Spencer, Hayley

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2835060 Registered with Ofsted: 28/04/2025 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 make typical progress from their individual starting points. Children who need additional help receive appropriate support and make progress. They build their vocabulary and confidence to communicate through conversations, songs, rhymes and stories. Children develop early mathematical skills as they count during their play and everyday experiences.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children strengthen their physical skills as they manipulate dough, dance, stretch and move their bodies in different ways. Regular walks in the local community build on these skills as children confidently walk over different surfaces and independently manage steps. These experiences help children become familiar with their local community and build their social skills as they meet and interact with other people.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children typically gain skills that prepare them for future learning. They make independent choices, follow familiar routines, listen to instructions and learn to share and take turns. Children increasingly manage aspects of their personal care. Older children begin to use the potty or toilet and receive praise and encouragement as they learn this new skill. Children feed themselves and pour their own drinks.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder builds warm and caring relationships with children. She is calm and consistent in her approach and helps children understand what is expected of them. Children respond positively to her guidance. The childminder establishes familiar routines that help children know what happens throughout their day. During circle time, children sit together in the calm corner and talk about how they feel. They begin to recognise and name emotions, such as feeling happy or sad. Children understand simple rules, listen to instructions and willingly help to tidy away resources. The childminder celebrates children's efforts. For example, children proudly receive stickers when they help to tidy away or have a go at using the toilet. This encourages them to keep trying.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder supports children to share, take turns and be helpful. Children typically develop positive attitudes to their play and learning. They confidently choose resources, join in enthusiastically with activities and have a go for themselves. Children attend regularly. The childminder monitors attendance and understands the importance of contacting parents when a child does not arrive as expected.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder understands children's individual care needs. She works closely with parents to understand children's home routines and follows these wherever possible. The childminder recognises when children need comfort or reassurance and responds warmly and sensitively. This helps children feel safe and cared for. The childminder has a secure understanding of how to keep children safe while they sleep. She follows safer sleeping guidance and provides suitable sleeping arrangements that reflect children's ages and stages of development. The childminder manages children's personal care sensitively and respectfully. She maintains children's privacy during nappy changes while continuing to supervise other children. She follows appropriate hygiene procedures and encourages children to become increasingly independent. Children follow familiar handwashing routines and enthusiastically join in with a handwashing song. Children are supported as they begin to use the potty or

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

toilet and receive praise and encouragement for their efforts.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder promotes children's health and physical wellbeing. She provides healthy, home-cooked meals and snacks and understands how to reduce the risk of choking. She supervises children closely while they eat and encourages them to feed themselves and pour their own drinks. Children enjoy regular walks in the local countryside, where they walk over different surfaces and manage steps independently. This helps them develop their strength, coordination and confidence in being physically active.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder plans a curriculum that builds on children's interests, starting points and stages of development. She places a clear focus on communication and language and wants children to develop the confidence and skills to communicate their wants and needs. The childminder provides a range of experiences that help children build secure foundations for their future learning and development. However, the curriculum does not yet help children learn enough about similarities and differences and what makes them and others unique.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children typically explore, make choices and learn through their play. The childminder joins in positively and introduces new words and ideas as children play. For example, as children explore dough and natural materials, she introduces words such as 'smooth', 'pat' and 'squash'. The childminder uses stories, songs and rhymes to develop children's vocabulary, listening and understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder generally supports children's learning well, but does not always build on learning that arises in the moment. For example, after dancing, she encourages children to feel their hearts beating faster but does not explain why this happens in a way that young children can understand. During walks, she reminds children to 'stop, look and listen' and uses words, such as 'safe' and 'dangerous', but does not explain what these words mean. As a result, children do not always develop their understanding as fully as they could through everyday experiences.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder gets to know children and their families well. She asks parents about children's routines, interests and individual needs when they begin to attend. She combines this information with her observations to identify what children know and can do and where they may need additional help. The childminder knows what action to take if she has concerns about a child's development. She discusses concerns with parents, puts appropriate support in place and monitors children's progress. The childminder seeks advice from the local authority special educational needs coordinator when needed and makes referrals for further support. She adapts activities and uses singing, stories and conversations to develop children's communication and language skills. This helps all children to take part in the experiences she provides and make progress from their individual starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder completes the progress check for children aged between 2 and 3 years and gives parents a copy to share with their health visitor. This helps her identify emerging concerns and seek appropriate support at an early stage. However, the childminder does not yet provide enough experiences for children to learn about similarities and differences. Although she provides some resources that reflect differences between people, this aspect of her provision is not yet fully developed. As a result, children do not consistently learn about what makes them and others unique or develop their understanding of identity and belonging.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is committed to providing positive experiences for children. She regularly reflects on her practice and considers what is working well and what she could improve. The childminder reviews children's learning, activities and resources and makes changes when needed. This helps her respond to children's changing interests and needs. The childminder completes training to develop her knowledge and skills and recognises areas where she would like to develop further. For example, the childminder wants to complete special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) training and is waiting for a place with the local authority. In the meantime, she seeks advice and support from the area SENCo when needed.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder develops positive relationships with parents. She communicates with them regularly through daily discussions and online learning records. Some parents share information about what their children do and achieve at home. This helps the childminder build a fuller picture of children's learning and development. The childminder seeks parents' views about her provision through discussions and questionnaires and uses their feedback to help her reflect on her practice. However, the childminder has yet to develop partnerships with other settings that children attend. This means that children's learning is not always supported consistently across the different settings they attend.

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

Children are happy, settled and secure in the childminder's care. They develop close and trusting relationships with their friends and the childminder. Children confidently seek her support when they need it. The childminder knows children well and responds warmly to their individual needs. They benefit from a welcoming and homely environment. Children independently choose from toys and resources stored within their reach and are encouraged to try to do things themselves. This helps them to develop confidence, independence and a 'can-do' attitude to learning.

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

Children typically enjoy a range of activities and experiences. They draw with coloured pencils, play with trains and pretend to cook in the play kitchen. Children enjoy exploring dough alongside natural materials, such as leaves, herbs, cones and conkers. They hear new words, such as 'smooth' and 'squash', as they explore. Children develop their enjoyment of books as they listen attentively to stories read enthusiastically by the childminder. They take turns to turn the pages of the book. Children regularly join in with action songs and rhymes, which supports their developing communication and language.

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

Children develop physical skills and enjoy being active. They enthusiastically dance to familiar music and copy the childminder as they stretch, shake and wriggle. Children begin to develop early mathematical skills through everyday experiences. For example, they count the steps they climb and enthusiastically join in with familiar number songs. Children enjoy daily walks through the local countryside. They walk across different surfaces, manage steps and explore the natural environment as they pick wild flowers and visit the ponies.

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

Children typically behave well and respond positively to familiar routines. They listen to instructions, take turns and help to tidy away resources. Children are beginning to recognise different feelings and identify when they feel happy. They develop independence through everyday routines. Children feed themselves, pour their own drinks and begin to manage aspects of their personal care. They enjoy a range of healthy, home-cooked meals and drink water throughout the day. Overall, children are happy and confident and enjoy their time with the childminder.

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Next steps

The childminder should build on children's everyday experiences as they arise to extend their learning and understanding. The childminder should provide more experiences that help children learn about similarities and differences and what makes them and others unique. The childminder should develop partnerships with other settings that children attend to share information and support consistency in children's learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with 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

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 18:00,Friday : 09:00 - 14:00

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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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3

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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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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