Childminder in SomersetOfsted report card, 17 Sept 2026

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2806739 Registered with Ofsted: 21/10/2024 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave well and develop positive relationships with their peers. When they find it difficult to share popular resources or manage minor disagreements, the childminder responds calmly and explains why they need to take turns and consider others. This helps children to learn how to manage these situations, understand how their actions affect others and learn to play cooperatively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

The childminder encourages positive attitudes to learning. Children confidently choose resources and sustain their concentration during play. She gives praise and encouragement and reassures children when things do not go as planned. This helps children to develop confidence and understand that they can keep trying when they find something challenging. The childminder adapts her support when children need additional help to manage their feelings, behaviour or routines. This helps children to feel included and supports them to develop the skills they need to manage situations for themselves.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children understand and follow familiar routines. The childminder teaches them to tidy resources away, collect their belongings and prepare to go home. As a result, children know what is expected of them and become increasingly independent in managing everyday routines. The childminder records children's attendance and the reasons for their absence, and follows up when children do not arrive as expected. This helps her to identify any potential concerns or barriers to children attending regularly, and supports consistent routines for children.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children benefit from warm and caring relationships. They readily seek affection and reassurance and receive sensitive support if they are unsettled. This helps them to become calm and involved in their play. Children develop independence through everyday routines, including washing their hands, serving food from their lunch boxes and managing their belongings. Their privacy and dignity are protected during personal care routines.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have access to water, milk, fruit and suitable snacks. The childminder promotes healthier choices and discusses these with parents. She obtains permission for outings and checks the environment and resources throughout the day. Parents receive thorough handovers regarding how their children have settled, the experiences they have enjoyed and how they have interacted with others.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have regular opportunities to be active and explore outdoors, with trips to the local park, library and soft-play centres among the experiences the childminder offers. The childminder also recognises when children need comfort and rest. She provides a quiet space where children can enjoy stories and have moments of calm. This helps children to rest and return to activities when they are ready. The childminder knows the children's individual care needs well and adapts their daily routines to meet these when necessary. As a result, children's individual needs are met, and they feel secure and comfortable in her care.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder knows children and their families well. She has cared for children from the same 2 families since opening her setting and has developed positive and trusting relationships with them. She uses information from parents alongside her knowledge of children to identify their individual needs and any changes in their circumstances. This enables her to adapt her care and approach so that children feel included, safe and secure.

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Inclusion Expected standard

There are currently no children attending who have identified special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, the childminder understands the importance of identifying emerging needs and working closely with parents when concerns arise. She understands that specialist advice may need to be sought and appropriate support put in place. She has previous experience of using visual prompts, communication activities and strategies to support children's emotional regulation, and understands how these can help reduce barriers for individual children.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder has high expectations for all children and understands that her environment and approach may need to be adapted to enable children with differing needs to participate fully. She is willing to seek advice and undertake further training when necessary.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Although weaknesses in curriculum planning and assessment affect the quality of education that children currently receive, these weaknesses have not resulted in any particular child or group of children being disadvantaged. The childminder remains attentive to children's individual care and wellbeing needs and works closely with their families to respond to these.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder demonstrates a commitment to maintaining and improving her provision. Since registering, she has completed required training and keeps her knowledge of statutory responsibilities up to date. She maintains required records and reviews her policies when necessary. This helps to ensure that appropriate procedures are followed and children are cared for safely. The childminder considers potential risks and takes appropriate action to minimise these. For example, she has clear arrangements for managing visitors and emergency evacuations, helping to maintain a safe environment for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder reflects on her practice and is receptive to professional feedback. However, her professional development has not yet focused sufficiently on strengthening her knowledge of learning and development. This contributes to the identified weaknesses in curriculum planning and assessment. Nonetheless, she is keen to develop her knowledge and skills further to improve the quality of education that children receive.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder recognises the importance of managing her own wellbeing and workload. She has a supportive network of family and friends and makes time for herself outside of her childminding responsibilities. This helps her to manage the demands of her role effectively. The childminder has established strong partnerships with parents. She communicates with them regularly, seeks their views and uses the information they share to understand children's individual needs and circumstances. Parents speak highly of the care their children receive and the positive impact the childminder has on their children's confidence

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Needs attention

and development. This close partnership helps to provide consistency between home and the childminder's care.

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Achievement Needs attention

Weaknesses in the childminder's curriculum limit the progress that children make. Children are not always challenged sufficiently or supported to extend their learning as fully as they could be.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children's progress is not assessed accurately over time. As a result, children's individual achievements, their development needs and any gaps in their learning are not identified effectively. This limits opportunities to ensure that all children receive the support they need to make good progress in their learning and development.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children demonstrate a range of appropriate skills. For example, they recognise familiar colours, continue number sequences and confidently follow familiar routines. Children are increasingly developing their social skills and are learning to share and take turns with others. They confidently select activities that interest them and can sustain their concentration during play, particularly when engaged in experiences that capture their interest and allow them to explore their own ideas independently.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder does not yet have a clear and well-planned curriculum that supports children to build their knowledge and skills over time. Activities are generally based on children's interests and what they enjoy, rather than being planned with clear learning intentions in mind. As a result, the childminder cannot consistently explain why particular experiences are provided or how they contribute to children's learning over time. The childminder's assessment of children's learning is also not sufficiently effective. Although children take part in a range of activities, she does not consistently identify what individual children have understood or retained from these experiences. As a result, she does not have a clear picture of the progress children are making or when they are ready to move on in their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder intends for children to be happy, safe, confident and independent. She provides a calm environment and responds to children's interests. She uses conversation and questions to encourage children to think, communicate and demonstrate their understanding. For example, while children play with magnetic tiles, she asks questions such as, 'What could you do next?' and 'How else could you build that?' This encourages children to think about and develop their ideas.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The childminder supports children to develop the independence and social skills they need for their next stage of learning. She teaches children to manage everyday routines, such as toileting, and to share, take turns and treat others with respect. For example, when 2 children both want to play with a dinosaur toy, she supports them to take turns and play together, helping them to develop their understanding of sharing and cooperating with others.

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

Children do not yet benefit from a clearly planned curriculum that builds on their knowledge and skills over time. Although children enjoy the experiences available, these are not always chosen with a clear learning intention. This means that children's learning and progress are not always clearly identified. Children complete daily activities, such as counting animals in pictures on the wall and identifying their colours. However, the childminder is not able to explain how she assesses what individual children know and understand, or how she uses this information to identify what they need to learn next. As a result, activities are repeated without a clear understanding of what individual children have learned or the progress they are making.

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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 welcoming, home-from-home environment. They develop close and affectionate relationships and seek reassurance when they need it. Children confidently choose resources and remain engaged in their play. They enjoy drawing, using dough, exploring imaginative play and building with construction materials.

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

Children develop their knowledge of colours and numbers through conversations and play. They use their imagination and are encouraged to persevere when things do not work as planned. Children learn to share, take turns and resolve minor disagreements. They respond positively to calm explanations, encouragement and praise. Children understand familiar routines and develop independence by selecting and tidying away resources and managing their belongings.

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

Home-time routines are calm and well organised. Children are supported as they prepare to leave, and the childminder shares information about their day with parents and carers. This helps to support a smooth transition between the childminder's home and children's own homes.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 16:00

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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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Action Completion Date

develop and implement a clear curriculum that sets out what children should learn and how their learning will build on their existing knowledge and skills 30/10/2026

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Action Completion Date

use assessment more effectively to identify what children know and can do, inform their next steps in learning and monitor the progress they make over time 30/10/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder 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. This data is from 17 September 2026

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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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