Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2800893 Registered with Ofsted: 01/10/2024 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 Expected standard

Overall, children are developing their independence skills well and have opportunities to practise and refine them. For example, children help to serve food at snack time and take great care to carefully spoon their fruit onto a plate. They independently use the toilet and wash their hands after. This helps children develop confidence and equips them with the life skills they will need for the next stage of their educational journey.

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Achievement Expected standard

Generally, children make progress from their starting points across the 7 early years foundation stage areas of learning. However, children do not have consistent practical opportunities to experience numbers to support their mathematical development.

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Achievement Expected standard

Typically, activities are adapted to meet all children's needs so they can access the curriculum at their stage of learning. For example, activities are simplified for younger children to ensure the activity interests them and it is safe for them to take part. This ensures all children, including those with any barriers to their learning, have opportunities to make progress and reach their developmental goals.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is calm and provides a warm and welcoming environment where children are happy and content. She is a positive role model who has high yet realistic expectations for children's behaviour. She adapts her expectations according to children's ages and stages of development to ensure all children including those who may face barriers to learning have the chance to achieve.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder knows the children well and has positive relationships with them. She communicates effectively with the children and engages in conversations about important events in their lives. For example, children talk about their recent holiday and the experiences they enjoyed. This helps children develop their speech and language skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Typically, during play the childminder gently reminds children to say 'please' and 'thank you' and praises them for good behaviour, such as sharing resources and toys.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Generally, children have a positive attitude to learning and know the routines well. The childminder includes children in daily tasks and encourages them to be helpful by taking their plate to the kitchen after mealtimes. Regular attendance and punctuality are promoted with parents and carers to help establish routines and positive habits to support children's learning and future success.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have regular access to the outdoor area and have the opportunity to develop their physical skills by walking and running in open spaces. Woodland walks enable children to explore nature and learn about the world around them. The outside space at the childminder's home is arranged to meet children's developmental needs. These daily outdoor activities provide the opportunity for children to have exercise and fresh air, which contributes well to their healthy development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Generally, the childminder supports children to adopt healthy routines. For example, she teaches children about oral health and uses resources such as a giant toothbrush to teach children how to brush their teeth. Care routines are carried out calmly and with children's consent. Before meals and after visiting the toilet, children wash their hands to establish hygiene routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Mealtimes are closely supervised, and children enjoy eating a range of healthy food. The childminder teaches children about food that will help them grow and make their bodies strong. This helps children begin to learn how to make healthy choices.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Overall, the childminder supports children's emotional development well. Children learn to express their feelings by naming them. For example, the childminder asks children if they are feeling 'happy' or 'sad'. Children learn familiar songs and read books about emotions to help develop their understanding. This supports children's general wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides a spontaneous curriculum that follows children's interests and aims to cover the 7 early years foundation stage areas of learning. Generally, she adapts activities to meet the ages and stages of children in her care. For example, young children enjoy climbing and developing their balance and coordination. Older children practise their fine motor skills by using pens to draw on toy animals and water to wash the marks away. This helps children develop hand strength for future learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

There is a focus on promoting reading and a love of books. Children enjoy weekly visits to the library with the childminder to choose books. During the session, children enjoy listening to their favourite stories, concentrate well and repeat familiar words. This helps to develop children's early literacy skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

While the childminder uses some mathematical language during play, such as 'biggest' and 'smallest' and occasionally counts objects, such as cars on a racing track, these opportunities and visual numbers in the environment are limited and not yet routinely used in practice. This impacts on children's mathematical learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Generally, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to their learning receive some support to help them make progress. For example, children who speak English as an additional language receive support to ensure they develop their communication skills effectively. The childminder puts strategies in place to help them learn new words and practise their speech and language skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Through assessments, such as the progress checks for children aged between 2 and 3 years, the childminder identifies children who may need support to reach their milestones. For example, she helps children to develop their physical skills by providing space for them to move and build their muscle strength. Overall, this helps to prepare children's bodies for their future learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

While there are some procedures in place for planning what children need to learn next, this is not yet embedded in practice and needs to be strengthened to help all children learn the skills they need to navigate the curriculum effectively.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder knows she can seek advice and support from other professionals to help her meet the needs of all children in her care. Where additional funding is available, such as early years pupil premium funding, the childminder uses it to provide resources and experiences to support children's learning and development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder seeks professional development opportunities to build her skills and knowledge to include all children and reduce barriers to their learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is reflective and evaluates her practice. She identifies her strengths and areas she can work on to develop and improve outcomes for children. For example, she successfully promotes books and reading with children to support their early literacy skills and encourage a love of books. The childminder does not consistently and clearly plan how she will get children to achieve what they need to learn next.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has positive relationships with the children and their families. She communicates well with parents and carers, and they appreciate the care and experiences she provides for their children. The childminder communicates with other settings children attend. She shares information on children's care routines and education to provide continuity in learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

To support her wellbeing, the childminder networks with other childminders to share ideas and examples of best practice. These opportunities enable children to socialise and build relationships with their peers while supporting the childminder's professional development. Training enables the childminder to learn new skills and develop her professional knowledge, such as on supporting children's welfare and wellbeing.

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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 settle well and happily engage in play. They communicate well with the childminder and enjoy exploring the variety of resources on offer. For example, children relish hunting for animals in shredded paper. They practise making animal sounds and naming the animals they find. Generally, children play alongside each other cooperatively, and older children kindly share resources with their younger friends. This helps children learn to build positive relationships with their peers.

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Inspector:

Lisa Smith Children are curious and enthusiastic learners. They persevere at tasks and enjoy receiving praise for their achievements. For example, children concentrate while trying to connect bricks. They beam with pride when successful and benefit from the positive praise they receive. This helps to build children's confidence and self-esteem and encourages a positive attitude to learning.

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Inspector:

Generally, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged or may face other barriers to learning receive support to help them make progress. For instance, there is a focus on helping all children develop their speech and language skills effectively to communicate their needs.

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Inspector:

Typically, independence skills are promoted, and children are given the time and space to practise skills and complete tasks. For example, children have ample time to practise putting their shoes on to go out in the garden. They receive prompts and encouragement from the childminder to help them be successful. This helps to prepare children with the independence skills they will need for the next stage in their learning.

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Inspector:

Overall, procedures in place ensure children are kept safe both in the setting and on trips and excursions in the local community. Regular attendance is promoted with parents and carers to ensure children benefit from the variety of educational and learning experiences on offer.

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Next steps

The childminder should strengthen her planning to identify more precisely what children need to learn next. The childminder should strengthen opportunities for children to learn and develop their numeracy skills.

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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 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

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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