Prime, Elisabeth Ann

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2798952 Registered with Ofsted: 30/08/2024 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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Achievement Strong standard

Children are exceptionally well-prepared for the next stage in their learning. They develop skills and qualities that provide them with a strong base from which they can develop a life- long love of learning. They are curious and experimental with resources and develop their play in meaningful ways. For example, children carefully move water from one place to another to combine it with different materials. They notice what happens when the water goes into the sand, how it cascades down from a height or the impact of throwing heavier objects into it to make a splash.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are confident, resilient and excited to learn. They make substantial progress from their starting points, including those who face potential barriers to their learning. Children demonstrate how their knowledge is sequenced and builds over time. They recall prior learning which is substantially linked with the childminder's explicit teaching. For example, children spontaneously sing and develop their play around ideas from a familiar story, 'Jack and the Beanstalk'.

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Achievement Strong standard

They demonstrate strong imaginative play, when they use resources in creative ways, such as using the bricks to create roadways and tunnels. All children engage in activities that challenge their resilience and problem-solving skills, such as when they focus on pouring their own drinks without spilling or overfilling the cups. Children show advanced levels of concentration for their age and stage of development. For example, they confidently express their ideas, listen carefully and respond to instructions, during a music activity. Children are independent and skilled communicators, ready to embrace new experiences in their community and world.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder creates calm and familiar routines that wholly support young children's positive behaviour and attitudes to learning. She builds strong and impactful relationships with the children, fostering their confidence and trust in her. Young children and babies play harmoniously alongside one another. The childminder models skills, such as sharing and taking turns to very young children, who confidently and willingly demonstrate this in their play. Through her empathetic and nurturing teaching, children learn about kindness and respect. This is skilfully extended by the childminder to help children understand the importance of caring for their environment. For instance, children understand that their plants need water to survive and grow.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder supports young children to name and understand their overwhelming feelings and emotions. She presents children with innovative ways to express themselves, using her own facial expressions and sign language to boost their understanding. She expertly adjusts her environment to ensure all children, including those with special educational needs and or disabilities, can enjoy all activities and develop their innate desire to explore.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder establishes respectful partnerships with parents and carers. This helps embed positive routines between home and the setting, such as high expectations around children's attendance to support the best possible outcomes for their learning and development. She seamlessly works alongside parents to make appropriate and immediate adaptions to the setting that help all children access the broad range of activities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder uses her professional insight and knowledge of young children's development to tailor her policies and practice to precisely support children's welfare and wellbeing. The childminder has a comprehensive understanding of children's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She successfully works with parents and carers to provide a safe and highly appropriate environment to nurture and inspire all children.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder provides young children with abundant opportunities to develop their independence and self-confidence. She thoughtfully sequences their learning, so that over time children master new skills, such as getting themselves dressed. The childminder emphasises the importance of potty training for young children and works with parents and carers to make this a successful part of children's development in the setting. For example, children have visual cues to help them sequence and remember the routine for toilet training and handwashing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder instils in children the importance of making healthy choices about nutritious food and good hygiene for lifelong health. Mealtimes are well ordered, calm and sociable occasions, where children learn the importance of eating slowly, using polite manners and enjoying new flavours. She intentionally teaches children about how they can move their bodies to increase their control and exercise, such as when they play ball together, or balance and move when they pretend to be animals. She creates a relaxing space for children to sleep safely.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder creates a high-quality curriculum that is well-sequenced and expertly delivered. She knows precisely what she wants all children to learn and focuses her attention on providing children with the skills they need. Her attention on supporting children's language and communication is a priority. She consistently uses a range of teaching strategies, including signing and visual cues, to increase children's understanding. She introduces new vocabulary to extend children's conversations and repeats these words in new contexts. For example, children learn that the jug is 'porcelain' and that the tower is 'stable'. Children spontaneously sing songs and rhymes that the childminder has composed to help reinforce stories and new concepts.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder skilfully steps in to develop young children's deeper knowledge and learning. Her high expectations of what children can achieve are embedded into her routines and activities. For example, she develops children's early mathematical skills when they count, order and sort during 'tidy-up' time. Children demonstrate high levels of mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills. For example, children figure out which shape and size of bricks will make the tallest building. The childminder adapts her teaching to respond to children's emerging lines of thinking and interest. This means children remain focused and attentive. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can join in with an appropriate level of challenge and interest. For example, when she draws children's attention to sounds in the environment, they are enthralled when they notice the rubbish truck outside. She develops

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

children's interest and curiosity when she poses questions. She gives them additional time to think, provide answers and ask their own pertinent questions.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder's robust and thorough understanding of the ways young children learn helps her create a highly inclusive curriculum and environment for all children. She skilfully adapts and adjusts her curriculum so that it is accessible and engaging for all children. She thoroughly understands challenges some children might face, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and works to eradicate barriers to their learning. In doing so, she provides children with encouragement, opportunities and experiences to make substantial progress from their starting points. For example, she regularly analyses her environment, including the colours and textures of materials to help children access resources they enjoy.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder harnesses the skills and knowledge of other professionals to help optimise her work with children with SEND. This includes using well-researched interventions to help children make significant progress. Her willingness to understand how she can make things better is profound. She shares her insights and observations to increase awareness and to change practice, such as helping others understand how places and activities can be made more accessible to children with SEND.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder uses any additional funding thoughtfully to help children build greater foundations for their future success. For example, she buys specific resources to develop the skills children will need to become independent and capable learners.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly reflective. Her practice is grounded in professional knowledge and expertise. She uses this knowledge to finely tune and adapt her setting to create an inspirational environment and curriculum. She has recently reviewed her curriculum to increase children's communication and language skills. For example, she uses traditional stories to inspire and further stimulate children's interests and development. Her ambitions for children's learning, alongside her direct action to make improvements, provides children with a highly stimulating environment to support their sustainable progress. The childminder uses any additional funding she receives to optimise the environment for all children, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She makes significant adjustments to ensure the setting is highly inclusive, accessible and appropriate for all children to learn.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder shares her expertise and vision with her assistants, to ensure continuity in children's learning. She develops a culture of self-improvement, such as reviewing her own practice and that of assistants as part of her process of continuous professional development. She seeks out, and values high quality training to support her teaching and to develop practice. The impact of this can be seen in her highly effective teaching strategies.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

She works successfully with parents, carers and other professionals involved in children's care and education. For instance, she proactively shares her assessments of children's development with parents and other setting's children attend, to better sequence and consolidate children's next steps in learning. The childminder's empathetic and thoughtful approach with parents and carers is inspirational and highly supportive. She carefully helps parents understand new guidelines and advice, giving them the the skills and support they need to feel confident and reassured. For example, she helps parents understand what children need as they approach transition to nursery.

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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 flourish in this highly nurturing setting. The childminder uses her extensive knowledge of young children and babies to create an environment where all children feel welcome, safe, relaxed and happy. Children quickly settle into the calm and inviting space which she precisely plans and adapts for their stage of development, needs and interests. Children have the time to practice and embed new skills, helping them lay strong foundations for their future learning.

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

The childminder provides children with exactly the right level of support they need in timely and appropriate ways. For example, her precise and expert planning ensures all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning, benefit from the extensive range of activities and experiences she provides. Children make consistent and rapid progress from their starting points.

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

Children build strong attachments with the childminder. Young children thrive in the gentle routines she has established. Her empathetic and soothing manner helps children learn to self-regulate and understand their emotions. Children play harmoniously and cooperatively alongside their friends. With her support, children develop deeper knowledge and curiosity. For example, the childminder uses a spontaneous opportunity to boost their knowledge of the natural world when they rescue a snail in the garden. Children learn the importance of looking after each other and other living things when they follow her caring example.

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

Children thrive with the childminder, who highly values and respects children's views, interests and personalities. Children are firmly at the heart of her practice. She develops strong links with parents and carers to ensure there is consistency in children's care and learning. For example, she ensures her curriculum is sequenced alongside that of other professionals working with children. Parents are seen as the child's first educator and the childminder works closely with them from the outset. This makes a sustainable and noticeable difference to children's positive outcomes.

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Next steps

The childminder should ensure continued improvement in their successful work to remove barriers for children who need additional support to realise a transformational impact on all children's achievement and wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistants, parents and children during the inspection.

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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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We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Children's 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. 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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