Doody, Melanie

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2820689 Registered with Ofsted: 26/03/2025 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 Expected standard

Children typically make secure progress from their starting points. They develop their communication well. Children use words and increasingly combine these to express their needs and ideas. They recall familiar stories, anticipate what happens next and remember associated words and actions. For example, children make connections from the images they see in books. They make frog sounds and jumping movements. Younger children recognise familiar songs, anticipate the actions and join in by clapping and moving their bodies.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children generally develop the physical skills appropriate for their stage of development. Those who are beginning to walk take independent steps, balance while reaching for resources and increasingly move confidently between walking and crawling. Children develop independence in managing their personal needs, including dressing, toileting and hygiene routines.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children who have faced barriers make gains from their starting points. They become increasingly confident communicating, socialising and participating alongside others. Children generally develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to progress successfully to the next stage of their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder generally establishes clear expectations for children's behaviour and routines. She reinforces boundaries calmly and consistently. She uses books and familiar stories to explore behaviour with children. This includes learning about listening, sharing and taking turns through characters in books. The childminder models language that children can use when difficulties arise in their interactions with others, such as asking for help. The childminder considers children's individual needs and any barriers they may face when supporting their behaviour.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder generally promotes familiar routines and positive attitudes to learning. She gives children choices, follows their interests and provides time for them to become engrossed in their play and pursue their own ideas. However, the childminder does not always consider how to adapt learning experiences for children at different stages of development. At times, particularly during group activities, the childminder focuses her interactions more on the older children and involves younger children less. Consequently, younger children are not always fully immersed in these experiences, and opportunities to support their engagement in learning are not consistently maximised.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes regular attendance. She follows up absences, records the reasons for these and monitors attendance to identify any emerging patterns.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder generally supports children's welfare and wellbeing effectively. She develops warm, nurturing relationships with children and responds sensitively when they seek comfort or reassurance. She follows children's individual cues for sleep and provides safe sleeping arrangements. The childminder provides children with their own sleep mats, monitors them while they sleep and follows familiar routines that support them to settle comfortably.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children to recognise and express their emotions. She uses songs, mirrors and conversations to explore different feelings and facial expressions. The childminder introduces simple strategies, such as breathing techniques, that children can begin to use when managing their emotions.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's health through effective hygiene routines and safer eating practices. She supervises children while eating and prepares food to reduce choking risks. She works with parents and carers to promote healthy eating. The childminder ensures that water is readily available and encourages children to recognise when they are hungry and thirsty. The childminder has recently extended her understanding of the difficulties and barriers that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities may experience around eating, particularly linked to their sensory needs.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder generally provides experiences across all areas of learning and makes useful links between children's interests, everyday routines and planned experiences. She recognises when children are engrossed in their play and steps back, giving them time to pursue their own ideas. She also encourages children to think and solve problems for themselves. When children encounter difficulty using resources, such as opening containers, she gives them time to work out how these work before stepping in with timely support when needed.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder places a clear emphasis on developing children's communication and language. She introduces new vocabulary during play, modelling words and sentences. The childminder uses books, songs and conversations to extend children's language. She follows children's interests and builds on these to introduce new ideas and vocabulary. The childminder plans opportunities that support children's physical development, including walking, balancing and climbing. She uses everyday routines and play to develop children's coordination and independence, such as using hoops to practise the movements and skills needed to put on their own shoes. The childminder introduces mathematical concepts naturally through children's play, including language relating to size, colour and patterns.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder observes children and identifies appropriate next steps in their development. However, she does not use these next steps precisely enough to shape her planning and build on what individual children already know and can do. Consequently, opportunities to extend children's learning are not fully maximised.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder identifies when children may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing and takes appropriate steps to understand and reduce these. She uses a well-developed approach and works with parents and other professionals to identify suitable strategies. She recognises when children would benefit from experiences that enhance those available to them in their everyday lives. For example, for children who are more cautious in social situations, the childminder focuses on building their confidence through regular visits to playgroups and activities within the local community. She supports children to become comfortable around others and develop relationships. The childminder identifies children with communication and language delays and plans targeted strategies to reduce these barriers and support their participation and progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder extends her knowledge of how children may experience different barriers through relevant professional development. Recent training has developed her understanding of special educational needs and/or disabilities. This includes how sensory and medical needs can affect children's experiences. She uses this knowledge when considering the individual support children may need.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder understands the purpose of additional funding and how this should be targeted to the individual child to help reduce identified barriers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder generally has a clear understanding of the strengths of her provision and the areas she wants to develop further. She reflects on her practice and seeks support from the local authority and other early years professionals to strengthen her knowledge and expertise. For example, she has identified mathematics as an area for further development and is currently looking at how she can enhance this aspect of children's learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder makes effective use of professional development to improve her practice. Following recent training, she reviewed the learning environment and placed greater emphasis on following children's interests. She maintains links with other childminders and professional networks to provide her with opportunities to share ideas and seek support. The childminder manages her workload by keeping paperwork purposeful.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder establishes positive partnerships with parents and carers. She exchanges information about children's development, routines and individual needs to provide continuity for them. She involves parents in the progress check at age two, gathering their views and sharing information about children's achievements and development. She works collaboratively with parents when changes to children's care are needed, helping to provide a consistent approach between home and her provision.

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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, settled and secure in the childminder's care. They develop warm relationships with her and readily seek her out for reassurance and affection. Children confidently explore the environment and make choices about their play. Children who are initially cautious are given time to settle and soon become relaxed.

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

Children have plenty of opportunities to follow their interests and make choices about what they want to do. They become absorbed in familiar stories and songs, excitedly anticipating favourite parts and joining in with words, actions and movements. Children enjoy pretending

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About this setting

to make cups of tea together, exploring toys and investigating how things work. They benefit from opportunities to make links with their own experiences as they play, both indoors and outdoors. For example, children who enjoy exploring cooking through role play can extend these familiar ideas as they mix and create in the outdoor mud kitchen.

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About this setting

Children benefit from familiar and well-established routines that make their day predictable and help them know what happens next. They anticipate changes in the day and often begin to tidy away without prompting. At snack and mealtimes, children know which resources are needed and confidently help to prepare these. They have a genuine role in the routines of the home, where their contributions are valued and encouraged. This gives children a sense of ownership and belonging. Children generally make progress from their starting points.

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About this setting

Children learn how to get along with one another. They are supported calmly when disagreements occur and learn simple ways to manage conflicts. Children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing receive sensitive support to participate alongside their peers. The childminder works closely with families to help children feel confident and included. Regular attendance is promoted so that children benefit from the relationships, routines and experiences they enjoy here.

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Next steps

The childminder should use observations and identified next steps more precisely to plan experiences that build fully on what individual children already know and can do. The childminder should adapt learning experiences more consistently for children at different stages of development so that all children are fully involved and engaged in their learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, children and considered the views of 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. Unique reference number (URN): 2820689

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 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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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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