Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2765718 Registered with Ofsted: 19/12/2023 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

Children demonstrate very positive behaviour and attitudes throughout the day. The childminder has established a calm and respectful environment where expectations for behaviour are embedded well. Children follow routines confidently, respond well to instructions and understand what is expected of them. They are consistently kind and considerate towards one another, politely asking to join in play, sharing resources and taking turns during activities and daily routines.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children play harmoniously and increasingly seek each other out for collaborative play experiences. For example, children use tills, coins and food together in imaginative play and set up picnics, where they decide together what they are going to eat. These experiences help children develop friendships, communication skills and positive social interactions. Children display excellent manners spontaneously, thanking the childminder for their lunch and politely asking to leave the table.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children know what is happening next and move smoothly between routines and activities. The childminder speaks to the children about their day, has high expectations and praises positive behaviour to model to other children who may need further support. She understands the importance of attendance and has suitable procedures in place, including emergency contacts and follow-up systems where concerns arise, helping to promote children's wellbeing and continuity of care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are at the heart of the childminder's practice. Children are cared for in a warm, nurturing and highly inclusive environment where they feel safe, secure and valued. Children form very strong attachments with the childminder and confidently seek her out for comfort, reassurance and involvement in their play. Children know their needs will be met sensitively and consistently, helping them feel emotionally secure and settled throughout the day.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder carefully adapts care practices to meet children's individual needs, from babies through to older children. Sleeping, feeding and weaning routines are managed thoughtfully, with careful consideration given to children's comfort, privacy and emotional wellbeing. Children benefit from calm and sociable mealtimes and enjoy nutritious, home- cooked meals that support healthy lifestyles and positive eating habits. Parents speak highly of the childminder's focus on children's welfare and wellbeing and how she is passionate about promoting positive habits from an early age, helping children develop healthy choices and routines for the future.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Physical development is prioritised well through a wide range of outdoor experiences that help children build coordination, balance and confidence. Children are active, motivated and increasingly independent in managing their self-care and daily routines.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make good progress from their starting points and become increasingly confident and motivated learners. Children develop secure communication and language skills and confidently express their thoughts, ideas and needs. Children who speak English as an additional language quickly begin to understand and use new words within their play and conversations. Children show curiosity about print and letters, enjoying finding the letters in their names and using magnetic letters to recognise and create the names of their friends.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop positive attitudes towards learning and enjoy exploring, investigating and trying new experiences. They sustain concentration during activities and are keen to join in and learn new things. They increasingly play collaboratively with their peers and seek out experiences together, especially in the garden on the see-saw when a friend is needed. Children are becoming independent and confidently manage routines, self-care and daily tasks including selecting resources, choosing books and using warm flannels to clean their faces after lunch. These skills are embedded well and help prepare children for future learning and eventually school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides a broad, thoughtfully sequenced and adventurous curriculum that covers all areas of learning and reflects children's interests. Experiences are carefully planned and organised, both indoors and outdoors, and children benefit from regular opportunities within the local community, including allotment visits, toddler groups and library visits. The childminder reflects on her provision and continues to enhance experiences to meet children's needs, most recently through improvements to the outdoor environment and mud kitchen area.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Interactions are mostly of good quality, support children's communication, language and thinking skills and have a clear intention The childminder is a positive role model for language and mathematical development, weaving counting, patterns, size and number naturally throughout the curriculum. For example, children count how many circles they need for their caterpillars, order the size of snails and create patterns through threading activities. Children develop good fine motor skills through carefully planned experiences that become increasingly challenging, such as using different threading resources, tools and creative materials.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder follows and guides play appropriately and understands what children need to learn next. However, the childminder does not always adapt activities closely enough for the differing ages and stages of development within the group, so that learning builds even more effectively on each child's individual stage of development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder identifies barriers to learning swiftly and demonstrates a secure understanding of child development. She uses observations, discussions with parents and her knowledge of children's individual needs to assess where children may need further support. Children benefit from an inclusive environment where experiences, role modelling and interactions help reduce barriers to learning and support children's confidence, communication and independence. Books, resources and experiences reflect diversity and help children feel welcomed and represented within the setting.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works sensitively and supportively with families and communicates with other professionals where appropriate, including nurseries to support children's transitions. She adapts experiences and makes some reasonable adjustments so children with special educational needs and/or disabilities can access the curriculum alongside their peers and make progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder is reflective and committed to improving her practice. However, targeted strategies and approaches are not yet fully embedded or consistent enough to ensure all children with barriers to learning make the best possible progress and have their individual needs met precisely.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is dedicated, reflective and committed to providing a nurturing and engaging environment for children. She understands the strengths of her provision and continually adapts and improves the curriculum, resources and experiences available to children. She implements robust procedures confidently and demonstrates secure knowledge of safeguarding and children's welfare. The childminder engages in professional development opportunities and collaborative working with other childminders to help keep her knowledge current and improve outcomes for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents speak highly of the childminder and value the warm, trusting relationships she builds with families. They appreciate the constant communication, broad experiences and the progress their children make, particularly in confidence, independence and social skills. Parents describe the setting as caring, professional and flexible, and value the support they receive with routines such as potty training and transitions to school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder identifies areas for improvement appropriately and is open to reflecting on her practice. However, professional development is not yet focused sharply enough on strengthening her knowledge and strategies for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, targeted approaches to further narrow gaps in learning for some children are still developing.

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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 cared for in a warm, nurturing and homely environment where they feel safe, secure and valued. Children form positive attachments with the childminder and seek cuddles and praise. Children and families are warmly welcomed into the setting, and parents describe how their children blossom and thrive in her care.

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

Children enjoy an adventurous and engaging curriculum that broadens their experiences and curiosity about the world around them. Children excitedly explore the garden, pick strawberries and raspberries for snack and talk about caterpillars transforming into

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About this setting

butterflies, learning words such as 'metamorphosis'. Children enjoy acting out familiar stories, recalling key events from 'The Snail and the Whale' and joining in with repeated phrases from favourite books. Children are curious learners who listen carefully to sounds in the environment, share what they notice and confidently express their ideas.

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About this setting

Children demonstrate excellent behaviour and attitudes. They are kind, patient and respectful towards one another, asking politely to join in play and sharing resources willingly. Children are proud of their achievements and eagerly say, 'I did it,' wanting the childminder to celebrate what they have accomplished. Children are becoming increasingly independent and manage routines throughout the day. They prepare for outdoor play, help tidy resources and develop self-care skills during calm mealtimes and daily routines. Children know what is happening next and feel reassured by the consistent structure of the day. Children all make progress from their starting points and develop the confidence, curiosity and resilience needed for their future learning and next stage of education.

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Next steps

The childminder should seek further professional development opportunities to strengthen knowledge and skills in supporting children with barriers to learning so that more precise strategies and interventions can be implemented and children can make even better progress. The childminder should continue to strengthen the way experiences are adapted and planned for children of differing ages and stages of development, so that all children maximise their learning and build even more effectively on what they already know and can do.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to the childminder and 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 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. Unique reference number (URN): 2765718

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday : 09:00 - 16:00

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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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