Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY550212 Registered with Ofsted: 09/11/2017 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 typically build confident communication skills and develop an ambitious vocabulary. For instance, toddlers learn words for items around them. Pre-school age children talk about animals they saw at the aquarium, such as 'octopuses', and tell their parents and the childminder that 'octopuses have 3 hearts'. Children with speech and language delays, and the youngest children, learn to communicate through sign language and simple words.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children are prepared for the next stages of learning. They learn to attend to their own hygiene needs, such as learning to wash their own hands before baking and eating. Children develop early reading and writing skills through a love of reading books, listening to stories and singing songs. They are confident and keen to learn and join in activities, which builds positive learning habits for the next stages of education, such as starting nursery and school. However, children do not have consistent opportunities to develop their ideas and critical thinking skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder focuses on building caring relationships with children. She is a positive role model for children's behaviour. For instance, she says, 'You can have that water' when a child wants to wash dinosaurs in the bowl she has. The childminder teaches children to take turns. For example, she asks children to think what they can do when they want another toy children have and talks through their ideas. Children know to wait for their turn during activities and when waiting to fill up their dish in the mud kitchen outside. Overall, children play harmoniously together and show they have learned to regulate and think about their behaviours. The childminder makes behaviour expectations clear to children. She has high expectations of all children, including children with special education needs and/or disabilities or those with barriers to regulating their behaviours.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder works with parents to establish positive learning routines. She shares the benefits of regular attendance with parents before children start with her and works with parents to fit in with their needs. For instance, she allows children to start and finish at different times to fit in with parents' work and other responsibilities.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder teaches children how to recognise risks around them and how to keep themselves safe. For instance, children tell the childminder that 'only adults' can use the oven and they need to sit at the table 'so they do not fall'. Children build strong attachments and bonds with the childminder. For example, they go to her for reassurance if they hurt themselves. The childminder follows children's individual care and feeding routines and works with parents to meet their needs. This helps children, including new and the youngest children, to feel cared for and manage their emotions positively.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children build physical skills and a love of being outside in the fresh air. For instance, they build their big muscle strength and balance on play equipment in the garden and in parks. They build strength in their smaller muscles, such as their hands, through squeezing bottles and stirring liquids when making potions. Children learn some health and self-care skills, such as how to brush their teeth. However, the childminder does not use mealtimes to promote children's understanding of what foods are healthy and why we need them. As a result, children do not always understand how to make healthy food choices for themselves, particularly those who have barriers to eating a varied and healthy diet. Also, the childminder prepares and puts each child's snack and foods from their lunch boxes onto plates for the children while they sit and wait. At these times, the children do not always display the independence they show at other times.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has a clear idea of what she wants children to learn and focuses on building their physical, communication and personal skills. She understands how children develop and, overall, plans an appropriate curriculum individualised to each child. The childminder uses her knowledge of early years and her assessments of the children who attend to adapt activities, so all children can access appropriate learning at their level. For instance, she allows toddlers to mark make and experiment with pens freely while asking pre-school age children to try and draw something more specific such as stars and shapes. However, the curriculum and learning at mealtimes are not as well planned and purposeful as other times of the day. Therefore, it does not extend and build on children's skills and knowledge and fully promote their individual progress at these times.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children's mathematical knowledge and development. She models language such as 'full' and 'empty' when playing with water and counts and identifies numbers using the variety of opportunities that arise during the day. For instance, she tells children the numbers they need for the items they are weighing and shows what these look like on the scales. She counts stairs as toddlers step down them and how many dinosaurs are in the gloop. Children show the knowledge they have learned by counting independently and accurately during their play and telling the childminder that they have broken the cheese in 'half'.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder reviews children's development and identifies when children have barriers to learning. Overall, she works with parents to ensure that children receive the additional help they need. For example, she writes in-depth reports and assessments of children's development to pass on to professionals to support referral evidence. This helps to ensure that outside agencies have a clear understanding of children's gaps in learning and development and supports children to typically receive the external help they need.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder ensures that she completes training to build her knowledge and practice to support children who require additional help. For instance, she completed sign language training to support children with speech and language delays to build their communication skills. She qualified as a special educational needs coordinator to develop her ability to identify gaps in children's learning and put interventions in place immediately while children wait for referrals and external support. Overall, the childminder has a knowledge of the procedures to follow for seeking advice and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She knows to gain advice from other childminder professionals and local authority experts when required.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is passionate about offering children a nurturing and engaging environment. She typically reflects on her practice and engages in professional development to develop her knowledge and meet the needs of the children in her care. For instance, she attends regular early years training events in the area and reflects on the practice of other childminders at local authority forum events. She plans to make changes in a timely manner but also ensures that she monitors her health and wellbeing to keep to an appropriate workload balance. For example, she has recently made updates to her garden area to improve engagement and choices for children but she has prioritised the most impactful areas first to make it manageable.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works with parents and shares regular updates about children's progress and care needs. For instance, she uses daily discussions when children are dropped off to her to ask about their weekend and key care information, such as how they slept. She shares what children have been doing that day and any progress children have made when parents arrive. Parents feel well informed about their child's learning and development. For example, they appreciate the termly reports and next steps for children that the childminder shares and the clear ideas for how they can support their child at home.

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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 and settled and show they feel safe in the 'home-from-home' environment the childminder prides herself on providing. Children build the confidence and skills to share what they want and need with other children and the childminder. For example, they ask their friends if they can share toys and tell the childminder when they are hungry. Children learn to be kind to others and show thoughtfulness. For instance, they praise other children for 'good building' when they are making towers with blocks.

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

Children know the routines and follow these independently, such as taking off shoes and putting them on the tray when they arrive without being asked. They understand and follow the rules, which the childminder consistently makes clear to them. For example, they know to wait at the top of the stairs for the childminder after washing their hands. They learn the possible consequences of their actions and tell the childminder that they need to wait for her just in case they fall.

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

Children show they feel valued and cared for. They go to the childminder for cuddles, which are offered in abundance along with kind words for every child. Children benefit from an inclusive environment where all children are included in activities. For instance, the childminder encourages them all to have a go at each stage when baking cupcakes, supporting younger children with more complex tasks where needed. Children build a confidence and keenness to challenge themselves and take part. Children with barriers to learning receive interventions that supports progress towards their next steps in learning and development. Overall, children are prepared for their next stages of learning, such as starting nursery. They learn how to take turns and follow instructions. They listen when the childminder and other children are talking and start to build their conversations skills. Children benefit from regular attendance, which is monitored and encouraged by the

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About this setting

Operating hours: Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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 promote children's knowledge of healthy foods to enhance their ability to make healthy choices for themselves. The childminder should develop mealtime routines to fully promote children's independence and ability to do things for themselves. The childminder should encourage children to think about what will happen next to extend their thinking skills.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and parents and took account of the written views of parents 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, know as the early years foundation stage. This data is from 27 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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