Newell, Caitlin Faye

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2813923 Registered with Ofsted: 06/01/2025 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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Achievement Strong standard

Children make excellent progress. They are confident, resilient and thoroughly engage in their learning. Children confidently show what they can do. They persevere, such as when twisting the correct way to open and close water bottles. Children competently use cutlery to serve, slice and chop food from an early age. They pour their drinks into open cups with control. Children independently dress and master zips and fasteners. They tidy resources and help prepare for mealtimes. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities independently interact with visual timetables, demonstrating a secure understanding of routines.

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Achievement Strong standard

Outdoors, children climb the slide and ladders with confidence. They dig, scoop, pour and explore water play with curiosity. Children speak confidently, explaining their thoughts and ideas. They negotiate with peers in play, taking turns in conversations. Children gain a secure understanding of early mathematics. They are sociable and build friendships. They develop the skills to ensure they are very well prepared for their next stage in learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's positive behaviour and feelings are woven into all aspects of the day. Children happily engage in all activities, laughing and giggling with the childminder in playful interaction. They confidently speak about feelings and the importance of being kind as they listen to stories and engage in discussions. Children enjoy exploring emotions, describing their feelings as they use mirrors to create different faces to represent feelings. Children consistently behave well and understand the expectations for behaviour set out by the childminder. Routines are embedded throughout the day. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, know what to expect within their day at the setting. They move seamlessly through routines. The childminder implements highly effective strategies for those requiring additional support to understand the events of the day. This helps children to understand what is expected of them, supporting their wellbeing.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children show care and respect for each other. They share toys, take turns and work collaboratively. For instance, young children are quick to lend a helping hand when they notice their friends struggling with equipment. They demonstrate teamwork as they balance a tray of water and move it across the garden. Children demonstrate an extremely positive approach to their learning and join all activities with enthusiasm. Children receive consistent praise for demonstrating positive behaviour. The childminder supports families to understand the importance of attending consistently.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder puts children's wellbeing, welfare and safety at the heart of her practice. Before children start in her care, she provides a range of visits, such as home visits and meetings with children and parents. She uses these to fully understand children's care needs, interests and routines. This helps children to settle quickly and feel secure in her care. Through warm and kind interactions, she builds remarkably close bonds with the children she looks after and they respond by showing they thoroughly enjoy their time with her. Children actively seek out the childminder and enjoy including her in their play. For example, while racing cars in the garden, they ensure she has a car so she can join in.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder has a keen interest in outdoor learning, recognising the positive impact being outside has on children's wellbeing. Children regularly and consistently access outdoor play. They attend an organised provision where they are encouraged to develop new skills, including taking managed risks through activities such as building dens and exploring natural materials. Children receive healthy snacks. They harvest vegetables from the childminder's allotment, which they attend weekly. Mealtimes are social. Children engage in discussions about their favourite foods, recognising healthy choices. Children are confident in managing their own self-care. They independently wash their hands at appropriate times and understand this is to remove germs to keep them healthy.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has high expectations for all children, including those who face barriers to learning. She has developed a curriculum that supports all children to achieve. It is sequenced to consistently to build on children's learning and development. The childminder ensures children have opportunities to practice and revisit learning to embed their skills and understanding. For example, children have numerous opportunities to count, build, pour and make marks in different ways. The childminder is passionate about outdoor learning. A focus of her curriculum is to develop children's curiosity of the natural world around them. Children learn to care for plants at the childminder's allotment. They collect the seeds from the harvested foods ready to replant. This develops their awareness of the growing cycle. Children explore woods, parks and beaches. The childminder uses these visits to allow children to observe the environment and consider ways to care for living things. For

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

example, they collect natural objects to build a bug hotel. They visit garden centres to add plants to a local pond to support the life they observe living in the water.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder consistently and skilfully weaves mathematical language into everyday play. She encourages children to use words such as 'full', 'empty', 'heavy' and 'light'. The childminder helps children to build literacy skills through everyday experiences. She encourages children to recognise letters and words within the environment while on their local walks. The childminder reads a wide range of books. She captures children's attention as she reads, encouraging discussion about the characters in the stories. Communication and language are a priority. The childminder narrates children's play and introduces ambitious vocabulary as they play.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder identifies children who may face barriers to their learning quickly and accurately, ensuring that appropriate support and adaptations are made. She uses her knowledge to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make the best possible progress. She has high expectations for all children. The childminder implements highly effective adaptations to her practice. She effectively monitors progress, intervention and support for children in a systematic way. She swiftly puts personalised interventions in place to create an inclusive space for all children to thrive. For instance, she introduces various methods for supporting children's understanding and communication, such as signing and pictures of activities they will be completing next. These help children to understand what they will be doing next. The childminder shares her strategies with parents to provide continuity in children's learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder works collaboratively with other early years professionals and has excellent relationships with other agencies such as health and her extensive network of other childminders. This helps her to plan targeted support that has the greatest impact on children's learning and development. The childminder makes timely referrals to ensure children receive additional support at the earliest possible opportunity. She uses funding that focuses on children's individual needs to make the greatest impact. For instance, she uses funding to provide additional sessions to bridge the gaps during longer holidays for children who would otherwise struggle with prolonged periods of absence.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder shows professional leadership. She sets high standards for herself, creating a development plan for her provision to keep improving her setting. This includes furthering her education in areas such as outdoor learning and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder sources specific training that will have the greatest impact on her practice and the current cohort for children she cares for. For instance, she is currently completing speech and language training. This has provided her with strategies that she has been able to put into practice to build on children's vocabulary and speech clarity. The childminder has built a network of childminders and hosts meetings to share updates, knowledge and skills. In addition, she has established secure links with schools and other settings that children attend. She attends settling-in sessions with her minded children to help them feel secure and shares helpful transition

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

information. The childminder collaborates closely with parents, health visitors and other early years professionals. This multi-agency working allows the childminder to know exactly where to signpost families to for additional support.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Parents highly praise the childminder for the wonderful learning experiences she provides and the speed at which their children learn and develop. They value the support she provides, describing how she goes 'above and beyond'. For instance, she hosts family networking events that extends to children's extended family members. This allows parents and grandparents to meet the families and children they hear about but do not always get the chance to meet. The childminder listens to parents and carers when making decisions. She includes them in their children's learning journey and shares tips for support at home. The childminder regularly shares her assessments and discusses with parents her planned next steps for children's learning. This joined up approach provides children with continuity in their learning, helping them to thrive.

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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 experience a warm and nurturing environment where they feel at ease. They settle quickly and are eager to explore the stimulating environment with their friends. They move confidently through their day following the childminder's predictable routines with ease. Children flourish. They lead their own play, engaging with the childminder. They are confident communicators, knowing their thoughts and ideas are listened to and valued. Moments of curiosity strengthen their sense of belonging. For instance, children discover they can colour sand as well as water with their paint bottles. They combine the mixtures,

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Inspector:

Louise Harris moulding the wet sand into cupcakes. Children count aloud to imitate the oven's timer, demonstrating their understanding of number and sequence. When ready, they present their cakes to the childminder, singing 'Happy Birthday' together. Children listen intently to the childminder, who expertly narrates their exploratory play. She introduces new and ambitious language that children quickly use. Children's learning is regularly revisited to embed their understanding. Their learning is strengthened when the childminder carefully links books to children's play interests. Children experience purposeful outings to build on their experiences further. Children excitedly talk about their upcoming trip to the beach in search of rock pools that they recall from their recent story. This brings learning and real-world exploration together in a way that is meaningful.

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Inspector:

Children demonstrate a secure foundation in early mathematics. They count accurately, comparing weights and measures. They recognise numerals and begin to demonstrate their understanding of quantity as they represent amounts with their fingers. Children demonstrate impressive hand-eye coordination as they sew with coloured threads and make marks with various materials. They build physical skills as they build, balance and dig outdoors. Children explore widely beyond the childminder's home. They visit her allotment where they plant and harvest healthy foods for snack. They explore woodland, where they collect and compare sticks for building dens. They investigate the natural world, identifying various insects and observe the life cycle of the frog. Inclusion is woven naturally throughout the day. Children discuss what makes them unique as they explore their reflections in mirrors. Discussions about their family backgrounds and celebrations help children to

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Inspector:

recognise what makes each person special.

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Next steps

The childminder 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 the childminder and children during the inspection. Parents provided written feedback, which was taken into account.

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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.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:15 - 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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