Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2781226 Registered with Ofsted: 04/11/2024 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 rapid and sustained progress from their starting points through rich and engaging learning experiences. They quickly acquire new vocabulary, such as 'juicy' and 'heavier', and develop confidence in communicating their ideas. Younger children confidently use counting words, while older children extend their numeracy skills by counting beyond 9 and applying their knowledge in play. Children benefit from a wide range of resources that strengthen their fine motor skills and dexterity. They use tools, such as tweezers, with increasing control and confidently create recognisable shapes through mark-making activities. Children readily identify colours and sort different types of fruit. They demonstrate determination and perseverance when completing inset puzzles independently. This further develops their hand–eye coordination and problem-solving skills. Children show high levels of curiosity, enthusiasm and engagement in their learning. They eagerly explore new

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Achievement Strong standard

experiences and persevere with challenges, developing confidence, independence and positive attitudes towards learning. As a result, children are remarkably well prepared for the next stage of their education and make successful transitions in their learning journey.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children develop warm, trusting relationships with the childminder, who establishes clear, consistent and age-appropriate expectations for behaviour. As a result, children behave remarkably well and confidently follow daily routines with increasing independence. For example, before mealtimes, children confidently engage in well-established hygiene routines and independently put on their aprons. They wait patiently and calmly for their meals, demonstrating secure self-regulation and understanding of expectations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is an excellent role model. She is warm and nurturing and consistently demonstrates kindness and respect in her interactions. She encourages children to be considerate of others, helping them learn to share and take turns. For example, children enthusiastically take turns 'feeding' the caterpillar during activities. The childminder also promotes collaborative play. For instance, she invites children to use colourful scarves to pretend to be butterflies and move around the room as a group. These experiences help children build positive relationships and develop social skills, and foster a secure sense of belonging. As a result, children display positive attitudes towards learning and engage enthusiastically with their peers during activities.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has robust systems in place to monitor and record attendance. She works closely with parents and carers to establish consistent routines that support children's punctuality, emotional wellbeing and readiness to learn. This helps children feel secure, settled and fully prepared to make the most of all learning opportunities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder creates a warm, welcoming and inspiring environment where children feel safe, secure and happy. She establishes clear, inclusive routines that children quickly learn and follow with confidence. For example, she consistently adheres to safe sleep guidance and procedures, helping to promote children's welfare, comfort and emotional security.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder actively promotes healthy lifestyles and supports children to make positive choices. At snack time, children independently select from a range of healthy foods and safely practise cutting fruit and cheese. The nurturing childminder engages them in meaningful discussions about the foods they eat. This helps them to develop an understanding of healthy eating and self-care. The childminder also provides regular opportunities for children to be physically active. For example, in the garden, she encourages children to independently use slides and stepping stones, supporting the development of their balance, coordination and physical skills. As a result, children develop a secure awareness of personal safety and increasing independence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder places a high priority on children's emotional wellbeing. She consistently praises and celebrates their efforts and achievements, helping to build their confidence and self-esteem. She responds sensitively to children's emotional needs, offering comfort, reassurance and encouragement when needed. As a result, children develop secure emotional wellbeing and resilience. They are increasingly confident in recognising, understanding and managing their feelings.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder is highly skilled, experienced and ambitious for every child in her care. She has high expectations for what children can learn and achieve and has developed a unique, well-sequenced curriculum that encompasses all areas of learning. The curriculum is thoughtfully tailored to reflect children's individual interests, abilities and developmental needs. It is skilfully adapted to ensure that children with barriers to learning are fully included and receive rich, meaningful and stimulating experiences.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder fosters a love of reading from an early age. As children become engrossed in their favourite story about a hungry caterpillar, she skilfully engages them in meaningful discussions about the illustrations and events in the book. The childminder prompts children to confidently identify and name different fruits and foods, count them in sequence and predict what might happen next. She further enriches their learning by encouraging them to pretend to be colourful butterflies, moving around the room while carefully stretching and swaying their wings. Children enthusiastically engage in this imaginative play, developing their creativity, language skills and gross motor development.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder creates a calm, nurturing and inspiring environment that supports children's emotional wellbeing highly effectively. She encourages children to explore and discuss characters' feelings, helping them to understand emotions and develop self-regulation skills. The childminder provides exciting opportunities for children to develop their balance, coordination and physical skills. She encourages them to explore stepping stones independently, offering gentle support and reassurance as they build their confidence and resilience. The childminder also plans engaging sensory experiences, such as inviting children to use tweezers to carefully retrieve caterpillars hidden in oats. Through her skilful teaching, she demonstrates how to use the tweezers effectively. This helps children develop their fine motor control, hand–eye coordination and concentration. As a result, children become increasingly confident, curious and motivated learners. They actively engage in

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

meaningful experiences that support their overall cognitive development.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is highly experienced and knowledgeable. She uses a wide range of effective strategies to identify children's emerging needs at the earliest opportunity. This ensures that any concerns are addressed swiftly and sensitively. She works in close partnership with parents and carers and other professionals to provide children with well- coordinated support from the outset. Targeted intervention plans are tailored to meet individual needs. For example, to support children who are reluctant to try new foods, she encourages them to explore different healthy options. She promotes sensory experiences and hands-on participation, such as helping to prepare and cut fruit and vegetables. This approach helps children build confidence, develop positive attitudes towards healthy eating and gradually broaden the range of foods they are willing to try.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder skilfully adapts daily routines and learning opportunities to ensure that children facing barriers to learning are fully supported and able to participate successfully. For example, to strengthen children's confidence, self-esteem and communication skills, she organises a variety of trips and outings that provide opportunities for them to meet and interact safely with other people. These experiences help children develop social skills, build positive relationships and become more confident in unfamiliar situations.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder maintains detailed records of children's learning and development, completing regular assessments and carefully monitoring the progress of those with additional needs. Information is shared effectively with parents and relevant professionals, promoting a secure partnership approach to supporting children's development. The childminder also provides parents with practical guidance and resources to support learning at home. This ensures parents remain fully informed and actively involved in their children's learning journey. As a result, children receive consistent, well-planned support that helps them make secure progress and reach their full potential.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder is highly ambitious, reflective and dedicated to providing children with the very best start to their early education. She demonstrates an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and regularly engages in high-quality professional development to further enhance her knowledge and skills. For example, she attends weekly professional webinars and training opportunities. She then works closely with the co-childminder to reflect on new learning. The childminder identifies creative and effective ways to embed this knowledge in practice, further enhancing children's experiences and outcomes.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder has established very positive partnerships with parents and carers, who speak highly of her friendly, dependable and caring approach. Parents greatly value the wide range of trips and outings she organises to enrich children's learning and broaden their understanding of the world. They appreciate the significant progress their children make and express confidence that their children are happy, safe and thriving in her care. The childminder also works effectively with external agencies and fellow childminders to ensure children receive consistent and well-coordinated support. Her reflective practice, secure professional relationships and relentless commitment to improvement contribute to the high quality of the provision. As a result, all children, including those who face barriers to learning, flourish in this nurturing, inclusive and highly supportive setting.

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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 thrive and are incredibly happy in this exquisite setting. They attend regularly, and the highly nurturing childminder has robust systems in place to monitor attendance, ensuring that children do not miss out on valuable learning experiences.

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

Children benefit from exploring a dynamic and stimulating learning environment that has been thoughtfully designed to reflect their interests, abilities and individual needs. They are curious and eager to engage with the wide range of learning opportunities available, demonstrating high levels of enthusiasm and motivation. For example, while exploring the garden, children show a keen interest in observing vegetables as they grow. They confidently use binoculars to closely inspect cucumbers, carefully handling them and using both hands to gently pick them. Children further extend their learning by comparing the cucumbers' size and weight. As a result, they rapidly develop secure mathematical awareness, observational skills and critical thinking.

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

Children, including those with barriers to learning, become deeply engaged in rich and meaningful experiences that are tailored to meet their individual needs. They make independent choices with support from the warm and responsive childminder, who skilfully adapts her interactions to sustain their focus and involvement. For example, when children choose to use water and paintbrushes to make marks on the pavement, they extend their learning by creating recognisable shapes and patterns. This supports the development of their fine motor skills, hand–eye coordination and early writing skills.

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

Children form warm and positive relationships with their peers and the childminder, who is extremely attuned to their needs. They develop emotional resilience as they are guided to understand and safely express their feelings. Children interact positively with one another, learning to be kind, respectful and considerate. These experiences help to foster lasting friendships and a secure sense of belonging. Children receive consistent praise and recognition for their efforts and achievements, which boosts their confidence and motivates them to embrace new challenges. As a result, they develop highly positive attitudes towards learning and exploration. Children feel valued, respected and deeply appreciated, enabling them to flourish during their time in this unique setting.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain her work to ensure continued improvement and high standards.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 17:30

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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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