Stone, Rebecca Louise

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2784979 Registered with Ofsted: 16/05/2024 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

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, develop a secure sense of belonging, self-esteem and confidence in the childminder's care. This means that they are open and curious to explore the exciting and stimulating activities on offer. Children thoroughly enjoy achieving and take pride in what they do. They develop resilience and persistence. For example, children enjoy matching the coloured balls to the cups and carefully place them inside using spoons. Children are highly engaged and demonstrate high levels of focus. Children show great skill in their communication and language development; they understand complex instructions and talk eagerly about the experiences they have had with the childminder. For example, they talk about the animals and the enjoyment they had on a recent farm visit.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are very well prepared for school. They demonstrate increasing and age- appropriate independence skills, such as managing their own personal hygiene and putting on their own shoes. They recognise their own names and can get along with other children very well.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has created a positive and gentle environment where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning, feel safe to try new things and to play with others. They respond extremely well to the embedded routines that give them security and familiarity and help them to express their best behaviour. The childminder explicitly teaches the skills children need to get along well together. For example, she plays games involving turn-taking and emphasises how children need to wait for their turn. Children fully understand the behavioural expectations, and as a result, their behaviour is exemplary. They share resources easily and are kind to each other. For example, children bring each other their water bottles at mealtimes and pass each other resources during their play. Children develop a growing responsibility for their own actions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

For example, they happily tidy away resources they have finished with. Children have a positive attitude to their learning and demonstrate high levels of concentration and focus. For example, they paint pictures and letters onto the patio slabs.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has an attendance policy with clear procedures to follow up poor attendance, and as a result, attendance is high, enabling children to build positive relationships that support learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are of the highest priority to the childminder and at the heart of the setting. She knows the children and their family circumstances incredibly well. As a result, the childminder can give children the individual support they need to ensure the best outcomes for their welfare and wellbeing. She liaises closely with parents and carers regarding the children's care needs and supports where possible, for example giving tips for healthy food and support with toilet training. Parents are fully appreciative of the care their children receive and the support available to them.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are taught how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know to be careful when using steps in the garden. The childminder carefully explains how important it is to drink lots of water in hot weather, and children learn the new word 'hydrate'. The childminder provides very healthy choices for all meals, and children explore and name the different vegetables on their plates. They grow vegetables in the garden to prepare and eat when they are ready.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder is highly alert to allergies and prides herself on providing the same food for all to help all children feel included. She is aware of the risks of choking and ensures an adult sits with children while they eat.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children benefit from a mostly outdoor-based curriculum. They participate in many trips to the local parks, farms and forests. The curriculum is highly ambitious and based on children's interests and experiences. It covers all areas of learning and development, and the aim is to ensure that children are ready for their next stage of learning. The childminder supports children to be independent in their personal care, have the confidence to ask questions and have the skills to get along with other children.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder is highly skilled at supporting children's development of communication and language skills. For example, when matching colours, she introduces the word 'similar' to the children, explaining its meaning, and uses it frequently throughout the session when appropriate. Mathematics is taught both explicitly and through play. For example, the childminder discusses the properties of triangles with children who are painting. They discuss other shapes, and children eagerly paint rectangles and circles. Children enjoy sitting with the childminder as she reads stories to them. They talk about the book and ask questions, such as whether they would want a tiger to come to tea.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder ensures that the curriculum is accessible to all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning. She ensures that these children benefit from the same high expectations as their peers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

There are extremely secure procedures in place to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning or wellbeing. The childminder quickly identifies any gaps in children's learning when they start with her. She collects information from parents and carers about their child and follows this up with her own observations and assessments. The childminder has a secure understanding of how children learn and backs up her knowledge with professional documents. She gets to know all children extremely well and closely monitors their learning so that those who need it can receive swift targeted support. She continues this process and works closely with parents, offering support and ideas to ensure a continuity of care and learning. The childminder liaises with parents to ensure that any extra funding is used to provide the best possible outcomes for children,

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Inclusion Strong standard

whether that be extra time with her or extra resources. The childminder works with outside agencies to ensure that children get the best possible support, including formal recognition of children's needs. This ensures that children receive all the necessary adaptations and adjustments as they move on to the next step of their learning.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder works with a co-childminder, and together they have a clear vision for their setting, which they feel they are achieving well. The childminders work extremely well together and fully support each other in providing the best possible care and education they can for the young children in their care, using their individual strengths. The childminder clearly understands where improvements can be made and makes changes as they are needed. For example, she has embedded daily routines in which children feel secure and familiar. She uses children's nap times to further her own understanding of child development by professional reading or courses.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly efficient at engaging parents and carers and has built up extremely positive relationships with them. They work very well together to create a secure continuity of care and learning. She is fully aware of family circumstances and is therefore able to understand when a child needs extra support, for example when a close family member is working away from home. The childminder engages fully, where possible, with other settings to ensure that children have smooth transitions. She has worked with outside agencies and local schools to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder engages with the local community and uses the resources wherever possible, for example the local forest and farms. She engages children with charitable activities such as entering colouring competitions to support animal welfare.

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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 flourish and thrive in this extremely nurturing and welcoming environment. They develop close and trusting attachments to the kind and gentle childminder. Children clearly enjoy the individual attention and support the childminder gives them. They display high levels of emotional wellbeing and clearly feel safe and secure. As a result, they feel confident to explore their environment and make the most of the wonderful learning activities available. For example, children learn to use water squirters, developing their arm muscles and hand–eye coordination under the gentle guidance of the childminder. Children thoroughly enjoy the many trips and outings they take to the local parks, farms and woods. They understand why their behaviour is important, and they learn how to keep themselves safe both in the setting and on their many trips out. For example, children know to wear a hat in the sun and to drink lots of water when it is hot. Children's behaviour is exemplary,

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

and they are polite and kind to each other. They say please and thank you and hand each other resources when asked. They benefit hugely from the childminder's focus on being kind to each other and follow her gentle role modelling.

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

Children benefit from a wide range of engaging and interesting opportunities that cover all areas of the curriculum. For example, after a trip to a local farm, children enjoy playing with farm animals and exploring what they eat. They demonstrate prior learning and recognise that the animals also need water. Children have excellent communication skills, and the childminder takes every opportunity to develop new vocabulary. For example, at lunchtime children use new words, such as 'delicious', to describe their food. Children enjoy snuggling on the childminder's lap to listen to stories and chat about the book.

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

All children, including those with barriers to learning or wellbeing, are valued and cared for as individuals. Their progress is carefully monitored, and next steps are put in place that are

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 06:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

shared with parents and carers. The childminder has secure procedures to follow up non- attendance and ensures that parents are aware of the importance of good attendance.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work and carry out further professional development to ensure continued improvement and high standards. She should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her co-childminder, and children and read written feedback from 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. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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