McGuinness, Heather Louise Shannon

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2818750 Registered with Ofsted: 17/01/2025 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 Strong standard

Children make secure progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. They develop knowledge, skills and confidence through rich experiences that build communication, language, physical skills and social confidence. Children use complex vocabulary, recall events with detail and engage in sustained back-and-forth interactions. They demonstrate problem-solving, independence and curiosity, adapting their actions to achieve goals and expressing their ideas clearly.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or barriers to learning benefit from tailored support that helps them make steady progress. The childminder adapts routines and experiences to support individual needs, such as using children's interests in cars and dinosaurs during nappy changing to encourage communication and confidence. She provides sensory experiences, including exploring water, soap and different painting tools, to help children engage and express themselves.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning. They confidently explore, collaborate, follow routines and make choices, developing the confidence and independence needed for future learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder establishes a positive environment with clear, respectful expectations for behaviour. Children learn to collaborate, negotiate and get along with others. She supports them to understand natural consequences and repair relationships, helping them develop empathy and respect. For example, when children disagree over a toy, she guides them to think of ways to join in together, reinforcing gentle hands, shared play and turn-taking. Her calm, consistent approach helps children feel secure and understand what is expected of them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Routines are well established and support children's security and confidence. Snack routines promote independence and healthy choices, with children selecting cutlery and expressing preferences. Sleep routines are calm and responsive, with the childminder offering comfort and reassurance when children struggle to settle, helping them regulate their emotions and feel safe.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children show positive attitudes to learning throughout the day. They engage with enthusiasm in music, sensory play, outdoor exploration and imaginative activities, often sustaining involvement for extended periods. They demonstrate confidence, curiosity and a willingness to try new experiences, adapting their ideas and actions as play develops. Children collaborate with others, share resources and communicate their thoughts clearly, showing enjoyment, motivation and readiness for further learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children experience secure, responsive relationships that help them feel safe, valued and confident. The childminder meets individual needs with thoughtful, respectful care. She gives children time to respond, offers choice and adapts routines sensitively. For example, she respects children's privacy and choice, seeking consent at nappy changing time, and using interests to support the routine positively.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Healthy choices are promoted through varied, safely prepared snacks and discussions about keeping hands clean, sun safety and respecting living things. Children develop physical confidence through climbing, jumping, running and exploring outdoor equipment. Emotional wellbeing is supported through calm reassurance, comfort and opportunities to express preferences and feelings. Children develop secure relationships and confidently seek out the childminder for support, play and conversation. She recognises children's individual emotions and helps them develop strategies to manage feelings and build positive relationships with others.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Safe-sleeping routines are well established, with regular checks, appropriate equipment and clear procedures. Children learn about personal safety through everyday experiences, such as safe stair use, gentle hands and understanding risks in the environment. The childminder supports children to become increasingly independent by encouraging them to make choices, manage aspects of their own care and understand how to keep themselves and others safe.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has a clear, well-embedded curriculum rooted in children's interests and the belief that they learn best through exploration, respectful interactions and meaningful challenge. This is consistently evident in practice. She provides rich opportunities for sensory play, music, movement, outdoor exploration and imaginative experiences, enabling children to build knowledge and skills across all areas of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teaching is purposeful and responsive. The childminder skilfully extends children's language through sustained conversation, building vocabulary linked to their interests, such as dinosaurs, football, colours and numbers. She adapts everyday routines to support learning, using playful ideas to maintain engagement and encourage communication. She builds on children's ideas during activities, such as dancing with instruments, mixing water and soap in the tough tray, painting and imaginative games, helping them develop curiosity, confidence and expressive language.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Assessment is detailed and accurate. Observations and two-year progress checks identify precise next steps linked to development and interests. The childminder effectively tracks progress, adapts learning opportunities following the children's lead and shares information with parents. She prioritises children's physical, personal, social and emotional and communication and language development, offering safe challenge for children who enjoy climbing and jumping and supporting them to collaborate, negotiate and express their ideas confidently.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder creates an inclusive environment where children's individual needs are identified early and supported with thoughtful, well-planned strategies. She uses detailed observations and assessments to understand each child's development and adapts experiences to reduce barriers to learning. For example, she provides physical challenge for children who enjoy climbing and jumping, helping them explore safely and build confidence. She also adapts routines and experiences to support children's individual circumstances, ensuring all children can participate fully and develop a sense of belonging. The childminder tailors experiences to children's interests, offering sensory opportunities such as mixing water and soap in the tough tray or exploring paint with different tools to support engagement and self-expression.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder works closely with families, sharing concerns sensitively and collaborating on strategies that support children's progress. She engages with external partners when needed and is proactive in seeking guidance to meet children's emerging needs effectively, including those related to special educational needs and/or disabilities. She understands that some children may experience barriers due to their individual circumstances and works with families to ensure children receive appropriate support to participate fully.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Attendance is monitored carefully, with prompt follow-up on unexplained absences to ensure children's welfare. The childminder's inclusive culture ensures every child is valued, welcomed and supported to develop positive relationships, confidence and independence within the setting.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of her responsibilities and promotes consistently effective practice across all aspects of the early years foundation stage. She is reflective, child-focused and committed to continuous improvement. Recent in-depth professional development has strengthened her practice, with reflective diaries helping her refine the learning environment and adapt her approach to meet children's needs. She uses her knowledge of children and their development to make thoughtful decisions about the experiences, routines and resources provided, ensuring these are purposeful and responsive.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Documentation is comprehensive and well organised, including detailed observations, risk assessments, permissions, policies and attendance monitoring. Systems are used effectively to track children's progress, plan learning and ensure all required information is maintained to promote consistently effective practice. The childminder regularly reviews her records and uses this information to identify where further opportunities can be provided to support children's development and interests. She works closely with families and external partners to understand children's needs, including those related to special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring information is shared clearly and consistently.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has an accurate understanding of her strengths and areas for refinement. She evaluates her practice regularly and identifies purposeful next steps, such as giving children more time to resolve minor conflicts independently to further strengthen their social development. She welcomes feedback and uses reflection to continually improve the quality of care and learning experiences children receive. Her organised and proactive approach ensures children experience a well-managed, nurturing and responsive setting where they are known, valued and supported to make progress.

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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 experience a warm, respectful and engaging environment where they achieve, belong and thrive. They confidently choose resources that reflect their interests and readily

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Inspector:

involve adults in their play. They enjoy rich experiences, such as dancing with musical instruments, exploring water play, climbing, painting and imaginative games. The childminder nurtures their growing emotional literacy, supporting them to collaborate, negotiate turn-taking and find solutions together. For example, when children want the same instrument, she helps them to consider different ways to join in, leading them to independently choose alternative instruments so everyone can participate.

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Inspector:

Children develop independence and confidence through everyday routines. They choose cutlery, express preferences at snack time and recall events from home with detail. They show pride in their achievements, such as matching pictures in a book or adapting their actions to meet a goal. For example, throwing a ball more gently so it stays in the wheelbarrow. Children feel a deep sense of belonging. They see themselves in photographs and care for flowers they have planted. Secure relationships help them thrive. They seek out the childminder for comfort, play and conversation. Healthy routines are well established, with safe-sleeping practices and calm reassurance when children struggle to settle.

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Inspector:

Barriers to learning are reduced through thoughtful adaptations. The childminder supports communication and language through rich conversation and tailors experiences to children's interests, such as using cars and dinosaurs to support nappy changing or offering sensory experiences to build confidence. Children make clear gains in confidence, communication and social development, shown through their growing independence, expressive language and willingness to collaborate with others. Children are highly motivated learners who develop a secure sense of curiosity, confidence and belonging. They are encouraged to explore, make choices and develop the skills they need for their future learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should continue to strengthen children's emotional literacy by giving them further time to express their feelings and work through minor disagreements independently, using the respectful language and high-quality strategies already embedded in daily practice.

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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. Lauren Mills

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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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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