Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2798783 Registered with Ofsted: 18/10/2024 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 Expected standard

The childminder builds strong bonds with the children in her care. Children enjoy being with her. She provides children with interactions that build their sense of identity and self-worth. She has high expectations for children's behaviours, and children show care towards one another as they play. Children share and take turns well, and the childminder consistently praises them for this. The childminder knows children's characters well and builds on their interests.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Routines are flexible, and the childminder is responsive to children's care needs. She offers comfort in the form of cuddles or reassurance as children wish. This supports children to regulate their feelings and helps them to stay happy and content. Children show confidence as they play independently. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and independently explore the environment. For example, as children play with small-world animals they show concentration and are so pleased when they achieve what they want and the animals all stand in a line.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of children attending regularly and promotes this with parents. The childminder typically supports children's independence but does not consistently do so. Her expectations of independence are the same for all children, and she does not consider their current level of development or understanding.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children are not supported to make suitable progress across every area of their learning. Opportunities are limited because children are not consistently provided with activities and resources that are purposefully planned, and teaching is not matched to their individual needs. In addition, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not access the full curriculum because adaptations are not always implemented appropriately. This means all children do not learn the skills and knowledge they need to prepare them for their next stage of learning. Children do not typically receive specific interactions that support their communication and language skills to develop. For example, the childminder does not support children to use a range of strategies to help them communicate wants and needs clearly, and this sometimes leads to children feeling frustrated.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children develop early literacy skills. They enjoy sharing storybooks with the childminder and show high levels of engagement as they look at the pictures and count the number of animals and consider their size. Children show confidence, focus and engagement during their play and exploration with activities of their choosing. However, when they participate in activities led by the childminder, they do not benefit from interactions or teaching that promote development across all area of their learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

The childminder does not promote children's understanding of how to minimise risks for themselves as they play. For example, she allows children to repeatedly play on ride-on vehicles outside without any footwear. The childminder recognises the risk but does not take any action to minimise this. For instance, she reminds children to 'watch your friend's toes' but does not encourage them to wear shoes. Children step on stones, and this unsettles them and pauses play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children show care for each other and share toys well. When playing outside, children take turns on the slide without support and enjoy following each other around the garden on ride- on vehicles. They wait for their friends if they fall behind and smile at them as they catch up. Children enjoy a picnic snack outside. The childminder promotes safe eating practices as she reminds children to finish what is in their mouths before taking another bite. She provides consistent supervision. However, the childminder's modelling of behavioural expectations is inconsistent. For example, as children sit to paint, some start splashing paint, and they do not receive clear instruction from the childminder to help them engage purposefully in the activity.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

The childminder builds positive, trusting relationships with the children she cares for. When children start with her, she adapts her settling-in procedures to help promote children's familiarity with her and her home. Parents appreciate how happy and settled their children are in the childminder's care. The childminder communicates daily with parents during handovers, and this supports consistency in care. For example, parents inform the childminder when children have not slept well, and she adjusts nap routines to support children to rest when they need.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder does not provide a curriculum that meets all children's individual learning needs. Experiences and resources are not purposefully planned and do not help children to build on their existing skills and knowledge. Although the childminder has some awareness of typical stages of development, she does not accurately assess children's individual progress or match her teaching to meet their needs. For example, children needing challenge in their learning do not receive instruction that promotes their curiosity and critical thinking skills. This limits the progress children make and does not prepare them well for the next stages in their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder builds positive relationships with children, and these help children feel happy. Children develop physical skills through daily outings. The childminder takes children to visit play parks, woodlands and local zoos and regularly meets up with fellow childminders and the children in their care. This widens children's opportunities to socialise in larger groups and play with children of different ages. The childminder knows children's likes and interests well. Children show excitement when she notices sea animals on their clothing.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder does not use guidance documents, such as 'Birth to 5' or 'Development Matters', to support her to correctly identify when a child may benefit from early help services. This means children do not always receive the right help at the right time. For example, when there is a potential delay in children's communication and language skills, she does not use any reference tool to check if the range of vocabulary a child has, or the length of sentences they use, is typical for their age and stage. This limits children's progress. The childminder can discuss children's learning and achievements, and she recognises areas of the curriculum children have strengths in. Her understanding of what progress typically looks like at different ages and stages is not secure.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder has effective procedures in place for when children start with her to help her gain an understanding of children's current learning and development needs, and this helps them settle quickly and confidently into her care.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder cares for and values every child. Children with barriers to learning or special educational needs and/or disabilities receive nurture that helps them feel a real sense of belonging. The childminder provides targeted teaching that helps all children's confidence and self-worth grow.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder does not monitor children's progress effectively and does not provide a curriculum and teaching that builds well on what children already know and can do. The childminder does not have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the local procedures to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means children are not supported to make the best possible progress. The childminder has completed mandatory training. However, she has not yet pursued professional development opportunities that would strengthen her curriculum and teaching practice. For example, the childminder has identified that further training would help to strengthen her confidence and teaching in supporting children with SEND. The childminder does not typically recognise or minimise hazards to children during their play and planned experiences to promote their full engagement and promote safety.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder networks with other local childminders, and members of this group support each other with ideas to strengthen their practice. The childminder does not yet have an understanding of how and when to liaise with professionals at other settings children attend to promote consistency in care.

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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 do not experience a curriculum that supports them to progress well. The childminder does not have an accurate understanding of all children's stages of development. This means that interactions and learning experiences do not build on what children already know and can do. The childminder does not promote all children's communication and language skills. For example, she does not generally narrate play or name objects and does not adapt her communication to support children's learning. In addition, she provides lengthy instructions to children that are not age- and stage- appropriate. This does not support them to extend their vocabulary or develop their understanding.

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

Children do not always receive the right help at the right time. The childminder does not consistently work in partnership with all parents and has limited knowledge of how to make referrals to other professionals. This hinders her understanding of any barriers to children's learning and development and does not help all children to develop all of the skills they need to start school. However, the childminder recognises the importance of promoting attendance. Children attend regularly and are rarely late or absent. This helps them to develop positive routines to start school and helps them to develop a sense of belonging in the setting.

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

The childminder creates a calm and welcoming environment and has a friendly, positive approach with children. They clearly enjoy spending time with her and have developed close bonds. Children show they feel safe, settled and emotionally secure as they play with activities of their choosing for a long time. Children show kindness to each other as they play. For example, as they sit and enjoy listening to the childminder read a story, they are thoughtful and make sure their friends can see the pictures too.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

improve interactions with children to help ensure children make ample progress in their communication and language development 14/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

develop effective assessment strategies to inform teaching and promote children's progress 14/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

plan a well-sequenced curriculum to help children build secure foundations in their learning and development 14/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

take steps to identify and minimise hazards to children during their play and planned experiences to keep them safe and promote their full engagement 14/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

develop a clear understanding of the support available to help to close gaps in children's learning and ensure that this is accessed and appropriate strategies implemented, when needed 14/08/2026

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Friday : 07:30 - 09:00,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Friday : 15:00 - 17:30,Thursday : 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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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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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn . Store Street Manchester M1 2WD

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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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