Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2790989 Registered with Ofsted: 07/11/2024 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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Achievement Expected standard

Children make steady progress and achieve developmental milestones in line with their individual needs, ages and stages of development. They demonstrate confidence, curiosity and an eagerness to learn, showing secure levels of concentration and sustained engagement across a broad range of activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

The childminder carefully adapts her curriculum to meet the individual needs of each child, ensuring that they can fully access learning opportunities. Children develop early skills that support their next stage of learning effectively. They are socially confident and show increasing levels of curiosity as they explore their environment. Children demonstrate their hand–eye coordination, confidently engaging in activities such as dressing dolls, filling water containers and passing balls with increasing control and precision. Typically, children achieve well for future success, building confidence and making secure progress across all areas of their development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder supports children to develop a clear understanding of expectations and to manage their behaviour effectively. She fosters positive relationships through a warm and respectful environment where kindness and consideration are consistently encouraged. Children learn to use good manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you'. They respond positively to her calm and respectful interactions. The childminder promotes an understanding of children's attendance and punctuality, helping parents recognise the importance in children's development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder actively encourages children to work together and develop their social skills. Children learn to share resources, take turns and play cooperatively. For example, they giggle as they identify farm animals together, matching them to the sounds they make. The childminder praises positive behaviours and motivates children to try new ideas. She recognises and celebrates children's achievements, such as when they confidently sing rhymes, name animals from books and begin to use numbers in their play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder typically promotes children's independence by encouraging them to take responsibility for simple tasks and do things for themselves. Children confidently try to put on their own outdoor clothing and boots, proudly sharing their achievements with the childminder. They celebrate their own successes, such as pouring their own drinks at snack time and helping to clear away. Children also follow good hygiene routines, including washing their hands independently.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder makes appropriate adaptations and carefully tailors children's experiences to ensure that all children make progress and achieve well. For example, she provides familiar resources to support children in settling and sensitively adapts routines to meet their individual needs.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder delivers inclusive care that is typically tailored to meet each child's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She fosters a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment in which all children feel valued, respected and emotionally secure. Secure, trusting relationships are established from the outset, enabling children to form attachments that underpin their confidence and self- esteem. As a result, children feel safe to explore, take risks in their learning and develop increasing independence. This secure foundation supports children's overall wellbeing, allowing them to generally thrive emotionally and make steady progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder's warm, consistent approach ensures that every child feels supported and reassured, promoting a sense of belonging. Children's safety and independence are actively promoted through everyday experiences. The childminder makes effective use of daily routines, such as mealtimes, as meaningful learning opportunities. For example, children are gently reminded to remain seated while eating and to be mindful when speaking with food in their mouths. Through clear explanations and consistent, sensitive guidance, children develop an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves safe and manage risks independently.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Overall, the childminder's attentive and nurturing practice creates an environment where children feel secure, develop resilience and typically flourish in all areas of their development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a clear understanding of what she wants children to learn during their time in her care. She plans the curriculum thoughtfully, building on children's starting points and interests. She sequences learning effectively to enable children's skills and knowledge to develop over time. The curriculum is broad and balanced, covering all areas of learning and supporting children's overall development, including their readiness for school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder responds positively to children's interests and skilfully supports their personal, social and emotional development. Throughout the day, the childminder ensures that children have plenty of opportunities to practise self-help skills and manage their own personal care. They seek the childminder's attention and involvement in their play, demonstrating secure attachments and trust. Children develop their physical development in the garden. They confidently practise balancing using equipment such as balance blocks and ride-on toys. They enjoy exploratory play, including transporting objects and engaging in water play.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, the childminder places a focus on children's communication and language development and generally provides quality interactions. She plays alongside the children, commenting and modelling language. At times, the childminder does not always provide children with time to think and process their ideas and thoughts before she answers her own questions for them. As a result, children do not consistently make the very best progress they could.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder uses her initial observations and ongoing assessments, alongside information gathered from parents and carers, to accurately identify and meet each child's individual needs. Where appropriate, she seeks and implements advice from relevant professionals, ensuring that children receive timely and effective support. Inclusive approaches are firmly embedded across the provision. This enables children of all backgrounds and abilities, including those who may be disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make good progress and feel valued.

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Inclusion Expected standard

When children require additional support, the childminder takes prompt and effective action. She works closely with parents and carers and a range of other professionals to ensure a consistent approach. This includes sharing strategies, targets and next steps so that support is aligned across home and any other settings children attend. Regular communication with parents helps to maintain this consistency and ensure that approaches remain effective.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder makes positive use of available funding to enhance children's experiences and remove barriers to learning. She carefully plans an accessible and inclusive curriculum, adapting resources and activities so all children can take part. This helps to ensure that every child is supported to achieve the support they need.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates suitable strategic leadership, underpinned by a typically clear and ambitious vision that ensures the setting runs smoothly and that children's needs remain central. Governance is secure, with a clear understanding of responsibilities and a commitment to meeting statutory requirements, ensuring that children are safe and well supported.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Decisions are made in the best interests of all children, including those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs and/or disabilities or face additional barriers to learning. The childminder manages her workload and wellbeing effectively, ensuring that practice remains sustainable while maintaining a general focus on quality.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder's curriculum is typically appropriate for the children in attendance. She recognises the value of accessing further professional development opportunities and is committed to undertaking ongoing professional development. However, this is not always fully targeted at enhancing her teaching practice to the highest levels to further enrich children's learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

From the outset, parents receive clear and comprehensive information about the provision, including the importance of regular attendance to maximise children's experiences. Parents speak highly of the childminder and express appreciation for the care and support their children receive, recognising the positive impact this has on their learning, development and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall, the childminder's reflective approach to leadership and focus on inclusive, high- quality provision supports children to thrive in her care.

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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 receive a warm welcome from the caring and nurturing childminder on arrival. They settle quickly and explore the well-organised environment, which offers a range of activities and resources tailored to their individual interests. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, exhibit high levels of wellbeing in line with their age and stage of development.

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About this setting

Type: Childminder Children benefit from a well-planned curriculum and effective teaching that generally supports their learning and prepares them well for the next stage of their development. For example, they enjoy using numbers as they play and confidently match colours and shapes. Children develop a love of books from an early age. They show growing confidence as they independently choose books, enjoy sharing stories and identify pictures and characters. The childminder makes necessary adaptations to her teaching to ensure that all children, including those who face barriers to their learning, are able to join in.

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About this setting

Children willingly take on responsibilities, such as sharing out toys and resources and supporting one another with their water cups at mealtimes. They benefit from a variety of enriching experiences within the wider community, including music classes and regular visits to a local forest school. Here, children have opportunities to explore the natural environment, develop their physical skills through activities such as climbing and balancing, and build confidence as they take measured risks. Children's consistent attendance is supported effectively through secure partnerships with parents, alongside well-established routines and clear procedures.

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Next steps

The childminder should improve her understanding of questioning techniques to support children's language development even further. The childminder should focus her professional development more precisely to be able to provide greater consistency in the quality of teaching across all areas of learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and parents 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. Registration date: 07/11/2024

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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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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