Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY429980 Registered with Ofsted: 07/07/2011 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 make typical progress through the curriculum and are developing well in their communication and language skills. Children who are at the early stages of verbal communication make their needs known and join in with conversations. They enjoy singing songs and rhymes, listening to stories, identifying objects in books and talking about what they can see. These learning opportunities help children to hear language and use it in context as they build confidence in speaking and communicating with others.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children have opportunities to investigate how different items move down a tube, explore early mathematical concepts and build a knowledge of the world through sensory experiences. These engaging opportunities typically help children to become active and inquisitive learners. Children access a curriculum that is flexible to meet their needs and engages them in learning through their own individual interests. Children build the knowledge for their age and stage of development in preparation for the next stage in their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children have typically built positive relationships with the childminder. She has high expectations for every child in her care. The childminder is a positive role model and shows children the positive behaviour she would like all children to adopt. For example, she encourages children to share so that 'everyone can be friends'. The childminder has clear boundaries in place and children demonstrate they understand these expectations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder understands that children can go through different phases of behaviour at different times as they develop. She encourages older children to be role models for younger children and gives them small tasks so that they start to build their self-esteem and gain a feeling of accomplishment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are generally beginning to understand routines and enjoy taking part in them. They independently get their own bedding out of a low-level cupboard, when it is time for them to sleep, and get the changing mat ready when the childminder talks about changing nappies. These routines help children to gain their independence and develop positive attitudes to learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is aware of promoting attendance. If children do not arrive as expected she will telephone the child's home or emergency contacts to ensure everything is well. The childminder understands that regular attendance supports children's engagement, learning and development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder has an effective understanding of children's individual routines and care needs as she generally gathers information from parents when children start. She is typically attentive to children's needs and puts their needs first. She is alert to when a child needs to rest or when they need their nappy changing. She promotes children's welfare and wellbeing throughout the different parts of the day. For example, she encourages children to wash their hands before they eat lunch. The childminder understands that children may need a little extra support to understand what is happening now and next if they are at a certain age or stage of development.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have built warm attachments with the childminder. They independently go to her if they need help or a reassuring hug and demonstrate they are happy in her care. The childminder plays alongside children on the floor, joins in with them as they thread small hoops onto lengths of ribbon and initiates discussion to support children's developing communication skills.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are typically supported to understand their personal safety. The childminder encourages children to help her to tidy resources away before lunch so that they do not slip on the floor. Children bring in snacks and packed lunches from home. The childminder works alongside parents to promote healthy eating and good oral health as children enjoy their lunches. Children are supported to gain an understanding of healthy lifestyles.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder offers a curriculum that engages children through their natural interests and is flexible to support their emerging development needs. She regularly observes children as they play and assesses their progress to identify any emerging gaps in their learning and development. The childminder encourages children and offers lots of praise as children attempt something for the first time. For example, the youngest of children are encouraged to use their feet to feel conkers in a shallow tray, she reassures children and talks with them as they experience this for the first time. This helps children to build their confidence as they explore the world around them.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder offers learning opportunities, which promote all areas of the early years foundation stage. Children enjoy using weighing scales as they weigh out conkers and thread items as the childminder counts out loud. This gives children opportunity to experience early mathematical skills and encourages counting numbers out loud. The childminder incorporates children's interests. For example, children are excited as they hear a bin collection outside. The childminder talks with children about what they can see and uses positional language, such as 'up and down'. Children then use these words in context as they talk about what they can see.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder considers children's individual age and stage of development, when offering activities. The childminder adapts activities to support the needs of younger and older children. She typically uses assessment to focus her teaching on developing children's individual needs as they acquire new skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder regularly observes children, assesses their needs and identifies the areas they may need more support with. She shares children's developmental progress regularly with parents. The childminder encourages parents to share things from home and takes this into account when assessing children's overall development. However, she does not consistently promote home learning with parents to further support and extend children's knowledge at home. This means that children do not have consistent opportunities to recap on prior learning as they establish new skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has not had experience of supporting children with special educational needs and /or disabilities. However, she has plans to work alongside parents, contact other professionals for support and adapt the curriculum. She recognises that children learn differently and understands the need to make reasonable adjustments to support every child's development. The childminder supports children who may be facing barriers to their learning and is conscious that every child has their own unique individual needs. She understands that any funding a child receives must be targeted to their individual needs to have a positive impact on their learning and development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder generally provides high-quality care and education for the children in her care. She attends training to keep abreast of changes and update her knowledge. She has recently developed her knowledge of procedures to promote safer sleep and has attended training on reducing child absences. The childminder has recently observed another childminding professional to observe practice and share ideas, which has helped her reflect on her own practice.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder typically reflects on the curriculum and the activities she plans for children to ensure that they are supporting children's learning and development. However, she does not consistently identify focused areas to determine key priorities, in order to further improve outcomes for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder takes decisions in the best interests of children. She understands the importance of working in partnership with parents and seeks advice from local authority advisors as needed. She has recently been focusing on developing her practice in supporting children's communication and language skills. The childminder has worked with the local authority to develop her expertise and devise an action plan to ensure she is meeting the needs of every child. Children have opportunities to engage with the community. They enjoy local outings and attend the childminder's allotment, where they grow and tend a range of vegetables and meet other people from the local community. Generally, the care and learning needs of children are supported well.

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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 inquisitive learners and access the resources and environment with enthusiasm. They enjoy looking at books with the childminder and smile broadly as they identify the items they can see correctly. They initiate their own play as they gather baby dolls and bedding to put their 'baby' to sleep. Children are confident to make their needs known. For example, they tell the childminder when they are hungry and ask for lunch. Children demonstrate they are very relaxed and settled. The childminder generally understands children's needs. She undertakes processes of observation and assessment to determine how to support the next steps in their learning and development. The childminder identifies potential barriers to children's learning and adapts her practice to support the needs of every child in her care. Older children enjoy problem solving as they place different sized conkers down cardboard tubes and giggle as

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

they drop out of the bottom. Younger children enjoy shaking a net bag that has smaller conkers inside, listening to the sounds they make as they tumble in the bag. Overall, children are making expected progress and are developing the skills they need for future learning.

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

Children are given choices as they play, which helps them to develop their communication skills and understand that their opinion matters. Every child is included in the setting and, as they get older, are given small tasks to support their independence and self-care skills. For example, children are asked to wipe their own faces with a flannel after they have eaten lunch, supporting their physical skills and wellbeing. The childminder regularly discusses children's learning and development and encourages parents to contribute to processes of assessment. These partnerships help the childminder understand children's changing needs.

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

Children demonstrate they feel happy and settled at this setting. They have developed positive attachments with the childminder and typically exhibit positive attitudes to learning. The childminder celebrates the unique needs of individual children. For example, she tries to follow the same eating and sleeping routines from home for the youngest of children as they settle under her care. The childminder promotes children's attendance so that they can have consistent support to help them thrive and flourish in this warm and nurturing environment.

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Next steps

The childminder should build stronger partnerships with parents and consistently promote children's home learning, to support and extend children's learning and development at home. The childminder should undertake more precise self-evaluation, to identify and develop key priorities, to further improve outcomes for children's learning and development.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder and children during the inspection and considered the written views of parents.

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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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About this setting

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