Gardner, Nicola

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY294800 Registered with Ofsted: 14/10/2004 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, particularly in communication and language. For example, parents describe how their children's vocabulary and sentence development has significantly improved since attending the setting. Younger children proudly say 'I did it, look' to the childminder as they proudly show the construction they have made. The childminder describes how children who took a long time to settle are now confident and flourishing in her care. Children confidently talk about their experiences at the weekend, describing how they went to the zoo, how they travelled there and who they went with.

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Achievement Strong standard

The childminder describes how getting children ready for school is a particular strength of the setting. She consistently prioritises independence skills, so that children can dress themselves and feed themselves at lunchtime including using a knife and fork. Additionally, she supports children's listening and attention skills, including playing with sounds and rhyming, ready for phonics when they get to school. Consequently, children are equipped with confident communication skills, emotional security, independence and positive attitudes that set the foundation for continued success.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's behaviour and attitudes are consistently positive throughout the day. They happily play and share resources together as they chat and giggle. For example, children confidently play with the magnets, tweezers and small objects on the table. The childminder has a very warm and nurturing relationship with all children. Children are learning and having fun with the childminder and each other. The childminder has established a welcoming, calm environment that promotes high expectations for behaviour. Consequently, children have built warm and positive relationships with each other. Older children independently help younger children to reach for toys and resources. They politely ask each other questions and show high levels of respect for each other and the setting.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder uses specific praise and encouragement about the children's achievements and attempts. Children beam as they hear the praise and consequently their confidence grows. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who benefit from tailored reassurance and consistent routines that help them engage fully. The childminder builds positive relationships with parents and carers. Parents describe how their children feel part of the childminder's family. The childminder understands the importance of punctuality and attendance, and proactively supports families who may face barriers to full attendance.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing is consistently prioritised and promoted in all activities, procedures and policies. Children are visibly content and happy in the childminder's care. The childminder is incredibly responsive to the children's changing needs and this includes children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder provides a very inclusive, nurturing and exciting provision with a broad range of activities that children happily engage with throughout the day. She effectively and sensitively supports children's sleep and feeding routines through close discussion with parents and carers. Children gleefully wash their hands independently to get ready for snack time. Their privacy is maintained during all aspects of personal care, supporting dignity and trust

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children benefit from daily access to outdoor play, with a broad range of resources in the garden. The enriching visits within the local area are used thoughtfully to support children's physical development, curiosity and confidence in the wider world. Her broad range of experiences also support children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe and how to maintain healthy routines. Parents are also supported to understand how to keep their children healthy with ideas about healthy snacks and lunches.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children have access to range of exciting activities across the 7 areas of the curriculum. The childminder prioritises routines and activities that support children's language, personal, social, emotional and physical development particularly well. As a result, all children are thriving in these areas. Children are able to confidently and articulately express themselves during their play. This includes highly descriptive language used in imaginative play. For example, children describe colourful glass blocks as 'all shiny, sparkly and bright'. The childminder skilfully extends children's language throughout the day by commenting, elaborating and describing what they are doing.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children learn about mathematical concepts such as big, bigger and smaller as they discuss the bricks they are building with. The childminder extends their mathematical understanding with books and counting activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children make very good progress from their starting points particularly in communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. The childminder describes how children who took a long time to settle are now confident and flourishing in her care. For example, children who called for their parents and carers for a long time after arriving now confidently walk in, put their belongings in the basket, chat to the other children and start playing. This demonstrates the secure relationships that children make with the childminder.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children are sensitively and precisely supported to access learning at their appropriate level. The childminder works very closely with parents to find out if there are any barriers to learning or individual learning needs. She combines this with regular observations to check that children are meeting their milestones. The childminder quickly identifies emerging needs, communicates with parents and refers to outside professionals if necessary. This support is regularly reviewed and adapted when needed. This approach is highly impactful and children who were previously not confident in the childminder's home are now thriving. The childminder has a robust understanding of how to help children who face barriers to their learning, and how to reduce their gaps in learning. Every child is meaningfully supported in the setting. Routines and activities are flexibly adapted to ensure that children feel settled, included and emotionally secure. The childminder incorporates experiences that

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Inclusion Strong standard

help children to develop the gaps in their learning. For example, regular exposure to fields and woods support children to build confidence in their physical skills. This supports all children to feel welcomed and to thrive in all areas of learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's communication and language skills. She joyfully plays with sounds and language during her skilful interactions with the children, focusing on modelling words, phrase and key vocabulary. This approach is highly impactful and children's communication and language development is thriving.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is part of an established local childminding group who meet regularly to provide social opportunities for the children. They invite outside professionals in to visit the children, such as library staff, oral health workers, toy library staff, and the fire service, as well as going on trips together. This has a significant impact on children's understanding of the world and their personal and social development.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of child development and how to support children to thrive. She has a clear idea of the strengths of her service and what she needs to improve. The childminder is reflective about her provision and takes swift steps if things need to be changed. She is passionate and professional about child development and her provision, and consistently strives to make improvements. The childminder accesses relevant training courses to update her knowledge and swiftly implements changes to keep up with the latest guidance.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has made positive changes to her provision since her last inspection, to ensure that children who are achieving above age expectations are suitably challenged. She has adapted her interactions with children to ensure that they are provided with higher levels of challenge. This is having a significant impact on all children's learning, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, or other barriers to their learning.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder maintains a positive work-life balance and ensures her own wellbeing is prioritised to model good practice to the children in how to look after themselves.

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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 happily put their things away and start exploring as they arrive at this warm and inviting setting. For example, children begin to explore the magnets, tweezers and colourful building blocks on a small table. They chat and giggle as they share the resources. The childminder provides an inclusive, nurturing environment in which every child shows that they feel genuinely valued. Children have very warm and secure relationships with the childminder and each other. Children happily play together and help each other, which

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Inspector:

further builds a sense of belonging. This has a highly positive impact on their emotional security and social development.

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Inspector:

Children's independence skills are consistently promoted. Even the youngest children are warmly encouraged to carry out tasks and routines themselves. This approach is highly impactful and children delight in cutting their own fruit for snack and putting their shoes on.

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Inspector:

Children engage in a rich and exciting range of activities. For example, children enjoy playing on a pretend bus and building with crates and planks of wood in the childminder's garden. This expertly supports their social, physical and imaginative skills. Subsequently, children are developing well in all areas of the curriculum. This is particularly noticeable in their language skills, confidence and independence. The childminder skilfully supports children's language development by narrating their play and asking open-ended questions. Children who have barriers to their learning are precisely supported to build on what they know and can already do. The childminder knows where to go for professional support if children have delays in their learning.

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Inspector:

Children experience a broad range of interesting trips outside of the home. They visit different local areas several times per week, including forests, historical sites, the beach and the fire station. This ensures that all children learn about the outside world including those who may have limited opportunities at home.

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Inspector:

Parents share that the childminder is part of the local community and supports children to feel safe and secure. They report that she provides inclusive and highly effective support during settling-in periods and times of transition for the whole family.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work to remove barriers for children who need extra help, to realise a transformational impact on all children's achievement and wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with parents, children and the childminder 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. Astrella Chapman

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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

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