Woolley, Emma Katherine

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2830461 Registered with Ofsted: 31/03/2025 Registers: EYR

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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 typically develop the knowledge and skills they need across the areas of learning from their individual starting points including those who may face barriers to their learning. They develop increasing communication skills and confidently join in with familiar stories. For example, they recognise what comes next in a story by making the sound of the next animal before it appears. Children learn number names in sequence and begin to use these during everyday play. They recognise colours and develop early mathematical understanding.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children generally develop increasing independence and social skills. They confidently access their own drinks, learn to use a knife safely when preparing healthy snacks and take increasing responsibility for everyday routines. Children enjoy playing alongside one another and increasingly initiate simple games together, helping them develop positive relationships. They develop the age-appropriate knowledge, skills and confidence they need for their next stage of learning, including school where appropriate.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder generally establishes clear expectations that help children understand what is expected of them. She recognises children's individual stages of development and adapts her approach to support children who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing. She models positive interactions and teaches children how to use resources safely and respectfully. For example, she helps children understand which resources can be thrown safely and which could cause harm, supporting them to develop appropriate boundaries and self-regulation.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder establishes familiar routines that help children feel secure and understand what happens throughout the day. Children confidently follow routines, such as washing their hands before meals and moving between the indoor and outdoor environment. The childminder promotes regular attendance by establishing clear expectations with parents and carers from the outset and following up unexpected absences. This helps children benefit from clear routines and maintain continuity in their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder generally supports children to develop concentration and engagement through experiences that reflect their interests. However, she does not consistently provide children with uninterrupted time to develop their own thinking processes, responses and self-expression. At times, her frequent narration and the introduction of new experiences interrupt children's own ideas and sustained play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder generally promotes children's welfare and wellbeing through nurturing relationships and well-established care routines. She tailors care routines to reflect children's individual needs and stages of development, helping to remove any barriers to their wellbeing and participation in everyday experiences The childminder helps children feel safe and secure and responds sensitively to their individual needs. Children benefit from familiar routines for personal care, meals and outdoor play, helping them understand what to expect throughout the day. This supports their emotional security.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides children with nutritious home-cooked meals and snacks that introduce a balanced diet. Water is readily available throughout the day and she carefully considers the cups children use to support their stage of development. For example, she uses cups that progressively prepare children for drinking from unlidded cups. The childminder typically teaches children about healthy lifestyles through everyday experiences, such as preparing fruit, learning to use utensils safely and talking about the effects of exercise on their bodies. For example, as children repeatedly run up and down a ramp, she encourages them to notice how their breathing changes and explains why this happens. Children enjoy regular opportunities to be physically active and spend time outdoors.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a clear understanding of what she wants children to learn and generally plans experiences that build progressively on what they already know, understand and can do. She thoughtfully enables the learning environment so children can revisit familiar experiences through role play, such as operating taps, pouring drinks and serving food. The childminder helps children make meaningful links between their play and their own experiences while introducing new skills and vocabulary.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder typically uses modelling, repetition and everyday experiences to support children's communication, language and understanding, including those who may face barriers to their learning. She introduces key words in children's home language alongside English. The childminder generally tailors resources and experiences to reflect children's individual interests, stages of development and preferred ways of learning. This helps children who face barriers to their learning access the curriculum alongside their peers and participate in everyday experiences.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Although the childminder generally plans learning effectively, she does not consistently adapt her teaching in response to children's evolving play interests. At times, she redirects children's play towards her ideas rather than building on the experiences children are already exploring. This sometimes reduces opportunities for children to sustain their thinking, develop their own ideas and extend their learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder typically identifies children's individual needs from the outset through discussions with parents and carers, observations and ongoing assessment. She generally adapts experiences, routines and resources to reduce barriers to children's learning and wellbeing. The childminder supports children learning English as an additional language by using key words in their home language while building their confidence in English. She focuses on words linked to everyday routines, objects and children's interests so they can increasingly express their needs, wishes and ideas.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder routinely works with parents and other professionals when children face barriers to their learning or require additional help. She knows when and how to seek advice from other professionals and generally considers children's wider experiences when planning learning. She knows how to break down learning into manageable steps and typically builds on what children already know, understand and can do. This means that that learning is generally relevant to their individual interests and stages of development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder understands how early years funding should be used to support children's development, including those who are disadvantaged. She identifies gaps in children's experiences through discussions with parents and carers to determine how funding can be used effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder generally reflects on her practice and identifies areas to develop. She uses observations of children, discussions with parents and carers and professional reflection to review the effectiveness of the provision. She accurately identifies aspects of her teaching that she wants to develop further and recognises the journey she is on to continually strengthen her practice. She is mindful of manging her time to support her workload and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder generally maintains her professional knowledge through regular training, research and networking with other childminders. She has recently focused on developing her understanding of communication and language, baby development and safeguarding. The childminder has developed new strategies to support children's language development. She shares practice with colleagues, reflects on new learning and generally applies this to develop the experiences she provides for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works closely with parents to build a detailed understanding of children's home lives, backgrounds and individual experiences. She maintains regular two-way communication so that she has an up-to-date understanding of children's changing circumstances, development and emerging needs. She uses this information alongside her own assessments to shape children's learning and care. This helps her provide experiences that reflect each child's individual needs and promotes an inclusive approach to the provision.

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

Children enjoy a welcoming, homely environment where they develop warm relationships with the childminder and feel safe, valued and included. Parents and carers contribute from the outset, enabling the childminder to understand children's backgrounds, home experiences and individual needs. This helps children settle quickly, to ensure each child is included and experiences continuity between home and the setting.

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

Children confidently explore an environment that reflects their interests and stages of development. They enjoy returning to favourite activities, such as water play, where they experiment with pouring, filling and transporting water while developing increasing control. They enjoy solving problems through practical play, such as stacking and balancing games where they have to work out on the correct order to fit pieces together. Children who enjoy throwing are provided with appropriate resources, including soft balls and purposeful games, enabling them to safely explore their preferred ways of playing while learning clear boundaries. Children play alongside one another, begin to cooperate in shared games and confidently communicate with the childminder and each other.

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

Children develop a love of books in ways that reflects their individual stages of development. Some eagerly join in with familiar stories, recalling what happens next, while others confidently respond with animal sounds and familiar words, showing their enjoyment and growing understanding.

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

Children are welcomed as individuals and benefit from experiences that reflect their unique needs and backgrounds. For example, children learning English as an additional language are supported to value and maintain their home language while developing confidence in English. Children benefit from attending regularly, helping them build secure relationships, become familiar with routines and make the most of the experiences the childminder provides. They develop growing independence, confidence and the personal and social skills they need for their next stage of learning, including school where appropriate.

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Next steps

The childminder should adapt teaching in response to children's evolving play interests so they have sufficient uninterrupted time to develop their own thinking, self-expression and ideas to extend their knowledge.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and considered the views of 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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About this setting

Operating hours: Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30

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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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