Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2791278 Registered with Ofsted: 10/07/2024 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 make excellent progress from their starting points and develop a broad range of knowledge and skills across the areas of learning. They develop a genuine love of books and confidently retell familiar stories. They recall key events and use repetitive phrases during role play from well-known texts such as The Three Little Pigs. This foundation in communication and language prepares them well for the next stage of learning. Older children demonstrate increasing confidence and independence as they support younger children during daily routines, such as helping them to prepare for mealtimes, promoting responsibility and social skills.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children apply their mathematical understanding confidently in everyday experiences. They use mathematical language to describe shape, colour, size and number. For example, younger children count with confidence during stories, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and help sort resources as they tidy away. Many children use vocabulary and language that exceeds typical expectations for their age and stage of development, demonstrating secure knowledge and skills that prepare them very well for future learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes healthy and active lifestyles well. She encourages children to drink water after physical activity to keep themselves hydrated and talks to them about how activities, such as dancing, help to keep their bodies healthy. She is a positive role model and explains the importance of keeping herself hydrated to children.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder supports children to develop healthy habits and increasing independence in managing their personal care. She provides nutritious snacks and home-cooked meals. During mealtimes, meaningful conversations include the childminder sharing her own childhood experiences of healthy eating. Open conversation supports development of a sensitive and responsive culture. Children confidently self-serve at mealtimes and are supported to recognise when food may be too hot to help keep themselves safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes good oral health effectively. She teaches children about the importance of brushing their teeth every day and visiting the dentist and asks them to share their own experiences. She supports younger children to develop their independence in using the potty and teaches children to respect each other's privacy during personal care routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder supports children's emotional wellbeing effectively. She responds sensitively to children's individual needs by offering reassurance and comfort when they need it, helping them to feel safe and secure. The childminder has a secure understanding of safe sleep guidance. She follows safe sleep practices and ensures that sleeping children are monitored and checked regularly.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder implements a well-considered curriculum that promotes children's communication and language alongside early mathematical understanding. Purposeful interactions consistently extend children's vocabulary through the introduction and repetition of ambitious language, such as 'rolling', 'pinching' and 'squeezing'. Children confidently apply new words in their play. Mathematical concepts are woven naturally into everyday experiences; older children use numbers meaningfully when sharing and dividing resources. Children compare sizes, for example, children comment on dinosaurs with 'long necks' and 'short arms'.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum successfully builds on children's interests and prior learning. Familiar stories, such as 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', are skilfully used to deepen children's understanding of the natural world, with children enthusiastically making connections between books and their exploration of minibeasts. This helps to foster children's enjoyment of stories while broadening their knowledge across areas of learning. Teaching also supports children's physical development well. Planned opportunities to use play-dough tools, stampers and other resources strengthen fine motor control.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder knows the children extremely well and adapts teaching through high-quality questioning, allowing children sufficient time to think and respond. However, on occasion, she moves on too quickly for younger children. This means that children may not get sufficient time to practice and consolidate their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has well-established routines that help children understand what is coming next. Children respond well to transitions between activities and act with kindness and respect towards one another. They help to tidy away resources and prepare for the next activities. Children make choices about their play and learning. For example, they select books they would like to read and suggest nursery rhymes they would like to sing. Children enjoy helping the childminder and respond positively to the praise they receive.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Parents praise the positive relationships the childminder has with the children. They say that children are excited to attend and have formed secure attachments with the childminder. Parents comment that children have developed a 'hunger to learn', which prepares them well for their move on to nursery. The childminder places importance on monitoring children's attendance.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder responds quickly to incidents of unwanted behaviour. However, she does not consistently teach children emotional vocabulary to help children understand the impact of their actions on others. As a result, children do not always develop a secure understanding of how their behaviour affects others and on occasions repeat the same behaviours.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Although there are currently no children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), children from disadvantaged backgrounds or children known to children's social care attending, the childminder demonstrates an understanding of inclusive practice. She identifies children's emerging needs through ongoing observations, assessments and discussions with parents. The childminder works in partnership with families to reduce barriers to children's learning and wellbeing. She understands how to access and work with external professionals, including signposting parents to local authority speech and language drop-in services where appropriate. The childminder adapts her practice to support children's emotional wellbeing during periods of significant change, such as transitions to nursery or school and changes in family circumstances.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has completed relevant professional development, including speech and language support and supporting children with SEND, and recognises the importance of continuing to develop her knowledge of the graduated approach, including the assess, plan, do and review process. She understands the purpose of additional early years funding and how it can be used to improve outcomes for eligible children should the need arise.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder uses ongoing observations, assessments and information from parents to establish children's starting points and identify their next steps in learning. She works in close partnership with parents, regularly sharing information about children's progress. The childminder supports continuity in children's learning and care, including prioritising developmental milestones such as toilet training. She completes the required progress check at age two and works with parents to plan children's next steps. Parents speak highly of the feedback they receive on a regular basis.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder typically shares relevant information with parents about local authority health initiatives and immunisation programmes to support children's health and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder values partnership working and regularly networks with other local childminders to share practice and keep up to date with developments in early years. She completes mandatory training to maintain her knowledge. Continuing to engage in a broader range of professional development would further strengthen her practice and support ongoing improvements to the quality of education and 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 are happy, confident and secure in the childminder's welcoming home. They develop warm and trusting relationships with the childminder, which helps them to feel safe and emotionally secure. Children delight in joining in with familiar nursery rhymes, enthusiastically dancing, singing and laughing together.

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

Children develop a genuine appreciation of the natural world through the childminder's curriculum. They take responsibility for watering plants and learn why it is important to care for living things. Well-planned outings, including visits to the Horniman Museum butterfly

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About this setting

Type: Childminder house broaden children's understanding of the world around them. Children confidently recall these experiences, talking with enthusiasm about what they have seen.

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About this setting

Children are active members of their local community. Regular visits to local playgroups help them to build social interactions and develop confidence when playing alongside others. Everyday outings, such as trips to local shops, provide meaningful opportunities for children to develop early mathematical skills as they count and learn about money when they buy fruit and vegetables.

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About this setting

Children learn to value and respect diversity from an early age. They access books and resources that reflect different cultures, languages and family backgrounds, including books in their home languages where appropriate. As a result, children see themselves positively represented within the setting and develop a strong sense of belonging while learning to respect and celebrate the differences in others.

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Next steps

The childminder should ensure planned activities are appropriately paced so that children have sufficient time to explore and consolidate their learning before moving on to the next stage. The childminder should consistently support children to express their emotions when responding to incidents of unwanted behaviour to help children understand the impact of their actions on others.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents 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. Registration date: 10/07/2024

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About this inspection

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

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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