Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2699920 Registered with Ofsted: 06/03/2023 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 make amazing progress through the curriculum, especially in communication and language and within all areas of learning. This also includes those children who may need extra support in their learning and/or wellbeing. They can confidently express their needs, engage in conversations, and are well prepared for school. They are eager to learn new words during story time and imaginative play. For example, they initiate a pretend phone call to their dad and use numbers and phrases they have learned, demonstrating very effective language development and creativity. Children gain a sense of confidence and independence; they can ride a bike and pull themselves up on the slide, demonstrating their effective physical skills.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children demonstrate curiosity, resilience and the ability to start their own play. They learn about sea creatures and understand that some live in the ocean and others on land. The childminder supports their understanding and builds on their knowledge around creatures and hot and cold.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are developing their independence and communication skills amazingly. They are confident learners and enjoy reading and bringing stories to life, particularly through imaginative play and baking pies. Children show interest and focus in the activities available to them and use these opportunities to build on their knowledge, skills and overall development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has built positive relationships with the children and has created a welcoming environment where clear age-appropriate expectations for behaviour are consistently reinforced. Children enjoy spending time with the childminder. She shows respect, kindness and empathy, fostering effective, trusting relationships with every child. As a result, children feel a sense of belonging, value and security and respond very positively to the clear boundaries set for them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder actively teaches and encourages collaboration, guiding children's involvement through tailored activities and daily routines, helping them develop new social and emotional skills. Children play happily, exploring sand, play dough and sea creatures and making pretend pies, and the childminder uses opportunities to join in and build on what the children know. This approach helps develop children's confidence, language development, and fine motor skills very effectively and supports their attitudes to learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates an understanding of her responsibilities and emphasises the importance of punctuality and regular attendance. She works with families to ensure children get the most out of the planned curriculum. She clearly states expectations and helps families resolve attendance issues by offering later drop-off times or additional days for sickness or appointments.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder manages behaviour appropriately and is consistent. She uses positive reinforcement, adapts her approach, and provides extra guidance for children when needed, particularly in sharing and turn-taking. This approach ensures that expectations are fair and that children are given opportunities to practise these skills effectively, as it encourages children to develop empathy.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder places children's welfare, safety and wellbeing at the heart of the setting. Children demonstrate very effective relationships with her and show a sense of belonging, are valued, secure, and respected within their environment. The childminder gets to know the families and children well and uses a positive approach in responding to their emerging needs, circumstances and individual routines. As a result, children feel settled, show confidence, and adopt a positive attitude towards participating in learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's overall wellbeing remains paramount. The childminder offers warm, nurturing and attentive care. The childminder offers individual support to children that helps them regulate their emotions and implement positive strategies to recognise and understand emotions among their peers. For example, when a child shows tiredness, the childminder responds calmly, soothingly and reassuringly to ensure their needs are well met. As a result, children feel supported and recognise it is time to rest in a calming space.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder effectively fosters healthy lifestyles by introducing children to nutritious meals and snacks, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and by using a flexible approach that helps children adapt well to routines like handwashing, healthy eating and physical activities. Appropriate care routines and practices are effectively implemented sensitively to ensure children are supported. For example, children's individual routines are respected, particularly around mealtimes and sleep. This helps them to feel secure, comfortable and supported in their wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children benefit from a nurturing, responsive and highly stimulating inclusive environment where they are guided and encouraged to let their voices be heard and to develop a sense of confidence and emotional security.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a deep understanding of the curriculum and effective teaching, ensuring that children make very effective progress. She makes well-informed decisions by deliberately assessing what children know and can do. This helps her to better understand their individual learning needs, particularly for children who are disadvantaged or face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder carefully designs the curriculum to fully meet the children's learning needs. She understands the importance of promoting children's language development, play and vocabulary. For example, she ensures they have chance for reading, talking and thinking time, as well as one-to-one conversations. These are fostered to encourage children's language and strengthen their understanding consistently.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder prioritises communication and mathematical language, as well as children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. She plans activities to foster the children's skills and abilities. For example, she plans a creative activity with sea creatures, different stones, books and other resources. This inspires their exploration and understanding of sea life creatures, which the childminder simplifies for younger children to build their knowledge very effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Younger children benefit from carefully selected sensory experiences as they explore the water with different-sized stones, developing their fine motor skills very effectively. This approach helps meet children's different developmental needs. The childminder demonstrates sound knowledge, passion and understanding of children's emerging needs and has clear strategies in place to support these and their skill set effectively. This helps children to achieve very positive outcomes for the next phase of their learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder knows the children well and understands their needs. She proactively identifies and assesses each child's individual needs through thoughtful observation of them and ongoing discussion with families. Her robust assessment process helps identify children's needs early, ensuring timely interventions from the outset. This inclusive approach supports every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those facing barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. As a result, children can thrive in an environment that meets their needs.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder consistently implements supportive plans and works actively in partnership with families and professionals, including external agencies, to create a collaborative network around each child. This approach and support system shape their experiences very effectively through tailored support, expanded opportunities, and enrichment. For example, visual aids and flash cards are used to communicate effectively with children, and tailored sensory activities such as play dough and sand offer them stimulating ways to learn.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Through these inclusive practices, the setting enables all children to thrive, learn and develop new skills. In addition, the childminder has an open communication approach with parents to support their understanding of interventions and the systems in place to support their children's learning. As a result, parents have a better understanding of the support and its impact on their children's progress. Moreover, this approach helps children build confidence and achieve positive outcomes in a nurturing environment.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear vision and understanding of the setting's strengths and has designed and implemented a highly stimulating curriculum that supports children to progress very well from their starting points. The approach to teaching is robust. The childminder is knowledgeable and reflective. She consistently identifies areas for continuous improvement and has implemented strategies to strengthen the environment and the experiences that are available to children. As a result, children's learning and development are positively impacted, particularly their communication and language skills.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder actively collaborates with the local borough council by attending forums and pursuing targeted training to strengthen her knowledge of the curriculum and good practice. This approach helps ensure the highest standards in the setting are maintained. The childminder adapts practice and the environment and acts in the best interests of every child, with particular attention to those who are disadvantaged, those known to social care, or those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. This is to ensure all children receive the support from the outset to achieve high outcomes.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder prioritises her wellbeing and workload through effective, careful planning to access high-quality professional training and development. She sets and upholds clear expectations in line with the early years foundation stage, keeping her teaching, children's learning, and safeguarding at the forefront of daily practice.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder works well with parents and external professionals to ensure she responds positively to children's needs, thereby supporting early interventions. The childminder's unwavering commitment and robust approach to children's learning, safety, welfare and achievement are evident. As a result, children show they are learning and thriving in their wellbeing.

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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 feel happy, safe and secure in an environment where their needs and voices matter. They are celebrated for their achievements, no matter how big or small, and their progress is recognised through encouragement and praise, particularly when learning to take on challenges such as riding a bike. Rich opportunities are provided, including a range of activities for the children to access with increasing control. For example, children investigate a builder's tray to explore big and small sea creatures and match them to pictures in a book, demonstrating a sense of achievement. Children show they are developing their physical skills as they ride, move up and down the slide, and hop, in a spacious, stimulating environment that consistently meets their interests and needs.

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

The childminder collaborates amazingly with parents and cares to gain a better understanding of the children's needs from the beginning. She carefully tailors the curriculum and adapts her teaching to each child's age, developmental needs and interests. As a result, children feel supported, develop a sense of belonging, and adapt well to the highly effective routine. Robust partnership with parents ensures children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing additional barriers to their learning, get the correct support promptly. This approach consistently helps develop children's confidence, self-esteem and independence, and ensures children enjoy new challenges that enable them to make progress from their starting points, including school readiness.

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

Children develop a positive attitude towards learning and behave well. The childminder provides consistent support and guidance to help the children follow routines and understand positive behaviour within the available space. Children develop positive relationships with the childminder and can communicate their needs appropriately and listen well. They learn to trust, communicate and collaborate, developing confidence and very effective social skills for their future learning.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:30

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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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Next steps

The childminder should ensure continued improvement by further extending opportunities for children to think critically, solve problems independently, and express their ideas during play and learning experiences.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder.

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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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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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