Scott, Heather Erin

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY411477 Registered with Ofsted: 14/07/2010 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 make steady progress across the areas of learning. They become increasingly confident communicators and use a growing vocabulary to share their ideas, experiences and needs. Younger children begin to use single words and simple phrases, while older children hold conversations, answer questions and recall previous experiences.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of learning. They become increasingly independent as they manage everyday routines, make choices during their play and ask for help when they need it. Children develop the physical skills needed for future learning as they build their coordination, balance and control through a range of indoor and outdoor experiences. They learn to use early mathematical language, solve simple problems and apply their learning during everyday routines. However, some aspects of children's learning are not consistently secured. As a result, a few children do not always make the best possible progress during these experiences.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder creates a calm and caring environment where children feel safe and secure. She establishes consistent routines that help children understand what is expected throughout the day. Children confidently follow familiar routines, such as tidying away toys before snack and helping to put resources away after play. They show kindness towards others, take turns and respond positively to praise and encouragement.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children build warm and trusting relationships with the childminder. They happily seek reassurance, share their ideas and enjoy playing alongside one another. The childminder provides regular opportunities for children to socialise with others through visits with local childminders and community outings. These experiences help children develop confidence, cooperation and respect for others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave well and typically demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Younger children spend sustained periods engaged in mark-making, showing concentration and enjoyment as they return to their drawings to add further detail. However, children do not consistently sustain their engagement during all planned experiences and a few occasionally move away before activities are complete.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder recognises the importance of promoting good attendance from an early age. She works closely with parents to encourage regular attendance and punctuality, helping children develop positive habits that prepare them well for nursery and school.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder places children's welfare and wellbeing at the heart of her practice. Children feel safe and secure because they receive consistent care from someone who knows them well. They learn how to keep themselves safe through everyday experiences. For example, children practise road safety on walks as they learn to 'stop, look and listen' before crossing the road. The childminder works closely with parents to ensure children's individual care needs are understood and met. For example, she lends sleep mats to families so children become familiar with using them at home before moving from sleeping in a pram to resting on a mat. This helps children make the transition with confidence and supports continuity in their care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children develop healthy habits that support their wellbeing. They become increasingly independent as they manage their personal care, use the toilet independently and understand the importance of washing their hands before meals. The childminder adapts her care to meet individual needs, ensuring all children feel safe, valued and included. However, children are not consistently supported to develop good hygiene routines following all aspects of self-care. For example, after blowing their noses, children are not always encouraged to wash their hands. At these times, children are not fully supported to develop a secure understanding of healthy lifestyle habits.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of the early years foundation stage and plans a broad curriculum that reflects children's interests and stages of development. She uses everyday experiences to promote learning across the seven areas, placing particular emphasis on communication, language and mathematics. For example, during snack preparation, younger children count one and two pieces of fruit. The childminder extends this learning for older children by introducing mathematical vocabulary such as 'whole' and 'half' as they cut fruit into equal pieces. This helps children build mathematical knowledge progressively and use new vocabulary with understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder sequences learning so children build knowledge and skills over time. She adapts experiences to match children's ages and stages of development. For example, younger children explore rolling and throwing larger balls to develop coordination and control. Older children build on these skills as they use smaller balls that require greater accuracy. Praise and encouragement help children persevere when activities become more challenging, supporting their personal, social and emotional development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children benefit from the freedom to explore and lead their own play. However, teaching is less effective during focused activities. At times, activities are not adapted or extended sufficiently to maintain children's engagement. As a result, some children disengage and wander away before they have fully benefited from the intended learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder uses observations, regular discussions with parents and her knowledge of each child to identify individual needs and any emerging barriers to learning and wellbeing. She adapts activities and her support to enable children to take part in experiences alongside their peers. She understands the importance of reviewing children's development and adjusting her approach as children's needs change. Where appropriate, she seeks advice from other professionals to help ensure children receive the support they need.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder does not currently care for children with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities or those in receipt of additional funding. However, she confidently explains how additional funding could be used to enhance children's experiences and reduce barriers to learning. She also demonstrates a secure understanding of a range of strategies and resources that could be used to support children's individual needs should they arise.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works in partnership with parents, other settings and relevant professionals to provide consistency in children's care and learning. She shares information regularly, contributes to shared approaches where children attend more than one setting and signposts families to additional services when appropriate. This collaborative approach helps ensure children and their families receive timely support when it is needed.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has an accurate understanding of her setting's strengths and priorities for development. She regularly reviews her provision and identifies areas where children's experiences could be further enhanced. She understands her responsibility for the quality of the provision and for ensuring that statutory requirements are met. She makes thoughtful decisions that place children's interests at the centre of her practice. For example, she recognises the need to strengthen children's understanding of healthy choices through mealtimes and the supported toothbrushing programme. This helps ensure that improvement priorities remain focused on children's learning and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder maintains her professional knowledge and expertise by attending courses, webinars and networking opportunities. She shares practice with other local childminders and works with parents and community services to support children's experiences. She values her partnership with parents and communicates with them regularly so that children's home experiences, individual needs and progress inform her practice.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder supports the wellbeing and professional development of any assistants who work with her. Regular supervision provides opportunities for assistants who work with her, to discuss their workload, raise concerns and identify training needs. She also reviews their ongoing suitability and checks that required training, including safeguarding and paediatric first aid, remains up to date. This helps ensure that children benefit from informed, consistent practice and are cared for by suitable adults.

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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 enjoy attending this welcoming setting where they quickly feel safe, settled and valued. The childminder helps families understand why regular attendance matters. This supports continuity in children's learning and prepares them for nursery and school. Children happily choose where they want to play, move between familiar routines with ease and enjoy spending time with the childminder. Warm, caring relationships help children feel emotionally secure, and they approach each day with enthusiasm because they know what to expect. Children benefit from the childminder's close partnership with their families, which

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Inspector:

Kelly Little helps her understand their home experiences and meet their individual care and learning needs from the outset.

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Inspector:

Children develop their understanding of the world through a range of experiences. They remember previous outings and reflect these experiences in their play. For example, while playing with small-world animals, children recall seeing lions at the safari park and discuss where different animals live and how they move. Children respond positively to thoughtful questions and new vocabulary, which help them think, recall their experiences and share their own ideas. Children benefit from a broad range of experiences within the local community, helping them make sense of the world beyond the setting.

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Inspector:

Everyday experiences help children become increasingly independent and prepare them well for nursery and school. They make choices throughout the day, develop the skills to manage familiar routines and enjoy doing things for themselves. Children take responsibility for age-appropriate tasks and develop the self-help skills they need as they grow. Consistent support from the childminder, parents and other settings helps children move smoothly to the next stage of their education.

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Next steps

The childminder should strengthen the planning and delivery of focused activities so that children fully benefit from the intended learning. The childminder should consistently embed good hygiene routines so that children independently develop the knowledge and habits needed to support their health and wellbeing.

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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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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information about this.

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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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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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