Simpson, Sophie Leigh

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2857300 Registered with Ofsted: 28/09/2025 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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Achievement Needs attention

Children do not make appropriate progress across all areas of their learning. For example, some children are not confident in communicating their needs and are not yet speaking at an age-appropriate level. This limits what they are able to achieve across the curriculum. In addition, this does not support children's readiness for the next stage in their education.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children demonstrate confident physical skills. They are able to run and coordinate their bodies well to kick footballs. Children feed themselves at mealtimes and are able to manipulate crayons and pencils effectively as they colour pictures. They are developing an understanding of kindness and sharing toys. Children enjoy giving a ball to each other and interacting through play. They are beginning to make friendships and recognise the importance of caring for each other. Younger children are beginning to say the names of their friends.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Children do not always develop positive attitudes to learning. Weaknesses in the curriculum design and implementation mean that children are not always as engaged in activities as they could be. For example, children play with the toys around them, but it is not always clear what they are learning. As a result, children do not sustain their concentration for extended periods of time before they move on to something else.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Children are typically supported to behave well. The childminder works hard to support children to share resources. She explains that the toys are there for all children and that we have to be kind to our friends. Children understand the routines of the setting and enjoy sitting next to their friends as they have lunch. The childminder and her assistant are positive role models as they talk to the children about being kind and supportive of each other. This helps children to understand how to behave positively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

The childminder recognises the importance of children attending their early education sessions regularly. She liaises with parents effectively to ensure all are aware of the benefits of arriving on time for each session.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Risk assessment procedures are not always effective. The childminder has not identified that the trampoline in her garden is not safe for young children. She has not checked the safety guidance for this equipment effectively. In addition, the childminder has failed to follow risk assessment warning labels on the trampoline for only one child to use it at any one time. This places children at potential risk of injury.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

The childminder provides a wealth of information for parents in daily diary books. These help parents to understand what children have eaten and how their care needs have been met. The childminder cooks healthy meals for children to enjoy at lunchtime. Children delight in asking for more servings of home-made cottage pie. The childminder encourages children to consider mealtimes as a sociable activity. Children are all very well settled in the childminder's care. They run to the childminder for cuddles as they giggle. These positive relationships support children's wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

The childminding environment is meticulously clean and well organised. Hygiene practices ensure that all children's personal needs are met effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum is not designed to meet the needs of all children. Communication with children is not focused enough on supporting their progress and development. For example, the childminder asks a child if they have a 'doggy' at home. When they respond that they do, she says 'yes, doggy' and the conversation ends. The childminder does not always use interactions purposefully to share her knowledge with children. Interactions do not always build on what children already know and introduce new vocabulary or model more complex sentence structure. This impacts most on children who face barriers to learning or who are evidencing that there may be concerns about their development. Interactions with children show that the childminder is kind, attentive and supportive.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder encourages children to listen carefully when she talks to them and respond. She supports children's physical development by taking children to local parks and areas of interest to walk, run and play football. These trips help children to learn about the world around them. The childminder encourages children to build friendships and include other children in their games.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Weaknesses in assessment practices mean that some children's needs are not identified promptly. As a result, the childminder is not aware that some children may require additional support. The curriculum is not always targeted towards closing gaps in children's development. The childminder understands the importance of liaising with parents to share her support for children who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, she has not yet developed effective strategies to support children who may need extra help.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The childminder has previously completed training to support her understanding of SEND. She has a confident knowledge of how different children may face barriers to learning and what might make a child vulnerable but has not been able to put this learning into practice. The childminder recognises the other professionals that might be involved in a child's life and how they would work with them effectively if needed. The childminder understands the purposes of any additional funding that children may be entitled to. She is able to outline her rationale for spending this funding and how she would check that her decisions have been effective.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has not implemented an effective system of supervision and training arrangements for any assistants who work with her. Although she monitors the work of her assistant, this has mainly been focused on routines and meeting children's care needs. As a result, the childminder's assistant has not received targeted support for her professional development. This limits the capacity of assistants to build on their knowledge and improve learning experiences for children.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder has not identified some of the weaknesses in her provision. She is able to reflect that more work is needed to improve the curriculum but has not managed to address this promptly enough. As a result, children are not receiving high-quality interactions to support their development across all areas of learning.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The childminder and her assistant work effectively together as a team. The assistant feels well supported with her workload and wellbeing. She knows that she can go to the childminder should she have any concerns about a child or family.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Parents are hugely supportive of the childminder and her practice. They state that she has been incredibly reassuring when parents have needed to go back to work and leave their children in her care for the first time. Parents recognise that the childminder's strength is in her care and kindness for children in her home-from-home setting.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not 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 not 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 not always well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Although children enjoy themselves and are very comfortable in the childminder's care, they are not always learning as much as they could be. Children's progress from their starting points is not consistent. Some children develop gaps in their learning that the childminder has not identified. The childminder and any assistants she works with have not adapted their teaching to meet the needs of children who may face barriers to learning. This means that some children do not achieve as well as others. Children generally behave well at the setting considering their age. At times, the childminder does not support children to always develop positive attitudes to learning. Children do not learn to focus on activities that interest them for extended periods of time. The childminder does not always use her interactions with children to encourage their concentration.

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

All children and families are made to feel welcome in the setting. The childminder has very positive relationships with children and their families. Parents very much appreciate the care that the childminder shows towards them and their children. Parents are provided with helpful information each day about their child's time at the setting. The childminder takes care to make sure that she gets to know all children well before they start at her setting. This helps children to settle into the routines seamlessly. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and happy in the childminder's care. They love to sit on the childminder's knee and cuddle into her as they play. The childminder celebrates the uniqueness of each child and develops their individual personalities.

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

The childminder understands the importance of attendance for all children in establishing positive routines for the next stage in a child's learning.

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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

ensure that risk assessment practices are effective in order that the resources that children access are safe and appropriate for their age 31/10/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that assistants are supported through effective supervision arrangements and the promotion of appropriate training and development opportunities 31/10/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that assessment procedures enable accurate information about any concerns in children's development to be acted upon promptly 30/11/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that high-quality interactions are targeted towards closing gaps in children's development and focusing on what children need to learn next 30/11/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistant, 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. Registration date: 28/09/2025

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30

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About this inspection

Local authority: Nottinghamshire County Council

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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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