Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2800620 Registered with Ofsted: 24/09/2024 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

All children, including those with barriers to learning, make substantial progress from their starting points. Activities reflect their interests and developmental stages. This ensures children gain the knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of learning. For example, children who enjoy playing with cars receive encouragement to count them and answer questions about how many there are. Children develop a love of books and join in with repeated phrases from familiar stories. They demonstrate growing confidence in communicating. Children express joy as they recall events from recent outings.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children build skills and develop a positive attitude towards mathematics through frequent opportunities to practise counting, sorting, grouping and comparing amounts. These activities foster children's confidence and curiosity in early mathematics. Children persevere as they use their developing fine motor skills to use variety of tools to create their own shakers. This demonstrates growing concentration and independence. This ensures children achieve very positive outcomes and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder is passionate about providing an environment, where children feel safe and secure in her nurturing care. The childminder has meaningful partnerships with parents and carers from the start. She offers a tailored settling-in process and ensures she understands children's individual needs from the start. Children feel at home in the childminder's house and are confident in exploring the environment. The childminder is highly responsive to all children's needs, including children with barriers to their learning. Children seek comfort from the childminder when they feel unsure, who offers reassurance and guides them back to play when they are ready. This has a positive impact on children's attachments, emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging. Children benefit from secure relationships. The childminder encourages older children to support the youngest children with activities. This creates a caring environment where children can thrive.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children enjoy relaxed mealtimes with the childminder. Children are supported to be independent and learn to peel and cut fruit for snack. Routines are well structured, yet adaptable to children's needs. They know they must wash their hands before eating. The childminder also reminds children to say 'please' and 'thank you', and children show positive manners. She provides a calm and comfortable environment for children who need to rest or sleep. The childminder regularly checks sleeping children to ensure that they remain safe.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder plans an interesting and varied curriculum. She shapes it around children's interests and development. The childminder ensures that all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, have the support they need to make progress from starting points. The childminder observes children closely and adapts activities to encourage their engagement. She uses every opportunity to introduce songs and stories into the daily routine. During play, the childminder engages children by asking thoughtful questions to

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Expected standard

extend ideas and share new vocabulary. She skilfully incorporates words, such as 'filter', 'twist' and 'balancing' into children's everyday language. This supports children's vocabulary development and language acquisition.

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Expected standard

The childminder plans meaningful opportunities for children to engage in mathematics, both within the routine and during interactions. For example, during sensory play in the tuff tray, she introduces containers of varying sizes and supports children in comparing them. The childminder is skilled at creating resources that engage children's imaginations. She reads stories with enthusiasm and uses props to bring stories to life. For example, the childminder uses familiar stories such as 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' and provides black and orange lentils for children to create patterns. The childminder retells the story and extends children's play to reinforce early mathematics and language development. The childminder takes children on outings in the community, including visits to local forests to find insects. This helps children to connect stories with real-life experiences.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is ambitious and strives to promote the best outcomes for all children. The childminder has close relationships with parents and carers. She ensures regular communication to support children's changing needs. The childminder keeps them informed about their progress. She also works collaboratively with families to support children's attendance.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly reflective of her practice. She continuously reviews her provision to identify strengths and areas for improvement. She then makes changes that strengthen children's experiences and outcomes. The childminder plans a curriculum that reflects children's interests, stages of development and emerging needs. Activities are purposeful and help all children, including those with barriers to learning, build skills over time. The childminder uses frequent and detailed observations and assessments of all children. She then adapts her planning to ensure that any gaps in knowledge, understanding or skills are targeted swiftly.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is committed to ensuring her professional development, knowledge and skills are kept up to date. She is proactive and attends a variety of courses. The childminder has plans to seek further training to embed effective strategies that support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to manage their behaviour into her practice. The childminder is part of a network group of childminders within the local childminding community. This helps her to offer high-quality support and brings practitioners together to share best practice and professional development training.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children's behaviour is generally calm and positive. They show kindness as the childminder supports them to share, take turns and play together respectfully. Children respond positively to these expectations. The childminder asks effective questions, gives children time to think and respond and carefully listens to their ideas. This means children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and show effective listening skills. The childminder supports children sensitively who need encouragement to participate. This provides safety and security for children to build confidence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Overall, the childminder manages children's behaviour well. She speaks calmly to children and helps to redirect behaviours that do not meet her high expectations. However, at times, children do not receive consistent support to develop an understanding of the reasons behind their actions. For example, she does not consistently support children to make connections about their feelings themselves. As a result, this limits opportunities to enable children to manage their behaviours.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder establishes clear routines that help children to understand what happens throughout the day. For example, children respond enthusiastically when it is time to wash their hands before mealtimes. The childminder understands the importance of punctuality and attendance. She offers support to parents and carers to ensure children attend when they are able.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations of all children, including those who face other barriers to their learning and wellbeing. She knows children very well and has a clear understanding of their individual needs, interests and stages of development. The childminder works closely with parents and carers of the children she cares for. This helps her learn about any changes in their circumstances that may cause a barrier to children's learning. The childminder maintains communication to discuss children's ongoing needs and offer support. As a result, children receive continuity which supports their progress from starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has a secure knowledge of what children know and what they need to do next and uses this to support their participation. The childminder makes adaptations to ensure all children can access learning successfully. For example, she takes activities to children who are quieter and less likely to proactively choose to do them. At times, children do not receive consistent support to understand and manage their behaviour. For example, the childminder recognises children's requests for food are not always linked to physical hunger and children are seeking reassurance. However, she does not always explain this to children, limiting opportunities for them to understand their behaviour. The childminder understands the importance of seeking appropriate support from outside agencies and professionals if she has concerns about children's development.

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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 thrive in the childminder's warm, welcoming and nurturing environment. Children are happy and settle quickly. They are confident in their surroundings, showing they feel safe and secure. Children demonstrate close attachments and a caring and trusting relationship with the childminder. They enjoy positive relationships with one another. Children's individual needs are understood, and the childminder knows children extremely well. She spends time with parents and carers to gather information about children's needs and interests before they start. This means children enjoy a tailored curriculum from the

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Inspector:

Naomi Beck beginning. All children, including those who face barriers to their learning, make significant progress from starting points. Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning and generally play well together. They learn to share, take turns and treat others with kindness and respect.

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Inspector:

Children are keen to take part in activities that the childminder provides. They enjoy a range of appealing and purposeful play opportunities in the engaging environment that the childminder has created. Learning feels meaningful and enjoyable as children explore activities linked to their interests. There is a balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities. Children develop their physical skills as they use pipettes during colour mixing. Children develop their communication and language skills as the childminder introduces and repeats new vocabulary during play and daily routines.

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Inspector:

Children feel supported to try new things and persevere. The process is treated as part of learning, helping children to build resilience and self-belief. For example, when children say, 'it is a mess' the childminder gently replies, 'it is not a mess, it is learning.' Children happily continue and once activities have finished, they show pride in their work. This means children are well prepared for their next steps. The childminder works closely with other settings to ensure smooth transitions for children.

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Next steps

The childminder should consistently support children to recognise their feelings and manage their own behaviours.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents and carers 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

The inspection started on 12th June 2026. It was paused in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. Inspectors returned on 18th June 2026 to complete the inspection.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 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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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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