Midgley, Lindsey Anne

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2827490 Registered with Ofsted: 28/03/2025 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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Achievement Strong standard

All children make consistently secure, highly effective progress from their starting points. They use clear words and simple sentences confidently, showing impressive communication during play, stories and warm interactions. Children who need extra help achieve significant improvement. For example, children who previously ate only pouched food now eat pasta and stew and use a spoon, reflecting groundbreaking, nurturing early intervention.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children show vibrant curiosity, independence and physical confidence. They show real 'wow' moments, such as climbing onto the car ride-on themselves with determination, and walking up the garden steps independently without holding the rail. This highlights motivating and enriching progress. Children match animals, explore sensory materials, count securely and engage in engaging, stimulating imaginative play that strengthens early learning. Daily routines and enriching outings provide ample opportunities for independence, cultural capital and readiness for the next stage of learning. All children experience positive improvement, feel valued and thrive within a well-developed, thoughtfully designed learning environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children experience a harmonious environment, where behavioural expectations are clear, consistent and fully embedded. A positive, respectful culture helps children feel safe, confident and emotionally secure. Predictable routines, tidy-up songs, handwashing, snack preparation and moving between spaces are calming and motivating, enabling children to regulate and behave extremely well. Relationships are warm, nurturing and highly effective. Children trust the adult caring for them and respond instantly to gentle guidance, such as 'walking feet' and 'kind hands'. This calm modelling teaches behaviour through example rather than correction. In the cabin, children cooperate vibrantly as they run the doctor's clinic together, checking knees, listening to heartbeats and helping the teddy 'get better'. These moments strengthen empathy, collaboration and social confidence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children learn to get along through engaging experiences that promote sharing, problem- solving and turn-taking. Visual cues, clear language and consistent routines help all children, including those with additional needs, meet expectations successfully. Attendance and punctuality are supported through committed communication with families, ensuring children benefit from regular settled routines. Across the home, children are deeply engaged, emotionally secure and highly motivated. Their behaviour reflects a culture of kindness, respect and exemplary attitudes to learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing. She mirrors home routines, so children feel secure and settle quickly. During the inspection, children arrive for their second visit. The childminder greets them warmly and offers familiar toys. Children quickly relax in her presence and separate with growing confidence. They move into play, showing emotional security in the moment. Care practices are adapted to individual needs, including children who may face early barriers to wellbeing. Children recognise their coloured towels and bedding, building independence, identity and belonging. In play, children share resources, use gentle language and imitate caring behaviours, such as tucking dolls under blankets and rocking them to sleep, practising empathy and early regulation. Secure relationships are evident. Children seek reassurance or help, enabling safe exploration and confident choices.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children learn about physical development, personal safety and health through daily routines and imaginative play. Calm sleep practices help children self-soothe. Face washing, handwashing songs and safe movement help children build healthy habits. In the doctor role play, children check temperatures and talk about 'getting better', learning how their bodies stay healthy. When water spills, gentle humour models calm risk management, helping children understand how to keep themselves safe.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder delivers a highly effective, well-developed curriculum that is deeply embedded, enriching and responsive. She sequences learning with thoughtful foresight, creating a vibrant and stimulating environment, where children show curiosity, confidence and significant progress. Her planning is highly reflective, drawing on professional training to shape exemplary experiences that build knowledge, language and independence.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Indoors, children explore early mathematics, communication and imaginative play through rich, motivating activities, such as drawing, music, matching games and transporting resources. Outdoors, they develop physical confidence through exciting, inspiring opportunities, like balancing, climbing, bubble play and navigating steps. In the cabin, children enjoy abundant, interactive experiences, including sensory exploration, small-world play and creative tasks, like making 'magical muffins'. These experiences are intentionally sequenced, giving children ample opportunities to revisit concepts and deepen understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder knows all children in her care extremely well and uses their interests, music, animals and sensory movement to design engaging, inspiring learning. Her interactions are warm, purposeful and highly impressive, modelling rich vocabulary and extending thinking. Assessment is consistent, effective and motivating, helping children make positive improvement. Adaptations for individual needs are highly effective, ensuring every child feels valued, included and able to thrive.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children experience an inclusive, nurturing and highly effective environment, where their needs are recognised early and supported with thoughtful, consistent practice. The childminder observes children closely, notices small changes in mobility, communication or confidence and identifies emerging needs quickly. Her well-developed, anticipatory approach ensures children receive support from the start, creating a rich and vibrant learning experience. Activities are adapted with exemplary care so every child can join in. Visual cues, sensory strategies and calm language help younger children regulate. Music- based play, animal-themed experiences and open-ended resources provide a wealth of opportunities that broaden children's understanding of the world and build on what they already know. This reduces barriers for children with special educational needs and disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those previously known to social care.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children with vulnerabilities receive sensitive, proportionate oversight. Emotional presentation is monitored closely; families remain fully involved, and information is shared clearly when external agencies are involved. Early intervention, such as work on feeding aversion, shows significant impact through supportive, interactive partnership with parents and carers. Children feel valued, understood and included. The childminder remains highly reflective, committed to ongoing training and focused on continuous improvement, ensuring every child can thrive in a stimulating, positive environment. Recent training in early communication has strengthened interactions, resulting in more purposeful language modelling and clearer support for children with emerging needs.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leadership is calm, organised and highly reflective. The childminder creates a welcoming environment, where children feel safe, settled and secure. She works closely with parents and carers to support important stages of development and ensures communication is clear and purposeful. This helps families understand what children are learning and supports continuity between home and her care. An accurate understanding of the provision drives purposeful improvement. Daily reflection, feedback from families, and careful planning shape routines and the curriculum so children experience independence, belonging and emotional security. The recent development of the cabin shows thoughtful action that enhances children's experiences. It now provides a calm, structured space that has improved children's focus, self-regulation and confidence in independent play.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Decisions are made with children's best interests in mind, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those known to social care. Guidance from external professionals is used thoughtfully so all children can participate fully. Workload and wellbeing are managed with maturity. The day is organised, so care, learning and communication happen without compromising supervision. Ongoing reflection guides practical steps to strengthen knowledge and maintain high-quality practice. Recent professional development in early communication strategies has refined interactions and strengthened consistency, resulting in more purposeful language modelling and improved support for children with emerging needs.

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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 nurturing, vibrant and enriched learning in this home. They arrive happy, settle quickly and respond well to calm, consistent routines. This emotional security helps them to explore confidently and engage in learning instantly. The environment is inviting, well resourced and thoughtfully organised. For example, the cabin provides sensory, imaginative and quiet spaces that help children regulate, focus and build independence. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included through adaptations that enable them to participate alongside their peers.

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About this setting

Children enjoy their learning. Indoors, they explore early mathematics, language and imagination through drawing, music, story time and role play. Outdoors, they build physical confidence as they roll cars down pipes, balance, climb and investigate bubbles in the wind. In the cabin, enriching experiences, such as making 'magical muffins,' building train tracks and caring for others in the doctor's area, help children strengthen fine motor control, resilience and problem-solving. Children achieve well from their starting points. For example, some count securely, others climb independently for the first time and children who are still settling begin to explore sensory materials with growing confidence. Adaptations, including visual cues and calm transitions, help children to regulate and make progress.

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About this setting

Children belong because relationships are warm, committed and fostered with genuine care. Predictable routines, personalised towels, handwashing songs and gentle toileting support promote emotional safety and dignity. Learning journeys reflect families, pets and home experiences, helping children to see themselves in the environment. Parents and carers contribute through celebrations and fundraising, reinforcing children's identity and security.

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About this setting

Children thrive because safeguarding is fully embedded, hygiene routines are consistent and healthy habits are promoted. Vigilant supervision, calm risk management and thoughtful adaptations ensure all children participate fully. As a result, children grow with confidence, joy and a secure sense of belonging.

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Next steps

The childminder should continue refining her reflective practice to ensure all children consistently benefit from ambitious learning experiences that deepen independence, confidence and early achievement.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children, and read feedback 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. Unique reference number (URN): 2827490

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:30 - 17:00,Friday : 07:30 - 09:00,Friday : 15:00 - 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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