Clarke, Lucy

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2820412 Registered with Ofsted: 28/01/2025 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has established and embedded routines within the home. Children know where their water bottles belong and put their shoes into a designated box. This also supports children's independence. The childminder gives older children responsibility, such as leading an activity. Younger children listen well, working as a team to build a bridge out of a variety of materials. Children also follow the childminder's clear instructions well, such as tidying toys to where they belong, before moving on to the next resource or activity.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children develop positive bonds with the childminder, where she is responsive to their needs. When children ask for a different toy of interest, the childminder promptly responds to their requests. The childminder promotes positive attendance and punctuality with parents and carers, which she regularly monitors to ensure children are safe. The childminder also works with parents on any behaviour concerns, working together on how to support the individual child's needs. The childminder promotes positive behaviour through regularly praising and rewarding children with stickers, for instance.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Typically, the childminder explains or models how to achieve, to support building children's resilience. For example, she explains how to play a new game. Children try and show pride in their achievements when they get the bean bag in the hole. They develop positive attitudes to learning. Children also learn to wait for their turn well. The childminder uses different strategies to support children. For example, she uses a timer and children's names to identify who's turn it is now and next.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children to develop their understanding of emotions. She has put in place a designated area with resources to support children to name and understand their feelings. Children's emotional needs are regularly met. For example, when children ask for 'quiet time' with a particular toy of interest, the childminder is responsive to their requests. In times of change, the childminder adapts her interactions to support conversations on transition to help children express any worries or excitement. Children share with their peers about their next steps in education, such as talking about their school uniform and new teachers.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder prioritises safer eating during mealtimes and promotes positive social skills. Children have back-and-forth conversations about many topics, such as their food preferences and past events. The childminder also models manners throughout, where children copy. She works with parents and carers to broaden children's food palette, and provides a variety of healthy snacks. The childminder adapts snack time, offering smaller portions to support children to try. On occasion, the childminder does not make the most of opportunities to talk to children about healthy food choices to best promote their understanding of healthy and unhealthy foods.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes positive oral hygiene. She has provided all her children with toothbrushes and works closely with a local dentist, gaining resources and advice to share with parents. She plans activities through role play, books and songs, to develop children's understanding of the importance of oral health and embed these routines.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Typically, the childminder assesses and identifies children's needs to allow children to access the activities readily available. She finds out children's interests to plan activities, which encourages children to engage and independently play in her provision. The childminder also plans activities based on children's needs. For example, she builds on children's social skills and resilience, through planning daily games and teamwork activities. The childminder puts in place books celebrating different family dynamics. This supports children's understanding on diversity, which particularly supports those in her care.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Generally, the childminder reduces barriers to children's wellbeing. She supports children in times of change, such as transitioning to a new school, or class. She adapts her interactions to talk about school to help ease children's anxiety. The childminder also implements resources to help children to name and understand their emotions. She offers flexible settling-in sessions to help children feel comfortable before they attend. She gains information from parents, such as allergies and intolerances, to put in place adaptations when required.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder ensures she is up to date with mandatory training to keep children safe. She also gains advice and knowledge from local childminders to broaden her understanding of the early years statutory framework. The childminder is reflective on the care she provides. She identifies, as an area of improvement, a desire to deepen and further develop her knowledge and skills through specific training. For example, she has plans to attend training in the area of special educational needs and/or disabilities, but these are in the infancy.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder regularly risk assesses her home and when in the community. She puts in place strategies to support children to follow when going to and from school, such as walking in pairs. She also develops children's understanding of keeping safe in the community. For example, she talks about road safety and not petting dogs.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder gains feedback from parents and carers. She implements changes to her activities, such as challenging older children, through giving them more responsibility in managing activities with younger children. She shares daily updates with parents on children's day and any concerns, such as first aid. The childminder shares information with the local school and asks about their day to feedback to parents. There is room for the childminder to build a closer connection with the school she works with and share more detailed two-way information with them and parents, if required, to best support all children.

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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 settle quickly and happily into the childminder's care, where she puts in place adaptations to meet their needs and interests. The childminder changes her menu to support children's preferences and choices based on their religion. Children feel valued, celebrating their differences. For example, they enjoy reading books on different family dynamics. Children enjoy sharing their preferences with the childminder. For instance, children vote on how to decorate a new playhouse and what to put inside to develop their play. They confidently access the childminder's provision, and their requests for other toys

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Inspector:

and resources are regularly met. Children develop positive bonds with the childminder, where they feel safe. They also develop their own understanding of personal safety. For example, children learn about staying hydrated by drinking water and wearing sun hats to shade them from the sun, encouraged by the childminder. The childminder monitors attendance regularly to notice any patterns and follows up unexplained absences, to keep children safe.

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Inspector:

Children develop positive attitudes to outdoor play, where they have daily access to the outside. They enjoy climbing, swinging and playing football. They have plenty of opportunities provided by the childminder to learn to wait their turn. For example, children share tools when playing in kinetic sand to create shapes, and take turns waiting to throw a bean bag into a target. Children enjoy playing with resources and work together as a team, carefully planned and modelled by the childminder. For instance, children build together using different materials and role play different scenarios. This also develops children's imagination and creative skills. Children have access to a range of materials to draw. They show pride in their creations to share with the childminder, but also at home with their families.

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Inspector:

Children build confidence over time. They learn to understand their emotions, modelled by the childminder, through asking for space and using resources to name their feelings in the moment. Children access a quiet area put in place by the childminder to support them to feel calm.

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Next steps

The childminder should consistently instill continuous professional development to develop her knowledge and skills to support all children. The childminder should consistently work in close partnership with parents and schools, to gain information to make adaptations when required to support all children's needs proactively. The childminder should consistently promote children's understanding of healthy choices.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, 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. Amy Johnson (EM)

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 09:00,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 15:00 - 17:30,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.

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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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