Childminder in Milton KeynesOfsted report card, 18 Sept 2026

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2843188 Registered with Ofsted: 14/08/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR

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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 achieve extremely well from their individual starting points. They develop the foundational knowledge, skills and understanding they need for their next stage of learning. This is particularly evident in communication and language, where children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make significant progress in the setting's language-rich environment. Children develop a broad vocabulary and confidently express their ideas, needs and feelings. They engage in sustained conversations and listen attentively to others. Children also make excellent progress in their home languages.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children develop secure mathematical knowledge through everyday experiences. They confidently count objects, recognise numbers and explore quantities during play and routines. Children develop their physical skills through indoor and outdoor experiences, demonstrating increasing coordination, control and confidence. Children who face barriers to learning make sustained progress and develop the confidence to engage fully in learning. All children develop independence, emotional awareness, curiosity and positive attitudes to learning. As a result, they are very well prepared for their next stage of education.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder has established a highly positive culture where children understand and consistently meet the high expectations for behaviour. Kindness, care and respect are embedded throughout the setting. The childminder is a positive role model and consistently models how to speak and listen to others. As a result, children use excellent manners and interact with adults and their peers in a respectful and considerate way.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children are supported to recognise and manage their emotions. The childminder talks with children about how to resolve disagreements and uses strategies, such as breathing exercises. She uses emotion and feelings books, posters and visual prompts to help children recognise and communicate their own feelings and understand those of others. This supports children to manage their behaviour and develop positive relationships. Routines are superbly well established and consistently implemented. Children confidently move between morning play, snack, outdoor play, lunch and rest times. They understand what is expected and transition securely between activities, helping them to feel safe, settled and confident.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children take pride in their environment, readily help to tidy resources when the tidy-up song is played and show care for their surroundings. They show consistently positive attitudes towards learning and playing with others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder's high expectations, combined with warm and responsive relationships, have a significant impact on children's behaviour, confidence and ability to cooperate with others. Children thrive in this calm, respectful and well-organised environment.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has designed a broad, well-sequenced curriculum that is accurately tailored to children's interests, developmental needs and next steps. Children recognise their photos and names around the childminder's home, helping them develop an enduring sense of belonging. Well-resourced areas, including construction, role play and reading spaces, provide rich opportunities to explore, investigate and develop independence.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder's teaching is consistently purposeful and highly responsive. She uses her secure knowledge of child development to adapt activities and extend children's thinking. For example, children's interest in cars develops from rolling cars down ramps, to exploring different surfaces and investigating tyre patterns in sand. She skilfully follows children's ideas while maintaining a clear focus on intended learning. Communication and language are extremely well supported. The childminder models rich, descriptive vocabulary, such as describing foods as having 'crunch' at snack time. She uses an extensive range of books and texts to introduce new vocabulary and encourages children to repeat words and phrases, giving them time to respond and build on what they say.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The childminder has developed the curriculum with emphasis on physical, personal, social and emotional development. Carefully chosen activities help children develop movement skills, independence and confidence. Children extend each other's ideas through play, build together with bricks and magnetic tiles, act out stories and wait patiently for their turn during routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder provides a safe, welcoming environment where children feel secure and enjoy their play, learning and social experiences. Children develop positive relationships with adults and their peers. They confidently explore the environment and engage calmly with others, demonstrating that they feel settled and comfortable in the setting. The childminder typically supports children to become increasingly independent in managing their personal care needs. For example, children confidently wash their hands and communicate when they need to use the toilet. The childminder provides appropriate support while allowing children to develop these skills for themselves.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Mealtimes are positive social experiences. Children are encouraged to pour their own drinks and serve themselves pieces of fruit, with praise and encouragement given. The childminder uses mealtimes to extend children's communication and mathematical thinking as they talk about food and quantities. Children particularly enjoy joining in with songs about eating fruit. However, opportunities to develop children's understanding of the importance of making healthy food choices are not consistently maximised. For example, during mealtimes, the childminder does not consistently talk with children about the benefits of different foods or support them to understand how their food choices contribute to their health and wellbeing. Children benefit from opportunities to access outdoor learning and develop their physical skills. The childminder provides a calm and supportive environment in which children can explore and interact with others. Children are supported to develop independence and

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

confidence in managing their personal needs and take part positively in the routines and experiences of the setting. However, their understanding of healthy lifestyles is not yet as well developed as their independence and social skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder creates an inclusive environment where children's individual needs are understood and supported. She works closely with parents and carers to identify and reduce barriers to children's learning and wellbeing. This is particularly effective for children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder values children's home languages and works with parents to learn key words to support continuity between home and the setting.

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Inclusion Expected standard

All children's communication skills in their various languages are supported through warm, natural interactions and vocabulary-rich play. The childminder models useful words and phrases, such as 'help please', 'my turn', 'more please' and 'no thank you', giving children sufficient time to respond and express themselves. Books, songs, repetition and everyday conversations provide further opportunities for children to develop their communication skills in English and their home languages.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has a secure understanding of children's development and uses this knowledge to plan inclusive experiences that meet children's different ages, stages and interests. She adapts activities where needed, so that all children can participate and learn alongside others. The childminder works positively with families to support all children's progress from their various starting points and reviews their individual needs as they develop.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder typically understands the context of her provision, including its strengths and some areas for further development. She makes decisions that generally enhance the quality of education and care and takes appropriate action to maintain standards and typically to improve children's learning experiences. The childminder knows children well and uses this knowledge to inform decisions about their individual needs, development and next steps in learning. However, opportunities to develop her own professional knowledge, skills and expertise further, and to support any assistants she may work with to develop theirs, are not yet fully maximised.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works thoughtfully and positively with parents and carers to support children's education and care. She establishes effective communication with families and provides useful information about children's experiences, progress and care needs. These partnerships are particularly effective during transitions, helping children to settle quickly and confidently into the setting and supporting continuity between home and the setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder makes decisions that promote an inclusive approach. She works with families to identify and reduce barriers to learning and supports children's individual circumstances, including those who require additional support with communication and language. The childminder monitors children's progress and uses information from observations, assessments and discussions with parents to identify key areas for their ongoing development. Overall, leadership provides direction and ensures that children receive appropriate care and education. The childminder is committed to improving outcomes for children, but professional learning opportunities are not yet consistently used to strengthen practice even further.

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

Children are happy, settled and secure in this warm, nurturing home-from-home setting. They develop secure relationships with the childminder and each other and confidently seek support when they need it. Children are polite, kind and considerate towards others. They play extremely well alongside one another and respond positively to clear boundaries and high expectations for behaviour.

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

Children feel safe, valued and are well-cared for. The childminder knows each child well and takes time to understand their individual interests, needs and developmental stages. She works closely with parents and carers to provide continuity between home and the setting. This helps children settle with ease and gives them a secure sense of belonging. Parents value the calm, caring approach and the detailed communication they receive about their children's experiences, care needs and progress.

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About this setting

Type: Childminder Children enjoy a broad range of purposeful and engaging experiences. For example, they interact with toy animals in mud, enjoy outdoor mark-making opportunities and a teddy- bears picnic. The childminder quickly identifies children's interests and uses these to extend their learning through play and everyday experiences. Children have access to a wide range of resources and also enjoy activities, such as drawing, sticking, reading, puzzles, sand play and outdoor learning. Visits to the park, including feeding the ducks and trips to the zoo, further enrich their experiences.

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About this setting

Children make excellent progress from their individual starting points, including those who speak English as an additional language. They develop confidence, independence and positive attitudes towards their learning. Parents report noticeable changes in what their children know and can do since attending. The childminder supports children's individual next steps effectively, including during learning key skills, such as toilet training. Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning and development, and thrive in this positive, inclusive environment.

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Next steps

The childminder should develop professional learning opportunities to strengthen her own knowledge, skills and expertise even further, and that of any assistants she may work with. The childminder should extend children's understanding of healthy lifestyles, particularly around food choices and mealtimes.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistants 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. Registration date: 14/08/2025

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About this inspection

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

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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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