Lillyman, Rachel Louise

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2811614 Registered with Ofsted: 24/02/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

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.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Children typically make steady progress from their starting points and develop the essential knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of learning. They communicate with increasing confidence, develop their vocabulary, join in with familiar songs and begin to express their ideas and needs. Children develop positive relationships, play cooperatively with their peers and confidently invite others to join their play.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Children gain age-appropriate mathematical knowledge as they count, sort, match and solve simple problems during everyday play. They strengthen their fine motor control through a range of practical experiences, such as using tweezers, gluing and sticking. Children become increasingly curious as they investigate and explore the world around them. They make links with their own experiences during imaginative play, noticing changes, such as objects sinking in water. They confidently use their senses to explore. For example, they smell lemons and invite their friends to smell them too.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing make progress from their individual starting points because their needs are identified early and appropriate support helps them access learning alongside their peers.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder establishes clear and consistent routines that help children understand what is expected of them and develop a sense of security. Children behave well, take turns and show consideration for one another. They develop positive relationships and confidently invite their friends to join their play. The childminder works closely with parents to promote continuity in their approaches to help children understand and manage their feelings and behaviour.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder generally promotes positive attitudes to learning through enjoyable experiences that encourage children to participate and persevere. Children concentrate well as they listen to stories, understand familiar routines and develop positive mealtime behaviours, such as waiting their turn and using good table manners. However, at times, the childminder's intended teaching takes precedence over children's own ideas. This reduces opportunities for children to make choices, lead their own learning and build on what they already know, understand and can do independently.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents and health professionals to identify and overcome health needs that may affect children's attendance. She makes appropriate adaptations to children's care so they can continue to access the curriculum and participate in everyday experiences.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides warm, nurturing care that helps children feel safe, secure and emotionally supported. She implements effective policies and procedures to promote children's health and wellbeing, including those relating to illness, hygiene and safe sleep. The childminder routinely reviews her safe sleep practice in line with current guidance, helping to ensure children's care reflects up-to-date expectations for their safety and wellbeing. She works closely with parents to ensure children's individual health needs are understood and met. She follows effective hygiene routines, such as during nappy changing, helping to reduce the risk of infection and promote children's wellbeing.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder generally helps children develop healthy habits through everyday routines. Children learn the importance of washing their hands before eating, staying hydrated, being physically active each day and caring for their teeth. She encourages children to eat safely and teaches them not to rush their food. The childminder supports children to develop increasing independence in their self-care. This includes working with parents to help children move from bottles to open cups when they are developmentally ready. The childminder works with parents to encourage healthy lunchboxes and typically supports children to develop increasing independence in making healthy choices.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has designed a broad curriculum that places a clear emphasis on children's communication and language, mathematical development and fine motor skills. She typically plans engaging experiences that build on children's interests, such as extending their fascination with butterflies into activities exploring colours, sorting and problem-solving.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder generally delivers purposeful teaching using a wide range of effective strategies, including modelling, questioning and joining in with children's play. She uses singing and books to introduce new vocabulary. The childminder makes learning enjoyable through games and practical experiences that encourage children to think, solve problems and learn together. She uses both the indoor and outdoor environments, alongside opportunities within the local community, to provide a broad range of meaningful learning experiences that capture children's interests and promote their development.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder generally uses assessment effectively to plan children's next steps. However, she does not consistently use this information precisely to match teaching to children's individual stages of development. As a result, some planned learning does not build sequentially on what children already know, understand and can do.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder generally knows children well and identifies emerging needs at an early stage. She understands how additional funding should be used to meet the individual needs of eligible children. The childminder works closely with parents to understand children's individual circumstances and takes timely action to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing. For example, when children encounter barriers in their communication and language development, she works with parents, health visitors and speech and language therapists to identify needs early, make appropriate referrals and secure the support children need. She uses visual supports and signing to help children communicate their needs and wishes, develop their understanding and extend their language. The childminder typically uses assessment information to identify children's progress and next steps. However, she does not consistently use the progress check at age two to

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

provide parents, health visitors and other professionals with a comprehensive picture of children's development, including aspects that may be hindering their progress.

p.4

Inclusion Expected standard

She works closely with parents and health professionals to understand children's health needs and make appropriate adaptations so children can access the curriculum and participate fully in everyday experiences.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear vision for her setting and identifies some ways to improve children's experiences. She plans to extend the use of natural resources to broaden children's learning and intends to strengthen partnership working with other early years settings.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder maintains her professional knowledge through mandatory training and networking with other childminders. She values professional discussion with other childminders and professionals, such as speech and language therapists. She uses these opportunities to exchange ideas, reflect on her practice and keep abreast of current developments. The childminder has used this learning to strengthen aspects of her teaching, particularly in supporting children's communication and language development. However, she does not routinely identify and pursue professional development opportunities to strengthen all aspects of her practice.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder places clear value on partnership working with parents. She builds trusting relationships with parents and works closely with them to share information about children's care and routines. She provides regular verbal updates, photographs and ongoing discussions that help parents understand their children's progress and continue learning at home. Parents value the childminder's approachable manner and regular communication about their children's care, learning and development.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.4

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.4

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

Children enjoy attending this welcoming setting where they are cared for by the warm and nurturing childminder. Regular attendance helps the children become familiar with the predictable routines. They develop secure relationships and confidently seek out the childminder to share their ideas, involve her in their play and communicate their needs. Children happily learn alongside one another. They build friendships, learn to take turns and develop a growing sense of belonging through familiar routines, songs and shared experiences. Younger children confidently take their peers by the hand to invite them into their play, demonstrating the secure relationships and positive social skills they develop.

p.5

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

Children make generally steady progress from their starting points. They develop mathematical understanding through daily opportunities to count, sort, match and solve simple problems. For example, they eagerly take turns during a colour-matching game, laughing as they try to trick one another by placing the coloured figures in the wrong containers before working together to solve the problem.

p.5

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

Children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing receive appropriate support, helping them become increasingly confident and independent. Children who benefit from additional support use visual prompts and signing to help them understand routines and anticipate what will happen next. This helps them participate confidently in everyday experiences alongside their peers.

p.5

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

Children explore an inviting environment that offers a broad range of interesting resources indoors and outdoors. They enjoy investigating, using their imagination and developing their physical and fine motor skills. For example, children eagerly explore sensory materials, using dried ingredients to create imaginative cooking experiences. They fill, scoop, pour and mix with curiosity, sharing resources as they develop their own role-play stories and draw on their everyday experiences.

p.5

Next steps

The childminder should use assessment information more precisely so teaching consistently matches children's current stage of development and builds sequentially on what they already know, understand and can do. The childminder should achieve a more effective balance between adult-led and child-led learning so children have increased opportunities to make decisions, lead and sustain their own interests.

p.5

About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 05:30

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.6

Age range of children at the time of inspection

The childminder should identify and pursue professional development more strategically so it strengthens the aspects of teaching and learning that will have the greatest impact on children's progress and experiences.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and parents during the inspection.

p.6

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.

p.6

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.7

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.7

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.

p.7

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

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 . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Urgent improvement

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

p.8