Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2790841 Registered with Ofsted: 26/06/2024 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

All children develop meaningful, sensitive attachments with the childminder, who is highly responsive and in tune with each child's needs. She has an in-depth knowledge of individual children and, as such, knows their personal cues. She anticipates when babies and young children need personal care or some extra support or reassurance. For example, babies receive warm, comforting cuddles as the childminder recognises they are getting tired. The childminder skilfully anticipates moments when young children may need guidance, such as taking turns, providing swift and appropriate support when needed.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has well-established, familiar routines that promote children's positive behaviours and attitudes towards learning, as well as each other. She is calm and consistent in her interactions and messages she gives children. When she needs to reinforce expected behaviours, the childminder does so gently but consistently. Children respond well to this, following the childminder's directions as they learn right from wrong. The childminder is swift to praise children when they listen well or show kindness to friends. Interactions between the childminder and children help them to become confident in recognising and managing their feelings and behaviours. For example, when children display feelings as they play, the childminder acknowledges and names the feelings. This helps children develop an understanding of their emotions and supports their ability to express themselves.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is inclusive in her approaches to behaviour. She uses her comprehensive knowledge of each child to support them to consistently engage with learning and each other. Her interactions motivate children to persevere, when an activity is challenging. This builds children's resilience and sets them up well for future learning. The childminder encourages children to share their wants, needs and ideas. She is respectful and responsive to children's thoughts. The childminder promotes positive attendance for all children. She works with parents to form a shared understanding of the importance of regular attendance, ensuring children fully benefit from the learning opportunities on offer.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder understands children's emotional wellbeing is the foundation to their happiness as well as their learning. She consistently provides warm and responsive care that supports all children's personal, social and emotional development faultlessly. She knows children and their families very well and works hard to promote consistency in children's care routines. For example, the childminder gains detailed information to care for babies. She tailors their routines to home, including milk times and sleep routines. This enables babies' emotional needs to be consistently met. The childminder promotes positive relationships with parents. This supports continuity in children's learning between her setting and children's homes and supports progress and development of key skills, such as potty training and weaning experiences.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children show secure attachments with the childminder and demonstrate a clear sense of security in her care. They are confident, relaxed and happy. These positive relationships are reflected in how children respond to unfamiliar adults, remaining calm and comfortable in their presence, using the childminder as a familiar base of reassurance if needed.

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Expected standard

Children's physical health and wellbeing are promoted effectively. They benefit from healthy meals and snacks and are consistently encouraged to develop independence during mealtimes. For instance, children fill up their own water bottles and prepare snacks using age-appropriate tools under close supervision. Positive hygiene routines are embedded into daily routines. As a result, children independently follow self-care routines, such as washing their hands before eating or after wiping their noses. This is consistently reinforced by the childminder through praise and encouragement. These opportunities support children to develop early healthy habits. The childminder regularly teaches children about oral health through age-appropriate discussions and fun activities, such as giant teeth cleaning. This helps children to gain an understanding of why cleaning their teeth is important and further supports their ability to understand how to keep themselves healthy.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make progress from their starting points. Children develop a love for early reading and stories as they are incorporated into their daily routines. Young children self- select books and confidently ask the childminder to read to them. They listen with focus and attention as the childminder reads with enthusiasm.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop a 'can-do' attitude as they receive encouragement to keep trying when things challenge them. For instance, children persevere as they work out how to connect their trains using the magnets on either side. They recall past learned information as they remember to turn their trains around as they workout which side of the magnet will connect. They receive purposeful praise and encouragement and demonstrate pride when they succeed.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop social skills. Young children are supported to take turns and develop an understanding of their own and each other's feelings. Children listen well to instructions and show confidence in well-established, familiar routines.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children make secure progress in all areas of their learning. However, they do not always benefit from access to activities or experiences that fully embed all areas of learning. This does not fully support them to consistently expand and refine their skills to their full potential.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder is very clear on the aims of her curriculum and how these are tailored to her current cohort of children attending. The range of experiences and activities on offer to children are enjoyable and promote their individual development. The childminder knows what children have learned, and what they need to learn next. She adapts activities to ensure they are inclusive and supports children's current ages and stages of development. This helps children to build on existing skills. For example, babies are supported to develop their core muscle skills as they learn to roll over and begin to develop balance and core strength to sit up. Young children are supported to learn about their emotions as they begin to recognise their own and others' feelings. They learn to take turns and enjoy playing together.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children's communication and language skills are a focus. The childminder appropriately narrates their play and explains routine times, providing a language-rich environment. Babies hear clearly spoken words, benefit from the childminder's exaggerated facial expressions and enjoy shared babble to simulate early conversational skills. Young children delight in back-and-forth discussions, sharing their ideas, wants and needs. Children learn new words in context to broaden their vocabulary, such as 'scrunch' and 'soft'. In addition, children are given time to respond to instruction or questions, helping them to develop critical thinking and become confident in their communications.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder teaches children to be independent. For example, children confidently and safely prepare their own healthy snacks. Together, the childminder and children count how many pieces they have cut their bananas into and think about whether the pieces are small or big. If pieces are too big, they talk about cutting them 'smaller' or 'in half' so they can eat them safely. These opportunities not only promote children's developing life skills but skilfully weave early mathematics into every day routine activities and helps children to learn how to keep themselves safe. Overall, the childminder provides a broad and ambitious curriculum that is well sequenced to build on children's existing skills. However, the childminder does not consistently consider how she can fully promote all areas of learning through activities that are accessible to children. For example, children do not have consistently accessible

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

opportunities for them to mark make creatively to refine their fine motor skills, dexterity and hand–eye coordination even further.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder understands the differing needs of children in her care and promotes inclusive practice. She recognises a range of factors that could present as a barrier to children's learning and/or wellbeing. She knows how to support children, who may face barriers or have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder promotes positive outcomes for all children so that every child can achieve, thrive and belong. She makes regular observations of children and breaks down their next steps to ensure meaningful learning. This enables her to identify areas, where children are not making expected progress and initiate any additional support swiftly. The childminder understands the importance of working together with any other professional that may be supporting children, and she has a clear understanding of referral processes should children need further intervention.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder promotes and strives to achieve a collaborative working approach. This includes with parents as well as other early years settings children may also attend, recognising the importance of consistency to enable children to feel secure and learn. The childminder has sought and continues to seek relevant training relating to inclusion to further enhance her own personal effectiveness. In turn, this positively impacts on the outcomes for all children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The dedicated childminder strives to provide the very best care and learning experiences for children. She is reflective and, overall, identifies strengths in her practice as well as aspects to enhance. The childminder understands the importance of staying up to date, using various methods to ensure her knowledge remains current and her practice in line with any updated guidance, such as safer sleep, to ensure children are kept safe. The childminder continually seeks to enhance her professional development, such as seeking further training around inclusion. This ensures she is well equipped to support any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works hard to form robust relationships with parents, recognising the importance of continuity of care. She has processes in place for children who attend other early years setting as well as hers. She shares information, learning and achievements, further promoting continuity for children. The childminder gathers valuable information when children start, which contributes to children's positive experiences as they settle in. This helps children to establish positive attachments with the childminder right from the start.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder recognises the importance of children accessing the local community. For instance, children benefit from trips to local green spaces as well as a variety of different toddler groups. These opportunities support children's understanding of the world around them and broadens children's social connections.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents value the childminder and the homely, safe environment she creates. They report great confidence in her and are highly complimentary of the care and learning opportunities their children receive. Parents confidently seek support and guidance from the childminder, such as advice on weaning processes and potty training. The childminder has developed open and trusting bonds with children and their families that reflects a positive culture, where children thrive and are kept safe.

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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 demonstrate a genuine enjoyment to attend the childminder's home, where they show a real sense of belonging. Children receive warm welcomes on arrival. They are quick to place their belongings away, swiftly greet their friends and delve into the variety of play experiences on offer. Children confidently explore the well-considered environment that the childminder carefully plans. Children benefit from a curriculum that has clear intentions tailored to the needs of the children, incorporating their ongoing interests, immediate curiosities, as well as their individual next steps in learning. For instance, children delight in exploring coloured sensory scarves. They explore their textures and enjoy scrunching them into the palm of their hands before throwing them into the air and excitedly watching them fall. Children play together very well as they develop positive social skills and build early

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

friendships. The childminder recognises and promotes the importance of children's attendance, particularly to sustain the very secure relationships they have built.

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

The childminder prides herself on having a comprehensive knowledge of each individual child. As a result, children, including the youngest babies, build warm, trusting bonds with the childminder. They confidently seek her out to join their play, seek reassurance, as well as support when needed. The childminder's frequent interactions with children help them to achieve and thrive. She places a focus on children's emotional wellbeing and, as such, children clearly feel safe and secure. The childminder understands the importance of working collaboratively with parents, promoting consistency in children's care and a shared understanding of children's progress and next steps. Children have an abundance of opportunities to gain independence, confidence and resilience. For example, young children recognise their own self care needs, confidently seeking a tissue to wipe their nose. They know to place this in the bin, before washing their hands to wash away any germs. Children

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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. are supported to develop healthy habits through familiar routines and positive role modelling from the childminder.

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Next steps

The childminder should continue to embed her curriculum consistently, to ensure children fully benefit from accessing all areas of learning at every opportunity.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection, as well as took into account written feedback provided from parents for the purpose of 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. This data is from 17 June 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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