Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2785442 Registered with Ofsted: 04/06/2024 Registers: EYR

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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 creates a mutually respectful culture where adults and children treat each other with kindness, care and respect. Adults are excellent role models; they demonstrate genuine care and fondness of the children and to each other, asking them how they are feeling and take their opinions into consideration, showing empathy and respect. For example, quietly and sensitively explaining why there are changes to routines as they recognise children may be disappointed. Children respond positively to this; they understand and accept these decisions because they have built a highly trusting relationship with the childminder.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

All children understand the routines well and transitions between routines are seamless. Regular familiar routines ensure children understand what is expected of them and as a result children consistently show their best behaviour. Older children often remind the childminder what is happening next. For example, recognising snack is over and now it is time for stories, while younger children anticipate this with actions and sit down in preparation. When it is getting close to lunch time, the children suggest they start washing their hands.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder directly encourages children to develop positive attitudes to learning. They excite children to concentrate because they ensure that learning is fun. They use intonation and expression when reading stories or explaining new ideas. Recognising when children may be distracted, they encourage children to refocus and 'look very carefully' with a magnifying glass to see more detail. This supports children to begin to screen out distractions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children value the constant praise adults give them, recognising and verbalising they have listened well and been very careful when letting the butterfly rest on their hand before it flies away because the adult has reinforced this.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

While children's attendance and punctuality is good. The childminder understands the importance of promoting this with parents. If poor attendance becomes a pattern, the childminder fully understands the implications this could create in establishing important habits for later success and would support parents to overcome any barriers.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder is acutely focused on supporting children's wellbeing, and this is at the heart of their provision. Children and adults develop wonderful relationships that are respectful of each other, nurturing and ensure each child feels special. This creates a highly trusting environment. Children thoroughly enjoy themselves, they feel secure as they know staff listen to them and understand their needs. Families are reassured that routines will be adapted if there are changes in children's needs.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder offers guidance and advice about healthy food choices with families. Observing children to be fussier eaters, the childminder is highly responsive and engages with additional professional learning on nutrition. The new ideas are shared with parents and a collaborative approach taken to encouraging children to try a wider range of healthy food. This is successful and children change their habits to enjoy many more healthy choices. Children learn the importance of hygiene, asking to wash hands before they eat because 'they don't want germs to make them poorly'.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder meticulously ensures policies and care routines are in line with changes in statutory guidance. For example, double-checking arrangements for sleeping are fully compliant or carefully considering when children are eating, they sit down and face towards an adult. This vigilance allows children to be given careful reminders to keep themselves safe, such as finishing a mouthful before they eat more.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

An individualised progressive curriculum is planned based on each child's stage of development. This identifies accurate next steps in learning, alongside a sharp focus on preparing children for school. Developing children's independence is woven throughout the day.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder and their assistants are highly ambitious for all children. This includes a perceptive focus on developing children's communication and language skills. Children are developing a love for books because adults share books constantly. Children join in with words from the story when the childminder leaves gaps. Conversations between the adults and children are constant. These demonstrate the childminder has an excellent understanding of how children develop speech and this is shared with assistants. They repeat words that children have mispronounced and focus on increasing vocabulary. Celebrating with the youngest when they use a new word.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder and parents rightfully celebrate a curriculum that ignites children's curiosity for understanding the world. This is implemented through experiences that inspire awe and wonder in the children across all 7 areas of learning. Daily trips to the woods are popular. Children learn about life cycles and change as they observe caterpillar's eggs change to cocoons and then hatch into butterflies. Children build their knowledge over time. The childminder introduces new words such as cocoon, hatch and antennae through sharing books and singing songs. Children explore further with magnifying glasses and are encouraged to focus their attention and look carefully at the colours and details. These observations allow children to witness the process first hand. This creates an excitement at what they see, children ask the adults to 'have a look too' and then join in with shared discussions. The excitement for learning is palpable.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Adults recognise that each conversation with a child is an opportunity for teaching and learning. They make precise adaptations in the moment to reflect their observations of children's thinking. For example, adults encourage children to carefully count the number of butterflies hatched. They ponder out loud for children to 'notice something' enabling older children to recognise there is 'one more' still to hatch. While the youngest children are supported to join in counting to 4.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children develop highly positive attitudes to physical development; younger children show coordination and precision as they pour small cups of water into pots. Children build social skills as they push their babies in buggies. Older children are reminded which way to turn

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Expected standard

the screwdriver when exploring wood and tools. Which supports them to refine and strengthen fine motor movements in preparation for school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make progress from their starting points. Children are confident and enthusiastic to chat. The relaxed atmosphere and nurturing relationships with the childminder provides the scaffolding they need.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show positive personal, social and emotional development; they are kind to each other asking children to sit next to them or making sure they have their butterfly puppet. Children begin to solve problems when serving snack, they consider which bowls have more and then decide which need more for it to be fair.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children who may have faced initial barriers, make progress because the childminder provides additional care, encouragement and other strategies to reduce any gaps. For example, providing a 'favourite special place' to sit to observe what other children are doing from a distance allows them time to join in at their own pace. Such strategies become embedded and children continue to benefit from accessing the space if they feel overwhelmed.

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Achievement Expected standard

Parents comment that they consider their children are prepared for the next stage in their education. Children demonstrate listening and attention skills and the established routines of the day become familiar and support children to understand and respond appropriately to expectations.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Assessments are completed regularly and allows the childminder to adapt children's next steps to reflect developmental stages. These are then focused on during interactions and when planning experiences.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations for all children to participate and recognise where simple adaptations can support this, such as acknowledging that younger children may potter around during group activities, but older children can concentrate for longer periods of time.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works collaboratively with families to support children with barriers to their wellbeing. This includes working flexible with the families to support individual needs. Through an empathetic approach they signpost additional funding avenues to support any children to attend additional hours or to adapt sessions to help children to settle when they are initially starting childcare for the first time.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a clear ambition for all children to experience high standards of education and care. This aim is at the heart of decision-making and ensures high standards are maintained. Ongoing professional learning is completed regularly and chosen to carefully reflect the needs of the children. The childminder is a positive role model for assistants. They talk positively of the childminder's skills and the feedback given to support them to carry out their roles successfully. The childminder attends professional learning opportunities but does not always share this with assistants.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is reflective and strives to support settled transitions for children. The sharing of information between home when children start and with any other settings they attend supports children's education and care. When children move on to other settings or school, the childminder shares information with parents as children transition to school. However, she does not consistently share information about children's development to other professionals who care for children. This means that transitions are not consistent for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

A supportive collaborative partnership is prioritised with all parents and the impact this has on supporting children to access the best education is to be celebrated. Parents value highly the regular opportunities to share information informally each day and the formal developmental summaries they receive outlining where they can focus continued learning at home.

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

Children flourish in this nurturing, welcoming and calm environment. A home-from-home atmosphere supports children to feel safe and secure. All children develop confidence when they join and this continues to build. Children quickly come to believe they can achieve things themselves if they try. The childminder takes an individual approach when helping children to settle when they start. This is flexible and respects any familiar routines from home. As a result, children feel a sense of belonging and this supports them to flourish. The childminder regularly encourages children to say what they need or how they are feeling. This makes them feel valued and important. Children form strong and trusting relationships with the childminder. They are assured the childminder will listen to them, solving any problems together.

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

Parents celebrate the childminder's thorough, attentive and collaborative approach. They recognise that this ensures a strong foundation for their children to learn and feel happy.

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About this setting

Children are enthusiastic and enjoy joining in with the activities the childminder plans, as well as playing with their friends. Children take turns, share and listen to each other's ideas. The childminder carefully threads opportunities for children's learning throughout play and everyday routines. This supports children to sustain progress and develop age-appropriate skills and knowledge. The childminder has a good understanding of the different rates at which children learn and shares this knowledge with their assistants. This ensures all interactions build on children's prior knowledge and skills.

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About this setting

Children become increasingly independent. The childminder prioritises this within the curriculum. Younger children are offered the close support they need to complete care routines, such as using the toilet and handwashing, but they rapidly master the steps and are soon able to complete these independently, remembering to use soap and check that the tap is turned off. Older children then use this knowledge to encourage independence in their younger friends, for example, showing them how to put their shoes on if they 'push their foot down like this!'. Children are well prepared for the next stages in their education.

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Next steps

The childminder should continue to strengthen ongoing mentoring and professional learning opportunities for their assistants to ensure even higher standards of care and education. The childminder should continue to develop partnership working with other settings, including schools that children move on to, to develop an even stronger transition process.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with children, the childminder, assistants 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 children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage. Unique reference number (URN): 2785442

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:00 - 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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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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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