Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2799844 Registered with Ofsted: 19/08/2024 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 Expected standard

Children make appropriate progress from their individual starting points across the areas of learning. They communicate confidently and use an increasing range of vocabulary to express their ideas. Children develop their physical skills and coordination. For example, when drawing a spider, they represent features they know and use increasing control to make purposeful marks. They develop socially and emotionally, cooperate with others and become more independent. Children successfully complete a shared construction and proudly recognise what they have achieved together.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make appropriate progress, including in communication, physical development and independence. Parents recognise positive changes in their children's confidence, play and interactions. Typically, children develop the age-appropriate knowledge and skills they need to progress to their next stage of learning. However, because individual learning priorities are not always precise, children's progress is not consistently maximised in the areas most important for their future development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave well and respond positively to clear and consistent expectations. Warm relationships with the childminder help them understand boundaries and routines. At times, children become highly excited and need support to regulate their behaviour. The childminder responds calmly and redirects their attention. For example, when children arrive particularly energetic, she gathers them together and introduces a focused activity. They quickly become calmer and ready to participate.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children typically show positive attitudes to learning. They concentrate during adult-led activities and enthusiastically contribute their ideas. The childminder considers children's ages, stages of development and individual needs when managing behaviour. When children test boundaries, she reminds them to use their 'listening ears' and follow instructions. Children respond appropriately. She uses praise and encouragement to help them increasingly meet her expectations. Children sustain their attention and persevere when experiences interest and challenge them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder establishes familiar routines that help children understand what happens throughout the day. Children confidently move between activities and increasingly follow expectations with less adult support. They know where resources belong and take increasing responsibility for familiar tasks. She promotes regular attendance through clear communication with families and maintains appropriate attendance records.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder understands children's care needs and establishes routines that support their health and wellbeing. She gathers detailed information from families when children first start, including their routines, eating habits and preferences. The childminder initially reflects familiar home routines in her provision and adjusts these as children settle. This responsive approach helps children feel comfortable and develop secure relationships with her.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children learn to recognise and manage their physical needs. The childminder notices children's cues and encourages them to use the toilet, while respecting their decisions when they are not ready. She provides nutritious, home-cooked meals and responds appropriately to individual dietary needs and family preferences. During meals, the childminder supervises children closely and reminds them how to eat safely. She respects their choices when they dislike particular foods and offers suitable alternatives.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder responds sensitively to children's emotional and physical needs. She reassures them when things go wrong and gives them appropriate support to manage everyday experiences confidently. Children benefit from regular outdoor activity that promotes their physical health. The childminder takes account of individual circumstances and care needs. This helps children feel secure, develop independence in managing their personal needs and establish healthy routines that support their wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder plans her curriculum around children's interests, their development and themes that interest them. She gives appropriate priority to communication, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. Mathematics threads through activities. For example, during potion making, children explore more and less and bigger and smaller. They predict what happens when colours mix and strengthen their hands as they squeeze, spray, pour and stir. She introduces and reinforces vocabulary as children talk about what they are doing and share their ideas.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching typically engages children well. The childminder asks questions, models language and adapts her approach when children find something difficult. She encourages children to solve problems and think for themselves. For example, when building a marble run together, children look closely at different-sized pieces and use visual information to work out how they fit together.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder identifies what she wants children to learn next. However, at times, she identifies too many learning priorities and is less clear about why some are important. She does not yet consistently draw on children's cultural backgrounds and family experiences to enrich the curriculum. As a result, the curriculum is not always personalised precisely enough around what children most need to learn and the experiences that reflect their individual backgrounds.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder knows children's individual needs and circumstances well. She works with families to identify potential barriers to learning or wellbeing and adapts her approach appropriately. The childminder responds sensitively to individual circumstances, including different family structures. She uses early years pupil premium funding purposefully to provide additional experiences that respond to identified needs and help disadvantaged children develop useful skills and confidence. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support. The childminder works with a range of external professionals and contributes to regular reviews of children's individual support plans. She completes relevant training and follows specialist advice to meet children's care and developmental needs. Additional funding helps her adapt resources and the environment so that children with physical needs can access activities

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder monitors children's development and uses what she knows about their progress to review the support they receive. She works with families and relevant professionals to consider children's changing needs. Regular multi-agency reviews help those involved agree priorities and adjust the support children receive as they develop. Professional advice informs her work across areas such as communication, physical development and independence. Parents value this collaborative approach and report positive progress in their children's development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder understands her responsibilities and reflects on the quality of her provision. She is receptive to professional challenge and recognises the importance of identifying precise learning priorities so that she remains focused on what is most important for children. As a sole childminder, she manages the day-to-day demands of the provision and maintains appropriate oversight of her responsibilities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents express high levels of confidence in the childminder and value the regular information they receive about their children's care, learning and development. She considers parents' views when reflecting on her provision and uses information from families to inform her practice. The childminder keeps her knowledge current through professional development across safeguarding, special educational needs and/or disabilities, mathematics and effective interactions. She draws on professional advice and training to develop her expertise. For example, mathematical concepts feature regularly throughout the day.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder establishes positive partnerships with parents and relevant professionals. However, communication with other settings that children attend is not yet fully established. She currently relies mainly on parents to share information between provisions. The childminder acknowledges that more direct communication would help her understand children's development elsewhere and provide greater continuity in their learning.

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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 happy, confident and secure in this welcoming childminding setting. They form warm and trusting relationships with the childminder and readily seek her support and reassurance. Children enjoy playing alongside their friends and learn to share, cooperate and take turns. They respond effectively to clear expectations and develop positive social skills. Families receive regular information about their children's experiences and development. The childminder uses information from families to help her meet children's

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Inspector:

Holly Smith individual care needs, particularly when they change. Parents describe how excited their children are to attend and how safe and settled they feel.

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Inspector:

Children show enthusiasm for learning and become absorbed in a varied range of experiences. They enjoy activities indoors and outdoors and regularly explore their local community through walks and visits to nearby parks and open spaces. Children develop useful knowledge and skills through activities that capture their interests. For example, while fishing for sea creatures, they recognise numerals, count objects and identify colours and patterns. They make connections with what they already know, such as linking the colour blue to the sky. Children enjoy familiar stories and songs and enthusiastically recall repeated phrases. They make appropriate progress from their individual starting points.

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Inspector:

Children develop confidence in doing things for themselves through familiar daily routines. They independently wash and dry their hands, pour their own drinks and choose and use cutlery at mealtimes. Children learn how to keep themselves and others safe and respond well to clear boundaries. Those with inclusion needs receive individual adaptations that help them participate alongside their peers and develop their communication, physical skills and independence. As children become increasingly capable in their play, relationships and self- care, they gain the confidence and independence they need as they move towards their next stage of learning.

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Next steps

The childminder should refine and personalise the curriculum so that it focuses precisely on children's most important learning priorities and draws more meaningfully on their cultural backgrounds and family experiences. The childminder should strengthen information-sharing with other settings children attend so that she can build on their experiences and provide greater continuity in their learning and development.

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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 : 08:00 - 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

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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