Read, Rebecca Sophia

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2776428 Registered with Ofsted: 13/03/2024 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 Strong standard

Children achieve remarkably well across all seven areas of learning. Those children who need additional support make rapid progress from their starting points, particularly in communication and language.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children learn in an extremely stimulating, well-organised environment that is carefully prepared to support their individual next steps. Children show growing confidence in exploring new textures and experiences, such as excavating toys from coloured ice. Children independently collect resources and work together to free the toys from ice. This strengthens their independence, teamwork and problem-solving skills.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children develop excellent self-care skills and become increasingly independent in their personal care. They confidently help to apply sun cream before playing outdoors. Children who do not like the feel of sun cream use a roll-on applicator. This means all children can practise important skincare routines and learn how to keep themselves safe in the sun. This inclusive approach helps all children, including those who may face barriers to learning, succeed in everyday routines and build skills they can use as they move on to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Exceedingly well-established daily routines are implemented by the childminder. This ensures children develop an assured sense of confidence in following these. They take pride in the little tasks and responsibilities they are given. For example, children help tidy up after lunch and independently ask to use the vacuum cleaner to clear small bits from the floor. Meaningful praise from the childminder helps them persevere, understand expectations and care for their environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children show remarkable compassion and respect for each other. For example, they recognise when their peers need help pumping water out of a large container and offer assistance. The childminder frequently provides meaningful praise for these random acts of kindness. This consolidates children's understanding of how to make positive friendships. Children learn to take turns through enjoyable role-play activities, such as playing shopkeepers. They learn to use real money to buy items, preparing them for the real world.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder supports strong attendance by helping children feel familiar with the setting before they start. She shares personalised photographs with families, showing children their peg, playroom and daily routines. This helps children who may find transitions difficult, feel more secure and confident when they attend.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder uses 'All About Me' forms on a parent communication app to gather information to understand children's routines, preferences, comfort items, dietary needs and development. This helps her provide consistent care from day one, so children settle quickly and attendance is boosted.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are prioritised from the start. Inclusive fire evacuation practices are planned so all children can take part, including when the assistant is present. The childminder gathers detailed allergy information from parents and works closely with families to support babies with weaning. This includes recording the foods they have already tried at home and agreeing when they are ready for the next stage. These meticulous procedures help to maintain children's health and wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder ensures that her assistant has up-to-date training, including first aid and safeguarding training. Robust procedures are in place to ensure that the childminder's assistant understands how to meet the individual needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop healthy lifestyles by growing fruit and vegetables from seeds. They wash and prepare their produce for snack time, helping them understand where food comes from and encouraging them to try healthy foods. Parents report that children's healthy eating habits at home have improved significantly since attending the setting.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop positive physical and mental wellbeing through regular indoor and outdoor activity. Close links with the local community, such as visits to the greengrocer and butcher, help children feel a sense of belonging and develop their social communication skills as they meet and talk to different people. This can significantly enhance their welfare and wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children benefit from an enormously broad and interesting curriculum. They are out and about most days, exploring the local community and natural environment. The childminder gathers in-depth information from parents, external professionals and any other settings children attend. This gives her a holistic understanding of each child's needs and helps her to plan an inclusive and ambitious curriculum that is carefully tailored to support their next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Assessments are robust and shared regularly with parents, so everyone has a clear, shared understanding of children's progress and priorities for learning. Support plans are swiftly put in place for children who need additional help. These are reviewed regularly with parents, so any changes, concerns or parental input are carefully considered and used to support the best possible learning outcomes for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder is incredibly knowledgeable and skilful in her teaching. She knows the children remarkably well and plans tailored daily learning experiences. This means children continuously receive high-quality care and education. For example, the childminder uses props, puppets and real objects to deepen children's understanding. She models and repeats new words, such as 'creep' and 'quietly'. Children then use this vocabulary in their imaginative play when re-enacting Goldilocks tale in a messy play activity. This strengthens children's next steps in their social communication skills.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children benefit from highly inclusive practice from the outset. The childminder has robust settling-in processes that help her identify, assess and reduce any barriers to children's learning before they start. She gathers detailed information from parents and relevant professionals, such as health visitors, so that she has a clear understanding of each child's individual needs. This means that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive the right support from the very beginning. The childminder builds noteworthy partnerships with parents, which helps all children feel included and ensures their care, learning and emotional needs are met superbly well. For example, before babies start, she helps parents prepare them for the transition by sharing her safer sleep guidance and routines followed in her setting. This ensures parents can start to prepare their children

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Inclusion Strong standard

for sleep routine used in the setting. This supports children's welfare and wellbeing and helps them settle as smoothly as possible.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children take part in inclusive experiences that broaden their understanding of the wider world, such as visits to the zoo, forest school opportunities and recent trips to the theatre. These carefully planned experiences help children build confidence and independence, while learning to respect differences, value others and feel included in their community.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder works closely with the local authority early years team to keep her knowledge up to date and support all children effectively, including those currently or previously known to social care.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Parents cannot speak highly enough about the dedicated and individual care and attention their children receive from the childminder. They are overwhelmed with the extra-curricular activities provided for their children. They explain how they feel this has made a tremendous impact on the rapid progress children are making in their overall learning and development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly reflective and has a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. She actively seeks feedback from parents and local schoolteachers. This ensures children, particularly those with SEND or other barriers to learning, receive carefully tailored transition support. This collaborative approach ensures key information is shared early and effective strategies are in place before children move on to school, helping them feel confident, prepared and ready for change.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder regularly undertakes training to strengthen her teaching and deepen her understanding of how to support individual children, including those with SEND. Recent mathematics training has enhanced the way she plans engaging number activities, helping children develop an early understanding of mathematical concepts. This ongoing professional development ensures that teaching remains ambitious, inclusive and focused on helping every child make the best possible progress.

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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 tremendously happy and thrive in this warm and nurturing home-from-home setting. They make excellent progress in every aspect of their personal, social and educational development. They beam with excitement as the genuinely caring childminder welcomes them into the setting. Children confidently enter and independently hang their hats and bags on their own pegs. This daily routine shows that they feel secure, settled and have a deep sense of belonging. They then excitedly greet their peers, whom they are eager to spend time with.

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Inspector:

Louisa Taylor The curriculum is thoughtfully based on developing children's curiosity, kindness and independence. Children benefit significantly from a wide range of real-life, hands-on experiences that help them make sense of the world around them. As the setting is based in a village, children regularly go out into the local community. For example, they visit the greengrocer to buy fruit to make into ice lollies. During their trips within the local community, children practise important road safety skills and learn through meaningful everyday experiences.

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Inspector:

Children receive consistently high-quality care and education because their individual needs are understood and met effectively. They benefit from the childminder's close partnership with parents and carers and other relevant professionals, which helps ensure that support is carefully tailored and responsive. For example, the childminder explains how she uses pictures and visual 'now and next' boards to help children communicate their wants and wishes. These also help children begin to understand routines and make choices independently, which prepares them for school. These visual aids particularly support those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children who are non-verbal or speak English as an additional language.

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Inspector:

A love of books and reading is strongly prioritised. Children visit the library every other week and have regular access to a carefully rotated selection of books, alongside familiar favourites that provide comfort and reassurance. For some children, sharing familiar books has become an effective self-soothing strategy that boosts attendance, helping them to feel calm, secure and emotionally supported.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the children, 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.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 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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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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