Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2815396 Registered with Ofsted: 14/01/2025 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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Achievement Strong standard

All children, including those with any additional needs, make wonderful progress. They are engaged, curious and motivated learners who benefit from rich and stimulating learning experiences. Children beat sticks together to mark the rhythms they hear in music, which helps them to practise counting and copy patterns. They learn and remember nursery rhymes and action songs. Children show great interest in looking at books, turning the pages and pointing to the pictures. They listen carefully as the childminder reads to them animatedly and join in with the stories. For instance, they excitedly copy the movements of animals illustrated in a book.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children demonstrate their confidence and independence while they play. For example, children learn about keeping themselves safe when climbing the well-spaced steps to the slide, with guidance from the childminder. They enjoy physical challenges as they stretch to reach the top of the equipment. Children develop their fine motor skills, such as when they pick up colourful pompoms and transfer them into matching circular holes and when they make marks with large chalk sticks on paving slabs.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children behave wonderfully well for their ages and confidently follow routines. One example of this is that, after wiping their noses, children independently place the tissue in the bin, before washing their hands. The calm and gentle childminder consistently reinforces age-appropriate expectations. She structures her approach to ensure all children are included. For example, the childminder places coloured circles on the floor for children to sit on during group times. She assesses the amount of time that children are able to concentrate and tailors her input to make sure they are fully engaged throughout.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder is an extremely positive role model who demonstrates patience, kindness and respect. With her encouragement and praise, children learn to share and take turns, such as when waiting to use the slide. Children collaborate in their play, for example, when they work together collecting water in jugs to pour into dishes for their 'cooking'. They demonstrate strong bonds with the childminder, smiling and giggling with her during activities.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder's robust policy and procedures for monitoring attendance are implemented well. She works in partnership with parents to ensure that children experience consistent routines that support their emotional and physical wellbeing and their positive learning experiences.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder ensures that children have plenty of support to manage their emotions. She talks with children about their feelings, using pictures displayed on the playroom wall as a guide. This helps them to recognise what they are feeling and to learn to self-regulate. The childminder adapts her approach to match the emotional needs of children in her care. She breaks up routines, such as the move to outdoor play, into manageable steps. One example of this is when children put on their wellington boots first, before the childminder talks about going outside. These considered strategies enable children who find transitions unsettling to move calmly and happily between activities. Children show how happy and secure they feel, such as when they reach out for a comforting and joyful hug when needed.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder provides safe-sleep procedures, which follow guidance and support children's welfare. She promotes children's oral health in partnership with parents. Children develop an understanding of healthy choices, for instance, through discussions of different foods while they play in the home area. Their packed lunches are nutritionally balanced. The childminder supports families to provide suitable items that children enjoy eating. She supervises children closely while they sit down to eat together and enjoy sociable chats. Children benefit from fresh air and exercise daily and learn about keeping themselves safe while balancing and climbing on equipment.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The knowledgeable childminder has consistently high expectations for children's learning and development. The ambitious curriculum is sequenced precisely to build on what children already know and can do and reflects children's individual interests. The childminder adapts the curriculum to fully include children facing any barriers to learning. Throughout all routines and activities, the childminder supports children's positive emotional development and social skills. She helps children to develop their physical strength and skills, such as while dancing to music or balancing on stepping stones.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder takes every opportunity to support children to become effective communicators, who express their thoughts and ideas during activities. For instance, she joins in playfully while children pretend to go on a picnic in the sit-and-ride car, and introduces new and rich vocabulary. The childminder skilfully uses questioning to engage children in conversations, giving them plenty of time to think and answer, as well as to use their imaginations. She uses a broad range of strategies to encourage children to communicate, including signing to support children who are not yet verbal, and repeating new words clearly for young children to copy.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder uses her expert teaching skills to introduce numbers and counting into children's games, such as when they pretend to go shopping or add ingredients to their 'stew' in the outdoor kitchen. She introduces mathematical ideas, including 'one more', as children scoop up rice. Consequently, children are extremely well-prepared for their future learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder uses her wealth of professional experience and knowledge extremely effectively. She has recently completed training in how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, which helps her identify gaps in children's learning at an early stage and address any barriers to learning and development. The childminder gathers extensive information from parents and carers about what children already know and can do at the outset. This helps her to support children to settle well, to follow their interests, and to build on their skills and abilities from the very beginning. Partnership work with parents and other professionals is highly effective in creating a consistent approach to targeting support for children's emerging needs. The childminder gets to know children and their families extremely well from the start. Furthermore, she takes account of their ongoing experiences and achievements at home to inform planning

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Inclusion Strong standard

and interactions. The childminder adapts the curriculum and routines to enable individual children to participate fully. For example, she uses objects and photographs to communicate changes in routine, such as mealtimes, so that children know what to expect next. She completes regular, detailed assessments and monitors children's progress very carefully. The resulting detailed plans, including clear next steps and guidance, are shared so that parents are actively involved in children's learning and development at home. This continuity of care and education helps ensure all children make significant progress, including those with any additional needs.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The highly-qualified childminder is passionate about providing the very best experiences for children in her care. She regularly reflects deeply on the quality of her provision. The childminder actively seeks feedback from families, other professionals and any assistants to inform her planning. She works collaboratively with other childminders to consider areas to strengthen her practice even further and supports others in the same role. The childminder has a targeted programme of professional development for herself and any assistants. For instance, she recently completed training so that she can use Makaton signs to enhance children's early communication skills.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder continuously makes changes that benefit all children, including those facing any barriers to their learning. Her adjustments to the environment, as well as to the setting's resources and policies, and procedures and strategies, lead to improved outcomes for children in her care, including those with emerging support needs. She knows where and how to access advice or research solutions to any challenges.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The childminder takes pride in establishing very positive relationships with parents. She works very closely with them, for example, to promote children's toilet training and sleep routines. Parents say that her communication with them is prompt and clear, so that they have a comprehensive understanding of children's progress.

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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 thrive in the friendly, nurturing and inclusive environment of the childminder's home. They are confident and happy to explore and investigate the exciting resources and activities both indoors and outside. The curriculum is designed, planned and individually tailored to enrich children's experiences, both at the setting and in the wider community. For instance, children regularly visit local parks, allotments and woodland and enjoy music and movement, and storytelling with residents of a care home. They find out about the natural world, such as following the life cycles of chicks and butterflies. They listen to visiting

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About this setting

medical workers talk about how they help people. This helps to enrich their understanding of the wider world around them. Their physical development is supported effectively, for example, through yoga and gym sessions. Children use their own ideas to lead their play and make choices. One example of this is when they collect water and sponges to create a car wash with their toy cars. They cooperate very well together in imaginative play and practise their social and communication skills while they interact with their friends. Children follow their current interests, for example, kicking and throwing balls. Every opportunity is taken to extend learning, such as when the childminder suggests passing the ball to their friends. Children have plenty of fun while building on their abilities, for instance, to share and take turns.

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About this setting

Children know what is expected of them and are highly cooperative in following clear routines. For instance, they sit together in a circle for a 'hello' song. Props, such as finger puppets, provided by the childminder to accompany rhymes, help them to stay fully focused while they join in with actions and some of the words. Children benefit from warm and trusting relationships with the childminder. Their interactions with their peers and with adults are wholly positive. Children show a wonderful sense of belonging, approaching the childminder to sit on her lap while they chat or look at books. Their growing independence, resilience and enthusiasm for learning help prepare them for the next stage of learning.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work to remove barriers for children who need extra help, to realise a transformational impact on all children's achievement and wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistants and children during the inspection and took account of written feedback from parents and carers.

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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. Unique reference number (URN): 2815396

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About this inspection

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