Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2574964 Registered with Ofsted: 16/07/2020 Registers: EYR, CCR

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Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding. This puts children at significant risk of harm. The childminder has failed to ensure that any assistants she works with have completed the necessary suitability checks with Ofsted in a timely manner. Furthermore, she has failed to ensure that these people are not left alone with children. This means that children are being cared for by adults who may not be suitable. Adults who the childminder deems suitable to work with children do not understand how to identify the signs and symptoms of abuse or where to report these concerns. Additionally, these people do not understand where to report any concerns about other adults' behaviour with children.

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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 Needs attention

The poor quality of education and care being offered impacts negatively on the development of children's focus and attention. Children are frequently left to play on their own with minimal interactions from the childminder. This results in children not developing the concentration skills they need. This impacts most significantly on children who are disadvantaged.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder has appropriate expectations for children's behaviour. This includes supporting them to share and take turns. For instance, the childminder asks children to take turns to ride on toys in the garden. Children cooperate well. The childminder models using manners for children to copy, encouraging them to be polite. Children show they understand routines during the day. For example, they sit well with others during a circle time, join in singing songs and listen to stories. The childminder helps children to consider the feelings of others. For example, when children sit in groups to listen to stories, she reminds them to stay seated because if they stand, other children behind them may not be able to see the images on the pages.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder speaks to parents about the importance of attendance to promote their children's welfare.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Children do not achieve their full potential. This does not prepare them effectively for their eventual move on to school. Children independently select toys, resources and activities to join. However, they develop their learning from their own ideas, thoughts and curiosity and not from any support they receive. For instance, children climb steps and go down slides to promote their balance and coordination. Children use tools, such as brushes to paint, that help to develop their hand-eye coordination. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are encouraged to join group times. Although during these times, children who are beginning to learn English are not able to share their thoughts and ideas. Therefore, they do not take part as much as others.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

The childminder does not ensure that every child's care needs are individually tailored. This includes not providing all children with appropriate seating when they eat. For instance, some younger children sit on the floor to eat their lunch due to the childminder not having enough highchairs for them to use. This means that children's posture is not correctly established to help avoid possible choking and for them to be included with others to support their social skills. Due to the childminder's curriculum not being effective to support children's development, children are not given experiences to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others. This is particularly for children whose families originate from other countries.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

The childminder follows routines children receive at home, especially when they first start attending. Once children feel emotionally secure in the childminder's care, she adapts these to the routines in her home. Relationships between the childminder and children are established during personal care routines. For instance, the childminder talks to children when she changes their nappies in private.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Children have opportunities to be active outdoors. Younger children climb up steps to slides and are reminded to lower their heads on apparatus to avoid causing injury. This helps children to understand how to promote their safety. The childminder helps children to understand the importance of oral health. For instance, she provides activities for them to explore how to brush teeth.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

The childminder's curriculum is not ambitious for children. She does not accurately identify what children need to learn next to help them progress, including when they first start. The childminder does not demonstrate that she is able to sequence children's learning to help children build on what they already know. Instead, she focuses on children's interests only when planning activities. This means that children are not supported effectively to make progress in their learning. The childminder provides activities that children engage in, based on their interests, such as to use paints. However, these activities are not focused on learning priorities. Children lead their own learning with minimal input from the childminder. Therefore, most learning is achieved through chance instead of being planned for and purposeful.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

The infrequent learning opportunities that the childminder does offer are the same for all children. She does not adapt her practice appropriately to meet children's individual needs. For example, during a painting activity and group time, she wants all children to sit together and concentrate without any guidance or support. Due to not identifying children's learning needs, support for some areas of learning is missed, such as to help children develop their understanding of mathematics and the world around them. This means children do not learn the skills they need in preparation for the future.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

The childminder shares books with children. She asks some older children to identify images on the pages and to learn new words, such as 'hippopotamus', to help build on their speaking skills. However, this support is not adapted for all children, particularly those who speak English as an additional language, who are not encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas. The childminder provides opportunities for children to be physically active, such as taking them for trips to the park to use larger apparatus.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

The childminder does not identify the individual needs of children to be able to support them appropriately. Children who speak English as an additional language receive poor support. The childminder does not identify, through assessments, how to help children to take part in and benefit from activities. For example, during group times, the childminder does not consider how to support children who are in the early stages of learning English to share their thoughts and views. This lack of consideration for their individual needs also impacts negatively on children's confidence and self-esteem.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

The childminder is not currently caring for children who have any special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, she understands how to support children's needs through the appropriate use of additional funding and the importance of effective communication with parents and other professionals.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

The childminder has not taken sufficient action to meet previous weaknesses in practice to promote the safety of all children, including those who face barriers to their learning. She has not ensured that any assistants she works with have provided information to Ofsted to ensure they have the required suitability checks. Furthermore, the childminder includes these adults in staff-to-child ratios and leaves them alone with children. This practice does not promote the best interests for children's welfare or safety.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

The childminder holds daily discussions with the adults she works with, to promote their wellbeing. Although she completes safeguarding training herself, the childminder does not ensure that any adults she works with have an adequate knowledge of safeguarding to promote children's safety and welfare. Parents are informed about activities children engage in during the day, for example through discussions with the childminder and the exchange of messages.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not 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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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children's safety and welfare are not assured. This is because assistants the childminder works with have not had their suitability checked with Ofsted. Furthermore, children are left alone and included in staff-to-child ratios with these adults. Additionally, these adults do not understand how to identify potential signs of child abuse or where to report concerns. Children are not provided with appropriate seating during mealtimes. Some younger children sit on the floor to eat while their peers sit around tables and in highchairs. This does not enable them to take part in interactions with others to help develop their social skills and does not promote their welfare.

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

The childminder gathers information from parents about children's development when they first start. However, she does not use this information to plan purposeful learning experiences. This means that all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are not able to build on what they already know and can do. The curriculum does not support children to develop and progress in all areas of learning. Therefore, this impacts negatively on their ability to achieve. Children independently choose activities to take part in, but their learning is self-taught as they do not receive purposeful interactions to help them build on developing appropriate skills and knowledge for the future. Children confidently arrive and separate from parents. They understand and follow routines. For instance, children place their bags in the allocated space and hang their coats on low- level coat hooks. This contributes to them being independent in managing their own

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

belongings. Children positively interact with the childminder. This includes them asking for resources, such as for more water when they play outdoors. If children do not attend, the childminder monitors the reasons why and helps parents to understand the importance of children attending regularly.

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Next steps

The provider is not meeting the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.

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Next steps

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to have taken the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure Ofsted are given information to ensure suitability checks can be completed for assistants 01/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that proposed assistants who have not had their suitability checked with Ofsted are not left alone with children 01/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that assistants are not included in child-to-staff ratios until confirmation of their suitability is confirmed by Ofsted 01/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure adults who you deem suitable to care for children have an up-to-date safeguarding knowledge 01/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure children are seated safely and appropriately while eating. 01/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure the curriculum is planned and implemented to meet each child's individual learning and developmental needs 18/06/2026

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About this setting

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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Action Completion Date

provide children with purposeful learning to reflect the different rates at which children develop and adjust practice appropriately to meet their individual needs. 18/06/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistants 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 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 inspection

We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information about this. This data is from 18 March 2026

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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. 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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