Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2844021 Registered with Ofsted: 08/08/2025 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children demonstrate consistently positive behaviour and attitudes. They treat others with kindness, care and respect. They cooperate during play and respond well to clear expectations. The childminder consistently models positive behaviour. Children increasingly recognise how their actions affect others. Warm, secure relationships underpin children's experiences. Children confidently seek out the childminder, initiate interactions and laugh with her during familiar games. Specific praise reinforces positive behaviour and motivates children to participate enthusiastically.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children increasingly manage their feelings and behaviour. The childminder judges effectively when to intervene and when to stand back. She allows children to resolve manageable difficulties and persist when challenges arise. They develop resilience, self- regulation and confidence to solve problems for themselves. Children with differing developmental needs participate successfully alongside their peers. The childminder uses signs, songs, actions and simple choices to promote communication and engagement. This supports inclusion and enables children to contribute to shared experiences.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children confidently follow familiar routines with decreasing adult direction. The childminder works with parents to promote regular attendance and punctuality. She monitors attendance and responds to emerging barriers. This establishes positive routines and habits that support children's readiness for their next stage.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make positive progress from their individual starting points. Children develop new knowledge and skills and become increasingly confident and independent learners.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children's communication and language develop well. Regular conversations, songs, stories and purposeful play encourage children to listen, respond and use new vocabulary. Children increasingly use words to communicate their needs and interests. They recall familiar songs and reproduce words and actions. Children strengthen their physical skills through regular opportunities to move, explore and practise. Those developing their walking confidently negotiate different surfaces and increasingly move without adult support. This builds their coordination, confidence and independence.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children who face barriers to learning make meaningful progress. Children practise emerging skills through familiar and enjoyable experiences. This enables them to consolidate their learning and make progress at an appropriate pace from their individual starting points.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children feel safe, secure and emotionally settled. Warm, responsive relationships enable them to confidently seek reassurance and initiate interactions. The childminder responds sensitively to individual needs. Children develop secure attachments and a strong sense of belonging. Care routines reflect children's ages and developmental stages. The childminder works closely with parents to maintain consistency in sleeping, eating and personal care. Children experience continuity between home and the setting and become increasingly independent in managing their needs.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children experience healthy lifestyles through everyday routines. They eat nutritious food and are encouraged to make healthy choices. Regular visits to local parks, farms and the zoo promote wellbeing and broaden children's experiences. Children make choices, explore different environments and develop confidence in their community.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder introduces oral health and signposts parents to dental care. However, she does not routinely reinforce oral-health messages. As a result, children have fewer opportunities to understand and build habits that keep their teeth healthy. The childminder generally helps children recognise and express emotions. However, she does not consistently adapt this support for children who find expressive communication difficult. Visual prompts, signs and other strategies are not routinely embedded. Consequently, some children have fewer opportunities to communicate their feelings and develop emotional regulation independently.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children make positive progress from their individual starting points. Children develop new knowledge and skills and become increasingly confident and independent learners.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children's communication and language develop well. They listen and respond during conversations and stories, recall familiar songs and increasingly use new words to communicate their needs and interests. Children develop their physical skills and coordination. Those developing their walking confidently negotiate different surfaces and increasingly move without adult support. Children also show growing independence and confidence as they practise and master new skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children who face barriers to learning make meaningful progress from their individual starting points. They build on emerging skills and demonstrate small but significant developmental steps. Children increasingly sustain their engagement in familiar experiences, practise newly acquired skills and apply what they have learned with greater confidence and independence. This demonstrates that children, including those who require additional support, continue to build securely on what they already know and can do.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder generally identifies children's individual needs and responds appropriately when concerns emerge. She knows children well and works closely with parents to understand their development, routines and potential barriers to learning. She uses this information to shape experiences and provide appropriate support. When children may need additional help, she discusses concerns sensitively with parents, seeks professional advice and completes relevant training. This supports early identification and strengthens her understanding of how to reduce barriers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children benefit from experiences linked to their interests and developmental stages. The childminder uses books, songs, familiar routines and preferred activities to promote engagement. Children respond positively and typically participate confidently alongside their peers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

However, adaptations for children with emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities are not consistently targeted. The childminder relies heavily on spoken communication and her knowledge of individual children to interpret their needs. She does not routinely use alternative approaches, such as visual communication aids. Consequently, some children have fewer opportunities to express their needs, feelings and choices independently. More precise adaptations would strengthen their communication, participation and independence.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has effective oversight of her provision. She understands her statutory responsibilities and prioritises children's safety, wellbeing and learning. She recognises strengths and identifies areas for improvement. She manages her workload and professional responsibilities effectively, keeping children's needs at the centre of her decisions. This supports the effective day-to-day running of the provision. Partnership working with parents is positive. Parents feel valued, welcomed and confident approaching the childminder. Regular communication enables them to share information about children's routines, development and changing needs. The childminder uses this information to shape care and learning. Children benefit from consistency between home and the setting and receive support that reflects their individual circumstances.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder acts when children may need additional support. She discusses concerns sensitively with parents, seeks professional advice and undertakes relevant training. For example, she has strengthened her knowledge of emerging communication needs. This supports earlier identification of potential barriers and demonstrates her commitment to inclusive practice. Safeguarding remains a clear priority. The childminder keeps her knowledge current, confidently identifies potential concerns and knows when and how to act. She maintains required documentation and manages risks appropriately. This helps ensure that children remain safe.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

However, self-evaluation is not consistently precise or evidence-led. The childminder does not always measure whether adaptations improve children's experiences and outcomes. More rigorous evaluation would enable her to identify priorities, refine practice and assess the impact of changes. This would strengthen outcomes, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to 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, safe and confident. They form warm, secure relationships with the childminder and comfortably seek her out for reassurance, conversation and shared enjoyment. Children laugh with her during familiar games and confidently initiate interactions. They know that their needs will be met and feel valued. This gives children a strong sense of belonging and emotional security.

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

Children enjoy learning and engage enthusiastically in experiences. They join in with songs and actions, explore books, play games and make choices about their play. Children regularly visit local parks and other attractions. These experiences broaden their knowledge of the world, promote their wellbeing and help them confidently explore their local community and new environments. Children achieve from their individual starting points. During play, they repeat new words and respond proudly when the childminder celebrates these important milestones. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate alongside their peers and make meaningful progress. They develop confidence to have a go, practise emerging skills and persevere when they encounter challenges. Children increasingly recognise what they can achieve for themselves.

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

Children develop positive social skills. They cooperate during shared games, negotiate space during energetic play and learn to consider others. They respond positively to clear expectations and increasingly manage familiar routines independently. The childminder judges effectively when to intervene and when to stand back. This gives children opportunities to resolve manageable difficulties, make decisions and try things for themselves.

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

Children increasingly make choices, take responsibility and complete simple tasks without relying on adult help. They develop resilience, independence and positive attitudes towards learning. These skills support successful transitions and prepare children well for their next stage of learning. Overall, children achieve through enjoyable learning, belong through secure relationships and inclusion, and thrive because they feel safe, valued, capable and increasingly independent.

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Next steps

The childminder should strengthen and evaluate communication adaptations so children with emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities can increasingly communicate their needs, make choices, and participate independently in learning. The childminder should strengthen the sequencing of mathematical learning, so children consistently build on what they know and progressively develop secure knowledge of number and counting. The childminder should embed oral-health learning into everyday routines, so children consistently develop the knowledge and healthy habits they need to make positive choices about their oral health.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and 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 to assess the quality and standards of provision 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,Friday : 07:00 - 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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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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