Childminder in OxfordshireOfsted report card, 23 Sept 2026

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2817092 Registered with Ofsted: 02/05/2025 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 Expected standard

Typically, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make steady progress from their starting points. Babies and young children become increasingly engaged. They begin to explore more independently, gradually playing alongside their peers. Generally, children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning, happily joining in with instruments and singing rhymes. They clap or bang to the beat, enjoying joining in with familiar actions.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are typically taught early skills to support their next stage of learning. They practise self-care routines such as feeding, toileting and washing hands. They learn control and coordination when navigating the step in the garden and while using stools to reach the mud area safely when bug hunting.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children are prepared for their next stage of education. However, they would benefit from learning experiences being tailored more specifically to their next steps of learning. This would ensure children consistently build on what they already know and can do.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children benefit from the childminder's calm, caring nature, and the positive relationships she has forged with all children and their families.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Typically, the childminder has high expectations of children's behaviour and encourages them to treat each other with kindness and respect. This leads to the children generally behaving well and demonstrating consideration for their peers. For example, when playing in a tunnel, older children check on younger ones following them, being sure to move slowly and carefully. When children find sharing resources challenging, the childminder sensitively intervenes, helping babies through distraction techniques and having discussions with older children about why sharing is fair. The childminder considers each child's stage of development and any additional needs, adjusting her practice accordingly. For example, she uses hand signs and visual prompts to strengthen relationships and support essential social skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Generally, children are suitably independent. They know their routines and are taught basic skills such as putting on their shoes and coats. At times, some children would benefit further if routines and behaviour expectations were consistently embedded to help prepare them for their next stages in education.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder helps parents to understand the importance of consistent attendance so that children can establish positive habits for later life.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder implements policies and procedures that prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. She uses information about individual routines to support this. For example, she ensures babies access milk and sleep at regular times, mimicking their home lives. The childminder closely monitors children when eating and sleeping to ensure they are safe at all times. Nappy changing arrangements ensure children's privacy, with calm explanations supporting understanding. The childminder is attentive to all the children's needs, resulting in them expressing high levels of comfort and wellbeing with her.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Secure and positive relationships are evident. Children seek reassurance when needed and are comforted sensitively. Generally, the childminder establishes a culture where children can explore their emotions, responding swiftly to children's cues. For instance, children who become unsettled and dysregulated during play are supported calmly and provided with quiet spaces until they feel ready to re-engage. This helps them develop trust and confidence in managing their feelings.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have lots of opportunities to be physically active outside, and they begin to learn how to manage their own personal needs. Babies have opportunities to practise feeding themselves. The childminder shows them how to hold and manipulate spoons so that they can master this for themselves. She works closely with families to encourage healthy food options being available to children in their packed lunches.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has designed a curriculum that typically reflects the children's ages and stages of development, while also considering their likes and preferences. She generally supports all areas of learning, with a firm focus on personal, social and emotional development, communication and physical skills. Children benefit from the wide range of experiences the childminder provides, including bus journeys and trips to parks and museums. They consequently gain confidence in a variety of social settings, build stamina and strength, and benefit from the interactions they encounter in differing surroundings and with a wide circle of people.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder supports children's language development through lots of story sharing and looking at books. Teaching is caring and responsive, supporting emotional security. Children join in with singing and music time, using resources to help them engage. For instance, props are used to help babies and children facing barriers to put meaning to words. Mathematics is woven into daily activities such as counting snack items or sorting them into colours. However, the childminder does not consistently adapt activities effectively for the differing ages of children. This means that not all children consistently experience opportunities to build on what they already know and can do.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder promotes an inclusive ethos at her setting, where all children are valued and respected. She gets to know the children and their families well. This supports her ability to respond effectively to each child's individual needs. The childminder gathers information from parents and carers about children's routines, interests and experiences at home before they start. Positive, trusting relationships with parents help to promote children's emotional wellbeing. Consequently, children settle swiftly into the setting and enjoy their time in the childminder's care. The childminder uses regular observations and assessments to track progress. She is quick to recognise when children may need additional support, responding sensitively to reduce any barriers that children may face. For example, she uses visual cues and slows down her speech to help children understand instructions and situations. The childminder works

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Inclusion Expected standard

closely with parents and other professionals, including teachers, to support children collaboratively in reducing barriers. These effective partnerships, alongside the childminder's own research and training received, ensure that individual children's needs are understood and supported.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of how to use funding to support individual children. For instance, her costume and role-play purchases resulted in vast progress in children's communication and language skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is dedicated and committed to providing a warm and nurturing environment where children thrive. She has a good understanding of the strengths of her provision and continually adapts her curriculum and provision to meet the needs of the individual children in her care. The childminder engages in professional development opportunities and collaborative working with other childminders to keep her knowledge and skills up to date. This helps to improve children's outcomes.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has built positive relationships with parents and external professionals, including pre-school staff. Parents speak highly of the childminder and appreciate the support that she provides for themselves and their children. They state that their children benefit especially well from the broad experiences that the childminder provides, and that they have grown hugely in confidence since starting at the setting. Families of children who experience barriers to their learning are particularly grateful for the additional activities and resources the childminder provides to help them further support their children at home.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder is reflective in her practice and endeavours to strive for future improvements. She appreciates that refining her planning further and embedding regular routines and behaviour expectations for children will result in improved experiences for all in her care.

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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 are settled and happy in the care of the nurturing childminder. They freely explore their surroundings, making confident choices about what they play with. Young children benefit from the easily accessible toys and resources, sparking their curiosity and allowing them to follow their interests. As they play, the childminder narrates their actions enthusiastically. This introduces children to new words, which strengthens their vocabulary and supports early communication skills.

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Inspector:

Children benefit from a calm environment where they feel secure. Babies and young children seek reassurance from the childminder when they need to, enjoying cuddles and stories on her lap. Older children confidently ask for help when they need it. This demonstrates that all children develop close, trusting relationships with the childminder and form a sound sense of belonging at the setting.

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Inspector:

Children enjoy a broad range of stimulating experiences that encourage them to explore and be inquisitive. For example, children delight in being 'detectives' using magnifying glasses to find bugs in the garden. They roll and kick balls with increasing accuracy and improve their dexterity when mark making and drawing. These experiences help children to develop their physical skills and confidence to try new things for themselves.

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Inspector:

Children enjoy learning and communicating together. Young children and those with barriers to their learning learn to use gestures to express their needs and wishes. This helps them to build positive relationships with their peers. Some children hear and speak different languages at home. The childminder learns simple phrases in these languages to help with understanding. Children subsequently hear these during their routines and play, which strengthens their identity and sense of belonging.

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Inspector:

Parents value the experiences their children receive and support regular attendance. They know to communicate any absences and the importance of being punctual whenever possible. This helps children to benefit from regular routines and continuity in their experiences.

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Next steps

The childminder should continue to embed regular routines and behavioural expectations to support ongoing consistency for children. The childminder should continue to strengthen the way experiences are planned and adapted for children of differing ages and stages of development, so that all children remain engaged and build even more effectively on what they already know and can do.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to 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. Zoe Abraham

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:00

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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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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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