Taylor, Nicola Louise

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2714317 Registered with Ofsted: 03/04/2023 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 typical progress in their development, including those who face barriers to learning. Those children that join with limited speech can now use simple sentences. They confidently join in with repeated refrains in stories. Children show a genuine interest in books to support their communication and literacy skills. They sustain attention for short periods during activities that interest them, such as water play. Children learn how to use pipettes to draw up water and then release it. They work out how to use the dispensers filled with coloured water. Children place their hand over the top and push down to fill up their cups, demonstrating their physical coordination.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children acquire the key skills needed for their next stage of learning, such as pre-school. They drink confidently from open top cups and know to keep hydrated. Even older babies persevere with this new task and show a 'can-do' attitude.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder encourages parents and carers to bring their children consistently to help prepare them for regular routines when they move onto school. She monitors children's attendance and is quick to contact parents if children do not arrive at their scheduled time to ensure their safety.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works effectively with parents to communicate her expectations to ensure stability for children. For instance, she helps to reduce the use of dummies and ensures regular potty training routines align closely to children's home environment to promote success.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is proactive in helping children to manage their emotions. She encourages those who find it difficult to communicate their feelings using visual aids. For instance, children point to the pictures such as 'happy', 'sad' or 'angry' to convey their mood. She has formed close relationships with children, talking to them in a calm and in a gentle manner. This helps children to regulate their emotions in positive ways.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children follow routines well overall. For instance, they instinctively lay down on the mat to have their nappy changed. Occasionally, the childminder does not organise her routines consistently to prevent children from waiting for periods of time between activities. This causes children to become restless and run around indoors while waiting to go out.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder makes adaptations to meet children's needs. She has recently changed the lunchtime routine to an earlier time due to the hot weather as children were becoming tired more quickly due to the heat. This enables children to eat and take a nap afterwards while they are still content.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder ensures children's welfare is a priority. She adopts current safer sleeping guidance to promote their welfare, such as purchasing travel cots that meet safety standards. The childminder ensures children only sleep in these or on suitable sleep mats. This helps to prevent children from overheating and ensures they are in a flat and comfortable position.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder helps children to stay safe in the sun. She routinely applies sun cream to children and ensures they wear hats when outdoors to protect them from ultraviolet rays. The childminder frequently encourages children to drink water throughout the day. Older children access the 'hydration station' independently, topping up their cups.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder is mindful of children's individual needs and is sensitive to those children who are learning to use the toilet. For example, she encourages children to wear pants for short periods as a gradual introduction for those children who are learning to potty train. This helps children begin to feel more confident about new changes in their development, helping to promote their wellbeing. Children begin to become increasingly independent in managing their own personal care.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has made improvements to her curriculum since her last inspection. She has designed it more specifically around children's next steps of development and their interests to ensure children make progress. The childminder helps children to recall knowledge, such as remembering a recent trip to the stream. Children confidently talk about what they saw on the way and of the ducks swimming on the water. They then talk about this experience while playing with toy ducks in the water tray.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children develop their mathematical skills effectively. They confidently count how many toy boats there are and talk about how turtles live in the sea. The childminder extends their learning by finding some toy turtles and asking children how many she has. She uses her fingers to represent '2' and children copy. Children enjoy filling up their cups with water. The childminder asks children if they are full or empty to help children understand capacity. Occasionally, the childminder asks children too many questions in succession. Also, she often uses closed questions that require a one-word answer. This means children do not always have time to think and consolidate their thoughts.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder ensures that all children can participate in learning by making small adaptations. For instance, she knows that older babies engage better when sat in low-level chairs rather than sitting on the floor. The childminder provides them with this option, such as during story times, to help sustain their attention.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder is confident in identifying and assessing children's needs. She knows when they need reassurance to support their wellbeing. For instance, the childminder uses dolls and stories to teach children about caring for new siblings. Children recall what they have learned, carefully carrying dolls with one hand under the head to support it and the other underneath the body. Children comment they are going to be the 'teacher' to their babies. This helps children to develop confidence and a positive attitude to changes within their family.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents and carers to establish children's starting points in learning and to help make reasonable adjustments in her practice. For example, she helps shy children and older babies communicate more effectively. The childminder typically uses sign language during songs and each child has a turn in choosing a nursery rhyme of their choice. Children grow in confidence as they learn to communicate and interact using actions and words.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Currently, the childminder does not have any children who receive early years pupil premium funding. However, she understands how to use this to support disadvantaged children so that it has a positive impact on their development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has taken a strategic approach to making improvements to her provision. She has worked collaboratively with the local council and early years professionals to plan and implement her curriculum more effectively. This has had a positive impact on children's progress. The childminder has also identified the need to expand her knowledge of sign language so she can introduce children to a wider variety of actions to support their communication.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder attends regular training along with any assistants she works with. She ensures that this is used effectively to benefit children. For instance, following a course on children's brain development, she understands how difficult it can be for children to regulate their emotions. She has implemented a 'feelings board' to enable children to identify and talk about the different sensations to support their emotional wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder and her assistants work well together. They complement each other with their own strengths and regularly talk about how to adapt practice reflective of children's needs. The childminder ensures her assistants continue to be suitable to fulfil their roles and provides additional training where required. Morale is high. The childminder manages her workload effectively, using one day of the week to spend time with her own family.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Partnerships with parents and carers is effective. They report positively on the care and education the childminder provides. Parents comment on how the childminder understands their children's needs, preferences and personalities. They value the consistent communication about their child's progress and how the childminder helps to navigate their child's friendships with others.

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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 their time with the gentle and friendly childminder. They demonstrate they feel secure and safe, settling quickly into a range of activities. Children learn how to be considerate to others and form positive relationships with adults and their peers alike. They confidently sing the 'kind hands' song using actions and words. Children know to treat others and equipment with respect. They learn how to care for small creatures while out for a walk in the woodlands. This supports their understanding of nature.

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About this setting

Type: Childminder Children make typical progress from their starting points and are prepared well for their next stage of learning. The supportive childminder ensures any barriers to children's learning are identified and supported using effective strategies. For instance, she provides children with additional time to adjust to new changes in the setting and provides them with reassurance. This helps children to gradually adapt without distress.

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About this setting

Children behave well and enjoy the company of others. They talk to one another about similarities and differences. For example, children talk about how they are going to different pre-schools but can still be friends. Children have a positive attitude to their learning. They sit on the slide together and pretend to drive the 'school bus', giggling happily.

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About this setting

Children attend frequently as the childminder values the importance of attendance to provide consistency to children's development. Children enjoy coming to see the childminder and their friends. They are confident to talk about their own experiences. For example, children talk about their parents and carers going to the 'gym' and what they did over the weekend.

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Next steps

The childminder should further extend children's thinking skills, such as by using open- ended questions and giving children time to consolidate their thoughts. The childminder should organise routines more effectively to reduce waiting times for children between activities.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistant 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. Registration date: 03/04/2023

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 17:45

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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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