Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY340495 Registered with Ofsted: 11/09/2006 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR

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

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has clear and consistent boundaries in place for behaviour. She supports children to understand what is expected at her setting, such as sharing, turn-taking and kind behaviour. She embeds good manners consistently and reminds children about 'the magic word'. Children concentrate and engage well in learning, when it is something they have chosen, such as building a castle with blocks. However, less so when the childminder is directing the play.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder places high priority on monitoring attendance. She recognises the importance of keeping a track of any patterns of absences and reporting these to children's social care when necessary. The childminder has clear procedures in place for contacting parents if they do not arrive at the setting and conducting home visits if they are uncontactable. This helps the childminder to be alert to any concerns in a child's home.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Generally, children play happily together and behave well. They are kind and friendly, take turns with support from the childminder, and share the resources. Children use phrases, such as 'sharing is caring'. They have built good relationships with each other and with the childminder, which helps them to feel safe and included. Children follow the daily routine well and know what is happening now and next. For example, they know they must wash their hands before mealtimes.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children's health, safety and wellbeing effectively. She has clear procedures in place for absence management and for dealing with accidents. The childminder helps children to understand the importance of staying safe in the sun and how to apply sun cream effectively. She talks to them about healthy foods and the impact these have on the body. Children are supervised very closely at mealtimes to ensure their safety. Hygiene is much improved since a previous visit, and children play in a safe and suitable environment. They follow consistent handwashing procedures, and help the childminder to clean the table before sitting to eat. Children have daily access to the outdoor area, and also develop their physical skills indoors through dancing and exercise to promote their good health.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The key-person system is well embedded. The childminder gets to know children well and is very nurturing and patient. She offers an abundance of care and cuddles to children, which promotes their emotional wellbeing. The childminder works hard to ensure that children are included and feel valued at her setting.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has clear procedures in place for identifying children at risk of falling behind. She uses tracking and observations to highlight any gaps in learning, and discusses these with parents in the first instance. The childminder targets her interactions with children to work towards closing the gaps. She works with outside agencies, such as health visitors,

p.2

Needs attention

and accesses support from the local authority. Children with barriers to their learning make progress from their unique starting points.

p.3

Needs attention

The childminder works closely with parents to decide the best use for additional funding, such as early years pupil premium. She considers children's individual needs and provides experiences that they would not typically have, such as visits to the museum, recycling centre and fire station. Funding is used to directly support the needs of children it is allocated to. This helps to narrow the attainment gaps between groups of children.

p.3

Achievement Needs attention

Children make some progress across the areas of learning and development. However, this is slow because the curriculum is not focused on what they need to learn next. Children do not always access learning opportunities that are specific to their age and stage of development. This prevents them from building on and extending their existing skills and knowledge, ready for the next stage of learning.

p.3

Achievement Needs attention

Children do make secure progress from their starting points in personal, social and emotional development. They develop good social skills and are kind and friendly to one another. Children need some support to share and take turns, but are making progress towards this with guidance from the childminder. They are chatty and show good speaking skills. Children confidently remember interesting facts about volcanoes and insects, demonstrating their effective recall skills.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Although the childminder has some ideas of what she wants children to learn, these are not focused sharply on what they need to learn next or implemented consistently enough. Mostly, learning is on children's terms. They spend a lot of time in unstructured free play, and the childminder does not consider her curriculum intentions during these interactions. Furthermore, activities are not always differentiated to consider children's different ages and stages of development. This does not help children to build on what they already know and can do.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder assesses children's development each term and identifies some next steps in learning. She places high priority on promoting children's communication and language development and personal, social and emotional development, as these have been low attaining for some children. The childminder engages children in positive interactions, encouraging back-and-forth conversations and introducing new words. She introduces words, such as 'high', 'small', 'next to' and 'expand', to enhance children's vocabulary and broaden their understanding of mathematical language. Children then use these words in context in their own play.

p.3

Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has recently undergone a challenging and unsettled period which has hindered her oversight of the setting. She does not have a clear understanding of her strengths and areas for development or a plan for moving the setting forward. For example, although the childminder has completed all mandatory training, her programme for professional development is lacking in focus and precision on what skills and knowledge she needs to improve. As such, there are some weaknesses within the quality of the curriculum that have not yet been addressed.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder is a valued member of the local childminding network and works closely with other childminders to share practice and provide support. She has effective partnerships with parents who praise the support she offers them. The childminder includes parents in children's learning from the start, and provides ongoing information about their development. She shares their next steps and how they can extend learning at home. Furthermore, the childminder works closely with the other childcare providers attended by children. This helps to provide continuity of learning for children.

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

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

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

p.5

Register

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

p.5

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

Children are happy and well settled with the kind and nurturing childminder. They have formed lovely relationships with her, despite only attending part time. The environment is safe and children can explore independently. Although children engage well with the activities available, the curriculum as a whole lacks precision. The childminder has a broad knowledge of what she wants children to learn, but this is not planned and implemented well enough. The curriculum does not have clear intentions that build on children's existing knowledge, which hinders the progress they make across the areas of learning. Learning is all child initiated and the childminder does not always consider how to adapt this for children's different ages and stages of development. This means that children do not consistently build on what they know and can do in preparation for the next stage of learning.

p.5

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

Children enjoy their time with the childminder and have a positive attitude to learning. They have lovely social skills and are keen to share their knowledge with one another. Children explore different animals and insects, aptly naming a centipede a 'bee centipede' due to its yellow and black colouring. They remember key words, such as 'lava' and 'magma' when talking about volcanoes. Generally, children behave well at the setting. They are valued as individuals and encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions. When they display any unwanted behaviour, the childminder is quick to intervene and remind children of what is expected. Children apologise and swiftly reflect on their behaviour. They are quickly learning about what is right and wrong.

p.5

About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:45

p.6

About this setting

Local authority: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

p.6

Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

p.6

Action Completion Date

plan and implement a curriculum that is more precisely focused on what children need to learn next 01/09/2026

p.6

Action Completion Date

implement a robust, targeted programme of professional development that builds on skills and knowledge 01/09/2026

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children 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

Facts and figures used on inspection

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

p.7

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. 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.8

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8