White, Shelley Anne

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2839584 Registered with Ofsted: 26/05/2025 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 manages children's behaviour effectively. She establishes some simple ground rules to help children understand how to behave safely and considerately. For example, the childminder gently reminds younger children to wait patiently for their turn on the rocking horse and to use 'kind hands' when interacting with others. This helps children to learn some self-control when sharing the resources and to develop respect for the feelings and needs of others. The childminder works closely with parents and carers to explain the age-related expectations she has for children to ensure a consistent approach to managing their behaviour.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children confidently follow established daily routines, such as washing their hands before meals and sitting appropriately at the table. These routines help children to feel secure and develop positive habits. The childminder is a positive role model and promotes positive manners through her interactions with children. For example, she regularly uses 'please' and 'thank you' to encourage polite behaviour. Children consistently manage a range of tasks for themselves, such as typically removing their shoes and socks when coming indoors. They grow in independence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder maintains accurate attendance records and works with parents to promote their children's attendance and punctuality. This helps children to develop positive attitudes towards their learning and in the future when they are at school.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

In the main, the childminder promotes children's welfare and wellbeing effectively. However, she does not make timely referrals to health professionals and secure early support for children with special educational needs and/or with disabilities (SEND). The childminder works closely with parents and carers to share information about children's care routines, such as meeting their individual dietary requirements and supporting toilet training. This ensures children's personal needs are consistently met. Children form warm and trusting relationships with the childminder. They seek her out for reassurance and affection. This helps them to feel emotionally secure in her care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder follows safer sleeping guidance effectively. Children sleep safely on individual fold-out mattresses placed on the floor, each with their own fitted sheet. They have their own comforters from home to help them settle. The childminder supports children to manage the physical risks they are confident and able to take. For example, children enthusiastically and repeatedly climb and slide down a large garden slide. The childminder offers children consistent praise and encouragement which supports their self-confidence and wellbeing. She promotes children's understanding of personal safety and reminds them to wear sun hats outdoors. Children learn how to protect themselves from the sun.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides regular opportunities for children to enjoy fresh air in the garden or at the local park. These experiences support their physical health and emotional wellbeing. Children learn about the natural world and the community in which they live.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children do not consistently achieve as well as they could from their starting points. New children to the setting do not have next steps for their learning from the outset. This impacts on their progress through the curriculum. Children do not always receive a high level of teaching. For example, they do not develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically to prepare them for the next stage of their learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always receive timely and targeted support from the advice of professionals to meet their learning needs. Consequently, gaps in their communication and language development take longer to close.

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Achievement Needs attention

Young children enjoy physical and sensory activities related to a topic about holidays. For example, they play with the kinetic sand filling and emptying a variety of interesting containers, such as pots, toy ice-cream cones and paper cases. Children delight in making sandcastles and knocking them down. They concentrate well and are motivated to learn.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Although the childminder has suitable plans to explain what she wants children to learn, the quality of teaching is not effective enough to ensure all children make the best possible progress. For example, she does not consistently recognise that play activities and daily experiences can support children's mathematical development. This limits children's ability to apply mathematical concepts in everyday situations.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder plans some interesting physical and sensory activities. She displays a range of themed books suitable to help children learn about holidays. For example, the childminder uses pictures cards of objects from holidays, such as sunglasses and bucket and spade. This helps to aid children's understanding and communication. This inclusive strategy helps all children learn. However, the childminder does not fully understand how children develop and there is little teaching to extend their learning to help them achieve. She does not consistently identify next steps for learning promptly for children when they first join the setting. This limits the childminder's ability to plan a well-sequenced curriculum from the outset.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder is unclear about whether children with speech and language difficulties may require targeted support. She does not make timely referrals to seek professional guidance to strengthen her curriculum further. This potentially impacts on children's individual progress. The childminder has some teaching strategies in place to support inclusion, such as using some Makaton signs, such as 'more' and 'finish', to support children's communication and language skills.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder does not have suitable knowledge about how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She does not seek advice and guidance from other education and health professionals to support individual children. This means that children with possible speech and language difficulties do not receive targeted support to help close any gaps in their learning. The childminder has recently taken steps to access training related to inclusion and SEND. However, the training has had a limited impact on the childminder's practice. She has not significantly increased her knowledge or confidence in supporting children with SEND or those who are disadvantaged.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder uses some inclusive teaching strategies to support children's participation. For example, she displays visual prompts and uses pictures in activities to aid children's understanding and communication. The childminder also uses some Makaton signs to support children's communication. This helps them to express their needs and understand others.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder shows an understanding of supporting children's physical needs and sensory differences. For example, she acts on guidance from professionals and introduce food play to help increase children's exposure to different foods. This helps to increase their confidence around eating. The childminder works with social services to support children who are known to them. She reports on their progress and emotional wellbeing when required, to help protect their welfare.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has a broad awareness of the setting's strengths. However, she does not fully understand how children learn, which leads to weaknesses in the quality of teaching, such as supporting children's mathematical development effectively. The childminder shows commitment to her role. She has started to identify professional development opportunities to strengthen her knowledge of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, this does not lead to improvement quickly enough. She does not work with external professionals to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to close any gaps in children's communication and language skills.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder collects information from parents and carers about children's care routines when they first start, to help them settle. However, she does not collect enough information about their interests and what they know and can do, to plan for children's next steps right from the start. This impacts on the progress they make. Parents receive suitable communication from the childminder about their child's daily routines, including a progress check when their children are aged between 2 and 3 years to share with their health visitors. They receive ideas for home learning, which helps them to continue to support their child's development. Parents report that they are happy with the responsive care that the childminder provides for their children.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder regularly meets up with other local childminders in the local community to draw on their expertise and share knowledge of childcare practices. This helps her to continually improve her offer to parents and children.

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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 make the rapid progress they are capable of from the outset. This means they do not consistently experience an ambitious curriculum, planned to meet their individual needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not benefit from the childminder seeking external timely professional advice to help close any emerging gaps, particularly in their communication and language development. The overall quality of teaching does not consistently support children's achievements. Children form warm and trusting relationships with the childminder, which helps them to thrive emotionally and socially. They feel safe, valued and secure. Children are independent and confident. They demonstrate a sense of belonging, freely exploring their environment and the activities on offer. Children show an interest in finger rhymes, exploring the sounds and patterns of words. For example, they hold out their hand for the childminder to draw

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

circles on her hand and repeat words and phrases to the rhyme, 'Round and Round the Garden'. This helps to strengthen their language skills and widen their vocabulary.

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

Children develop their physical skills exploring a range of resources, tools and materials, such as in a tray of kinetic sand. For instance, they carefully mould sand around a toy egg and confidently manipulate one-handled tools to chop up the sand arranged on plates. They show a high level of concentration and develop their hand-eye coordination. Children are curious and capable. They benefit from the childminder repeating new words, such as 'chop' to build on their growing vocabulary. Children develop some understanding of mathematical concepts at the water tray. For instance, they repeatedly enjoy filling and pouring water using different-sized bottles to develop an awareness of weight and volume. Children benefit from hearing some mathematical language, such as 'big' and 'small' to learn about size.

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

The childminder celebrates children's achievements in early literacy. For example, children enjoy making marks with chunky chalks on the patio. This supports their hand strength, precision and control in preparation for future writing. Children learn through everyday experiences about the world around them when on outings. They benefit from socialising with other children and developing other friendships when visiting children's groups in the local community.

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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

design an ambitious curriculum that takes account of children's individual starting points from the outset 01/09/2026

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Action Completion Date

develop understanding of how children learn, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and work more effectively with external professionals to support children's individual learning and development needs 01/12/2026

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About this inspection

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

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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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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. 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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