Adams, Emma Elizabeth

Adams, Emma Elizabeth

Unique reference number (URN): 2866133 Address: Davenport Methodist Church, Holmes Chapel Road, Congleton, CW12 4SS Type: Childminder without domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 06/01/2026 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Emma Adams

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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

The childminder has high expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes to learning, applied consistently by all co-childminders, so that children experience the same calm, positive approach regardless of who is caring for them that day. Daily attendance is monitored closely, and any unexplained absence is followed up promptly with parents. The childminder promotes the importance of regular attendance in order to support children to establish positive routines. Children are consistently kind, considerate and well-mannered towards one another. They readily share resources and support each other's play. They display a sense of pride in their achievements as they show visitors their creations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children are taught to recognise and manage their emotions well. The childminder uses thoughtful strategies, such as giving children time to reflect and encouraging them to work out their own solutions. For example, helping children who feel left out of a game to find another way to join in. These approaches are adapted sensitively to each child's age and stage of development, so that all children, including the youngest, are supported to meet the setting's expectations. Established routines, including for mealtimes and moving between activities, are well understood by children. For example, a daily 'ring time' group session before lunch, with songs and movement, supports children to know what is happening next. Children receive plenty of notice before transitions, helping them feel settled and secure.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Warm, nurturing relationships between the childminder and children underpin children's sense of security and belonging. Children are supported to become highly independent in managing their personal hygiene and individual needs. For instance, they use a foot pump and outside tap to wash their hands, serve their own breakfast cereals and pour their own drinks. They use the toilet independently, offered privacy and dignity in the cabin, with the childminder on hand to support when needed. Care practices are adapted to individual children's needs. For example, children who still require a rest during the day sleep in a dedicated cabin with close, regular checks, in line with safe sleeping guidance. Mealtimes are calm, sociable occasions during which children learn about healthy eating and where their food comes from. During lunch time, they enjoy talking to their friends and adults about the contents of their packed lunches, and later, they enjoy eating the nutritious vegetarian-

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

based meals cooked on the fire. Nutrition guidance and menus are shared with parents, and children's health is promoted effectively.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder encourages children to drink plenty of water and independently access their own water bottles at the 'hydration station'. This consistent approach means that children's health, emotional and physical wellbeing are promoted effectively, leading to high levels of wellbeing and confidence for all children.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children achieve well in this setting. They make positive progress from their starting points across all areas of learning, most notably in their communication, language and physical development. Progress checks at age two show that children meet the milestones expected for their age, with clear strengths identified and shared with parents. Any barriers to learning are swiftly addressed and children are building the personal, social and physical skills they need for their next stage of learning, including school, where relevant.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate confidence and resilience in their interactions. They are developing their imaginations and learning to express themselves through daily conversations with their peers. Strong friendships are forged as children make choices and lead their own learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are afforded the time and patience to solve their own problems and manage their own risks, with the childminder available to support when required. Children demonstrate increasing independence as they manage their self-care and carry out many tasks for themselves. They are developing the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for the next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has developed a curriculum with a clear rationale. Activities follow children's interests and are adapted in the moment to reflect their curiosity, the changing seasons and the opportunities available outdoors. This gives children rich, real-life experiences, including in mark-making, exploring nature and solving problems for themselves.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

There is a clear focus on developing children's communication and language, including through storytelling, songs and the modelling of new vocabulary. Mathematical language, such as positional and comparative terms, is introduced purposefully during play. The childminder teaches with skill, extending children's thinking through open-ended questioning and adapting her interactions to each child's age and stage of development. Storytimes are calm, nurturing and led by children, with literacy and a love of books being a key area that the childminder wants to ensure children develop well. Children are highly engaged in their learning. They work together collaboratively and demonstrate resilience and problem- solving. For example, children work out how to make a den with their friends by using mud 'cement' to stick the planks of wood together. Vocabulary such as 'consistency' and 'texture' is used, as children take turns to add their own planks.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is intended to be inclusive, with activities differentiated so that both younger and older children access appropriate challenge in the environment. While children's individual uniqueness is valued and celebrated within the setting, they have fewer planned opportunities to learn about the wider world and communities beyond their own. This means their understanding of difference beyond their immediate experience is less developed than other aspects of their learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder identifies children's needs swiftly, using regular observations and conversations with parents to monitor progress and identify any emerging needs. Currently, the childminder does not have any children in attendance who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, the childminder is clear about how she would identify and support these children. She understands how to access SEND support, including seeking specialist advice and applying for an education, health and care plan where needed. Other adults in the setting are trained in completing these, and they all work collaboratively to ensure the setting supports all children who attend. The childminder knows how she would share information with children's social care to support multi-agency working, should this be required.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The setting is adapted appropriately to individual children's needs. For example, equipment, such as a rope swing, has been adjusted in height so that younger and older children can each use it safely and independently. Children are well supported in the setting and their individual needs are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has created a setting where all children are recognised for their individual talents and unique personalities. They are all valued and included, regardless of their starting points or any barriers to their learning. All children are supported to make positive progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is committed to providing an enticing outdoor environment in which children can develop independence, confidence and resilience. She meets regularly with her co- childminders to discuss improvements to the setting and their practice. In general, the childminder has a secure understanding of the setting's strengths and reflects on her own practice to continually improve the quality of education and care. However, some refinements in leadership across the setting have been noted for further development. The curriculum is not planned with a clearly sequenced structure, and what children should learn next is broad rather than precisely identified. This means that systems for reviewing the strengths and areas for development of the setting are not fully in place and teaching, while effective in the moment, needs to be planned with a clearer structure across the setting, so that what children are intended to learn next is more precisely defined.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder keeps her professional knowledge up to date through regular training, including outdoor learning and safeguarding refresher courses. She works closely with her co-childminders to ensure the setting is risk assessed, safe and secure for all children. She shares some overall responsibilities, including the setting's policies and procedures, so that governance of the shared site is understood and applied consistently by everyone involved.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder manages her own workload sensibly, balancing part-time working across the week to protect her wellbeing, while supporting co-childminders to do the same through open, collaborative working. She has built effective partnerships with parents and professionals, and shares regular updates on children's progress with parents through daily conversations and an online app.

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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 flourish in this setting, enjoying a curriculum rooted in the outdoors that sparks their curiosity about the natural world. They build increasing confidence in mathematical and positional language through play, and their vocabulary grows through frequent, high-quality conversations with the childminder, and other adults, who know them very well. Children are meeting the milestones expected for their age, and parents describe visible progress in their child's confidence and independence.

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About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): 2866133 Children belong to a small, close-knit group in which they are known individually and cared for warmly. They form strong friendships with their peers, sharing resources and collaborating readily in their play. Families are welcomed from their child's earliest days, with settling-in 'stay and play' visits and regular conversations that help each child transition smoothly into the setting. Parents say they feel able to approach the childminder with any concerns and that they are kept well informed about their child's day and progress.

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About this setting

Children thrive in this calm, nurturing outdoor environment. They feel safe and understand how to manage risks for themselves. For example, recognising and removing standing water from canopies after rain, taking care not to wet their friends as it splashes down to the ground. Their behaviour is consistently kind and considerate, and any minor disagreements are resolved quickly with support from adults who help them talk through their feelings. Children are growing in independence, managing their own hygiene and self-care practices with little adult support. The childminder offers consistent praise in children's ability to look after themselves, each other and the world around them. This prepares them well for their next stage.

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Next steps

The childminder should provide further opportunities for children to learn about communities beyond their own, to deepen their understanding of life in modern Britain. The childminder should further refine systems for reviewing the strengths and areas for development to raise the quality of the curriculum to an even higher standard.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her co-minders, parents 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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Address:

Davenport Methodist Church Holmes Chapel Road Congleton CW12 4SS

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Address:

Type: Childminder without domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Tuesday,Wednesday : 08:30 - 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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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

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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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