Ellams, Rachel

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY554184 Registered with Ofsted: 22/12/2017 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 Strong standard

Children make excellent progress across the all areas of the curriculum. They are inquisitive learners and engage excitedly with the many different activities that the childminder arranges for them. Children are confident, independent and very well prepared for their future education.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children develop a secure love of reading. They are excited about books and joyously take them to the childminder to read them a story. Children enjoy a range of narratives and use them in their imaginative play. Children can remember, describe and retell stories with ease.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are very enthusiastic about learning mathematics. They show a keen interest in counting and excitedly sort numbered wooden objects into order. Children also use a broad range of mathematical language in their play. For example, they describe quantities and begin to carry out simple addition.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder's curriculum is designed meticulously with children's individual needs as the priority. The childminder has an excellent understanding of the different areas of learning and plans carefully to ensure that children receive a diverse range of experiences. The childminder promotes equality and diversity throughout her curriculum. For example, she is mindful to consider children's individual character and builds conversations around what makes children unique.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has high expectations for all children and adapts her teaching to suit children's different styles of learning. She uses assessment to ensure that she understands precisely what children know and can do. She then plans accurately for children's next steps. For example, when children show an interest in recognising numbers in the environment, she provides children with numbered objects to help them build an understanding of what each number looks like and supports children as they excitedly order them.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder places high priority on children's communication and language. She provides children with conversation throughout the day. Children also learn new words from regularly reading books with the childminder and visiting libraries too. Young children share their interests, needs and knowledge with ease and build very broad vocabularies.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder is highly inclusive in her approach. She identifies children's needs quickly and ensures that any barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are rapidly reduced. For example, she works very closely with families and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to understand adaptations she needs to make to her environment to support children to access all areas.

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Expected standard

The childminder is ambitious for all children and recognises how to enrich children's experiences. Where she receives additional funding for children, for example for those who are at a disadvantage, the childminder increases accesses to resources that are specifically linked to children's interest. This aims to further increase children's access to learning.

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Expected standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of all children that attend her setting. For example, she identifies children who are known (or previously known) to children's social care. The childminder offers them support and signposts them to local services where appropriate.

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Expected standard

The childminder works very closely with other professionals. For example, she works with medical and educational professionals to implement collaborative plans that support children's care. The childminder also works with local schools to support children with SEND as they transition to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder provides children with very clear expectations for their behaviour. She promotes children's understanding of care and respect for others. The childminder models this expertly; she provides them with clear boundaries and children demonstrate that they know the rules that are in place at the childminder's home.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder uses her knowledge of each child to ensure that expectations are delivered in an age-appropriate way. She supports them to build resilience in different situations and helps children to learn how to manage minor disagreements independently. As a result, children learn to resolve problems by themselves. They often play harmoniously alongside one another and recognise how to share kindly and take turns with their friends.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder positively supports children's attitudes to learning. She uses children's interest to engage them closely. For example, when children enjoy construction activities, she plans children's learning around this. As a result, children participate readily; they are engaged and excited to know more.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Generally, the childminder has a clear approach to attendance, and children attend regularly and punctually. The childminder records any absences carefully in partnership with parents.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder is focused on prioritising children's wellbeing and welfare as she prepares them for school. She supports them to develop secure attachments and promotes their understanding of feelings and how to describe them. Children begin to knowledgeably explain their emotions and discuss how different actions or situations might make them feel.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's independence. For example, she provides children with many opportunities to do tasks for themselves and allows them plenty of time to do these. For example, children put on their own wellie boots and are given the responsibility to organise their toys in the outside play space. Children are proud of what they know and can do and excitedly talk about their preferences and interests as they arrange a construction area with wooden blocks.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children learn about healthy lifestyles with the childminder. They learn about the importance of taking care of themselves and eating plenty of nutritious foods. The childminder expands children's learning even further and immerses children in activities such as planting and growing fruits and vegetables. Children discuss this with excitement as they proudly show their growing tomatoes.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is passionate about high-quality children care. She is reflective and strives to provide excellent experiences for children and families. The childminder generally has a clear understanding of the provision that she oversees. She has a secure focus on continually developing an ambitious curriculum and providing rich education to all children. Typically, the childminder evaluates her setting well and takes time to consider how to make ongoing improvements. For example, she gathers feedback from parents, which supports her to identify the strengths of her setting. The childminder considers some areas of future training. However, she recognises that this could be further strengthened to support her ongoing professional development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Generally, policies and procedures are robust. However, the childminder could further develop how mandatory policies are strategically reviewed, shared and discussed with parents.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents share that they receive plenty of information about children's learning and progress. The childminder discusses children's development regularly and combines her approach with other early years settings that children attend to promote a shared focus on children's next steps in learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder uses opportunities to engage with the local community. For example, she builds partnerships with local schools, playgroups and other childminders. Children benefit from social experiences that broaden their understanding of people around them. Furthermore, they have smooth transitions to school due to secure communication between the teachers and the childminder.

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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 have close and meaningful relationships with the childminder. They are confident and settled with a secure understanding of the daily routine. Children choose their own resources with ease and excitedly share interests with the childminder. For example, they talk about their favourite characters as they build with magnets. The childminder constructs alongside them and provides them with new words relating to shape and size. Children feel safe and reassured. They confidently go to the childminder for a cuddle and engage in conversation about their home activities and family events.

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About this setting

Registration date: 22/12/2017 Children are continuously immersed in their learning and play. They are inspired by text, print and books. Children frequently bring their favourite stories to the childminder, and she reads to them with enthusiasm. Through this practice, children gain broad vocabularies and easily communicate their needs, interests and opinions.

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About this setting

All children benefit from a personalised approach to their education and care. The childminder knows children and their families well. Children who may be at a disadvantage, such as those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, benefit from a range of activities that broaden their experiences. For example, they visit museums, woodlands and the beach. The childminder considers these learning opportunities carefully to further develop what children know about the world around them. As a result, children become interested and active learners, and confident to express what they know and can do. For example, children talk about growth and change as they discuss the different seasons in the year.

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Next steps

The childminder should further strengthen evaluation of all aspects of her setting to ensure that professional development opportunities are of high quality and are precisely matched to improvement priorities.

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About this inspection

The inspector took account of written views from parents and spoke to the childminder 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. Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday : 09:00 - 16:30,Tuesday : 07:30 - 17:30,Thursday : 07:45 - 16:30,Friday : 07:45 - 16:30

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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

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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