Crofts, Katie Louise

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2770234 Registered with Ofsted: 14/01/2024 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 well in this high-quality setting. Children who need it the most receive highly focused attention and detailed support. Secure parent partnerships and two-way communication help to ensure the best progress is made. Children are embedding skills across all areas of learning and demonstrate excellent recall and confidence in their interactions.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children's personal, social and emotional development is strongly valued. The childminder recognises that children need to feel emotionally secure to fully benefit from further learning experiences. She talks to children about their feelings and supports them to recognise and validate these, including developing empathy and compassion for one another. Children display curiosity, perseverance and enjoyment in activities and interactions with their peers. All children make consistently positive progress from their starting points.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children's interests are followed and there are plenty of opportunities for children to explore freely and lead their own learning. The enthusiasm and encouragement offered by the childminder gives children the motivation and confidence to try new things. Children demonstrate a strong sense of pride in their achievements and know they are valued and respected.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children are developing highly positive attitudes to learning. The childminder values and listens to their ideas and opinions. The childminder teaches children to understand their own emotions and those of others through books, props and daily discussions. The familiar yet flexible daily routines help to ensure that children know what to expect and gain the emotional security to try new things. This has a positive impact on their learning. Children receive specific praise for their efforts. This helps them to learn what the expected behaviours are and encourages them to maintain them. All children are forging close friendships and secure relationships.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder promotes children's regular attendance. She recognises that this helps children to form good habits for future learning, and she works closely with parents to support this. The childminder monitors and records any absences, and parents are encouraged to maintain a consistent routine for their children. The childminder has developed secure relations with all families who attend, and highly effective communication is in place.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has high expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes. She has created a culture of empathy, kindness and respect and established clear and consistent routines. Children listen well and follow the childminder's gentle and consistent instructions and guidance. The childminder narrates and models expected behaviours, and the children follow these to learn the rules and boundaries of the setting. The childminder supports all children to thrive in her care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder implements highly effective procedures to demonstrate that children's welfare is well promoted. She creates a nurturing and supportive environment and teaches children to become increasingly independent in managing their personal needs. Hygiene practices are robust, with children consistently supported to wash their hands and attend to their self-care with minimal prompts. Any support in these processes is gentle and supportive and promotes children's welfare, dignity and privacy.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's physical development is well promoted through regular access to the childminder's purposeful garden and outings in the local community. Children receive healthy, balanced and nutritious food and drinks. They learn the benefits of exercise, rest and nutrition. The childminder promotes healthy eating and good oral health, both in the setting and through partnerships and information sharing at home. The childminder works closely with parents to create a positive culture that promotes their understanding about healthy food choices, and this is consistent in the packed lunches they provide from home.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder teaches children to manage their own risks safely, such as offering gentle reminders to finish their mouthful before talking so they do not choke. She also teaches them about animal safety and how to safely feed the pet rabbits. Children are learning the reasons behind their actions and are given the freedom and autonomy to make their own decisions.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder knows every family and the community she serves very well. Her partnerships with parents are very well established. She supports parents through signposting and regular conversations, and parents appreciate that the childminder is very approachable and supportive.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has high expectations for all children's learning and development. She has implemented a balanced curriculum that ensures learning is closely matched to what children need to learn next and is successfully differentiated for all children in attendance. She knows the children very well and pays close attention to their preferred learning styles to support them to make the best possible progress. The curriculum is child-led, purposeful and fluid. The childminder is highly skilled at adapting in the moment, following children's interests and extending their learning by adding ambitious vocabulary and concepts. For example, a recent caterpillar hatching experience led to discussions on cocoons, chrysalis and metamorphosis, with children confidently recalling the stages before a butterfly was formed.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder shares information with parents about children's learning. She supports children's transitions to school superbly well. For example, she uses stories, visits and discussions to help prepare children for the move, when the time comes. Children are becoming confident and capable individuals and demonstrate pride in their new skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children demonstrate a love of reading, and songs and stories are a consistent element of their daily learning. For example, children are highly engaged in an enticing story time of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. The childminder reads with enthusiasm, and children are eager to find the corresponding number of fruits to feed the crocheted caterpillar prop. Children receive an abundance of praise for the correct matching and their interests are sustained throughout.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is passionate about including every child and their family in her setting. She makes sure that any barriers children face are swiftly identified. For those children that receive additional funding, the childminder ensures they have access to the support that would be of the utmost benefit, closely matched to the identified priorities for children's development.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder ensures that children of all ages and stages have a suitably differentiated curriculum, and she consistently adapts her practice to suit all children. She uses assessment well to check what children know and can do, and she tailors her teaching in collaboration with parents to children's different starting points. This accurate and targeted approach helps to ensure all children progress well.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Parents are highly positive about the care their children receive. They feed back on the additional support they have had as a family and the attention to detail in ensuring their children's needs are fully met. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those that are disadvantaged receive the focused support they need. In order to create a sustained and transformational approach to inclusion, the childminder should undertake further higher-level training on supporting children with SEND in order to enhance her arrangements for supporting children who may present with identified needs in the future.

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Inclusion Strong standard

For children who speak English as an additional language, the childminder goes above and beyond to ensure they are included and valued in her setting. She provides many opportunities for them to experience the awe and wonder of the world through real-life experiences, such as going on a bus for the first time and interacting with people from different backgrounds. Close friendships have formed and children learn to develop empathy and respect for each other's differences.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly knowledgeable on the statutory requirements in the early years foundation stage, and she ensures these duties are carried out effectively. She has a reflective and ambitious vision for providing high-quality education and care to children in the local community. Her self-evaluation identifies areas of strength, such as her secure parent partnerships and close community links. Parents are highly appreciative of how she goes above and beyond to meet the needs of their children and supports them to build on this at home.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder recognises the importance of continued professional development. She has level 2 and 3 qualifications in early years education, as well as undertaking ongoing training relevant to her role and the children she cares for. The childminder has forged secure relationships with parents and other professionals. She continually shares information with parents about their children's development, including the progress check at age 2, and she supports parents to extend their children's learning at home. She ensures that children thrive in all aspects of their development and are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage.

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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 display high levels of confidence and enjoyment in this enticing setting. The childminder is kind, friendly and nurturing. She has forged secure bonds with the children and knows their unique personalities and interests very well. Children's emerging interests are included in the well-planned curriculum, and their next steps are sharply focused on their preferred learning styles. Children demonstrate ownership and inclusion in the setting and know they are valued by the childminder. Any barriers to learning are removed and children express their joy and contentment in the setting and are well prepared for their next stage.

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

Partnerships with parents are very well established. The childminder has forged secure relationships due to her regular communication and daily feedback. She signposts to useful local services and supports parents to extend children's learning at home. For those children and families that need the most support, the childminder is on hand to ensure they have access to the relevant services and support to help them thrive. The childminder recognises the importance of children's regular attendance and follows up on any absences in a timely manner. This helps to ensure children's wellbeing and continuity of care. All children are making swift and timely progress from their starting points.

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

Children's confidence and social skills are promoted well during their regular outings in the local community. They demonstrate exemplary behaviour and highly positive attitudes to learning. The childminder has created an ambitious curriculum that helps to ensure children learn the necessary skills across all areas of learning. Children are learning about the world around them, and the childminder skilfully weaves in learning opportunities through everyday experiences. They also experience intergenerational learning through their visits to the local care home. This gives them an understanding of each other's differences and develops their respect and empathy for others.

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Next steps

The childminder should undertake further higher level training on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities in order to enhance her arrangements for supporting children who may present with identified needs in the future.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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,Friday : 08:00 - 17:30

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About this setting

Local authority: Cheshire West and Chester

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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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