of books. They develop a rich vocabulary as they learn the meaning of new words in context. They listen attentively to the childminder who reads them a book about the human body. Children learn the word 'flow' and confidently ask curious questions and learn why blood needs to flow around the body. Regular attendance at organised groups and a wealth of outings in the community, such as forest school sessions, country parks and the library, build on children's social skills as they learn to be respectful and social individuals within larger groups of children.

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

Partnerships with parents are quickly established and positive. The childminder collects detailed information when children start and uses this effectively to ensure children's care routines are tailored to meet their individual needs. Settling sessions are flexible and adapted to meet the needs of each child.

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Next steps

The childminder should take a more focused approach to develop children's critical thinking through her interactions in their play. The childminder should build partnerships with staff at other settings that children attend to support children's continuity in learning and wellbeing.

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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

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 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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