Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2800277 Registered with Ofsted: 18/09/2024 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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder reviews her procedures and care practices rigorously to ensure they are consistently implemented. Children's welfare and wellbeing are at the heart of all she does. The childminder knows children extremely well and responds in a highly effective nature to their individual needs. She adapts her practice in the moment to reflect any emerging gaps in children's knowledge or skills. For instance, when discussing birds she ensures that the correct names are being used to identify each and tells children about their specific characteristics to help them to identify them themselves in the future. All children feel extremely content at the setting, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Precise and effective adaptations to activities and practice consistently ensures that children's wellbeing is prioritised.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are very happy and have secure attachments with the childminder. They often go to her for cuddles and freely ask if there is something they want or need but cannot find for themselves. The childminder is consistently listening to the children's thoughts and ideas and responds swiftly and with care. When children raise a concern that the cars in the garden are looking dirty, the childminder offers them buckets of water, sponges and soap. Children become engrossed in their car-wash and feel listened to and heard. The childminder is extremely skilled at responding to children's needs and interests during play. She consistently offers or adapts activities to deepen understanding, involvement and a sense of belonging at the setting.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Care routines, such as sleeping, feeding and weaning, are sensitively arranged according to each child's stage of development, promoting security for all. Children are explicitly taught about the importance of a healthy diet, regular exercise and how these things contribute towards a positive sense of emotional wellbeing. Children delight in helping with healthy food-preparation activities and trips out in nature, they benefit from regular times for being calm and having the opportunity to reflect and regulate.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make steady progress from their starting points across all areas of the early years curriculum. They are supported when facing barriers to engagement and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. For example, children become engaged for extended periods of time and love to sing songs and nursery rhymes. They enjoy filling the gaps in lyrics, copying actions and learning how to clap rhythmically. Children choose to look at books often, turn pages and listen attentively to others. They delight in finding things of interest in the illustrations and discuss how these relate to their own lives. For example, when spotting animals, they talk about their own pets at home and their characteristics.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children enjoy taking responsibility for small tasks, such as preparing for mealtimes and selecting items for their packed lunches. They begin to express themselves with growing confidence. This helps prepare children for their later learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children benefit from the childminder's calm, but enthusiastic, nature. She has high expectations for children's behaviour and supports them, using manners, modelling and gentle reminders. The childminder praises children frequently for their efforts and achievements, helping them to feel proud of themselves. She has age and stage appropriate expectations of children and forms secure bonds with all those in her care. The childminder adapts her practice to support children facing barriers to their learning. For instance, by slowing down her speech and using short and simple instructions for children with communication and language difficulties. The nurturing environment and familiar routines support children to become emotionally secure.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children generally behave positively and play well with one another. They know when to wash their hands and how to move around, inside and outside, safely and with control. They share resources, such as buckets and watering cans, and show kindness to each other when having conversations. When children need support, the childminder responds sensitively to individual needs. At times, this support is provided before children have chance to come to a resolution for themselves. This somewhat limits how children can build resilience and develop problem-solving skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of predictable routines for children and their families. She offers flexible settling-in sessions and promotes attendance and punctuality through regular communication with parents and carers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder plans and implements an ambitious curriculum. It is generally sequential with high expectations for all children. The childminder typically considers all children's starting points and teaches them the skills and knowledge they need to reach their next stage of development. The childminder typically aligns teaching with children's age and stage of development. This helps all children to work towards their next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder prioritises daily fresh air to support children's physical development and love for the outdoors. Children skilfully navigate steps, gaining confidence in their balancing skills, for instance. The communication and language curriculum is taught well. The childminder models ambitious vocabulary, helping broaden children's understanding of new words. For example, when children engage in role-play activities, such as a car wash in the garden, she asks children to lift the bonnet and make the wheels 'sparkling' clean. Children relish opportunities to further their language acquisition, through looking at books and singing rhymes with toys, to engage and involve them further. However, at times, children are not provided with the time and encouragement to problem-solve for themselves or taught the skills to resolve minor disagreements.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder creates a welcoming and inclusive ethos at her setting. All children and their families are respected and feel valued. She spends time getting to know each child enabling her to respond effectively to individual needs. Before children start, the childminder gathers pertinent information about their interests and routines, which helps children to settle swiftly into their new surroundings. The childminder's positive, trusting relationships with parents and carers, help to support children's emotional wellbeing and continuity of care.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder identifies children who may experience barriers to their learning, including special educational needs and/or disabilities. She is clear about the importance of working with other professionals to support children's development. She understands that additional funding should be specifically targeted to bridge and narrow any emerging gaps in children's knowledge, skills and experiences. She recognises that the impact of this should be measured carefully.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder recognises where she could enhance her own skills and knowledge around specialist topics, even further. She plans to deepen her knowledge of specialist topics, including how to support children with needs relating to neurodiversity. This will help the childminder to consistently reduce barriers to children's learning in different ways.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder understands the importance of establishing and maintaining effective working partnerships with external professionals. She has regular contact with other settings that children attend, to discuss potential barriers to, and next steps in, learning. The childminder sees regular communication as essential, sharing key information and updates about children and their changing needs, in a timely manner.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder's curriculum is appropriate for the ages and stages of development of the children attending. She has a clear understanding of her strengths and has identified additional training to develop her support for children facing specific barriers to learning. She is keen to enhance her provision even further. This reflective approach helps her provide typically high-quality learning experiences for all children in her care. At times, children do not have the opportunity to develop their problem-solving and conflict resolution skills. This inhibits their resilience and is not fully supporting their journey on to school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder establishes secure bonds with parents and carers. This helps children to settle quickly and promotes positive working relationships. She communicates frequently with parents, sharing information about what children have learned and how to support them further at home. Parents notice their children becoming more socially confident when visiting new places and interacting with others, as a result of their experience here.

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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 make appropriate progress from their starting points. They freely explore the wealth of opportunities provided for them that cover all areas of the early years foundation stage. Activities are adapted to allow all children equal access to the setting. For example, different cutting implements are offered to support smaller hands and develop motor skills during snack time.

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

Children enjoy regular visits out within the local community. Children enjoy trips to farms and animal parks. This helps them develop empathy, an understanding of the world around them

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About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): 2800277 and how to look after living things. They also enjoy soft-play visits, which support children's physical development and social skills in different situations. Children become confident and curious learners.

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About this setting

Regular conversations and sharing of information ensures that families and their views are valued. Parents and carers are made aware of the importance of regular attendance and how this benefits children's wellbeing and development. Children facing barriers to their learning are supported through activities being adapted and a wealth of experiences being offered to inspire and encourage learning.

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About this setting

All children benefit from warm and nurturing relationships with the childminder and each other. Children are known well and activities build on what they already know and can do. Children delight in washing rainbow scarves and hanging them on a washing line, using small-muscle skills to apply the pegs. They enjoy the responsibility of being helpful and gain a sense of achievement when completing the task, receiving high praise for this. Children feel valued and gain a secure sense of belonging.

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Next steps

The childminder should help children develop the skills to problem-solve and to resolve minor conflicts for themselves. The childminder should target professional development to embed her knowledge and provide consistently high-quality teaching across all areas of learning, for all children, including those facing barriers to their learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to the childminder, children, parents and carers 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. Type: Childminder

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About this inspection

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

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

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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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