Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2836321 Registered with Ofsted: 29/05/2025 Registers: EYR

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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

All children, including those with additional needs and/or disabilities, typically make progress from their starting points and develop the skills they need to move on to their next stage in learning. Children who are still settling into the setting demonstrate that they are happy and content. They follow the daily routines well and enjoy playing alongside their new friends. Children develop positive relationships with the childminder and her assistants. For example, children snuggle in for a cuddle when they need one. This helps children feel safe and secure and supports their personal, social and emotional development.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show curiosity as they play. They enjoy exploring the farm animals and learn new words, such as 'zebra'. Children repeat different animal sounds, such as 'baa' for a sheep. The childminder promotes clear language, which supports children's early language development. Babies are supported to develop their communication skills as they babble and make sounds.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children generally engage in activities and show an interest in learning. They explore and have a go. For example, children roll dough and use printers to explore different malleable materials. This helps children develop their fine motor skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are developing turn-taking skills and learn to play alongside their friends. For example, children learn to share books with their friends.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder is a positive role model who creates a calm and friendly environment for the children who attend. Children feel comfortable because she takes time to get to know them and their families when they first start. These early relationships help children feel safe, valued and supported as they settle into the setting.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder has clear rules and boundaries in place that are shared with parents and carers. Children generally follow these rules, such as using 'kind hands'. Any minor disagreements are dealt with positively and age appropriately. Children show they understand the childminder as she directs them to engage in positive play. For example, children are encouraged to share toys with their friends.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children receive lots of praise from the childminder, which helps them feel proud and builds their self-esteem. For example, when the tidy-up song starts, children know what to do and happily put the toys away. They smile as the childminder praises their efforts, showing a positive attitude because they know they are doing a good job.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder promotes regular attendance, and she shares the importance of attendance with parents and carers. This helps support children to access the curriculum regularly and make progress from their starting points, which helps them to be ready for their next stage of learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder supports children to feel valued and have a sense of belonging at her setting. She is very responsive to children's individual needs and makes adaptations if required. For example, if they are ready for a sleep or require their lunch early, she will adapt the care routines to meet their needs. This supports children's emotional development well.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children form positive relationships with the assistants at the setting. They seek emotional support when required, showing they feel safe in their care. Parents and carers receive daily updates about their children and report that they feel reassured that their children are well looked after and are making good progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder plans sleeping arrangements well to accommodate parents' preferences while ensuring that safer sleep guidelines are followed.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Healthy lifestyles are generally promoted well. Children have access to outdoor play daily, and they wash their hands before eating. Children are provided with healthy snacks throughout the day. Children are supervised well while eating. They are provided with fresh drinking water. However, the childminder does not consistently promote the importance of good oral health with families to support children's dental health. The childminder shares the importance of online safety with families, which helps to keep children safe from harm.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder plans and delivers a curriculum that covers all 7 areas of learning in the early years foundation stage. She plans daily routines well to ensure children have learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors. This supports children to be active learners.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Language and communication development is supported well. The childminder models vocabulary and repeats key words correctly to support children's language and communication skills. Children enjoy singing songs and following the actions. Children share stories with the childminder, turning pages, pointing to pictures and using single words. This helps to support children's early literacy development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder provides children with activities that spark their interest. For example, children enjoy playing with bubbles. They are eager to learn how to blow their own bubbles and chase them around to pop them. The childminder takes children out to explore their local community, including the shops and park. This supports children's understanding of the world around them.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder weaves early mathematical learning into daily routines. Children learn to count to 3. During activities, children connect bricks together and compare sizes, such as big and small. This supports children's early mathematical development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder completes assessments to identify children's next steps in learning. These are shared with parents and the childminder's assistants to help support children's development. Assessments are regularly reviewed to ensure that any gaps in children's learning are identified quickly. Children are starting to develop independence skills. They help put on their coats to play outdoors and are learning to feed themselves using a spoon at mealtimes. This helps children develop the skills they need for their next stage of learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder is committed to providing an inclusive environment that supports children's individual needs. She works closely with parents and carers, and other professionals, to ensure children who require additional support receive this.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder takes time to get to know the children well and assesses their individual stages of development. She uses this information to tailor plans for their next steps in learning and shares her assessments with parents and carers. This helps to embed further learning at home to further support children's development. Any concerns around children's age and stage of development are shared with parents and external agencies, such as health visitors.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well at the setting. The childminder makes adaptations where required to meet children's individual needs. For example, she completes daily exercises to help support children's core strength. This helps support their physical development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children learn about a wide range of festivals and celebrations with the childminder. This supports their understanding of the world around them. For example, children learn about Chinese New Year through a range of activities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is dedicated to the children and families in her care. She has created a mission statement setting out what she wants for her setting and is continuously looking at how she can make improvements. For example, she reviews her cohort of children to plan how to meet their needs. She wants all children to feel safe and nurtured.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder supports her assistants well. Their workload and wellbeing are key priorities for the childminder. She provides a supportive environment for them and provides regular supervision and coaching to support their practice. However, professional development opportunities are not always tailored to assistants' individual learning needs. As a result, opportunities to extend their knowledge and strengthen their practice are not consistent.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder builds strong partnerships with parents. She shares a daily communication book that gives families clear information about their child's day. This includes what they have eaten, how they have slept and what they have learned. Parents say this helps them feel reassured, well informed and confident in her care, and that they feel listened to and supported.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder shares information with other settings when children are ready to transition to their next stage of learning. This helps provide a smooth transition for children. The childminder seeks professional development opportunities and keeps herself up to date with changes to the early years foundation stage. She works well with her local authority to ensure she has the information she needs. For example, she recently completed training on new requirements to keep her knowledge up to date.

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

Children arrive happily and separate confidently from their parents at this welcoming childminding setting. They quickly settle into the daily routine because they feel safe, secure and ready for their day. The childminder and her assistants help children feel comfortable and reassured, which supports their confidence as they begin to play and explore. Children know what the childminder wants them to learn. They feel understood because she talks with their families to find out what they can already do when they start. This helps children experience a consistent daily routine that feels familiar and supports what they need to learn next.

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

Children feel known as individuals. They recognise that the childminder understands their interests, strengths and next steps. The childminder works closely with their families, meaning children experience learning that helps them build on what they already know and can do, which helps them move forward in their development. Children generally make progress from their starting points at the setting because they take part in activities that match what they need to learn. They practise skills often, revisit ideas and grow in confidence as they achieve new things.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. They feel included and able to take part because they benefit from individual support plans that help them learn. Children thrive when the childminder follows guidance from external agencies, such as physiotherapists, to help strengthen their physical development. Children engage in activities every day and enjoy both indoor and outdoor play. This helps them develop confidence, practise physical skills and explore new ideas in different environments.

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

Children enjoy sharing stories with the childminder and her assistants. This strengthens their listening and language skills. They use their imagination well, copying actions from the story and using words such as 'mummy' and 'baby' as they act out what they see. This shows they are connecting language to meaning and using stories to explore relationships and emotions.

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

Children generally behave well. They learn how to take turns and are praised for sharing with their friends, which helps them understand positive behaviour. Children follow the

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 14:00

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About this setting

Local authority: Bury childminder's 'golden rules', which supports a calm and predictable environment. They learn how to resolve minor disagreements positively and feel confident making choices that support their play.

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About this setting

Children feel cared for because the childminder follows hygiene procedures well, including washing hands, wiping noses and changing nappies. This helps children stay safe, healthy and comfortable throughout the day.

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Next steps

The childminder should ensure professional development is more closely targeted to assistants' individual learning needs to extend their knowledge, skills and practice. The childminder should work closely with families to help children build positive oral health habits and understand how to care for their teeth.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, her assistants, children and 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.

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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. 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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