Lavender, Kirsty Ann

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2824981 Registered with Ofsted: 04/03/2025 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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder consistently prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing in this home-from- home setting. Carefully considered transition arrangements help children feel safe and secure from the start. The childminder builds strong, caring relationships with children, based on trust and respect. Children are confident to express their wants and needs. They develop secure attachments with the childminder and their peers. Children feel confident to talk to the childminder about how they are feeling and look to her for reassurance. The childminder labels children's emotions to help them understand what they are feeling. She adapts activities and learning in response to their individual needs, helping them to feel understood and supported.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes children's health and wellbeing through healthy food choices, exercise and regular opportunities to spend time outdoors. Children make choices about the food they eat from a range of healthy options. They enjoy growing fruit in the garden, picking it themselves and trying it during snack time. Before mealtimes, children help to prepare their own food. The childminder also provides families with homemade meals, ingredient bags and recipe ideas, helping parents to continue promoting healthy choices at home.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop their physical skills and confidence through weekly forest school visits. The childminder supports children to develop their understanding of personal safety. On outings, children know the safety rules that are in place. They know where they can walk and are learning how to cross roads safely. During these visits, children learn a range of new skills and take appropriate risks. This helps children to develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder works closely with parents to understand children's individual needs and any challenges they may face outside of the setting. She responds sensitively and works with parents to ensure children receive the right help at the right time. Parents report that children love attending this setting and their children's happiness and wellbeing are prioritised.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children achieve well, building on their individual starting points. Carefully planned activities, based on children's interests, ensure that children make typical progress across every area of the curriculum. Carefully chosen resources and books are shared with parents to consolidate their learning at home. Children are supported to make decisions about where they would like to play, which gives them the opportunity to take ownership of their learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are well prepared for their next stages in education. Planned visits enable children to experience a variety of settings, including forest school and childminder groups. These visits give children the opportunity to develop their social skills and build confidence in new situations. Children show curiosity, when exploring their environment, they show resilience when trying new activities and persevere until they achieve what they have set out to do.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations for children's behaviour and children behave well. Established routines such as singing during tidy-up time, washing hands before lunch and sharing a story before sleep help children feel secure. The childminder builds warm, trusting relationships with the children. They look to her for comfort and reassurance. Children enjoy the well-planned activities the childminder provides and show a positive attitude to their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder provides children with a wide range of experiences beyond the setting. For example, she organises a visit to the local fire station, where firefighters deliver a fire safety activity. Robust procedures keep children safe when they are on outings and children understand the expectations of their behaviour. This enables them to experience environments and situations safely.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

At times, the setting routines do not fully meet the needs of all children. For example, the childminder has not yet fully embedded routines around drop off time. This can result in some children eating breakfast separately to their peers and other children not having access to the full environment. The childminder should continue to reflect on and adapt routines to ensure they promote children's best interests.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Comprehensive policies and procedures support children to attend regularly and help parents understand the importance of this. The childminder uses positive reinforcement to celebrate children achieving their next steps. This encourages children to try new things and take appropriate risks in their play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is very responsive to children's individual needs. She adapts her approach and recognises when children need additional support. This inclusive approach helps children feel valued and develops their confidence, enabling them to engage positively in the setting.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a well-thought-out curriculum in place that supports the needs of all children. The childminder has taken care to ensure that she knows each child well, and plans activities that match their interests across all areas of the setting. Outdoors, children's physical development is prioritised. They use large kitchen utensils in the mud kitchen to scoop, mix and dig. This enables them to develop their strength and coordination. Small squeezy bottles and syringes to squirt water from help to refine their fine motor skills. Timely assessments ensure that children's next steps are well matched to their knowledge and skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

There is an emphasis on developing children's independence throughout the setting. The childminder gives children the opportunity to take part in preparing their own meals. Children confidently use child knives to cut their fruit and spread their sandwiches. The childminder supports the children to practise these skills at home, providing ingredients and recipes for parents to try with their children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Mathematics runs throughout the setting. The childminder models counting and mathematical vocabulary, which the children use independently. This is embedded across a range of situations, including snack time and free play. Overall, she uses questioning to support their learning. However, at times the childminder asks closed questions, which means that children do not always have the opportunity to explain their thought process. This means the childminder does not consistently assess gaps in children's knowledge to extend their learning further.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children have developed a love of reading. They enjoy story time, joining in with repeated phrases and identifying key characters. The childminder provides play opportunities linked to favourite stories, which gives children the opportunity to extend their vocabulary using language from the story in their play.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has created a warm, welcoming environment in which all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to children's social care, feel valued. The childminder has robust transition procedures in place, which ensures she knows and understands the needs of all children joining her setting. Continued, effective communication with families means that the childminder is able to support the changing needs of children in her care. Parents report that the childminder provides excellent communication about their child. They feel that the environment effectively supports the needs of their children and they value the care they receive here.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder quickly identifies individual needs and takes steps to ensure that all children have equal access to the curriculum. For example, creating resources to support children to experience different textures. The childminder is proactive in finding out about support in her community, which she uses for her own development and signposts parents to. The childminder is reflective in her own knowledge and is undertaking a special educational needs and disabilities qualification in order to further improve her professional practice in this area.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a clear understanding of the strengths of her setting and the areas she wants to develop. She is reflective about her practice and takes steps to improve her professional knowledge. She has effective links with external agencies, which give her access to the most up-to-date training. The childminder uses her recent learning about play behaviours to adapt her teaching style and interactions with children. This improves the learning experiences and outcomes for the children in her care.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder recognises the importance of taking care of her own wellbeing and managing her workload. She has taken steps to ensure she has a good work life balance. The childminder effectively uses her time while children sleep to complete necessary tasks. This helps her to manage her workload without taking time away from the children. She also works closely with other childminders, providing a supportive network in which she can share ideas and take part in joint learning experiences. These steps ensure she can deliver high-quality care for the children in her setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder uses her knowledge of the local community effectively to support children and their families. She communicates with parents regularly to keep them updated on their child's progress. Parents report that their children have 'come on leaps and bounds' since starting at the setting. Next steps are shared with parents in a variety of ways, which ensures all parents have access to these. Parents know what their children are working on and how they can support them at home.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is proactive in supporting children's readiness for their next stage in education. She has links with schools and pre-schools in the area and has a clear transition procedure. Her reflective practice and commitment to self-development has a positive impact on the quality of care children receive.

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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 in this setting feel safe, nurtured and valued. They form strong bonds with the childminder and seek reassurance and comfort from her when needed. Children settle in quickly and feel at home in this warm and caring environment. They enjoy accessing the well-planned and purposeful activities available to them. They show high levels of involvement, often persevering with an activity for long periods of time. Outdoor play is prioritised, giving children frequent opportunities to develop their physical skills. Through close partnerships with local childminders, children develop friendships and gain confidence in social settings. Visits to the local community further develop their confidence and independence.

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

Children enjoy using natural resources in their play, which supports their understanding of the world around them. They develop a love of reading through well-chosen books linked to their interests and nurturing story times. This supports children to develop their communication and language through learning new vocabulary and joining in with repeated phrases. Children are confident learners and take great pleasure in trying new things. Positive praise and high expectations mean that children feel secure and happy in this setting.

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

Children achieve well from their starting points due to timely assessments, carefully chosen next steps and well-planned activities. Positive praise and encouragement when children reach their goals promotes a sense of belonging in the setting. Embedded routines and consistent expectations help the children to feel secure and understand what will happen next. The childminder works closely with parents, highlighting the importance of regular attendance. As a result, children develop the confidence, skills and independence they need to thrive.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 06:30 - 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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Next steps

The childminder should ensure that routines are responsive to the individual needs of all children in their care to enable children to access activities and experiences at times that best meet their needs. The childminder should use more open-ended questions to extend children's thinking and learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, parents and carers, 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. This data is from 11 August 2026

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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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