Harris, Lauren Elise

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2787531 Registered with Ofsted: 29/05/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR

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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 make progress from their starting points and develop positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy exploring the natural world, for example, examining insects and sharing books about them. Children develop secure independence. For example, they readily fetch their shoes when preparing for outdoor play. They learn the meaning of numbers through everyday experiences, such as identifying numerals when out and about in the community.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop secure social skills. They learn to take turns on the slide and to consider the needs of others. This supports the early friendships that they build with other children. They show a love of books, choosing them independently and looking at familiar characters with the childminder. At times, the organisation of routines and fast pace of activities means children have fewer opportunities to develop sustained focus. Despite this, children typically achieve well across all areas of learning and develop a secure foundation of skills and knowledge ready for future learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder models kindness and respect, and this is reflected in children's behaviour and attitudes. She has clear and appropriate expectations for behaviour and gives children gentle reminders that help them to understand and respond to boundaries. Children learn right from wrong and are eager to please the childminder. Relationships are warm and supportive. The childminder teaches children to be kind and caring. They form close bonds with her and develop early friendships with other children. Children learn to take turns, share toys and think about how others feel. The childminder gives children plenty of praise, for example when they help to tidy the room. This helps to build children's self-esteem while also supporting them to learn a sense of responsibility.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works with parents to encourage regular, punctual attendance. This helps to ensure that children benefit from consistent routines and develop positive habits for the future. Routines are generally familiar to the children, which puts them at ease. The childminder recognises when learning occasionally becomes disorganised and adapts activities to re-engage children. However, the fast pace of some routines means children occasionally are not sure what will happen next. This affects their confidence, making them slightly unsettled.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Overall, children benefit from a safe, welcoming space where they typically enjoy play, learning and social interaction. The childminder stays close to them and offers consistent support and guidance that helps them to feel emotionally secure. She responds calmly and sensitively when children need reassurance, helping them to regain confidence quickly. The childminder places emphasis on ensuring that children feel safe in her care. The childminder takes steps to assure children's safety. For example, she checks for hazards in play spaces and supervises children closely, particularly when eating and sleeping. Children typically develop healthy habits through everyday routines, such as washing their hands and preparing a nutritious snack. For example, while making 'fruit pizza', they talk about which foods are good for them. With support from the childminder, children now choose fruit and vegetables more often than previously. Children benefit from plenty of fresh

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

air and exercise that helps to promote their good physical health. They learn how to keep themselves safe, for example by waiting for their friend to move from the bottom before using the slide, or climbing down backwards if they change their mind. The childminder encourages children's independence, for example by supporting them to pour their drinks and take care of their belongings.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder leads a curriculum shaped by children's interests and everyday experiences. She sees value in the outdoors and community experiences in supporting children's learning. Her teaching is based on accurate assessments and helps each child build on their individual knowledge and skills. She introduces new vocabulary, recaps stories to support recall and uses real events, such as raising and releasing butterflies, to teach kindness and care for living creatures. Books are age-appropriate, and the childminder uses them to teach children about the world around them.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder identifies meaningful next steps for each child and helps them practise and master new skills before introducing further aims or challenges. This deepens and consolidates children's learning. The curriculum for maths is particularly well sequenced. The childminder prioritises children's understanding of the meaning of numbers one to five, ensuring a confident understanding before extending the challenge beyond this.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching is typically warm and responsive. However, the fast pace of some activities limits children's opportunities to process language and engage deeply. Rapid conversations and fleeting activities occasionally reduce the impact of the childminder's otherwise effective teaching. At times, too many choices indoors make it difficult for children to sustain focus.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder typically identifies and meets children's individual needs effectively. She is very aware of the different starting points children may have, and takes full account of these when planning for learning. The childminder understands that children learn in different ways, and at different rates. Her aims for each child's learning are personalised and she shares these with parents. Simple routines, such as washing hands and preparing a snack, are carefully planned to ensure that children receive age-and stage-appropriate support to build on what they know and can do.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has experience of working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She understands how partnerships with other professionals can support a consistent approach to meet children's needs as precisely as possible. The childminder knows that disadvantage can be a barrier for children's learning and wellbeing. She identifies where families may be entitled to additional funding and knows how this can be used carefully to support eligible children. Children who may not have access to wider experiences benefit from opportunities to meet other children during group activities in the community. These experiences help them to gain confidence in larger groups and develop their social skills. The childminder adapts menus so that children with allergies do not feel different from their friends and experience the same routines as others. She builds warm, trusting relationships and responds sensitively to

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Inclusion Expected standard

children's emotional cues, helping them all to feel valued and included.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a professional approach to leading her setting, which she does with care. She manages her workload effectively to maintain a calm, organised environment. The childminder holds children's best interests at the heart of all she does. She provides a warm, nurturing setting where children feel safe, confident and valued.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Partnerships with parents are well established. The childminder keeps them informed about their children's learning and shares photographs with them to celebrate their achievements and experiences. The childminder works with parents to assess children's progress, identify what they need to learn next and agree ways to teach them. This helps children to practice and master new skills. Parents describe the experiences that their children have when the childminder takes them on outings as 'amazing'. They say the childminder 'takes care of us too ', for example, when she sends them reassuring messages of support.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder reflects on her practice and identifies areas she would organise differently or would like to improve. She is committed to ongoing professional development. For example, she has completed training to better support early communication and language, but the strategies she has learned are not yet embedded consistently. The childminder builds relationships with other childminders. They share information and activity ideas, which helps to continually build on teaching and learning.

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

Children play and learn happily in a warm, nurturing environment where they feel safe, valued and confident. They form trusting relationships with the childminder and show clear signs of emotional security. Children seek comfort and reassurance when needed and respond positively to her calm, caring interactions. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and move through their day with confidence. Children learn to manage their feelings and behaviour and develop early friendships. Families feel welcomed and involved, and children benefit from the strong partnership between home and the setting.

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

Children attend regularly and benefit from consistent experiences that support their development. They take part in wide-ranging experiences that form the outdoor-focused curriculum, which follows the seasons of the year. Children enjoy exploring the natural world, for example when they look closely at spider webs and show awe and wonder. Toddlers respond with an excited 'wow' when they observe the butterflies they have helped to raise. From a young age, babies and children develop early literacy skills. They choose books independently and approach the childminder to share their favourite story with them. They learn about numbers in meaningful ways through everyday experiences, such as counting steps on the walk to school or spotting shapes and colours in the community. Outings in the local community help to broaden children's experiences, and they learn about their place in the community and the wider world.

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

Children receive sensitive support that helps them overcome barriers or challenges in their learning. Their interests shape the curriculum, which helps them to feel heard and valued. For example, when children show fascination with the moon and stars, they experience activities based on this theme. They become absorbed in activities that spark their curiosity, which helps them to concentrate and deepen their learning. They cooperate with one another, show kindness and develop positive social skills as they play and learn together. All children show a love of learning and develop a secure foundation of skills and knowledge, ready for later learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should increase the consistency in routines so that children feel more secure, know what to expect and settle confidently in to each part of their day. The childminder should refine the organisation of activities to reduce overwhelm and help children to focus for longer in their learning. The childminder should apply her professional learning consistently so that teaching becomes even more effective and children benefit from approaches that have sustained impact over time.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Friday : 08:00 - 16:30

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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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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.

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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

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 .

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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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