Atkinson, Susan

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY298257 Registered with Ofsted: 16/11/2004 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 suitable progress and achieve well across all areas of learning. Children show sustained focus and positive attitudes to learning. This helps to prepare them for later learning. Children are polite and treat one another with respect and kindness. Children form positive relationships with peers, playing collaboratively together. For example, they work together to tidy up toys ahead of transitions to snack and lunch. Children learn to share and take turns to build secure emotional resilience and empathy, with careful guidance from the childminder.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learning builds on what children already know and can do. Children explore puzzles, mark making and numbers in pre-prepared activities. This varied approach keeps learning interesting and focused, ensuring children secure breadth and depth in knowledge and skills. Children develop age-appropriate skills needed for their next stage of learning. For example, the youngest children show great perseverance in independently putting on their own shoes for outdoor play. Children are confident and independent young learners.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has embedded an environment where all children thrive and achieve. She is well attuned to their individualism and uniqueness and celebrates this through the activities she provides. The childminder typically considers children's ages, stages of development and individual circumstances appropriately when supporting behaviour and routines. Flexible session arrangements and close communication with parents help children develop confidence and emotional security. Children are excited to attend. The childminder is quick to identify non-attendance and acts swiftly in collaboration with parents to support them. This approach supports a strong foundation for regular attendance as children move on to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Positive and nurturing relationships ensure children follow routines that are well rooted in high expectations. Children are encouraged to use good manners, take turns and help tidy away resources. The childminder and her assistant are positive role models and, as a result, children demonstrate good behaviour and have a clear sense of belonging. For instance, they warmly include new adults in their play and excitedly show them resources. The children have positive attitudes to learning, and with the ongoing support of the childminder, children show high levels of perseverance. When children encounter problems, they tackle them both independently and together as a team. Any disputes are promptly dealt with. Overall, the clear boundaries set by the childminder offer a fair and nurturing response, which children are highly responsive to.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are well supported through care practices and nurturing interactions. Children develop close attachments with the childminder and her assistant, which helps them feel safe, reassured and emotionally secure. Overall, the childminder establishes a culture where children can express their emotions and learn how to manage them.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder and assistant work together to supervise the children throughout daily routines while promoting independence. For example, the oldest children use the toilet without support and wash their hands after use. Children benefit from healthy, home-cooked meals from new menus that have been established since the last inspection. Children typically eat well, using cutlery to feed themselves. The childminder sits with children and helps them to understand the benefit food has for their bodies through conversations at mealtimes. This creates a solid foundation of adopting healthy habits. The childminder ensures children's dietary requirements are closely followed while ensuring a balanced diet.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder follows children's individual routines. For example, she feeds babies their milk and recognises when they need a rest. She monitors children while they sleep to ensure their safety. The youngest children are remarkably independent in their sleep routines. For example, they collect their comforter and happily settle down to sleep. Parents express full confidence in the childminder's care, noting they understand their child's routines, preferences and needs. The childminder ensures that every child feels safe, valued and supported, reinforcing children's sense of belonging.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder understands the need for clearer curriculum priorities since the last inspection. All areas of the curriculum are prepared for through activities and resources that help children build secure foundations for future learning. The childminder has strengthened planning and assessment processes. She is clear about what children need to learn next while continuing to follow children's interests and individual stages of development. Overall, the childminder makes the most of interactions. However, some opportunities are missed to extend and deepen learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching is appropriate and supports children's needs, with physical development as a strength. For example, large-muscle control is developed through enhancements within the provision, such as providing access to see-saws, slides and ride-on vehicles. Smaller muscle development is supported with opportunities to mark-make. Children say, 'look I did my name!' when using pens to form letters in water play. Inside, children enthusiastically look at an alphabet mat and state words that begin with letters pertinent to them, for example, 'f is for fox and frog!' Children eagerly join in with early mathematical learning. For instance, children join numbers together to make 5. They use slices of a toy pizza to represent simple addition, saying '2 plus 3 equals 5!'

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children benefit from learning within the community, such as visiting farms and nearby town shops. This broadens children's understanding of the world around them securely. The childminder adapts activities appropriately for children who may need additional support with communication by repeating words back clearly, so children have time to hear and absorb new vocabulary. Children receive generous praise for all efforts made to communicate.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder considers children's uniqueness and makes adaptations to their curriculum and environment to best support each child. She promptly identifies children's individual needs through observations and assessment processes. The childminder's knowledge and understanding of how best to utilise external professional support is evident. She knows how additional support builds trust and offers a shared understanding with her families.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder's collaborative approach ensures all children, including those facing barriers to their learning, can thrive. For example, the childminder provides carefully chosen resources to support children to manage their own behaviour and feelings. She implements interventions, ensuring she addresses barriers to learning effectively. For example, the childminder uses her knowledge of children's interests to spark their curiosity to encourage early language. Therefore, children benefit from rich experiences and opportunities that are inclusive of their individual needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has created an adaptive environment where all children feel included and valued. Regular professional development and reflective practice ensure the childminder can apply strategies with impact. The childminder applies learning from training in daily practice. She adapts activities to bespoke next steps so the children are successful. As a result, all children make progress in communication, emotional development and independence, reflecting the success of this inclusive approach.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a broad understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. Since the last inspection, the childminder and her assistant have accessed a range of training to improve their practice. The childminder has sharpened her focus on curriculum design to support and facilitate children's learning. She has taken advice from the local authority and implemented this successfully to improve her practice. For example, next steps now reflect clear intent on what is to be planned to support individual children's progress. This, coupled with the childminder's clear focus on behavioural expectations, supports children's positive attitudes to learning. Following training, the childminder has implemented new safer sleep procedures that promote children's welfare and support independence. New menus have been written in line with nutritional guidance that offer children well-balanced and healthy meals. The childminder does not yet ensure that she

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

matches further training opportunities closely to her evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of her provision, such as raising the quality of teaching to the highest levels.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder holds the children's best interests at the heart of all she does. She is calm and nurturing, meaning children feel safe in her care. The childminder evaluates her provision depending upon her cohort and makes adaptations to ensure inclusivity for all children who attend. This means all children, including those facing barriers to learning, can be successful. The childminder understands the importance of effective working relationships with families and external professionals. Parents state they are kept well informed and are supported by the childminder to continue their children's successful learning and development at home. They share their delight and gratitude for the ongoing support the childminder provides. These secure partnerships enable children to achieve and thrive.

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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 are happy, safe and well cared for. Children understand the routines well and eagerly engage in play. The childminder prepares the environment to match the children's interests. For example, the youngest children show motivation to build and knock down

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Inspector:

towers. The children anticipate when they may be knocked down and giggle with delight. All children enjoy warm and nurturing relationships with the childminder and her assistant. Children's emotional wellbeing is supported effectively. Children receive support to develop their personal skills, enabling them to flourish. For example, when they feel uncertain or unhappy, they have cuddles and reassurance and quickly return to play.

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Inspector:

Children with emerging needs are well supported. Their needs are well known and understood and the childminder and her assistant are responsive to this, for example, saying words slowly and repeating words to ensure successful exchanges are had. The childminder maintains clear communication with parents and other professionals, as needed. This means children who face barriers to their learning make the progress they are capable of.

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Inspector:

Children benefit from the improvements the childminder has made to her curriculum since the last inspection. Children are motivated by a varied range of resources available to them and play well alongside each other. For example, children sit around a table playing with food and using toy knives to practise their fine motor skills and hand–eye coordination when cutting them. Babies are curious and copy early language and movements modelled. For example, they say 'weee' as they independently climb and slide during outdoor learning.

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Inspector:

Children benefit from the positive relationships the childminder builds with families. Together, they work to support the best outcomes for every child. The childminder is flexible with her session offering, which promotes good attendance and allows children to flourish.

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Next steps

The childminder should ensure she develops a detailed analysis of her setting's strengths and areas for development. The childminder should make the most of every interaction as an opportunity for high- quality teaching to better support children's progress.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistant, 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. Nic Henson

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30

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About this setting

Local authority: Westmorland and Furness

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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

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