Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): 2798573 Registered with Ofsted: 20/06/2024 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 Strong standard

The childminder forms very close bonds with children and their families right from the start. This helps children to settle in quickly. The childminder thoughtfully sets clear and high behavioural expectations that are appropriate for the children's age and developmental stage. Her flexible routine ensures that children enjoy a homely environment that is calm, purposeful and nurturing. The childminder treats children with respect and encourages this from them too, consistently giving them clear and age-appropriate explanations. She supports children to interact with each other appropriately, share toys and take turns with resources. Children show that they fully understand these expectations. For example, they happily swap scoops to experiment which one is best for scooping up the small bear-shaped pasta.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children show empathy towards each other because of the close, caring connections they have. They instantly recognise and provide reassurance and comfort towards each other. For instance, children offer a cuddle and kind words as they notice their friends are becoming tired.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder consistently recognises children's achievements. She provides them with ample praise and explains why they are receiving this. This results in children having a highly positive attitude to learning and the embedded expectations. Children eagerly tidy away the exciting range of resources they have finished playing with.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder recognises children as 'behaviour champion of the day' and gives them responsibility for being a positive role model to others. This highly effective approach further boosts children's self-esteem and confidence, while helping them to develop a deep sense of responsibility and pride in their exemplary behaviour. The childminder emphasises the importance of regular attendance and punctuality during the settling-in period. Children establish important daily routines and show their eagerness to attend the setting.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, all children, including those who face barriers to their learning, make steady progress from their starting points. They gain the skills needed for their next stage in their education. Children are confident and clearly articulate their needs and wishes verbally and through gestures. They demonstrate a deep love of books and listen attentively to stories that the childminder reads to them. Children ask inquisitive questions that are relevant to the content of stories, such as, 'Why are owls silent?'.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children understand and follow instructions with ease. They are typically learning to be independent and responsible individuals. For example, children know to hang up their coats on their peg as they arrive at the childminder's home. They collect and return their water bottle back to where it belongs when they have had enough to drink. Children identify and compare colours to those they see in the environment. However, not all children consistently develop the skills they are capable of due to minor weaknesses in teaching.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder knows the children in her care very well. She is attuned in identifying their individual cues when they are ready to eat and sleep. Overall, the childminder is effective in meeting the care needs of all children. She works in close partnership with parents and carers to establish any changes to children's care needs. This enables the childminder to respond swiftly and replicate these in her care. As a result, all children, including those who face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, receive consistent and personalised care that supports their wellbeing, security and individual needs.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder typically supports children to follow appropriate hygiene practices, such as independently washing their hands before and after lunch. She also talks to children about the importance of frequently changing their nappy so that they remain clean and fresh. However, the childminder does not consistently support children to develop independence in managing their self-care. For example, when children need their nose wiped, she does this for them, rather than encouraging them to manage this themselves. As a result, children have fewer opportunities to develop their self-care skills and independence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children benefit from nutritious and well-balanced meals that the childminder provides. The childminder ensures that safe eating practices are consistently implemented. She sits with children as they eat and talks to them about the benefits of the food that they eat, for their body. Children learn about where food comes from. They help to plant, nurture and harvest tomatoes when they are ready to eat. This motivates children to try new foods to broaden their tastes.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The childminder ensures that children enjoy regular opportunities to practise their physical skills. Children carefully negotiate different terrains during nature walks, use equipment in the childminder's garden and benefit from outings to soft-play centres.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, the childminder has designed an effective curriculum that ensures children make steady progress and have the skills needed for their eventual move on to school. She seamlessly incorporates children's interests, love of books and nature within inviting activities. The childminder understands the importance of repetition and re-visiting experiences to embed new knowledge and skills. For example, children collect twigs, conkers and crispy fallen leaves on a nature walk. The childminder encourages children to explore these further and teach them about how these indicate the beginning of Autumn. She also explains to children that mushrooms grow more in the Autumn because it is usually wet. The childminder demonstrates how twigs can be arranged to recreate the trees observed. This motivates children to use their creativity and create their own tree.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder consistently uses clear language when speaking with children. She introduces them to new words, such as 'fit' and 'twist', and their meaning, as children work out how to position toy cogs and shapes on a board. This helps to broaden children's vocabulary and supports their problem-solving skills. The childminder seamlessly uses mathematical language, such as 'more', 'less' and 'heavy', during everyday interactions. This helps to introduce children to early mathematical concepts.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

However, the childminder's teaching and planned activities do not always match what children know and can do. For example, she asks children to identify numerals on log slices when they are still developing their ability to count aloud in sequence. As a result, some activities are too difficult and do not sustain children's engagement. The childminder does not consistently adapt her teaching. She teaches the most able children how to use a torch to create shadows, while the least able children explore a torch independently. As a result, this group of children do not fully benefit from this rich learning experience.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder forms close links with parents and carers very early on to establish a full understanding of all aspects of children's individual needs. She uses the detailed information from parents and her own observations to identify children's starting points and any gaps in learning. The childminder continues to closely monitor children's progress during their time with her. She is knowledgeable about the action to take, should she have any concerns about children's development. For instance, the childminder knows how to engage with external professionals to shape support to continue to improve outcomes for all children.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder recognises and values children's home languages, cultures and family backgrounds as an important part of their identity. She uses it as a strength, encouraging children to communicate in their home languages to enable them to express their needs, while gently supporting their development of English.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The childminder uses a range of approaches to help children feel reassured, understood and valued. She learns and uses key words from children's home languages, maintains consistent familiar routines and uses visual aids. These approaches help to reduce barriers to children's learning. In addition, other children develop an understanding and appreciation of different languages and cultures. However, the childminder does not consistently adapt her teaching to meet all children's individual developmental needs. As a result, some children are less able to fully engage in planned activities and make the most of these learning opportunities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder leads her setting with a clear and ambitious vision, ensuring that it runs smoothly and children's needs remain the priority. She is dedicated and passionate to prepare children for their future. Consequently, the childminder now intentionally incorporates mathematical language into everyday activities and interactions. This gives children frequent opportunities to develop their vocabulary and understanding in meaningful contexts.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall, leadership is reflective. The childminder is committed to continuous improvement, with clear capacity to build on existing strengths. She accesses a varied range of training and regularly liaises with other childminders to share knowledge and gain new skills. Recent training has enhanced her knowledge on positively managing children's behaviour to specifically meet their individual emotional needs. The childminder monitors children's progress and reflects on the effectiveness of the curriculum. However, the childminder has not yet sharply focused training precisely on strengthening her planning and teaching to ensure that all experiences build on children's existing skills and knowledge.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder works collaboratively with parents and carers. She shares information regarding children's learning, as well as advice, support and home-learning activities to support children's next steps at home. This provides continuity in children's learning, helping them to make progress.

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

Children are happy and full of enthusiasm in this welcoming, inclusive and child-friendly setting. They swiftly develop secure and trusting relationships with the childminder. This helps them to feel safe, secure and keen to learn. Children frequently express their secure bonds with the childminder and each other during spontaneous group hugs. The very well- organised and enticing environment motivates children to explore and make independent decisions of what and where they would like to play. This enables children to focus on what interests them for sustained periods of time, given their age. For example, they watch the childminder's fish swim around the fish tank and search for their favourite fish. Children compare fish of different sizes and identify their unique features. They develop an understanding of size and begin to recognise differences and similarities. This supports their early mathematical development.

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

Children show a love of books and enthusiastically join in with familiar songs. They smile with delight as they share musical instruments with their peers and tap accurately to the rhythm of songs. Children show that they appreciate the personalised praise they receive from the childminder for their achievements. This helps to strengthen their confidence and fosters a secure sense of belonging. Children who face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are included in every aspect of the setting. For example, children who speak English as an additional language or experience explained absences show that they feel reassured and confidently participate in activities. This is because the childminder helps them to understand the routine of the day using a visual timetable and key words in their home languages. Children thrive in the childminder's care and make steady progress in their learning. They develop age-appropriate skills for their eventual move on to school, such as a

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

positive thirst for learning and social skills.

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About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 14:30

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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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Next steps

The childminder should adapt teaching to match all children's ages and development stages to fully support their participation and engagement. The childminder should build on professional development to strengthen planning and teaching to consistently support children to build on their existing skills and knowledge. The childminder should embed teaching to motivate children to be independent in their self-care needs.

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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 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 24 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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