Lankothu, Lakshmi Soujanya

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2800787 Registered with Ofsted: 27/09/2024 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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Achievement Expected standard

Children achieve well from their starting points. They make steady progress across all seven areas of learning. Children typically develop the skills they need for a successful transition to preschool or school. They develop their physical skills outdoors, including balance and coordination using the large play equipment. Children have opportunities to strengthen their hand muscles, such as through drawing, and mark making with pens or engaging in play dough activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop their communication and language skills well and engage in conversations. Children benefit as the childminder uses additional strategies, such as picture prompts or signing to ensure all children have a voice. Children who may be experiencing difficulties with their speech and language or learning English as an additional language are supported well. Children are are enthusiastic leaners and motivated to learn.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children develop secure and trusting attachments with the kind childminder and her caring staff. This promotes children's positive emotional wellbeing and helps develop confidence and resilience. Children are aware of the familiar daily routines in place. These help them feel secure and settled in their environment. While the childminders familiar routines help children understand what is happening, on occasions they interrupt children's play and concentration. For example, young children show fascination and curiosity in a 'gloop' activity. They watch intently as the gloop slithers and drips and enjoy the sensory feel. They repeat this many times but become frustrated as they have to stop and prepare for snack before they have finished.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes a very calm, happy and respectful atmosphere. The childminder has high expectations for behaviour and children behave well. The childminder praises children for displaying positive behaviour and children play happily alongside each other. The childminder supports children to be kind, share and take turns through consistent reminders, stories and games. The childminder fully understands the importance of children's regular attendance. She understands how to follow up on any absences, should they occur to ensure children's welfare.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder places a clear emphasis on supporting children's health, safety and wellbeing. She creates a nurturing environment where children typically feel happy and cared for. The childminder is attentive to children's individual needs and responds appropriately when children require support, reassurance or personal care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children to develop long-lasting healthy habits. For example, she provides nutritious well-balanced meals and snack. Children drink water or milk. They know to wash their hands before eating. Children are given the opportunity to rest as needed. Children are made comfortable and can sleep peacefully while being closely observed. The childminder follows safe sleep and safe food preparation guidance and completes risk assessments for her home and outings to identify and minimise hazards to children. She keeps her knowledge up to date and uses this to inform the care and support she provides. Children learn how to keep themselves safe when outdoors. For example, the childminder discusses road safety during organised trips within the local community, such as the local park, or picnics outdoors.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder works with parents and carers to understand children's experiences. This helps her recognise changes in children's emotional wellbeing and provide appropriate support when needed. The childminder supports children to learn about emotions. She does this through talking about the children's emotions as they occur. They share books and pictures and provides children with the vocabulary needed to express their feelings. The childminder typically supports children to self-regulate. For example, children use a cosy tent if they want to sit quietly. Sensory and fidget toys are readily available to help them calm down.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall the childminder provides children with a broad and ambitious curriculum. This is typically designed around their interests and builds on what they already know and what they need to learn next. She identifies children's starting points in partnership with parents and carers, then carefully plans learning activities based on children's interests. This means that children enjoy learning and make steady progress. She regularly reviews progress to support children's next steps in learning. Typically there is a focus on children's speech and language development and skills needed to be independent learners. The childminder supports children's communication and language skills well. She engages children in conversations, recognises and praises them when they use newly learned words and repeats words back correctly to them. This promotes children's confidence in their communication skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder develops children's mathematical skills progressively. For example, she encourages children to count how many cups and plates are needed at snack time. This helps children to link numbers to quantities. Children choose their favourite stories and older children show sustained concentration and listen intently during group time. They recall the familiar story. They interact during song time joining in the actions. The childminder does not always organise adult-led activities precisely enough so learning intentions remain clear for all those participating. At times, activities are too long for the younger children and they lose concentration. This means children do not always focus on the intended learning. The childminder provides children with a wide variety of high-quality resources that cover all areas of leaning. However, many of these are stored out of children's reach, which means

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

they cannot independently initiate their own spontaneous play and learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder is committed to ensure all children reach their full potential. This includes children who may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, and those who speak English as an additional language. She uses initial assessments completed with parents and carers, and observes and monitors children's progress to identify if children may need any additional support. If emerging gaps in children's development are identified she works closely with parents and outside agencies to ensure extra support and advice is available and implemented. The childminder is confident to adapt the curriculum to meet each child's emerging needs and help them make steady progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder welcomes support from the local authority early years team. This has helped her review her practice, resources and activities. The childminder understands how to utilise additional funding effectively and identify targeted training or resources to reduce any barriers to children's learning, promoting their individual needs. The childminder knows how to adapt the curriculum and plan targeted activities, to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make the best possible progress in their learning and development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a sound knowledge and understanding of the skills young children need to become confident and independent learners. She reflects this clearly in the way she plans and teaches the curriculum, ensuring learning builds progressively and meets their individual needs. Overall, well-organised and established routines support both younger and older children, helping them feel secure and understand expectations.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder supports any assistants well, by having regular supervision meetings, providing constructive feedback and offering training and development to help them to fulfil their role. The say they enjoy their role and feel supported through the childminders clear guidance. The childminder has worked closely with the local authority and is part of a local initiative 'Making it Real' project to establish positive working relationships with parents and help them to support children's learning at home. The childminder is reflective and welcomes any feedback to improve outcomes for children in her care. She is committed to improving her knowledge through engaging in training opportunities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents speak highly of the childminder's care and support. They are pleased with the communication they receive. The childminder sends photos and keeps them informed about daily activities. Planned meetings to discuss children progress are routinely arranged. Written observations, plus a learning journal documenting children's activities, allow parents to see their children's development and provides a treasured keepsake of their child's time with the childminder. The childminder liaises with other settings, where necessary, to ensure continuity of care and development.

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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 enjoy their time with the childminder. They arrive happy and excited to start their day. They are welcomed by the caring and attentive childminder. Children skip in and greet their friends and leave their parents and carers with ease. Children demonstrate they are confident and secure in the childminders care. They build trusting bonds with the childminder and any assistant she works with and this helps them to feel safe and ready to learn. Children show a sense of belonging. For example, they know where to store their shoes and personal belongings when they arrive.

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Inspector:

Children enjoy a curriculum designed to reflect their interests, developmental needs and progress from their starting points. They are active learners, and engage in a variety of meaningful experiences in the garden. For example, children explore sensory play with enthusiasm. They pour and scoop rice using different tools and listen to the sound it makes. They develop their coordination as they balance using an obstacle course they create from planks of wood and stepping stones. They enjoy water play and making chalk patterns on the floor. These opportunities help children to build their knowledge and skills over time. Children show a positive attitude their learning and behave well.

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Inspector:

Communication and language is central to children's experiences. Children who have English as an additional language are supported well. The childminder provides opportunities for children to develop and use their home language during play. Children benefit as the childminder and assistants she works with are bilingual and speak with children in their home language when they are upset, need reassurance or help them to settle. Children are positively encouraged to work with their peers and have conversations. They enjoy group stories and singing activities and this helps children's confidence and understanding in speaking, especially during group activities. They learn to listen to one another and take turns. This also helps develop their social skills. The importance of attendance on children's learning and wellbeing is understood. The childminder works closely with parents to ensure that children are benefiting from the full curriculum by being

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Next steps

The childminder should improve the organisation of routines to ensure that they do not interrupt play and impact on children's learning. The childminder should improve the organisation of planned activities so learning intentions remain clear and all children sustain concentration and engage. The childminder should consider further ways to help children initiate their own play and learning to support them to become independent learners.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistants, parents and the 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. Lynn Hartigan

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 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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