Cunnington, Rachel Jane

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2826253 Registered with Ofsted: 12/03/2025 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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Achievement Expected standard

Generally, children learn skills that will help them in preparation for their move on to school. Children recognise specific numbers in their play, such as their age. Younger children develop their speaking skills, closing gaps in their learning. Children who face barriers to their learning are creative as they develop artwork using pens and paints. They begin to understand how they can mix colours to create others. Children show their imagination as they use dough to create characters and call these, 'aliens'. When children play with dough, they learn new skills, such as how to push dough through a tube to create a certain shape. They show patience and determination when they do this. Children learn about similarities and difference in others. This includes holding discussions with the childminder about people with disabilities. When children eat food, they develop an understanding of how to eat some foods safely. This includes learning why grapes are cut in half, to avoid them

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder encourages children to develop a positive attitude to learning and to complete tasks for themselves. For instance, when children can not find building blocks they need, the childminder encourages them to move objects to locate the ones they want and to keep looking.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Typically, children are encouraged to follow daily routines, such as tidying away toys before getting others out. When children who face barriers to learning show reluctance to do this, the childminder makes it a game. For instance, she asks children to put a set number of objects away first and she then does the same. This makes this time an exciting and enjoyable experience for children where they show excitement to help. The childminder helps children learn how to share, for example, when she plays games with them. Children learn the rules of games and to take turns as they play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children show positive relationships with the childminder. They use dough to make her a heart shape and show a sense of humour as they laugh and joke together.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of children attending regularly, such as to promote their learning and to follow consistent routines. If she has any concerns about children's attendance, she will contact parents and work with them to encourage children to attend regularly.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides nutritious snacks for children, such as fruit. Generally, she talks to children about healthy foods at appropriate times during the day, such as mealtimes. Some children with barriers to their care, struggle with eating. So, the childminder takes children to different places in the community to experience mealtimes in different situations, such as picnics. This is to encourage them to try different foods to help expand their diet. The childminder ensures that children access daily exercise. For example, she takes them to the park, beach and local attractions. This contributes to promoting healthy lifestyles. Parents have the option to bring children's toothbrushes from home, so children can be supported to brush their teeth after eating. This helps to promote children's oral health.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder ensures her home is safe and suitable for children. She completes risk assessments that include completing fire evacuation drills with children regularly, so they understand how to exit her home in the event of a fire. This contributes to helping children to keep themselves safe. Additionally, when she takes children to parks, she talks to children about them always being able to see her. This is to ensure that children are always in sight and hearing to promote their safety and welfare.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder observes children as they play and uses assessments to help identify children's levels of learning. Typically, she identifies any gaps in their development and plans experiences to help them progress. This includes providing children who face barriers to their learning with support to develop their vocabulary. The childminder provides opportunities for children to develop the muscles in their hands in preparation for early writing when they move on to school. She models how to use her hands to squeeze dough, which children copy. Children are offered tools to use with dough to create different shapes. These skills help to strengthen children's literacy and physical skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Typically, the childminder holds back and forth conversations with children, helping to develop their thinking skills and encouraging children to share their thoughts and ideas. This interaction encourages children to remember previous events in their lives, such as trips to an aquarium. They talk confidently about what they remember.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children to develop their mathematical skills. This includes asking children to count the correct number of objects they play with and to recognise written numbers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Generally, the childminder supports children who face barriers to their learning and care well. This includes providing spare clothing if children need to change during the day. Furthermore, she offers children healthy food options if they need additional food.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder adapts her interactions with children to meet their individual needs, such as when they first start attending. For instance, for some children, she provides lots of comfort and reassurance that familiar adults will return soon. For others, the childminder gives them tasks to complete as soon as they arrive, such as to place their lunch boxes in the fridge. This contributes to promoting children's emotional wellbeing when they first start, helping them to settle quickly.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder does not care for any children in receipt of additional funding. However, if she does in the future, she understands to gather further information from the local authority or online about how to spend this money to benefit the children. The childminder uses assessments to help identify any gaps in children's learning. She plans activities to reduce these, such as to help children develop their speaking skills. However, the childminder does not fully understand how to involve a range of other professionals to help provide additional support for children with special educational need and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder shares information with parents about activities children enjoy, keeping them informed about their children's day. She provides parents with support for their children's behaviour at home, such as to use different voice tones to help children differentiate and understand what is expected of them. However, the childminder does not share or gather information about children's abilities and achievements with other early years settings that children also attend or the school they will move on to. This means that staff and teachers do not receive information about children's care, learning needs and behaviours to help support consistency and continuity of learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder reflects on the experiences she offers children. Since moving house, she has made toys accessible for children to enable them to make independent choices in their play. The childminder liaises with other childminders to help identify how to support children, when needed. This helps her to consider different methods to promote children's emotional wellbeing when they start. However, the childminder has not developed her understanding of how to work in partnership with other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This means that children with an early identification of additional needs do not receive the very best support for their development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder encourages children to make choices about where they want to visit in the local community. She uses these opportunities to help children learn about 'stranger danger' and to develop their learning. This includes showing children how to catch crabs at the beach and to understand how to be gentle with them.

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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 confident to arrive and enjoy the responsibility of carrying out tasks. This helps children to have a sense of belonging in the childminder's care. Children have choices and confidently select toys and resources to promote their interests in the childminder's home. They talk about places in the community they want to visit with the childminder, such as the park and to feed the ducks. Children are confident in communicating their needs. They listen, respond to questions and follow instructions. Children show positive relationships with the childminder.

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

Information is gathered from parents about children's abilities when they first start attending. This is used to help identify what children need to learn next. Children are supported to build on their skills. This includes developing their physical skills and stamina to walk when visiting places of interest in the community. They learn about road safety to help them understand how to keep themselves safe. Children visit nature parks where they use equipment to develop their knowledge of insects. Children are supported to develop their memory. This includes playing games where children are asked to remember where images are placed. They learn to take turns playing games to promote sharing. Children who face barriers to their learning have opportunities to talk with the childminder about their feelings and to help regulate their emotions. Children express their feelings confidently, such as telling the childminder that they were scared when they saw pretend dinosaurs.

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

If children do not arrive when expected, contact is made with their parents to find out the reasons why, helping to promote their welfare. A written register monitors children's attendance.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 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 gather and share information with other early years settings children attend and schools they move on to, helping to promote consistency with their care and learning. The childminder should develop her knowledge of how to work with other professionals to help support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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. This data is from 6 August 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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