Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2807404 Registered with Ofsted: 19/11/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR

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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 generally make progress from their individual starting points. All children learn new skills through a broad range of indoor and outdoor play experiences. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning develop in all areas of learning, including personal, social and emotional development. Children play cooperatively with their friends. For instance, during group activities, they take turns and share resources. Children are kind, friendly and confident.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children, including those with SEND, develop the independence, self-confidence and social skills needed for their next stage of learning. Children confidently make choices, follow familiar routines and explore the local and wider community. They increasingly communicate their ideas and feelings. However, children in the early stages of using spoken language are not consistently supported to use alternative forms of communication. As a result, children's opportunities to express themselves fully are sometimes limited. Overall, children are well prepared for their transition to nursery and school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder creates a calm, nurturing and welcoming environment where children feel safe and valued. She establishes expectations for behaviour through consistent routines and gentle reminders. Children generally understand these expectations and respond positively. For example, when children scatter small balls on the floor, the childminder calmly asks them to tidy them away, which they do, with encouragement. However, she relies mainly on verbal instructions to manage children's behaviour. She does not consistently use a wider range of strategies to help children understand her expectations. Consequently, children do not always follow the childminder's instructions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder builds warm, secure relationships with children. She is patient and models calm, respectful interactions throughout the day. She recognises when children are tired or need reassurance and responds promptly to support their wellbeing. For instance, she adjusts routines, offers comfort and ensures children have opportunities to rest when needed.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children play cooperatively and develop meaningful relationships with one another. They enjoy group activities such as storytelling sessions, singing nursery rhymes and caring for the childminder's pets. The childminder works in partnership with parents to promote regular attendance, to help children maintain continuity in their learning and make consistent progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder meets children's individual care needs well and works with parents to ensure that care routines remain consistent between home and the setting. For example, the childminder adapts children's sleep routines to meet their individual needs and closely supervises them throughout their sleep. She continues to work in partnership with parents as children's sleep routines develop. The childminder shares information with parents daily and works collaboratively with other settings to promote continuity in children's care and learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning receive appropriate support that helps them engage confidently in activities with other children.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder builds secure attachments with children through consistent, responsive and positive interactions. She responds promptly to their emotional and physical needs. For example, during nappy changing, she sings familiar songs, talks with children and encourages them to actively participate in the care routine, helping them feel secure while promoting their independence. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and emotionally secure.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's health and wellbeing through effective hygiene practices and nutritious meals. Children wash their hands before meals and feed themselves. The childminder models polite language by saying 'please' and 'thank you'. However, children in the early stages of using spoken language are not consistently supported to express politeness or appreciation in other ways. This limits children's ability to express themselves and strengthen their relationships during social interactions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of child development. She implements a curriculum that reflects children's developmental stages and interests, including those of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning. She recognises that young children learn best through play. She identifies what children know and can do and provides a curriculum that generally supports their next steps in learning. She uses everyday interactions to promote children's communication and language skills. She introduces new vocabulary and mathematical language by counting, naming shapes and describing the positions of objects. For example, while children play with coloured pom-poms, the childminder introduces the names of colours, counts them and encourages children to use tweezers to transfer pom-poms from one container to another. This extends children's vocabulary, develops their understanding of early mathematical

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

concepts and strengthens the small muscles in their hands.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder prioritises children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. She provides opportunities for children to form secure attachments, develop independence and care for her pets. She builds secure attachments with children and is sensitive to their emotional needs. She plans experiences for children within the local and wider community. For example, they visit playgroups, parks, museums and farms. Children learn about road safety, socialise with larger groups of children and take part in activities to practise their balance and coordination.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Generally, the curriculum is delivered mainly through child-led experiences. As a result, the childminder does not consistently implement planned adult-led experiences to extend children's learning across all areas of the early years foundation stage. Consequently, children's learning and development are not always maximised.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder creates an inclusive environment where every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, is valued and supported. She has high expectations for children and knows them well. She identifies their needs through ongoing observations, discussions with parents and regular communication with other settings that children attend. This helps her identify appropriate next steps and provide support that helps children generally make progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder encourages all children to play, learn and explore together. This helps children develop respect, kindness and positive relationships with others. For example, she takes children on visits within the local and wider community to help them learn about the similarities and differences between people living in modern Britain.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has completed mandatory training. She holds a current paediatric first aid certificate and has completed safeguarding training. However, she has not engaged in targeted professional development to extend her knowledge and skills even further. This limits opportunities to strengthen her practice and maximise outcomes for all children, particularly those who may benefit from more specialised approaches and strategies, such as using objects, sign language and visual cues to promote their communication.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder places children's welfare, learning and development at the centre of her practice. She recognises the strengths of her provision and makes decisions based on children's individual needs. For example, she works with parents and external professionals to provide continuity in children's care and learning and purchases tailored resources to support children who face barriers to learning. This approach helps children access learning opportunities and generally make progress from their starting points.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder reflects on her practice and demonstrates a commitment to providing a stimulating learning environment. However, her self-evaluation does not consistently identify opportunities to further strengthen her practice. As a result, aspects of her practice, including the balance between child-led and planned adult-led learning experiences and strategies to enhance children's communication, have not been fully developed to maximise outcomes for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder maintains effective partnerships with parents. She shares information through an online childcare app and daily verbal feedback. This helps parents play an active role in their children's care and learning. Parents speak positively about the quality of care and their children's progress. They value the childminder's advice, support and regular communication. The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of her roles and responsibilities. However, she has not engaged in targeted professional development to further strengthen her knowledge and skills. Consequently, opportunities to further strengthen the quality of teaching and inclusive practice to meet children's individual needs are not always maximised.

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

Children are happy and settled in this welcoming home-from-home setting. They typically learn through play in a well-resourced and stimulating indoor and outdoor environment. Children form trusting relationships with the childminder, who knows them well and responds sensitively to their individual needs. For example, she gives children hugs when they need reassurance before they return to their play. This helps children feel emotionally secure and develop the confidence to explore independently.

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

Children eagerly choose toys and activities that interest them. They demonstrate high levels of focus and concentration during play as they explore how different parts of toys work. During a shape-sorting activity, children work out which shapes fit into the correct openings. The childminder gives them enough time to solve problems independently before offering support through gentle instructions. She praises their efforts and achievements. This helps build children's self-esteem, resilience and confidence. Children generally respond well to the childminder's instructions. They are developing an understanding of expectations for their behaviour and the impact of their behaviour on others.

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

Children enjoy spending time with the childminder and their friends. They play together, share resources and take turns. The childminder narrates their play, reads stories with expressive intonation and sings familiar nursery rhymes. For instance, children enthusiastically join in with actions to songs and squeal with delight. These meaningful interactions support children's communication and language skills. Children also help to care for the childminder's pets, including dogs, cats, guinea pigs and fish. For example, children

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About this setting

Type: Childminder feed the fish each morning before they go to school. Children learn to treat animals with kindness and respect while developing a sense of responsibility.

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About this setting

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning, are generally well prepared for their next steps in learning. For instance, children attend local playgroups where they socialise with larger groups of children, helping them develop confidence and social skills. The childminder works with parents and carers to promote the importance of regular attendance. She shares information well and values parents' contributions to their children's care and learning. This helps the childminder meet children's individual needs and support their learning and development.

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Next steps

The childminder should use a wider range of strategies to ensure children fully understand expectations for their behaviour and the impact of their behaviour on others. The childminder should participate in targeted professional development to strengthen curriculum implementation by including a balanced range of child-led and planned adult- led experiences to extend children's learning even further. The childminder should use appropriate strategies to strengthen children's communication to ensure that all children, including those in the early stages of using spoken language, can express themselves effectively.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, co-childminder and children during the inspection. She also considered the views shared by parents.

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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. Registration date: 19/11/2024

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About this inspection

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