Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2839059 Registered with Ofsted: 25/05/2025 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 benefit from a calm, welcoming and nurturing environment where they feel happy, settled and emotionally secure. The childminder has high expectations for children's behaviour and communicates these at a level of children's understanding. She recognises and rewards positive behaviour through praise and gestures, such as giving children a 'high five'. This supports a positive attitude towards learning. Well-established arrangements for meals, rest and play help children understand what will happen throughout their day. This supports a sense of security and belonging at the setting.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children have formed secure and trusting attachments with the childminder. The childminder knows the children extremely well and is attentive to changes in their behaviour and emotional needs. She recognises when individual children may need additional comfort or a quieter space to help them feel calm. Equally, she understands when children need opportunities to release energy and provides access to the garden and physical activity. When children become frustrated or overwhelmed, she offers appropriate objects and resources that help them manage their emotions. As a result, when ready, children calmly return to their play with their friends. Relationships between children are positive. They play happily together, share resources and demonstrate kindness and consideration towards one another.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Partnerships with parents and carers are a significant strength. The childminder establishes open and effective communication with families. This includes discussions about children's behaviour and emotional needs so that appropriate strategies can be agreed and used consistently. Parents have access to clear policies and procedures and understand the expectations of the setting. The childminder's close relationship with families means she is aware of factors that could affect children's attendance. She takes prompt and appropriate action to work with families to overcome potential barriers.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and emotional wellbeing are central to the childminder's practice. From the outset, the childminder gathers detailed information from parents and carers to develop a thorough understanding of each child's individual emotional, developmental and care needs. She offers settling-in sessions that are tailored to each family and child, enabling her to provide responsive and personalised care from the beginning. These trusting partnerships with parents contribute significantly to children's wellbeing and help to ensure consistency between home and the setting. This is particularly effective in relation to individual care routines, including sleeping and eating arrangements. Children form secure attachments and confidently seek reassurance when they need it. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. For example, they settle calmly on their sleep mats in preparation for their naps.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder promotes healthy lifestyles effectively through everyday experiences and conversations. She works closely with parents and provides helpful guidance about nutritious food choices for children's lunch boxes. Where appropriate, she also offers advice to support families with healthy meals at home and signposts parents to additional sources of support when needed. During mealtimes and children's play, the childminder builds on children's understanding of the importance of looking after their bodies. Children learn how to recognise risks and keep themselves safe through real-life experiences. For example, during walks in the woods, the childminder teaches children not to touch unfamiliar berries and explains why this could be unsafe. This helps children to develop an age-appropriate understanding of potential hazards and how to keep themselves safe while exploring their environment.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder places an emphasis on supporting children to understand and manage their emotions from an early age. For example, children enjoy playing the piano and creating tunes together. This encourages them to listen to one another and express themselves as they explore sounds. Children show respect for their environment and learn to take care of the resources they use. All children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, develop confidence in expressing their own needs and begin to recognise and respond to the feelings of others.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Inclusion is firmly embedded within the ethos of the setting. The childminder is committed to ensuring that all children, including disadvantaged children and those with barriers to their learning, receive the individualised support they need to participate fully and make progress. The childminder has completed training to help support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This professional development has increased her expertise in the local authority referral processes, and in providing highly effective support and provision for children and their families. For example, alongside parents, the childminder has put targeted interventions in place that set clear and achievable goals for children needing additional support.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder establishes respectful and trusting partnerships with parents and carers from the outset. She gathers comprehensive information about children's starting points, development and individual needs. This enables her to identify any emerging needs at an early stage. Regular communication ensures that parents remain well informed about their child's progress and any areas where additional support may be beneficial. The childminder also provides practical guidance and helps families access appropriate services and advice from other professionals. The childminder closely monitors children's development and takes prompt action when concerns arise. Advice and strategies are implemented swiftly and incorporated effectively into everyday practice. This joined-up approach helps to ensure that children receive consistent and targeted support and that potential barriers to their development are addressed without unnecessary delay.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of how additional funding, including the early years pupil premium, can be used effectively to meet children's individual needs and reduce barriers to their learning. She carefully considers how resources or additional events and outings can enable children to participate successfully in everyday experiences. Consequently, disadvantaged children and those with barriers to their learning benefit from an inclusive environment where their individual needs are recognised and responded to effectively.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children, including disadvantaged children and those who face barriers to their learning, typically make secure progress. Children make particularly clear progress in their communication and language development. They learn new vocabulary through everyday activities and are encouraged to use new words in their play. For example, children build on the muscles in the hands and arms as they stretch sensory toys, and repeat words, such as 'pull'. Children listen attentively to familiar stories, and enthusiastically join in with songs and rhymes. Children begin to understand early mathematical concepts. They show high levels of concentration as they slot objects through the correct holes, developing an understanding of shape and colour. Children learn how to cooperate with others, share resources, take turns and follow familiar routines. These experiences help them to develop positive relationships and understand the expectations of the setting. Children generally make

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Achievement Expected standard

choices about the activities and resources they would like to explore. These skills help to prepare children well for future learning and transitions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides a broad and engaging curriculum that typically supports children to develop confidence and make progress across all areas of learning. She works closely with parents and carers to assess children's learning and knows the children well. She demonstrates a secure understanding of their individual needs and stages of development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder typically adapts her interactions to reflect children's different ages and abilities. For example, as children choose objects from a sensory bag, she uses playful games to promote their communication skills. She encourages children to communicate through words, sounds and gestures and responds sensitively to their cues. For instance, when children indicate that they would like an activity to be repeated, the childminder recognises and responds promptly to their requests.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder encourages children's curiosity and participation through songs and stories of interest. For example, as children press buttons in books and listen to familiar rhymes, she encourages them to copy finger actions. Very young children respond positively and make attempts to imitate these movements. This helps to develop the small muscles in their hands and fingers while also supporting their listening and coordination skills. However, the childminder does not plan precisely enough for what individual children need to learn next. As a result, some interactions do not consistently build on children's existing knowledge and skills. This means, on occasion, scope to further extend children's ongoing development is missed. The childminder incorporates mathematical concepts naturally into children's everyday play and routines. She provides opportunities for children to be physically active every day, and plans outings within the local community to further support their physical

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder typically ensures that the setting is organised efficiently to meet children's individual needs. She reflects on the needs of different families and takes time to ensure all parents and carers understand the policies and procedures that underpin her practice. This supports high standards of care and safety. Parents speak positively about the quality of care and support their children receive. Effective communication ensures that they are kept well informed about their child's experiences, wellbeing and development. The childminder communicates appropriately with professionals and takes account of specialist advice. This ensures that any additional support is identified and addressed appropriately.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a commitment to her professional development. She uses relevant training to keep knowledge and practice up to date. The childminder is mindful of her wellbeing and workload. She has a clear understanding of many of the strengths of her provision and demonstrates a commitment to maintaining high-quality practice. For example, she has plans to develop her garden even further to enhance the learning experience and outcomes for children. However, processes for evaluating the provision are not yet consistently rigorous enough to identify all areas where practice could be strengthened. For example, the childminder has not fully considered how activities are planned to consistently build on children's next steps in development. While children remain engaged in the activities, on occasion this has an impact on the learning taking place.

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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 organises the setting thoughtfully and makes effective use of the available space to support children's learning and development. All children, including disadvantaged children and those with barriers to their learning, demonstrate that they feel happy, safe and secure in the care of the childminder. They benefit from a warm and nurturing environment where they develop a sense of belonging. Children show enthusiasm and curiosity as they explore a varied range of resources. For example, they develop the muscles in their hands and arms as they transport rice through tubes, while listening to a related nursery rhyme, such as 'Incy Wincy Spider'. Children confidently adjust their play. They explore different sounds as they pour rice into a kettle and pretend to make a cup of tea for the childminder. They use new words in context, such as 'gone', to communicate their ideas. Children receive regular praise and encouragement for their efforts and achievements. This helps

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

them to develop confidence and positive attitudes towards their learning.

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

The spacious garden provides children with opportunities to climb, run and play ball games with their friends. These experiences encourage children to negotiate with others, express themselves and develop their gross motor skills. Children also have opportunities to grow herbs, fruit and vegetables. This helps them to learn about growth and change. Regular outings, such as visits to local music groups and the library, provide children with opportunities to meet and interact with others. This helps them to develop their social skills and learn how to behave in different environments. Children also explore nature in nearby woods and learn to manage appropriate risks as they negotiate different surfaces and terrain. These experiences help to develop children's curiosity and understanding of their local community and the wider world.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday,Sunday : 07:00 - 19:00

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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 strengthen planning to ensure interactions and teaching consistently build on what children know and can do. The childminder should continue to reflect on areas for improvement in order to further enhance the quality of provision for all children.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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. This data is from 9 September 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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