Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2808059 Registered with Ofsted: 04/11/2024 Registers: EYR

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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 Strong standard

The childminder supports children to make consistent progress from their individual starting points, actively building confidence in communication and language.

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Achievement Strong standard

She encourages them to articulate their feelings, ask questions, and make clear choices throughout the day. The childminder provides targeted guidance to children learning English as an additional language and those facing potential learning barriers. She ensures they master key foundational skills, such as washing their hands before eating and putting on their coats independently, so they keep at pace with their peers.

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Achievement Strong standard

The childminder nurtures children's focus and active listening habits during daily group story times. She prepares children well for their next steps and school, where appropriate. For example, she shares stories about starting new settings, creates personalised 'All About Me' books, and organises visits to their future classrooms. Through this well-sequenced learning and thoughtful preparation, she equips every child with the emotional confidence, practical independence and familiarity needed for a smooth transition.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder and her assistant build secure, responsive relationships with every child, ensuring they feel safe, valued, and calm.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Care practices meet each child's individual needs, helping all children, including those who face potential barriers to learning, to flourish.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The sensitivity of the childminder and her assistant helps children express, manage, and understand their emotions, building a strong foundation for long-term emotional wellbeing. Daily routines remain flexible and responsive, balancing quiet rest with active play.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children gain a clear understanding of their health, safety, and physical development. They master key self-care routines, including thorough handwashing before meals and developing independent habits during toilet training.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder strives to weave healthy lifestyles into daily life. Children visit local shops to pick fresh fruit and vegetables for cooking, discuss nutrition and peel their own snacks. Outside, daily physical movement, ride-on toys, and garden play help children to build large muscle strength, risk awareness and physical confidence.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum offers a wide range of learning opportunities and builds directly on children's interests and fascinations.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has an accurate understanding of her curriculum's quality. She makes targeted decisions to continually drive improvements, such as completing external training

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Expected standard

The childminder creates a language-rich environment. She supports communication skills through songs, stories, and meaningful conversations. The childminder expands vocabulary consistently during play. For example, during an exercise game, she uses action words, such as 'stretch' and 'hop'. She also embeds mathematical language seamlessly throughout the day. Children count fruit at snack time, find circular shapes in the room, and learn about sizes and fitting objects together while baking.

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Expected standard

Children's physical, personal, social, and emotional development is deeply prioritised. The childminder nurtures emotional resilience and independence. She teaches self-care skills, supports toilet training, and encourages cooperative turn-taking.

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Expected standard

The childminder and her assistant adapt their teaching skilfully for children who speak English as an additional language, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing extra barriers to learning. For example, they use dual-language repetition and picture cards when cooking traditional challah bread to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. This ensures that every child is fully included.

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Expected standard

Precise, ongoing assessment is used to check what children already know. The childminder uses this information to plan activities for each child's individual stage of development. As a result, children build securely on prior learning and make rapid, sustained progress across all areas.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder typically cultivates a calm, welcoming environment. Children enter enthusiastically, eager to connect with adults and peers. The childminder and her assistant demonstrate authentic warmth and interest. For example, following a topic on shapes, children brought circular objects from home. The childminder praised the effort and encouraged sharing the items with friends, which prompted visible pride and joy.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Well-established routines and song-led transitions allow the day to run smoothly, helping children to understand what happens now and next. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning through high levels of curiosity, engagement, and active pride in shared routines.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder considers individual developmental stages when managing behaviour. However, adult responses during sharing and turn-taking lack consistency across all scenarios. When adults do not apply guidance consistently, children become confused about expectations, which occasionally leads to minor conflicts and delays their ability to self-regulate.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder embeds inclusive practice throughout daily routines, ensuring that all children, regardless of their background or individual needs, receive tailored support to participate fully in activities. Furthermore, the childminder actively promotes regular attendance and punctuality through clear, effective communication with parents.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder and her assistant know every child well. They generally build an inclusive space where adults identify and support individual needs early. The childminder uses ongoing discussions with parents and carers when children first start to help her plan effectively to meet children's needs and next steps.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder uses what she knows about each child to track their learning. She makes sure that every child can join in activities. For example, during cooking activities, staff use visual picture cards to help children follow instructions. The childminder also uses words in a child's home language to help them feel included.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder regularly checks the progress that children make. For example, she regularly observes children while they play. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to keep learning and developing well. When children need extra help, the childminder works alongside outside professionals, such as speech therapists, to support each child.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of the setting's core strengths and maintains clear oversight of day-to-day operations, ensuring every decision puts children's safety, welfare, and best interests first. Mandatory training, including safeguarding, paediatric first aid, and food hygiene, is fully up to date for all adults working with children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Workload and wellbeing are typically managed through regular one-to-one catch-ups, clear duty delegation during set-up and mealtimes, and dedicated non-contact time scheduled for administrative tasks and learning logs. This approach fosters a supportive, reflective working environment where staff feel heard and valued.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents speak warmly of the care provided, praising the clear communication delivered through weekly updates, digital learning journals, and termly newsletters. They particularly appreciate the varied enrichment opportunities offered, such as weekly local tip-out sessions and outings related to topics being taught.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder closely observes her assistant's practice and targets professional development to meet specific needs. For example, she sources specialised training on supporting communication and language development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Continuous self-evaluation drives ongoing improvement, maintaining an inclusive, nurturing environment where children are consistently safe, valued, and well cared for.

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

Children flourish in this warm, nurturing, and child-centred setting. From the moment children arrive, they separate effortlessly from their parents. They demonstrate trust, emotional security and a sense of belonging.

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

The childminder creates a calm, inclusive, and language-rich environment, where she genuinely values every child's heritage, identity and personal preferences. Any adults she works with support this welcoming atmosphere.

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

Children learn and achieve through an ambitious, theme-based curriculum that connects learning to real-world experiences. For example, during a cooking session, children explore mathematical and spatial concepts. They count ingredients, select larger mixing bowls and follow visual, step-by-step recipe cards. The childminder uses dual-language repetition and targeted support to ensure that children who speak English as an additional language participate fully and build confidence rapidly.

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

Children thrive as they master key self-care skills, build independence and develop physical coordination through daily exercise and hands-on routines. Children follow clear routines, understand expectations and show positive attitudes toward their learning. They learn to manage their own feelings, share resources and treat others with kindness. The childminder prioritises safety at all times. She supervises children carefully, teaches them how to keep themselves safe during activities and maintains a secure environment.

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

Children share warm relationships with the childminder, any adults she works with and their friends. They eagerly help each other to tidy up and celebrate each other's successes. For example, when children successfully use the toilet, their friends cheer and give verbal encouragement, while the childminder awards a reward sticker. Through meaningful community outings, ongoing assessment and close parental partnerships, children gain the knowledge, confidence and social skills required to progress and transition seamlessly on to school.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that all staff apply consistent strategies when guiding children's behaviour so that expectations are continuously embedded.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:30 - 15:30

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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, 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 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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