Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2789683 Registered with Ofsted: 04/07/2024 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 Strong standard

Children make rapid progress and receive targeted support to achieve their goals from their starting points. Activities are meticulously planned to ensure that every child makes secure progress from their individual starting points, with timely support and targeted interventions precisely matched to their next steps in learning. Children's communication and language development is rigorously monitored, resulting in the vast majority meeting, and many exceeding, age-related expectations. Where children require additional support, highly effective strategies and bespoke interventions are implemented without delay. As a result, gaps in speech and language development are identified early and closed rapidly, ensuring children quickly catch up with their peers and are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children who face barriers to their learning make exceptional progress from their individual starting points because their needs are identified early and met with highly effective, personalised support. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to thrive. They grow in confidence, resilience and independence, enabling them to access the curriculum successfully and participate fully. Children strengthen their communication, emotional wellbeing and social relationships over time.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes children's health and welfare consistently well. She knows each child well and works very closely with parents and carers to meet children's individual needs. For example, the childminder follows the same routines that children have at home such as using white noise to aid sleep. She encourages them to try new foods and talks to them about making healthy choices. This helps children to feel comfortable and confident at mealtimes. This careful partnership also supports children who face barriers to their wellbeing to take part fully in daily routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Settling-in arrangements are very impactful. The childminder gathers detailed information from parents and carers, including about their children's routines, likes, dislikes and family backgrounds. She offers several settling-in sessions, which enable children to become familiar with the environment and develop secure attachments with her, which fully supports their emotional development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder is incredibly intuitive and swift to identify and support children's changing emotional and physical needs. She helps children to feel positive about changes in their lives, such as moving on to school by arranging to visit the school with the children. The childminder names simple feelings in play and uses books to help children understand emotions. She validates children's emotions, telling them that she understands that they are 'feeling a bit sad' when parents leave. The childminder shares ideas with parents to support children at home. As a result, children make clear progress in their emotional development from their starting points in development. The childminder teaches children healthy attitudes towards screen time, personal safety and making positive life choices. She provides safe and supervised chances to take risks. For example, children use safety knives to cut fruit. This helps them to learn to manage risk and

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder plans an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum, which is bespoke to the needs of the children in her care. She skilfully differentiates activities to ensure that all children are highly engaged during their play and learning. For example, babies explore a sensory tray, they tap wooden tools and metal spoons and feel the textures of the different materials, while older children have the opportunity to scoop and fill and count ice cubes into the containers. This develops children's mathematical and physical skills as they fill and empty the containers. Children are motivated to learn and make excellent progress in their next steps of learning. Mathematical language is used consistently throughout the day. For example, when children are building towers, words such as small, big, tall, short and high are used. This gives children an excellent foundation for understanding mathematical concepts.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder draws on her expert knowledge of child development to support high-quality teaching. She uses daily activities and routines as learning opportunities to support children's learning. For example, during care routines with babies, the childminder sings familiar songs and rhymes. This introduces new vocabulary and helps to support their communication and language development. This carefully designed curriculum means teaching is focused well on children's unique stages of development and learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is highly committed to ensuring that every child is fully included and thrives within the setting. She identifies children's individual needs at the earliest opportunity, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing additional barriers to learning. Through carefully considered adaptations to the environment, routines and learning experiences, every child is enabled to participate fully, experience success and develop a strong sense of belonging.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Supporting children's communication and language is a significant strength of the provision. The childminder skilfully models language, introduces and revisits ambitious vocabulary, and uses visual prompts and carefully planned strategies to ensure all children can understand, communicate and express themselves confidently. As a result, children make strong progress in their communication and language development, successfully follow routines, make independent choices and engage purposefully alongside their peers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder thoughtfully adapts routines and responds sensitively to children's individual emotional needs, creating a calm, nurturing environment where children feel exceptionally safe, valued and understood. Her warm, responsive interactions help children regulate their emotions, develop positive relationships and confidently take turns, negotiate and cooperate

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Expected standard

during play. Consequently, children develop high levels of confidence, resilience and emotional security.

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Expected standard

Robust observation, assessment and progress monitoring ensure that emerging needs are identified swiftly and acted upon without delay. The childminder plans precisely targeted support and works proactively with external professionals to secure the best possible outcomes for children. As a result, children make strong progress from their individual starting points, gaps in learning diminish rapidly, and they develop the confidence, independence and skills needed to flourish in future learning and social situations.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Ongoing reflection and evaluation of the provision underpin the childminder's commitment to delivering high-quality experiences for all children. She regularly adapts planning and the environment to sustain her engagement and promote excitement in learning.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder actively sources and participates in a variety of training courses and webinars. She uses new strategies from professional development in her practice to further enhance children's learning outcomes. She remains current with any early years sector developments and demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous growth by expanding and refreshing her knowledge and skills.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder establishes effective and collaborative partnerships with parents, fostering warm and trusting relationships while ensuring that they are consistently informed about their children's experiences and developmental progress. She provides parents with guidance and resources to support learning at home. Parental feedback is highly favourable, expressing appreciation for the quality of care provided and their children's enthusiasm for attending the setting.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder works effectively with other key professionals, such as local authority advisers and speech and language specialists. These professional relationships, along with the ongoing communication with parents, help her to ensure that each child gets the best start in life. The childminder provides her assistant with regular supervision where they discuss their key children and professional development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children generally behave well for their age and stage of development. They listen attentively and respond positively to the childminder's instructions. Children are working on sharing and taking turns, and are encouraged to help tidy away resources after play. Children are reminded to use kind hands but this is not always consistent.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is a positive role model, teaching children manners and how to behave kindly towards others. She works closely with parents and carers to reinforce the importance of attendance and punctuality. This helps children make the most of their time with the childminder. Her proactive approach from the moment children arrive encourages and motivates them to learn.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Throughout her interactions, the childminder consistently praises and encourages children, supporting their confidence and independence. She allows children time to complete tasks, such as putting on their own shoes, washing their hands independently and feeding themselves. This supports perseverance and self-care skills. The childminder offers children various outings to broaden their experiences. For example, children visit a local playgroup where they meet other children from various backgrounds, helping to develop their social skills and an awareness of 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

The childminder consistently supports children to settle, taking time to understand each child's individual needs and offering reassurance and comfort. Children, many of whom have attended since they were babies, demonstrate that they feel very safe and secure. The childminder creates an inspiring, child-friendly environment that ignites children's curiosity. Children are happy, clearly enjoy their time in her care and confidently explore the well- organised, homely environment.

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

Children enjoy learning. They independently select what they would like to do and remain purposefully engaged in activities. For example, they experiment with sensory materials by playing with ice cubes to keep cool on a hot day. The childminder uses these experiences skilfully to promote children's language development by introducing new vocabulary, physical development as children scoop and pour, and early mathematical understanding as they count the ice cubes into a bowl.

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

Children develop strong problem-solving skills as they manipulate and join shapes together, build towers and discover that 2 triangles can be combined to make a diamond. The childminder joins in children's play sensitively, extending their learning and deepening their understanding through well-timed interactions. Children confidently recall prior learning. For example, while playing with the farm animals, they point to the cow's udder and confidently say 'udder' and 'milk', demonstrating what they have remembered from previous experiences.

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

Children generally respond well to the childminder's guidance. She speaks to them in a calm and respectful manner, consistently modelling kindness and consideration. Consequently, children generally learn to be polite and kind to one another. However, although children are reminded to use 'kind hands', these messages are not always reinforced consistently to further develop their understanding of positive behaviour. Children enthusiastically join in with familiar songs during circle time, demonstrating their enjoyment and growing confidence to participate alongside others.

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

The childminder adapts activities to suit the age and stage of development of each individual child ensuring that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face other barriers to learning, make good progress. The childminder provides a wide range of enriching experiences that broaden children's understanding of the world around them. She regularly takes children for walks in the local area and to places of interest, including the museum and farm and they attend a local playgroup to help children socialise in preparation for school.

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Next steps

The childminder should refine strategies for promoting positive behaviour so that children fully understand what is expected of them.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:30 - 18:00,Friday : 07:30 - 09:00,Friday : 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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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistant, children and parents 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 . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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