Samson, Samantha

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2826318 Registered with Ofsted: 21/03/2025 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder involves children in establishing expectations. She skilfully adapts her approach to reflect on their individual needs and level of understanding. The childminder has an excellent understanding of the strategies that help individual children to express and regulate their emotions. For example, children use familiar songs to communicate their feelings, calm themselves and regain emotional control. Positive behaviour is consistently reinforced through incentive cards, meaningful rewards and frequent, specific praise. Consequently, children are proud of their achievements, develop confidence and increasingly understand how their behaviour affects others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder works highly effectively with families to promote children's regular attendance and ensure continuity in their care and learning. She maintains open communication, identifies any barriers to attendance and works collaboratively with families to address these. The childminder is highly skilled at helping children develop positive relationships and navigate social situations. Where children find sharing difficult, she sensitively teaches them how to negotiate, take turns and resolve minor disagreements. Carefully chosen visual strategies, including timers and alarm clocks, are used extremely well to help children understand routines and anticipate transitions. The childminder gives children sufficient time to process and prepare for changes, with sand timers used particularly successfully.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's voices are valued highly. The childminder listens intently to their ideas and responds thoughtfully to their interests and requests. For example, when children ask to add water to sand during their play, she enables them to test their ideas and explore what happens. This fosters children's curiosity and positive attitudes towards learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder knows the children remarkably well. She consistently monitors and evaluates their development to ensure that they make the best possible progress. Drawing on her extensive childcare experience, the childminder works extremely well with parents, carers and other professionals, including occupational therapists, to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who may face additional barriers to their learning and development. She values the expertise of others and uses the information they provide to adapt her practice effectively. This collaborative approach ensures that strategies to support children with SEND are tailored precisely to children's individual needs, and are consistent between the setting and home. Consequently, children receive well-coordinated support that enables them to participate fully in the curriculum and make secure progress from their individual starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children who speak English as an additional language are supported effectively through carefully chosen strategies, including visual aids and 'now and next' boards. This helps children to understand routines, communicate their needs and participate confidently. As a result, all children feel valued, respected and included. The childminder also provides experiences for children to consider the needs of others. For example, children participate in

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Expected standard

charitable activities and begin to understand why it is important to help people in their community. This supports children to develop empathy, kindness and respect for others.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children typically make very secure progress from their starting points. They develop their physical skills as they move confidently on tricycles and explore their environment. Children master practical tasks, such as managing their personal hygiene and toileting. These skills help to prepare them well for the next stage of their learning. Children use mathematical language in their play. They count up their treasure and group them into colours. Children typically make steady progress in their communication and speak assuredly in their play. They are socially confident and celebrate their uniqueness. They show kindness towards others, share willingly and develop resilience and curiosity. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from high-quality, targeted support. All children are building the skills and positive attitudes they need to become capable, lifelong learners.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder builds warm, trusting relationships with children from the outset, helping them to feel safe, secure and valued. She is highly attentive to children's individual care and welfare needs and provides sensitive comfort and reassurance when needed. Routines are adapted thoughtfully to reflect children's individual needs, helping them to settle quickly and develop a secure sense of belonging.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder typically promotes children's independence and self-care skills effectively. Children confidently wash and dry their hands independently and understand why good hygiene is important. They find their own drinks and are developing an understanding of the importance of staying hydrated. The childminder encourages children to contribute to everyday routines. For example, children willingly help to prepare resources for activities, such as baking. They eagerly undertake simple, age-appropriate responsibilities and sweep up afterwards. This helps them to develop an increasing sense of responsibility for themselves and their environment.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder encourages children to think about why exercise is important through enjoyable experiences, such as regular morning 'wake and shake' sessions. Children delight in these social experiences and express their emotions alongside their friends. The childminder works closely with parents and carers to further promote children's health and wellbeing. She provides sensitive and practical guidance about nutritious food and works collaboratively with families to encourage healthy choices in children's packed lunches. This consistent approach between home and the setting helps children to develop positive attitudes towards healthy eating.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides children with a well-sequenced curriculum. She consistently provides targeted support for children who experience barriers to learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder knows all children well. She uses observations and her knowledge of child development to plan activities that reflect children's individual needs and interests. Teaching is generally tailored to children's individual stages of development. For example, the childminder asks questions, models words clearly and provides a narrative as children engage in activities. However, she does not always seize opportunities to introduce new vocabulary during play to extend children's developing language even further.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children's mathematical development effectively. For example, as children measure out ingredients during a baking activity, she encourages simple calculation and problem-solving, such as when children add too much flour. She supports children to recognise written numerals and uses visual prompts and objects to reinforce their learning. Children have fun as they learn. For instance, they show high levels of perseverance as they practise using tweezers to pick up treasure. The childminder encourages children to transport materials in different ways, such as adding water to sand during their play. These experiences help to strengthen the muscles in children's arms, hands and fingers, which supports the development of early writing skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder ensures a coordinated approach to providing consistent, targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or barriers to their learning. She carries out research and follows guidance from specialists to provide high-quality support. In partnership with parents, carers and other professionals, she monitors children's progress and reviews the effectiveness of strategies and interventions to ensure these continue to meet children's individual needs.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The curriculum is typically appropriate for the children who attend. However, the childminder does not consistently seek professional development opportunities to refresh and extend her knowledge. This means that support across all areas of learning is not always consistent. The childminder regularly reflects on her practice and identifies ways to make improvements. For example, she has recently strengthened the way she shares information with parents when children first start at the setting. This has a positive impact on children settling into her care. The childminder builds and maintains positive relationships with parents. She values their role as partners in their children's learning and encourages them to contribute to and support their children's development. Parents speak highly of the childminder. They appreciate the truly supportive partnership that she fosters.

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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

The childminder knows children well. She uses her knowledge of children's individual progress to plan for what children need to learn next. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning, make steady progress from their starting points. Children feel safe, secure and valued at the setting. They form warm, trusting relationships with the childminder and their friends, and develop a secure sense of belonging. Children who initially find separation from their

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Inspector:

Jane Franks parents and carers difficult receive the reassurance they need to settle. As a result, they become increasingly confident in managing changes to routines and transitions.

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Inspector:

Children enjoy attending the setting and benefit from regular attendance. This provides continuity in their learning, relationships and development. They confidently make independent choices in their play and show high levels of determination and perseverance throughout the day. Children develop their physical skills through everyday experiences, such as mixing and exploring sand and water, which strengthen the muscles in their arms, hands and fingers.

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Inspector:

Children become increasingly independent and confident in doing things for themselves. They learn to manage their own personal needs and take responsibility for simple tasks, such as helping to tidy away resources. Children enjoy outings beyond the setting, including walks in local woods, parks, alongside the brook and through other open spaces. They investigate the natural world and develop their curiosity about nature, wildlife and their local community. Children also enjoy visits to the library for rhyme-time sessions and experience different forms of transport, such as travelling by bus. These experiences help them to become confident and curious about the wider world. Children learn about the importance of healthy lifestyles. They naturally find their water bottles before going outside for example. They show an understanding of personal safety and know not to eat food if it has fallen on the floor. Children are confident to express their ideas and follow their interests. They are

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Inspector:

motivated to explore and investigate and develop the positive attitudes they need for future learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should further support children's developing vocabulary to help extend their language skills more consistently. The childminder should access further professional development opportunities to embed knowledge and provide consistently secure practice in all areas of learning.

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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.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 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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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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