Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2809276 Registered with Ofsted: 17/12/2024 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 make robust progress in their learning and development, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and other vulnerable children. Children are highly confident, articulate learners. For instance, they have impressive vocabularies and use words such as 'ingredients' to describe food used in a recipe. Younger children rapidly gain language skills and learn to say single words, quickly moving on to repeating familiar phrases. Children have notable counting skills and count confidently to beyond 10 and recognise numbers. They know different shape names and use mathematical words to compare size and weight. Children develop substantial physical skills as they climb and balance with confidence. Younger children quickly learn to walk steadily. Children show high levels of independence. For example, they open and refill their own water bottles and replace lids. Children gain comprehensive skills across all areas of learning to support their

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has high expectations of each child and shares group rules with children. For example, she reminds children to do 'good listening' during a storytelling session. These rules are well embedded, with older children reminding younger children of group rules and positive ways to behave. Children show kindness; for instance, as they collect apples from the apple tree and make pretend pies which they offer to each other.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children concentrate well and persevere as they patiently and carefully slice fruit they prepare at snack times. They have highly positive attitudes to learning and engage in activities with enthusiasm and curiosity. For instance, they get excited as they create stories with dinosaurs in water play. Children show great respect for their environment and resources. For example, they help to tidy up and say 'I don't want anyone to stand on the toys'. Older children are caring towards younger ones as they share toys with them. Children play cooperatively together as they make pretend pies in the mud kitchen, sharing and taking turns to use resources. They build wholly positive relationships with each other and with the childminder. The childminder consistently encourages regular attendance as this supports children's progress and readiness for school. The childminder monitors attendance to observe any patterns of absence. She works with parents to remove any obstacle that is

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder ensures that children learn how to recognise and manage their emotions very effectively. For instance, the childminder teaches children to take a few deep breaths to help them learn how to calm down. She reads stories on different emotions to children and talks with them each day to find out how they are feeling. Children show excellent awareness of how to manage feelings. For example, children know that having fun can help with feelings of sadness. They decide to splash a pretend dinosaur with water to make him happy because he is sad. The childminder provides very nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks that meet special dietary needs. Children have a very secure understanding of the value of eating well. For instance, they say that carrots and broccoli are healthy because they are vegetables. The childminder ensures that meal times are safe, relaxed, happy occasions. She ensures that

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

children are supervised while they eat. The childminder provides time for children to sleep, if needed, and follows Safer Sleeping guidelines to protect children from harm. She regularly checks children as they sleep to ensure that they are safe. This provides robust safety measures to protect children from harm.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder carries out rigorous risk assessments each day, covering all parts of her home, indoors and outdoors. This helps to minimise the risks of hazards. She teaches children how to act in safe ways. For example, children use plastic knives to prepare food safely and skilfully. Children walk indoors and use the slide and outdoor equipment safely and suitably. This ensures that children act in very safe ways. The childminder makes any required adaptations to routines to meet the needs of children who require extra help.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is inspiring, deeply enriching and wholly focused on the developmental needs of children. The childminder makes very thoughtful and highly competent adjustments to curriculum activities to provide support to those who need extra help. The childminder consistently and effectively promotes children's problem-solving skills. For example, she asks children what they need to do when they notice that their sand castles are not holding their shape. Children take time to think and work out for themselves that water needs to be added to the sand.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder supports children's communication, language and literacy skills in excellent ways. She uses every opportunity during play and routines to teach children new words. For instance, the childminder teaches children positional language by asking them to put rocks on top of or under objects in the water tray. She reads a range of high-quality children's stories in interesting tones and questions children very effectively. This helps to fully engage children who develop a real love of books. The childminder supports children's mathematical development in highly effective ways. She helps children to gain understanding of mathematical concepts, such as weight. The childminder teaches children words, such as heavy and light, as they alter amounts of objects on a scale. The childminder uses number songs and rhymes to teach younger children simple counting skills. She ensures that children have a wide range of varied and interesting daily opportunities to take part in

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

physical activities. For example, they learn to roll and climb on soft cushions. Children gain strong core and balance skills as they use rockers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder readily and robustly identifies when any child needs extra support. For example, she uses a variety of assessment and observation methods to monitor children's progress very closely. This indicates if any child is falling behind in their learning at an early stage. The childminder has very secure knowledge of how to guide and advise parents to seek further support for their child. For instance, she advises parents to contact their local doctor or health visitor. The childminder completed a course on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This was used to effectively inform her excellent interventions to support children. For example, she used the family pet as a teaching tool to help children learn how to act gently and kindly. This was particularly effective in helping children who needed extra support in their personal and social development. The childminder fully understands the value of working closely with parents

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Inclusion Strong standard

and health professionals involved in the life of children with SEND, and other vulnerable children. She actively encourages this to promote best outcomes for children.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has robust partnerships with parents and carers. She provides highly effective and flexible ways to keep parents informed of children's progress and activities. For example, the childminder uses telephone calls, secure messaging and daily in-person feedback to provide comprehensive feedback to parents. She works very closely with parents to meet children's specific needs in areas such as behaviour management and toilet training.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly committed to her professional development and targets training to meet her specific needs. She has completed a variety of courses, such as food safety and refresher courses on the early years foundation stage framework. This has led to improved understanding in these areas.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder ensures that her assistants keep their skills and knowledge up to date. She monitors their work thoroughly through observation and regular meetings. The childminder uses information from these activities to target specific training for each assistant. For instance, they have completed courses on sensory play and working with parents, which has led to a better understanding in these areas. She promotes the wellbeing of her assistants by organizing regular social outings and is readily available to provide support. The childminder achieves a very effective work-life balance by taking annual holidays and enjoys family time.

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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 are enthusiastic, keen learners in this highly organised and very well-resourced setting. They are each highly valued and deeply nurtured by the childminder. Children flourish in their learning and development, whatever their starting points. They settle very well after a careful and gradual settling-in process. Children's home care routines and interests are fully reflected in the childminder's practice, and this familiarity is pivotal to children feeling safe and secure. Children and their families are greeted with smiles by the childminder who highly values the effective contribution parents make to support children's progress. Children thoroughly enjoy learning through play and build very close relationships with the childminder and with each other. They eagerly engage in interactions with the childminder who consistently supports and extends their learning.

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

Children actively take part in a wide range of enriching, meticulously organised activities. Children who are falling behind in their learning have full access to the curriculum through thoughtful and very skilful adaptations. Children gain an excellent understanding of the world. They learn about amphibians, such as newts and frogs, when they go on regular pond dipping trips with the childminder. Children learn about how things grow as they plant and grow flowers with the childminder. They gain excellent creative skills. For example, they carefully observe photographs of dinosaurs in books and make detailed drawings. They talk about the 'spiky' dinosaurs they draw as they use pencils skilfully. Children enjoy making their own play dough, which they use to create three-dimensional models. They get along well with each other and create stories together during outdoor play. Children look forward to going to the childminder each day and maintain an excellent level of attendance. They learn

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

highly useful skills that serve as a solid foundation for their next stage of learning.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children. She considered comments from parents 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. This data is from 16 July 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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