Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2809540 Registered with Ofsted: 17/12/2024 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's behaviour and attitudes are a significant strength of the setting. The childminder maintains high expectations of children's behaviour. She gives clear and consistent rules and boundaries that children fully understand. Children feel safe and secure in a calm and predictable environment. This enables them to seamlessly follow the transitions and routines of the day.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has created a harmonious environment where she models respect and care. She builds trusting and positive relationships with the children, which means they turn to her for comfort and help when needed. The childminder speaks calmly and supports children to use good manners, praising them for positive behaviours. Children learn at a very early age how to successfully negotiate friendships themselves. They can resolve minor conflict, often without needing support from the childminder. Children treat each other with great kindness and care. They play for extended periods of time together sharing all the resources, including their favourite toys.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children have extremely positive attitudes to their learning and are consistently engaged in meaningful experiences. The childminder carefully selects activities and resources that she knows will ignite children's interest and curiosity. Consequently, children focus intently, listen to instructions and explore independently. Even very young children show great determination and perseverance, such as when transferring water between different containers. The childminder is skilful at adapting activities in the moment, adding new resources, to support children's engagement.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Effective partnerships with parents enable the childminder to share information and advice, including the importance of regular attendance. This helps children to feel a sense of belonging and part of a group.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are at the heart of the childminder's setting. She is passionate about ensuring all children feel included, safe and happy. She starts getting to know children and their families before they begin, ensuring she swiftly builds positive relationships. The childminder helps children to settle by following routines from home and providing and sharing resources that she knows they enjoy. Children build very close bonds to the childminder, enjoy coming to see her and they thrive under her nurturing care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are explicitly taught how to manage their own feelings. The childminder regularly talks to children about different emotions and explores them further with stories and pictures. Older children eloquently express themselves, saying what they need and how certain things make them feel. Younger children are able to use sand timers to share resources and take turns with equipment.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder is consistent with her approach to good hygiene practices. As a result, children know to wash their hands before eating. Children ask to change their clothes when they get wet from water play, and older children competently complete this task themselves.

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Expected standard

They understand the importance of privacy when using the toilet or having their nappy changed. Children successfully undertake potty training, with the consistent and calm guidance of the childminder. They feel immensely proud of their achievements, sharing their delight with the childminder.

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Expected standard

Children impressively know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of different situations and make their own healthy choices. For example they ask for a hat and suncream before going outside in the heat and know to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. The childminder supports children to understand why exercise and healthy eating is important for them. Furthermore, she supports individual children to understand their own health needs and they can say when they might need to take a rest.

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Expected standard

The childminder is responsive to children's individual needs. She adapts care routines to best support the child. For example, she recognises when young children have been up early and need meal and sleep times adapting that day. The childminder goes above and beyond to support children to deal with any changes in their circumstances. For example, she sources books and additional resources to support children with having a new sibling at home.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make steady progress from their starting points, including those who face barriers to their learning or wellbeing. The childminder's timely and individual support, helps children to gradually close the gaps in their development. This allows children to make progress that is typical for their age and stage of development.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children learn to become confident in different situations when they visit close by attractions and attend various groups. They are supported to build on their independence and self-care skills, dressing themselves, using the toilet, pouring their drinks and cutting their own snacks. Children hear a breadth of vocabulary, supporting them to express themselves and communicate their needs. They learn a range of skills to support them moving on to school. For example, taking part, working collaboratively, sharing and taking turns. Children show high levels of focus and an ability to listen carefully to others. Children learn to be polite and gain valuable social skills to support them with making friends.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder knows what she wants children to achieve and learn. She provides a suitably broad curriculum that reflects children's interests. The curriculum covers all areas of learning, with a particular focus on personal, social and emotional development, communication and physical skills. The childminder reflects on her curriculum regularly, to ensure she is providing exciting opportunities that all children can learn from.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder creates a curriculum that is designed to support children to build on their existing skills and knowledge. She considers each child's age and stage of development when providing activities and resources. This supports each child to make progress at their own pace. An inclusive curriculum supports all children to take part, focussing on the areas they each need to work on.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder uses children's next steps to plan activities that target their learning needs. Overall, she appropriately teaches the intended knowledge and skills, using demonstrations and explanations. At times, there is so much for the children to do and explore at an activity, that they do not spend enough time fully engaging in the intended learning outcome. This means that, on occasions, children are not able to fully grasp the new concept being taught.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is typically taught well. The childminder regularly reads a variety of books with children, helping them to engage by lifting the flap or finishing familiar sentences. She makes time to sing well known nursery rhymes and encourages conversation through children's play. The childminder provides children with access to mathematical resources, such as measuring equipment and supports them to use simple mathematical language. Children enjoy daily access to a large outdoor space where they work on their physical skills, while learning about the importance of exercise and rest. The childminder places high importance on ensuring children's wellbeing and teaches them how to manage their own emotions and feelings. She speaks to children calmly and uses simple explanations and reassurance to support them.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder creates a welcoming and inclusive environment. She gathers detailed information from parents and carers before children start, including about routines, weaning and their interests. This continuity of care helps children to settle and feel comfortable.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder monitors children through regular observations and discussions with families. This typically allows her to identify any individual needs or possible barriers to their learning or wellbeing. The childminder uses this information to make adaptations to the care of individual children. For example, she alters routines and provides small, targeted next steps. The childminder reviews her plans and makes changes as needed to continue to offer targeted support.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Then childminder knows how to seek additional advice and support from external professionals where needed. For instance, she recently attended training to further her own knowledge and skills in supporting children with emotional needs. The childminder implements any advice given and this has a positive impact on the children in her care. If the childminder had children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, she is aware of where to seek advice and would be keen to find appropriate training to address the need so she can offer the right support. The childminder knows how to spend any funding a child might be eligible for, to directly support their individual progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder recognises her strengths and has accurately identified some areas she can work on to further add to her setting. She ensures that she keeps up to date with regular and appropriate professional learning. The childminder is able to effectively implement what she has learnt to benefit the children. For example, a recent focus on how to support children emotionally has had a highly positive impact on children's ability to manage their own feelings.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is responsive to new policy changes and ensures that she implements them in her setting and shares them with parents. She is confident to seek advice from other professionals, such as the local authority advisor, to further her own skills and knowledge. The childminder communicates with other settings that children attend, but she recognises that this is limited and she does not share children's individual next steps. She is keen to improve on this, to provide a more thorough continuity of care for all children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents benefit from a close and supportive relationship with the childminder. They receive daily updates on their child's well being and what they have learnt that day. The childminder also sends monthly reports to share children's progress and offer ideas for home learning. Parents are incredibly positive about the care and education their children receive. They say they feel involved in their child's learning journey and highly appreciate the childminder's flexible and supportive approach.

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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 warmly welcomed into this caring, home-from-home environment. They build trusting and positive relationships with the childminder and each other. Children demonstrate they feel safe and settled. They enjoy cuddles of reassurance from the childminder and are confident to freely explore the space and resources available. Children are extremely well supported to manage their feelings and behaviour, which is exemplary. They learn to share, take turns and play collaboratively with their friends. Children often call to their peers to join in with their play and they giggle as they explore imaginary games together. Younger children are included in all play experiences and they fully engage with the many exciting opportunities provided. Older children ensure younger ones can take part and share the resources with them.

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

Children benefit from a carefully designed curriculum that takes into account their current interests, while supporting their individual age and stage of development. For example, older children show determination and focus as they learn to pour accurately, filling small tubes. Younger children build their fine motor skills as they squeeze water bottles and pick up small objects. All children fully immerse themselves in learning experiences, demonstrating perseverance and curiosity.

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

Children achieve well from their starting points, including children who have any identified barriers to their learning. The childminder uses observation and assessment to provide appropriate next steps in learning for the children. These are shared with children's families, who appreciate the support to further help their children's development at home. The childminder supports families and children to understand the importance of regular attendance, helping children to have a sense of belonging. This allows children to build on their knowledge and skills each week, preparing them for moving on to nursery or school.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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About this setting

Local authority: Kent Children leave the setting with curiosity, determination, growing independence and the ability to maintain positive friendships.

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen curriculum planning to focus activities more precisely, to allow children the time to fully focus on the intended learning. Leaders should further enhance links with other settings that children attend, so that important information about children's learning and development can be shared more effectively.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection and read written references from parents.

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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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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. 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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