Antram, Emma Claire

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY361587 Registered with Ofsted: 24/09/2007 Registers: EYR, CCR

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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

Children demonstrate secure progress in all areas of the early years foundation stage. Children's progress in speech and language is particularly impressive. The curriculum's ambitions of supporting children to become respectful, polite, curious and able to ask questions are clearly embedded. Children consistently show high levels of respect for the environment, each other and the childminder. They confidently chat to each other and express their needs and views throughout the day.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to their learning thrive in this inspirational setting. The childminder supports children's varying and emerging needs sensitively and precisely to ensure that they reach their milestones. She works closely with outside professionals, documenting reports and sharing information to ensure that children are fully supported to develop and achieve. Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning. The childminder communicates effectively with local nurseries and schools to ensure that children have a positive start in their next setting.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children show that they are confident and ready for the next stage of learning. Parents and carers report that the childminder has helped their children to reduce barriers and thrive.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has designed an inspirational curriculum that prioritises children's language, personal, social and emotional development. There is a high focus on trips in the local community, and children benefit from regular attendance at local childminder-led playgroups and places of cultural and historical importance. Children also learn about the natural environment at a local forest in which the childminder has set up an outdoor learning environment. This has a significant impact on children's confidence, physical skills and understanding of the world.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder adapts where and how often children will visit places according to their needs. For example, children who need support to build their confidence socially benefit from longer periods of time with familiar people at playgroups before venturing to new places. This ensures that the curriculum is paced and sequenced appropriately to support children exactly where they are in their development.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder ensures that children get the opportunity to revisit their learning and activities to make sure that skills and knowledge are fully embedded. This has an excellent impact on children's progress and self-confidence. The childminder skilfully uses every interaction highly effectively to assess what children can already do and build on those skills in the moment. She consistently does this with all children throughout all care routines, interactions and activities. This approach fosters children's thinking skills, emotional development, independence, communication and language. Consequently, children make excellent progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children typically demonstrate that they understand the rules and expectations of the setting and follow them consistently. The childminder provides a nurturing and positive environment with high expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes. Children's behaviour is positive. They show that they respect the resources and each other. The childminder develops secure and nurturing relationships with the children and shows that she knows them well. Children who are new to the setting show that they trust the childminder and communicate their needs to her. The childminder is responsive and ensures that activities are available to give them a sense of belonging.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children show that they enjoy playing with the childminder and with each other. They giggle and chat as they thread wooden blocks onto string. The childminder warmly reminds children to follow the rules and share if minor disagreements arise. Children typically respond to this well and begin to remind each other to take turns. Children independently choose toys to play with. They confidently ask the childminder for activities they like. For example, children ask for certain songs during singing and dancing time.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Partnerships with parents and carers are positive, and the childminder ensures that there are channels for two-way communication. The childminder sensitively and proactively supports families to understand the importance of attendance and punctuality. This helps families to establish positive routines that promote children's best outcomes. The childminder helps families when they need extra support by directing them to local agencies.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder ensures that children have sun cream applied and drink water regularly. However, she does not plan self-care routines consistently to enable children to develop an understanding to make their own healthy decisions. As a result, children do not consistently notice their own cues, such as being hot and thirsty.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children who are brand new to the setting seem as though they have attended for a long time. For example, they independently choose toys, play alongside others and communicate their needs. Children typically show that they are relaxed and happy and feel at home in the setting. This has a positive effect on all children's personal, social and emotional development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to their learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are happy and engrossed in their play throughout the day, in the main. They display respectful relationships with the childminder and each other. Children seek the childminder for comfort if they begin to feel upset, and other children show empathy to each other. The childminder is warm and responsive to children's needs and helps them to understand and manage their feelings.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children develop their personal care skills as they independently use steps up to the toilet. The childminder gives children lots of positive praise around gaining these new skills. This has a positive effect on children's confidence and personal development. The childminder supports children and families with ideas for how to stay healthy. She prioritises outdoor learning and healthy eating.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder gets to know children well, starting from the first meeting with parents and carers. She organises several meetings with parents to find out about their child's interests, routines and cultural differences. Additionally, she finds out what children know and can already do. The childminder builds on her knowledge of children with careful and regular observations in her setting and out on trips. She swiftly identifies children's emerging needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder makes adaptations to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to their learning are able to access activities and build skills to close any gaps. She continually assesses children to make further changes and adaptations as their needs evolve. The childminder has connections in the local community to ensure that information is shared and strategies are consistent. These include local schools, nurseries and expert professionals, such as speech and language therapists. The childminder makes typically swift referrals to relevant agencies to ensure that specialist support is implemented as soon as possible. She also signposts families to local services when they need extra advice and support.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder ensures that risk assessments are carefully carried out and consistently followed so that children with physical differences receive support to stay safe and thrive. Children who speak English as an additional language and who are new to the country receive sensitive support to gain a sense of belonging. In the main, the childminder uses phrases from their home languages in the setting to promote familiarity.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has a secure working knowledge of her responsibilities under the early years foundation stage. She understands young children's development and how to set her provision up to best support them, in the main. The childminder understands the safer sleep requirements and ensures that resources and routines are in place to meet them.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has made some positive improvements since her last inspection. She has introduced diaries to further improve communication with parents and carers about their children's daily routines, interests and activities. This has had a positive effect on partnerships with parents, who report that communication from the childminder is regular and informative.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has also become an integral part of a local childminding group. She is involved in organising and planning trips to playgroups and local areas of interest. This has a positive effect on children's personal and social development and their understanding of the world. The childminder ensures that she maintains ongoing professional development. She accesses relevant courses to improve her understanding of child development and relevant statutory guidance. This ensures that her policies and practice are effective and up to date.

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

Children are thriving at this inviting setting. They show that they have a sense of belonging at the setting as they join in activities together. For example, children dress up as butterflies and sing and dance along to butterfly songs. They eagerly ask the childminder for their favourite butterfly songs as they practise their language and their large-muscle skills. Children have multiple opportunities to build strength and be active on the broad range of physical equipment in the garden. For example, they climb the steps, to slide down on to the grass. Younger children enjoying running and exploring in the garden. They are beginning to learn how to jump and balance.

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

Children's communication and language are expertly supported by the childminder through all routines and activities. They are confidently able to chat, enquire and express their needs and views. The childminder knows children very well and ensures that her interactions and activities are precisely pitched to support children at their current level. She adapts her routines and provision to ensure that children who have delays in their learning are able to thrive. This has a positive effect on all children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning.

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

Children have regular opportunities to learn about the world beyond the childminder's setting. They meet regularly with other local childminders to learn in the woods, visit the beach and play together at playgroups. This ensures that children have opportunities to build their social skills with familiar children and adults. The childminder also encourages children to build their physical development on different terrains, such as stony beaches and

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About this setting

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

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. the floor of the forest. This approach is having a positive impact on children's development in all 7 areas of the early years foundation stage, and they are progressing well.

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Next steps

The childminder should encourage children to develop understanding of their own self- care and make their own healthy choices and decisions.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with parents and carers, children and the childminder 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. This data is from 1 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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