Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2806369 Registered with Ofsted: 24/10/2024 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

All children make rapid progress from their starting points and are very well prepared for their next steps in education, including school. Every child feels secure, confident and able to express their needs and feelings because each transition is thoughtfully planned from the moment children join the setting to moving on to school. All children, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are known to social care and those who may face other barriers, are attentively and closely supported to reach developmental milestones with increasing confidence and independence. When barriers to children's learning and development are identified, additional teaching methods are introduced to support them to thrive and make accelerated progress.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children quickly gain confidence in communicating with their peers, including those who enter the setting as non-verbal or who speak English as an additional language. When children look at photos of past experiences, they make links to previous learning and ask questions. They practise using new words as they recount what happened.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children develop a 'can-do' attitude because they are closely guided to try a different way or to use more challenging equipment to develop new skills. Children consistently feel reassured that if they do need help that this will be immediately given before they become frustrated. Children flourish, feeling fabulous pride when they achieve things by themselves. For example, children learn to 'squish and squash' balls of dough, learning new ways to manipulate their hands to 'flatten' them into circles, as they keep trying wiggling and stretching their fingers. Beaming with pride when they achieve the planned result. All children become confident and resilient learners, believing that persistent effort pays off.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder creates an ethos where adults and children treat each other with mutual kindness, care and respect. The childminder is a positive role model, reminding children to listen to others when they are talking or when they are asked to help tidy up the toys. Children respond positively; they listen carefully and follow requests enthusiastically. Children understand the routines well, and transitions between parts of the day are seamless. Visual reminders are used to help all children understand what is happening now and what is next. Children refer to these regularly to clarify their understanding, such as following the visual steps for using the potty.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is passionate in ensuring that children's attendance is maximised, recognising that where children attend regularly, this will establish a regular pattern that will help school attendance. The childminder listens to families to understand any barriers to attending, and they create solutions together. This astute focus enables children and their families, including disadvantaged children, to develop regular attendance. As a result, children make accelerated progress. They become happier and better able to regulate their behaviour and control their impulses. Developmental delays in communication and language are reduced, and children develop positive attitudes to learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Superb relationships develop between children, parents and carers and the childminder, which are respectful, warm and nurturing. This leads to a trusting, child-centred environment. Children settle happily because the childminder spends time getting to know their preferences and routines before they start. Children feel secure because they know the childminder listens to them, responding to their changing needs and interests. The childminder prioritises children's welfare and wellbeing. She is very responsive to changes in statutory guidance, and children's safety is of paramount importance. For example, the childminder fully understands how to keep children safe during sleeping, weaning and eating, facing children as they eat to watch for risks of choking, for example.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder offers guidance to families about healthy food choices. This includes sharing healthy recipes to try at home and promoting the safe preparation of any food brought from home. Additional funding is used to supplement lunch boxes to encourage children to make healthy choices. This strategy is highly successful, seeing children change their dietary habits and preferences from processed food to fresh fruit and vegetables. Opportunities are maximised for children to learn outside in all weather. Children thoroughly enjoy this exploration, and parents celebrate this. During care routines, children are encouraged to become increasingly independent. The childminder works collaboratively with parents, sharing guidance on potty training, for instance, to agree a shared approach.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder is effective in making sure all children, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known to social care and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, access an ambitious curriculum. The childminder creates an individual curriculum for each child, which builds progressively from their starting points and reflects their interests. High expectations for children's achievement are embedded throughout the day. Families are updated on what children are learning and the next steps to support development at home. Children enthusiastically share with their families what they have learned each day because the environment is stimulating and exciting.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teaching is highly effective, and the childminder recognises that every conversation with a child is a learning opportunity. The childminder skilfully uses a range of techniques to support children's learning. She introduces new vocabulary frequently and repeats children's sentences back to them correctly, increasing the number of words children hear and can use. The childminder encourages children to verbalise their thinking. Children develop a love of books because sharing stories is woven throughout the day.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children's physical development is prioritised. Activities are thoughtfully adapted to reflect the differing ages and stages of each child. For example, the childminder plans activities, such as identifying balls and rolling them down ramps, to support babies' coordination, and uses larger balls for toddlers to develop their kicking. Children gain confidence in mathematics because the childminder embeds opportunities as they play. Children recognise small numbers of items without counting. They learn the name of shapes as they make play-dough pizzas and estimate '21' for the cooking time. They understand that coins are needed to buy imaginary ice creams.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder identifies children's needs using developmental guides and assessment tools. She precisely identifies which areas of their development need most support. Assessment processes are robust and enable the childminder to recognise any changes to identified needs and implement new ideas to support children. The childminder consistently makes a notable difference to children's experiences and progress.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is consistent and thorough in making sure any barriers that children face are identified. These are swiftly addressed using professional knowledge or by seeking advice from other professionals. Approaches are skilfully adapted based on each child's circumstance and family situation. This ensures that any support implemented is highly impactful. For example, parents and carers who struggle to process written English are supported to complete paperwork, including school registration forms, to ensure that transitions for children are seamless. School teachers praise the childminder's thorough approach to supporting transitions for disadvantaged children.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has high expectations for all children. She utilises funding effectively, including early years pupil premium, to ensure maximum impact for individual children. This includes providing additional resources to provide targeted support. For example, when observing that some children struggle to share, a range of timers are used to help children regulate their impulse control, with great success.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is dedicated to exploring every way possible to provide the best education and care for each child. She completes further training to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps her to anticipate and prepare for any additional needs children may have and to plan for any changes she can implement in preparation.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder reviews the provision regularly to evaluate and identify strengths and areas for development. She thoroughly understands the context of the provision and the priorities for the families attending. For example, the childminder recently identified an increasing trend in safeguarding concerns in the area and completed additional local safeguarding training to increase her knowledge. The childminder is committed to ongoing professional development, including around safeguarding and special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She participates in local childminding forums that help keep her knowledge current and practice well informed. This supports her aim to create a high-quality provision for all children. Any new ideas to improve the quality of care and education are implemented immediately. For example, the childminder now requests that parents and carers share information about their children's changing needs more regularly to ensure that

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

the curriculum remains highly ambitious, exciting and reflects individual circumstances.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder builds secure, collaborative relationships with families and provides targeted guidance where needed. She sensitively builds trusting relationships with every family, carefully adjusting her approach to support their differing needs, and maintains these as children transition to school. This strengthens the education and care of all children, including disadvantaged children, those with SEND, those known or previously known to children's social care and those who may face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. As a result, children thrive and flourish across all areas of development. They are extremely well prepared for their transitions to school and future 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 quickly develop secure feelings of belonging in this nurturing, home-from-home environment. Children and their families develop mutually respectful and caring relationships with the childminder. These positive relationships are established during settling-in sessions, when the childminder takes time to get to know each family. She then seeks regular updates to ensure that any changes in circumstances can be accommodated. Families celebrate the childminder's flexibility to adapt and ensure that each child's routines are understood. Children's individual interests, needs and developmental stages are skilfully recognised and purposefully supported. This has a positive impact on their emotional security, enabling them to learn and play with curiosity and growing independence.

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

Children show high levels of confidence and become inquisitive and self-motivated learners. Children actively explore and enjoy a wide and thoughtfully planned range of activities and excursions. Children are confident communicators. They are excited to share photos and stories from recent family trips. They eagerly chat about their favourite ice creams and share maps of their camping trips. The childminder listens carefully and skilfully extends conversations. Children rapidly learn new words because the childminder narrates play, repeats words clearly and asks open-ended questions, as she encourages children to solve problems.

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

When children are at risk of delay, effective assessment systems clearly identify the focus of additional support. The childminder rapidly provides targeted activities that enable children to make accelerated progress. Children flourish because the childminder liaises with other professionals and implements their advice. Where children receive additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, it is thoughtfully allocated to enhance the curriculum. Individual family circumstances are sensitively understood. The childminder strives for collaboration that ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, reach age-appropriate milestones and are supported to thrive and be successfully prepared for their move on to school.

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

Children consistently behave well, showing respect and positive attitudes towards learning. They cooperate, listen attentively and follow instructions, clearly enjoying their time in the stimulating environment. Thoughtfully planned outdoor activities, including visits to the allotment to harvest and cook produce they grow together, support their physical development. Children enjoy highly imaginative role play, taking on roles such as shopkeeper and ice-cream shop customer. They develop early mathematical skills by counting confidently, exploring shapes and beginning to understand wholes and halves, for instance.

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Next steps

The childminder should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with SEND, those who are known (or

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About this setting

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

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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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Age range of children at the time of inspection

previously known) to children's social care and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children, parents and carers 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 children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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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 . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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