Clifton, Victoria Margaret

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2819060 Registered with Ofsted: 20/01/2025 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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder puts children's wellbeing, welfare and safety at the heart of her practice. Before children start in her care she organises a comprehensive range of visits and meetings with children and parents and uses these very well to fully understand children's care needs, interests and routines. This enables her to plan for a smooth transition into her care, where there is enough familiarity for children to quickly and happily settle. Through warm and kind interactions she builds very close bonds with the children she looks after and they respond by showing they thoroughly enjoy their time with her. Children confidently and happily move around her home. It is clearly 'their space'.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder effectively reviews what she does, to ensure children remain safe and cared for. For example, she has adapted routines to ensure children's safety and wellbeing are prioritised at meal and sleep times. Mealtimes are used very well to encourage children to make healthy and informed choices about what they eat. By prioritising daily trips to the park for exercise, and ensuring these outings are fun, the childminder helps children view physical exercise positively. Children look forward to, and ask for, these daily outings, seeing them as a highlight of their day.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children gain a typical set of skills and knowledge, in line with their age and stage of development. They learn the skills they need to do things for themselves, such as to wash their hands independently. They learn to make choices about what they would like to do. They have opportunities to follow existing interests and also develop new ones, which broadens their understanding of the world in which they live.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop a secure set of physical skills. They learn to coordinate their movements, to balance and to climb safely. They develop control over their hand-to-eye coordination through small world and sensory play. They learn new words and develop the confidence to use these to express their views and needs. They learn to recite numbers accurately. They learn to feed themselves and to enjoy social mealtimes.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has a suitable attendance policy and follows up promptly on any non- attendance. She ensures parents understand the benefits to their children of regular and prompt attendance.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is an effective role model. Through her own behaviour she shows children how to be kind, helpful and encouraging. Children watch, listen and learn well. They cooperate with routines, such as when getting ready to leave the childminder's home or preparing for mealtimes. This helps ensure that the day runs smoothly and children understand when they need to change activities or pause what they are doing. Children behave typically for their age. The childminder quickly notices when children are struggling a little to manage their own emotions and calmly, fairly and effectively manages the situation. However, the lack of precision to the childminder's planning for children's next steps in learning means that she does not consistently plan for how she will give children the skills they need to begin to manage these times themselves.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children really enjoy being with the childminder. It is clear that they see her as a trusted adult and would feel confident to share any concerns with her. They really enjoy how the childminder joins in with their play. Through these interactions the childminder carefully, and skilfully, helps children develop their focus and concentration. This helps ensure play is also meaningful learning for all children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder broadly plans for the needs of all children. She successfully focuses on the prime areas of learning. She prioritises children's physical development effectively and teaches children specific skills to support this aspect of their development. For example, when at the park, she shows children how to use their arms to balance and how to climb steps one at a time. Children then have ample daily opportunities to practise and embed these skills. The childminder consistently supports language development well. She clearly and precisely talks to children about what they are doing and seeing. She introduces them to new words and encourages back-and-forth conversations. This helps ensure children have time to practise and repeat what they hear.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder regularly assesses children's progress. However, she does not consistently use this information to precisely identify what children, including those who face barriers to learning, most need to learn next. This means that sometimes the childminder does not target her teaching at the precise skills or knowledge that will be of most use to individual children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Although the childminder recognises and promotes equality and diversity, she has not fully developed this aspect of her curriculum to ensure children are fully supported to understand, and respect the diverse world in which they live.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of making all children feel valued and welcome. She understands that barriers to learning can present in different ways. She builds close working partnerships with parents and carers so that she is suitably placed to understand any changes in circumstances that could mean a child needs extra support to learn to their best. She knows how to support families to access additional funding where applicable and the importance of using it for children's particular needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

She understands the importance of monitoring the progress and wellbeing of vulnerable children and adapting her routines and curriculum to any identified specific needs. She also understands the value of working collaboratively with any other professionals involved in children's care, including if children have special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, she understands the importance of using the expertise of other professionals to plan activities tailored to children's particular needs, to help children catch up with their peers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is clear about the type of childcare she wants to provide and how this meets the needs of the families in her local community. She wants to provide children with a 'home-from-home' where they can follow their interests and be introduced to new ones, helping them become curious about the world around them. She reviews what she offers, adapting routines and activities to the children who attend. The partnerships the childminder builds with parents are a real strength of what she does. Parents are full of praise for the good care she takes of their children and how happy they are in her care. The childminder ensures she regularly shares information with parents about their children's wellbeing and progress and that parents do the same. This leads to the childminder being able to adapt her provision to children's emerging and changing needs. She also reaches out to other professionals involved in children's care to provide further continuity for children. For

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

example, she builds professional partnerships with staff at pre-schools children also attend.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Since registration, the childminder has made use of lots of online training. However, these have not always been precisely matched to the improvement priorities the childminder has identified. There has been a positive impact of training, for example, on how the childminder supports children's language development. However, the lack of precision to her training plan means that she is less confident in some aspects of her role, such as in planning precise next steps for children's learning. The childminder managers her own workload effectively to ensure a suitable work-life balance.

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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 feel very comfortable and confident to be in the childminder's home. They know where resources are kept and understand the routines of the day. They know that the childminder will listen to their requests and help them follow their interests and do things they enjoy. Children receive a positive experience of being cared for, and learning, away from home. They feel safe, valued and understood. They see the childminder as a kind and trusted adult who will look after them and make sure they have lots of fun.

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

Children develop lots of new skills and interests. They increase their vocabulary and confidence to express their thoughts and ideas. They learn to do things for themselves and to help with age-appropriate tasks. They develop lots of physical skills, such as how to balance when climbing and to move safely across different surfaces. They develop their hand-to-eye coordination as they pour water, collect small items and play with small world toys. Through regular trips children learn about their local community and the people who live and work in it. Children enjoy learning alongside the childminder.

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

Children behave typically for their age. They understand that there are simple rules in place to keep them safe. They learn to listen to what adults say and, with support, to cooperate with requests. They appreciate the interest the childminder takes in their lives and families, which adds to their sense of belonging.

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

The childminder has a suitable attendance policy, which promotes regular attendance, while also providing the flexibility that working families need.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday : 08:00 - 18:00,Wednesday,Thursday : 15:00 - 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 develop more precise next steps in learning so that teaching can be even more closely matched to what children most need to learn next. The childminder should enhance opportunities for children to learn about the similarities and differences between themselves and others. The childminder should match professional development opportunities more precisely to individual learning needs so these can further enhance own teaching and practice, to benefit all children's learning further.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents 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. This data is from 14 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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