Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2790896 Registered with Ofsted: 07/07/2024 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 Expected standard

Children move freely around the home setting with comfort and confidence as they explore their surroundings. They make expected progress from their starting points, with a strong emphasis on developing foundational skills in communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. Children understand their daily routine and remind the childminder that it is time to go to the park. They enthusiastically get ready for the park and are beginning to understand the concept of needing sun cream for protection on hot summer days. They show willingness to put on their own shoes and summer hats before going out.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are active learners who demonstrate the capacity to observe peers and adults attentively and show tenacity to 'have a go'. The childminder is mostly attentive to children's actions, highlighting to them the risks and guiding them to manage new challenges safely. As a result, children learn new skills by sometimes guiding their own learning through personal interests. They enjoy outdoor activities, visiting a range of local parks, attending playgroup sessions and digging in the garden where they help to grow fruit and vegetables.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, the childminder supports children well to make steady progress from their starting points. He promotes their independence effectively through daily routines. For example, children routinely wash their hands after outings, before snack and mealtimes and after using the toilet. They concentrate well when learning new skills, such as spreading toppings on their own toast, and confidently feed themselves and drink independently. Children also brush their teeth independently while the childminder uses a familiar song to encourage effective brushing. However, the childminder often overly guides the children and does not always allow the children to complete these tasks to show what they are capable of.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes positive behaviour throughout the daily routine by modelling appropriate language and demonstrating genuine enthusiasm for exploration. Children form trusting relationships with him and confidently seek support when needed. While English is the main language of communication, the childminder teaches children basic sign language and also key vocabulary in French. They play happily both independently and alongside the childminder. Children follow instructions well and increasingly make choices that direct their own learning. For example, when the childminder suggests completing a puzzle, a child responds with 'No… this one', and the childminder acknowledges this preference, helping children feel valued and motivated.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder observes children's play closely and intervenes only at purposeful moments. For instance, he says 'This is too easy, let's try this', offering a more challenging press-and-pull toy. Although the child initially struggles, they complete the task with timely prompts and encouragement. As a result, children develop perseverance and are seen to set their own challenges. The childminder offers praise at key moments, raising children's self-esteem and motivation. As this is a small home-based setting, the childminder provides regular opportunities for children to socialise with others by taking them to local playgroups and parks. This supports children's confidence and ability to interact with others. However, he does not always provide timely or purposeful support to guide children's interactions, which means that children do not consistently develop the social skills needed to manage and extend their

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

relationships with others. The childminder understands the importance of punctuality and regular attendance in establishing secure routines from an early age. He promotes this with parents and carers as an essential habit for learning and a key component of school readiness.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing from their starting points and throughout their development. He sets a clear expectation that children learn to express their emotions and seek help appropriately from an early age, supporting their readiness for school. He routinely offers children choices of food and snacks and provides regular reminders to keep hydrated. As a result, children confidently express their preferences and independently choose what they would like for snack or meal. His understanding of healthy diets, allergy management and safer sleeping guidance is secure. Although no children with specific needs are currently on roll, he can apply his knowledge to make reasonable adjustments that ensure every child's welfare and wellbeing are protected.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder is attentive to children's likes and dislikes, drawing on observations and discussions with parents and carers. He provides sugar-free, nutritious options and encourages children to pick fresh fruit from the garden to broaden their taste preferences. He frequently takes children to the shop, where they help carry the shopping and eagerly anticipate eating the items they have selected. This strengthens their understanding of the local community while building excitement and ownership over their food choices.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

In general, children demonstrate age-appropriate independence. They eat and drink confidently, wash their hands regularly and put on their shoes and hats in preparation for going to the park. The childminder reinforces the importance of handwashing at key times, such as after outings, before eating and after using the toilet. On occasions, he overly guides the children and does not always allow the children to complete these tasks to show what they are capable of. Additionally, while the childminder is consistent in supporting children's toilet training in the setting, he recognises the need to strengthen parental partnership so that learning is extended and embedded at home.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder's key strength lies in his purposeful use of the outdoors, both in the home setting and the wider community, to enhance children's learning and development. During visits to the park, children access larger equipment that supports their physical agility. The childminder intentionally uses these moments to introduce language about physical strength, such as 'building your arm muscles' or 'your legs are getting stronger'. He also incorporates mathematical vocabulary, including numbers, size descriptors such as 'small' and 'big' and comparative terms like 'less' and 'more'. Positional language, including 'in front' and 'behind', and comparative phrases such as 'taller than' and 'smaller than' are purposefully woven into conversations.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder fosters a love of reading through highly interactive, 2-way engagement that encourages children to participate fully. He brings stories to life using expressive sounds and animated storytelling, which children eagerly imitate. Children are observed attempting to replicate actions from the story in their environment. Rich vocabulary such as 'swish swash', 'sliding' and 'stripy' is consistently modelled. Typically, he pauses at key moments to ask questions and gives children time to think before responding, supporting their communication and language development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, the childminder places a strong emphasis on children's physical, social and communication development. He regularly observes and assesses children's progress and has a clear understanding of their next steps in learning. However, teaching is not always sharply focused on helping children achieve these next steps, which limits the progress some children could make.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder believes that kindness, empathy and respect are essential skills for inclusive practice. He takes account of children's cultural practices and home routines as a starting point when supporting new children to settle. As a result, children form secure relationships with him, and the presence of a new visitor in the setting does not hinder their ability to participate in learning. The childminder is a familiar face in the local community. When taking children out each day, he is greeted by local people in the shops where he routinely takes children to purchase refreshments. He offers children a choice of snack, and they are heard saying words such as 'banana' and 'yoghurt' in response. This helps them feel that their views are valued while also developing a sense of belonging within the wider community.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder knows the children well and generally maintains consistent assessment records to identify learning needs and plan for next steps. Parents and carers are kept updated through verbal feedback on assessments and identified areas for development. However, the childminder has not yet fully developed strategies to support parents to extend learning at home for an even greater impact.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Although currently there are no enrolled children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those facing other barriers to learning, the childminder does have a secure knowledge of assessing emerging needs and seeking appropriate external professional support in partnership with parents. There are no children at the setting who receive additional funding. However, the childminder is able to articulate how such funding would be used to provide resources or experiences targeted towards specific children, ensuring all children in his care can thrive equally.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents and carers to build a secure understanding of the children in his care. This enables him to provide well-targeted support from their starting points through each stage of their development. He diligently carries out observations and assessments to identify children's next steps and keeps parents informed. His assessments often align with parents' experiences at home, creating strong potential for children to make rapid progress. However, he does not routinely provide parents with strategies to extend children's learning at home to support even more accelerated progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder's training is fully up to date, and he has completed additional training in female genital mutilation, recognising this as a local authority priority. He understands the importance of working with external professionals to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive timely and appropriate support. Risk assessments are carried out routinely, and he consistently helps children understand potential risks in their play and how to manage them safely. As a result, children take measured risks and confidently tackle bigger challenges.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder instinctively shapes much of the curriculum through outdoor play and experiences, and children develop a strong love of the outdoors. He recognises the importance of strengthening his early years foundation stage knowledge and developing further skills in working with parents to support children's learning beyond the setting. Currently, teaching is not always sufficiently focused to implement the planned next steps, which means that children do not always benefit from the full range of learning opportunities available.

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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 benefit greatly from this thoughtful childminder, particularly from the extensive time they spend outdoors whenever the weather permits. Their learning is embedded through visits to local parks, weekly playgroups and purposeful exploration in the garden, where they harvest fresh strawberries, raspberries and courgettes. Children are familiar with their daily routine of going to the park and happily begin singing 'going to the park' until the childminder invites them to get ready. They are keen explorers who observe, assess and enthusiastically attempt new experiences. Children are often seen challenging themselves and, with the support of the childminder, acquiring new and advanced skills. As a result, children generally thrive in most areas, particularly their physical development.

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

Children enjoy reading and often add dramatic sounds and expressions to the narrative, inspired by the childminder's engaging reading style. They are encouraged to be independent and are reminded to talk about their emotions and to seek help when needed. The childminder aims to help children become confident communicators by the time they start school, able to recognise and articulate their needs to responsible adults. This is evident in how children purposefully seek the childminder's attention using clear vocabulary such as 'help'. Their requests are met with praise and positive responses, helping children feel safe and secure.

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

Younger children are taught basic sign language as part of daily communication, providing a secure foundation for introducing wider vocabulary in English. The childminder is a fluent French speaker, and at the request of parents and carers, children are also introduced to French as an additional language. They read French storybooks and attempt to copy the words they hear, and they can name some colours and parts of the body in French. Mathematical language is seamlessly woven into routine communication and play, heard both in children's independent exploration and in the childminder's focused interactions. Children's learning and development are rooted in outdoor experiences and purposeful communication.

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About this setting

Registration date: 07/07/2024 Children are regularly assessed to ensure developmental milestones are on track and to identify emerging needs early, enabling timely intervention and reducing barriers to learning. This information is shared with parents through regular verbal feedback. Consequently, the childminder maintains an up-to-date understanding of each child's developmental needs and mostly uses this knowledge to plan activities that strengthen their learning. As a result, children in general meet age-related expectations, typically starting from their social, communication and physical development as a foundation for all future learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should focus his teaching on the planned next steps to accelerate children's learning. The childminder should refine strategies that help parents extend learning at home to accelerate children's progress towards meeting their next steps. The childminder should allow children to carry out tasks for themselves so that they develop even greater independence. The childminder should research and strengthen parental partnership in toilet training so that children's progress is accelerated and routines are embedded more consistently at home.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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. Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 05:30

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About this inspection

Local authority: London Borough of Waltham Forest

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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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