Meech, Sian Rebecca Olive

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY562512 Registered with Ofsted: 02/10/2018 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

Despite the weaknesses in teaching, the children present, who also attend other settings, still appear to make typical progress from their starting points. Children do not benefit from teaching that further builds on their existing knowledge and skills. They do however show a positive attitude to learning and demonstrate confidence and independence.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children focus and concentrate as they build a train track that goes all the way around the room. They create names for the stations based on their growing knowledge of the community in which they live. Children confidently share that the 'passengers' are going to live where the train stops. They demonstrate an increasing awareness of their surroundings and town names, as well as imagination as they make up new names.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children confidently make choices about what they would like to play with. They have the knowledge and experience to create their own rules to games as they excitedly take turns in matching activities with the childminder. Children show an effective understanding of mathematical language and a growing vocabulary. Children make their needs known and have sufficient skills to support their move to the next stage in their education.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are generally familiar with the daily routine. They know when they arrive that they will be walking to school to drop off the older children. Children confidently put on and take off their shoes when requested to. The childminder has high expectations and children behave well. She follows up any instances of inappropriate behaviour with parents and carers so that they can address the concerns together and provide a consistent response. The childminder generally reminds children to say 'please' and 'thank you', which helps to develop their social skills and manners.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children show positive attitudes to learning as they participate in the activities. They learn to share and take turns during memory game activities. Children hand out the cards and demonstrate a clear understanding of the rules and expectations of the games. This helps to build their collaboration and negotiation skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children develop positive relationships with the childminder. They are confident to play independently but also involve the childminder in their imaginative play as they create a pre- school with the small-world toys. The childminder understands the importance of children attending regularly and follows up any absences with parents.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder generally supports and promotes children's welfare and wellbeing. She creates a safe and welcoming space in her home. The childminder offers a range of activities and resources for children to easily access. She supports children to develop their physical and emotional health through regular school runs. This helps children to understand the value of healthy lifestyles.

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Needs attention

The childminder typically embeds hygiene practices and children talk confidently about the importance of washing their hands to get rid of the germs. The childminder supports parents and carers to provide healthy lunch boxes for their children, including fruit for snack time. She offers children choices children about what they would like to eat. The childminder reminds them of the importance of making healthy choices.

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Needs attention

Children form secure attachments with the childminder and she knows them well. The childminder teaches children to understand personal safety, such as sitting down to eat, and to not talk when they are eating. This helps to promote children's wellbeing and the importance of safety.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder does not provide a curriculum that is ambitious and meets the needs of all children. She does not expand children's knowledge by building on what they already know and can do. The childminder does not extend children's learning and their next steps are not sufficiently precise to support children's continued development.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder knows that she must provide a curriculum that covers the seven areas of learning. However, she shares that she likes to provide children with opportunities they may not necessarily receive elsewhere. The childminder explains that she likes to offer different experiences to the ones children get at pre-schools. The childminder is in the process of introducing her new curriculum, and this is in its infancy, and the impact is not yet known.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder generally supports children's communication and language development. She sings with children and introduces new vocabulary, such as 'aubergines', during an activity looking at pictures of food. The childminder interacts well with children. She shows an understanding of their development and talks about the progress the children have made since their starting points. The childminder follows children's interests with regard to the solar system and actively engages with them. She names the planets and talks about their positions in relation to the sun.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder uses recall when looking at photos with children to talk about the time that they have spent with her and the activities that they have taken part in. Children join in excitedly, asking questions about how old they were in the photos, and talk about their friends that they can see.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Children demonstrate a solid knowledge of mathematics. They count confidently to 100 and use their fingers to represent numbers. Children show a great understanding of numbers and show curiosity to find out more. They count at every opportunity, in every activity and the childminder praises them on their knowledge.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder has not undertaken sufficient training to enable her to fully meet the needs of all children consistently. Although she has accessed training, she shares that this was very brief and she did not recall much from the sessions to inform her work. The childminder is booked on further training to increase her knowledge and confidence to support children who may face barriers to their learning.

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Inclusion Needs attention

At the last inspection it was recommended that the childminder should strengthen partnerships with other professionals to further support consistency in meeting children's emerging needs. However, she did not follow this advice and no referrals have been completed for children. This does not ensure children receive the support they need in a timely manner.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder does not provide parents and carers with ideas to help support their children's learning at home. She send photos to parents throughout the day showing what the children have been doing but does not extend this activity. This does not ensure children consistently make progress through a joined-up approach to their development.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder welcomes children into her home and builds secure relationships with them. She generally support children's wellbeing and helps children to think about their personal safety.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has not kept up to date with all the changes in early years education. For example, she is not familiar with the new inspection framework. This does not ensure that she understands the new inspection process.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has made minimal progress on the recommendations set at the last inspection. She is in the process of introducing a new curriculum for the children, but this is in its infancy. She shares that she thought she would have longer to prepare for this, before she was inspected. The childminder has not developed partnerships with other settings children attend. This does not support a joined-up approach to children's learning and is a requirement of the early years foundation stage. The childminder is familiar with the amendments to the requirements. She is able to demonstrate through discussions that she understands the safe sleeping requirements and the changes she has made to accommodate these. She also demonstrates an awareness of the changes to food and drink requirements and has undertaken food hygiene training to support her understanding.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Parents and carers speak highly of the childminder and value the outings that she takes their children on to give them experiences they may not necessarily receive if they did not attend her provision.

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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

The childminder has not been fully operational since the last inspection and has not taken on board the suggested recommendations. She is not familiar with the new inspection framework. This has an impact on her understanding of the inspection process and knowledge of how to plan an ambitious curriculum. This means that children in this setting do not benefit from a curriculum which covers all areas of learning and appropriate next steps for their learning. Settling-in sessions are tailored to children's personal needs. This enables them to develop a sense of belonging and form secure attachments. However, this information is not always used to plan activities to build on what children know and can do. Children are not routinely referred for additional support at an early stage. This does not ensure they make progress in their development from their starting points.

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

Children arrive happily and separate from their parents and carers with ease. They confidently enter the childminder's home and choose their favourite activity from the accessible resources. Children behave well and enjoy taking part in lots of imaginative play with the childminder. They demonstrate their growing confidence as they take on the roles of the different characters in the small world play. Children expertly change the tone and pitch of their voices as they 'sing songs in the talent competition'.

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

Children demonstrate a secure comprehension of mathematical language as they confidently count, showing an increasing knowledge of numbers. They share their understanding of colours and confidently match the coloured bears to the correct containers. Children enjoy outings into the local community to the park, library and local toddler groups. They go on bus and train rides to the beach and places of interest. This helps them to develop an understanding of the world in which they live.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

develop an understanding of partnership working with other agencies to ensure that referrals are completed in a timely manner 17/09/2026

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Action Completion Date

build relationships with other settings children attend, or are going to attend, to share information about children's progress and development 17/09/2026

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Action Completion Date

help parents and carers to support their children's learning at home to ensure a joined-up approach to children's development 17/09/2026

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Action Completion Date

improve the design and delivery of the curriculum to ensure it builds effectively on what children already know and can do. 08/10/2026

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30

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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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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.

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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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