Sarah A's 5 Star Reviews

Amazing!

My daughter has been in Sarah’s care for over 2 years now and we have seen her flourish! The love and care that Sarah puts into each child in her care is outstanding, we couldn’t have asked for someone better to look after our daughter.

She comes home everyday day with a smile on her face and talks us through everything she had done in the day - usually outdoor exploring learning all the different mushrooms, foraging for sticks and leaves, climbing trees and jumping in puddles. In the summer the children spend time learning all about different plants and flowers and growing some of their own and there is always space for playtime and crafts throughout the day! There is never a dull moment!

Sarah puts so much energy and love into investing in to each child and it really shows in how they grow and develop over the years in her care! She is accommodating and understanding and caters to each child’s need. We are so sad for our daughter to be leaving Sarah’s Happy House, but we know that she would not be who she is today without Sarah and as parents, feel confident that our daughter is set up for the future as she ventures into pre-school and beyond!

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by Buffy on 10/12/2024

Fabulous Sarah!

Our little boy Max has been with Sarah for 2 years now. It was honestly the best decision we made asking her to take care of him. He absolutely adores her and her knowledge and guidance has been second to none to us as first time parents. She provides the most wonderful environment for the kids and gives them all so much fun and learning that you wouldn’t receive in a larger nursery setting.

She takes them to all sorts of wonderful places like the Wisley and playgroups and introduces them to new experiences every day which has been wonderful for Max. He was a little behind on his speaking and Sarah took to much time one on one with him to teach him and encourage his language and I believe made a huge difference so now he’s chattering away non stop.

Sarah isn’t just a childminder… she cares so much for her babies and toddlers and is an expert in encouraging their development and talking to parents every step of the way. She is 100% reliable and never has unplanned days off or lets you down.
Our boy will be with Sarah for another 9 months before he goes to preschool and we thrilled that every morning he is excited to go and see her and demands cuddles off her at the end of every day.

Can’t recommend her highly enough!
Steph & Tim

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by Steph on 27/11/2024

Everybody needs a Sarah!

Our son has been with Sarah for nearly two years now, and he is thriving under her care. When we first met Sarah, we instantly knew we wanted to send our son to her. She creates a wholesome, homely space for children to explore, learn and most importantly, have lots of fun! She truly cares for the children she looks after, and really brings out the best in them by encouraging their individual interests.

There’s never a dull day with Sarah. Whether it’s a trip to Wisley, playgroup, the park or going on an adventure in the woods, Sarah’s love for nature has such a positive influence on the children she cares for.

Sarah always goes beyond her call of duty - as first time parents, she has provided us with so much advice and support along the way, never with judgement and always with a brilliant sense of humour too.

Sarah has created such a safe, loving and nurturing environment for our son, and I feel so grateful that she has been such a big part of his life for the last few years. We will be sending our new baby to Sarah next year and we can’t wait for her to spend her days at Sarah’s happy house.

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by Ellie on 25/11/2024

Couldn’t have wished for a better childminder

Our son started with Sarah around 10.5 months and was with her for 2 years.
We honestly couldn’t have wished for a better childminder.
Sarah is so caring which makes things easier for us knowing he is in safe hands.
We are sent photos and videos throughout the day which is lovely to see what he gets up to.
Her setting is clean and full of appropriate toys and crafts it’s so lovely.
As first time parents, we felt comfortable being able to ask questions and ask for advice is great as she is so experienced and understanding.

When our son was with Sarah, he would be doing crafts, playing or out visiting playgroups, watching diggers, parks, having fun and making new friends. Sarah has great communication and has been more than a childminder to us, she felt part of the family!

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by Elg_90 on 15/03/2024

Amazing Experience with Sarah

My daughter has been with Sarah for the last few years and has shone. She was a Covid Baby and only saw her family so was very shy and timid but being at Sarah’s has bought her out of her shell in so many ways. Her language , learning and her social skills have all improved so much we are really sad to be leaving her. Sarah is always busy, whether learning at home, trips to local attractions or meeting other children and selected groups, my daughter always had stories to tell.

Thank you Sarah for everything you have done for our little one, will never forget you xxx

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by Naomi B on 19/12/2022

Absolutely wonderful childminder

My son has been with Sarah for 18 months and absolutely loves every day. Sarah does A LOT of activities outdoors which is really good and has made my son appreciate the walks/finding and identifying different leaves, plants and mushrooms.

Sarah is such a caring individual and it's great to get updates and see what they're getting up to. There's always activities related to what the child likes and Sarah really does allow each child to shine.

Sarah also supports different languages and festivals (we're a bilingual family) and it's lovely to see her encouraging some of our specific festivals and having the songs on.

I'd definitely recommend Sarah to other parents.

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by Emily on 29/09/2022

5 Stars and More!!!

Cannot recommend Sarah highly enough! Our daughter Lexi went to Sarah for a year before starting nursery in September this year. She has grown so much in her vocabulary and her confidence and communication skills

Sarah created such a lovely friendly environment for Lexi and the other children, and took them on such fun days out to local spots and different activities, and always sent lots of pictures and updates throughout the day of their adventures, which was so nice to see and so reassuring :)

We are due baby number 2 any day now and will not hesitate to contact Sarah next year when we need childcare again! :)

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by carlio on 29/09/2022

A super childminder and person

We can’t recommend Sarah enough. Our boy has loved every second of being with her. I only wished we had found her for our eldest when we first moved here!

Sarah clearly loves what she does. She really cares for the children she looks after, and is super with supporting their needs through exploring, play and learning.

Rufus has loved his creative sessions and the artwork he comes home with is beautiful - he’s really proud of it.

Sarah really encourages the children’s love and appreciation of nature through their walks and adventures. They would often be out and about in the morning, discovering wildlife and loving the fresh air. It’s my favourite time of day when I receive updates from Sarah showing me what they’ve been up to.

We’re so sad to be finishing with Sarah this month. Rufus is going to miss her - I don’t think there is anyone I would have rather entrusted my child to. A truly fantastic person.

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by Hawkins on 04/10/2021

The best childminder we could of wished for

I cannot recommend Sarah enough. My daughter started in 2019 and left 2021, Millie was always happy to go straight in without looking back to say goodbye!
Sarah always takes them out exploring the local parks and Millie has found a new appreciation for bugs and wildlife due to Sarah’s enthusiasm for all things nature.
Even though lockdown was difficult for everyone, Sarah made sure she kept in contact and sent videos and activity suggestions throughout.
She was always sending photos and communicating throughout the day she had Millie, and she is so creative with the artwork that was sent home, which is lovely to look back on.
I am so pleased we found Sarah, you could find a more lovely, understanding and supportive childminder.

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by Samantha on 08/09/2021

A Jackpot win to get a place with Sarah

I have sent both my children to Sarah’s, my first son started with Sarah back in 2017 and my second son in 2019 and he is currently still there.

I don’t know where to start with saying how brilliant Sarah has been. She has exceeded my expectations of what you can get from a childminder by light years. It’s easy to see how Sarah has been awarded Outstanding twice by Ofsted because she is truly dedicated and passionate about her work, a complete natural. Both of my boys have loved their time at Sarah’s and I know it will be a wrench when we finally leave as she has been such a big part of their lives so far, as well as a big part of their development. Sarah is really supportive of your child’s specific interests and needs, what ever your child is into she will find way to play with them using their interests to help them learn. If your child loves trains, or animals, or dressing up etc, she will have toys and resources for everything.
Sarah encourages all the children to reach their developmental milestones using a huge range of resources that she has. I’ve been amazed at the things my boys have learned with her, knowing it hasn’t been me that taught them those things. Sarah also keeps a journal of your Childs developmental journey during their time with her which was amazing to read back on when I got given my eldest sons, so much detail in there that I had forgotten with time.

Sarah is always updating and creating fun new setups like teepee’s or mud kitchens for the children in her home, as well as having themes that the children learn about, and she makes beautiful art displays that regularly change. They simply can never be bored there!

As well as her lovely welcoming home and her big range of toys and books, Sarah has taken my boys out of so many great outings. She loves the Pheasantry at Bushey Park as well as Wisley Gardens, and she uses all the different local wildlife areas and parks to take the children out exploring, which is something my boys really love and need. Sarah herself is true lover of nature and she so much knowledge that she shares with the children that they learn along the way.

Importantly, Sarah has a really kind and lovely nature with the children. She has always been very nurturing and kind with my boys. Both of my children talk about her all the time with fondness and my youngest son who is still there now is always excited for his ‘Arnold’ day (what he calls her!), he goes in in the mornings with no fuss and gives Sarah a big cuddle as soon as he’s there.

When my boys have been at Sarah’s I have never had to feel worried while I was at work about them. Sarah send lots of beautiful photos and videos via WhatsApp of the children’s activities through the day, which I always look forward to, so I always feel like I have a good insight into how their days has been.

Sarah is very thorough with her policies and safe guarding and safety measures. Since Covid she has gone to a lot of effort to make changes to how she does things to keep everyone as safe as possible.

I could keep going on and on about how great Sarah is, but to round it off I would say that if you are lucky enough to get a space at Sarah’s then you have won the childminder jackpot! :)

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by s_j_k on 21/04/2021

A+++ Couldn't ask for a better childminder

We would thoroughly recommend Sarah. Our youngest son has been in Sarah’s care a couple of days per week for the last two years. Every day he has come home having enjoyed himself and having experienced things he wouldn't have at home. Sarah’s planning, creativity and spontaneity have allowed him to flourish. Sarah focuses on the needs and likes of the child. She has taken him to Fairoaks to watch the planes, to various countryside and woodland walks to ‘jump in muddy puddles’ and they have done lots of arts and crafts. When he has been interested in something, Sarah has gone out of her way to provide resources for him - like magnatiles and extra jigsaw puzzles. Sarah makes sure they get outside as much as possible and exposes them to nature at every opportunity. Sarah has a robust set of policies and procedures in place, and keeps up to date with national guidance around childminding. Sarah plans lots of activities that stimulate and stretch the children. You can be assured that your little one is in the best hands. Having regular WhatsApp picture messages seeing the fun he is having is always reassuring. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better childminder - Sarah has exceeded our expectations by far!

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by Nicola on 15/03/2021

Outstanding in all ways

My daughter Lara started with Sarah at 10 months until recently and she is now 3.
I couldn't recommend Sarah enough. Lara wouldn't be the bright and intelligent girl she is, without the support she has had from Sarah. Also as a parent when it is hard to go back to work you need a childminder who is supportive to you as a parent and understanding. Well that's Sarah, I am happy to say she has become a good friend who we will stay in touch with.

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by Kattykat on 04/06/2019

Outstanding in all ways

I am writing this reference as I really want to express how fantastic Sarah is. We came to Sarah just over two years ago when we already had two very bad experiences in childcare. Izzy was finding it difficult to settle due to these recent changes but she instantly took to Sarah and her family and ever since then has been so happy. Even after we go away on holiday for two weeks when you would expect her to find it difficult to go back, she runs to Sarah. It’s a great feeling to know that Izzy is so cared for when we are working.
Sarah provides a great range of activities and tailors them to each child, she quickly saw Izzy’s love of arts and crafts and allowed extra time, resources and flexibility to do this, which we really appreciate.
Throughout the year there is a new theme each month which means that nothing is ever the same and Izzy learns so much from all the different approaches to learning that Sarah implements such as the themed crafts, stories or toys.
Throughout the day through Sarah’s updates I really feel involved and part of it, through the pictures and videos sent. This is something I again I really appreciate as Izzy and I like to look through the pictures together and talk about her day.
At every key milestone Sarah has been so supportive both to Izzy and us, an example is the effort Sarah puts in to supporting Izzy learning German by purchasing special books, providing us with example resources and counting together. Another example is with potty training, Sarah saw how well Izzy was getting on and gave me the confidence to continue and extend to trying it at night. Without her insight and encouragement I believe we wouldn’t have made the move as quickly as we did and it worked out perfectly.
Sarah records all the milestones in very detailed learning journals and puts so much effort into these that are really a testament to how dedicated she is.
Sarah is thoughtful, caring, insightful, supportive and dedicated and we all love her and feel so lucky to have her looking after Izzy.
I honestly cannot rate Sarah highly enough.

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by Parent on 15/03/2016

Sarah goes above & beyond :)

We feel very lucky to have Sarah caring for Finn and are constantly impressed with his learning and development under her guidance. He can’t wait for Sarah’s red door to open in the morning and we really enjoy seeing their strong bond.
We are extremely happy with the nurturing, educational and fun environment Sarah provides on a daily basis. He gets to explore and experience a great range of activities in and out of her home. Sarah continues to go above and beyond our expectations providing a range of resources and is always receptive to his latest interests.
Sarah is very organised and keeps us updated throughout the day with pictures and videos as well as a detailed daily journal. She also produces an extensive learning journal and book of key observations, achievements and impressive artwork. We appreciate the detail Sarah puts into the documentation and enjoy looking through the books which really demonstrate how he is excelling under her care.

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by Parent on 14/03/2016

Better than we could ever hope for

Jacquelien went to Sarah from a very young age (6 months) and has been with her for slightly over a year now. She's never found it hard to settle as she always easily settles where she's being loved. That's probably the most admirable element of being cared for by Sarah: she just loves your child and that translates into anything she does.

Whether it is going for a walk, to playing groups, going for a picknick or adventures on playgrounds, or playing at home. It seems there is no time for boredom, not even a second. Which reminds me: just contact her, make an appointment and visit her at home and you will appreciate the level of dedication she has to what she does.

Her approach combines all elements a parent looks for: having fun, learning good manners, a strong focus on development, ... Jacquelien (and ourselves) just love it.

Finally, she never forgets about the parents and provides a detailed diary to let us know how things have been, while on top of that she shares pictures and updates during the day via WhatsApp. Often just what's needed to brighten up a working day!

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by Parent on 31/08/2014

Sarah’s Reference

We struck gold when we found Sarah and my son who was 2 and a half at the time warmed to her immediately. He had been to nursery before and I only wish we had found Sarah earlier because the quality of care she gave him was in a different league.

The daily diary was extremely detailed and the learning journals that Sarah put together were exemplary, far surpassing anything we had been given in the past.

Sarah cares deeply for the children in her care; she knows them inside out and tailors the activities and learning around their specific needs. She regularly took my son on a variety of outings providing him with one on one attention as well as the opportunity to interact with other children. My son’s development was noticeable almost immediately and he continued to learn and excel in all areas of the curriculum, as well as gaining social skills and confidence.

I have never met anyone so suited to their profession and I am very grateful that my son had the benefit of Sarah’s care for the time that he did. His happiness and safety were never in question and I would wholeheartedly recommend Sarah to any family.

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by Parent on 17/03/2014

Home from home

I started looking for childcare when Izzy was just 5 weeks old. After numerous nursery visits, we went to visit Sarah's and I knew the search was over immediately. Sarah is someone who creates a home from home environment, giving individual attention to each child in her care. She also has the knowledge of a child's potential which has been a great help in Izzy's development. She is creative and thinks outside the box finding fun ways capture a child's attention and imagination. I was quite new to motherhood and Sarah gave me some great advice on how to cope with some of the more challenging aspects of parenting. She is full of advice and tips - as a result we now have a child who sleeps through the night and has a daily routine! :-) I found the prospect of returning to work quite daunting after maternity leave but it was such a relief to know Izzy was in Sarah's care and I would often receive picture messages to show me just how much fun they have together. Every day I receive a full diary of their activities and every month I get photos emailed showing me their adventures.

Sarah loves to get out and about - to the woods, play groups, in the garden, shopping and Izzy's confidence has grown massively as a result. Izzy found groups of children overwhelming when she was little and so having more 1 on 1 care, Izzy has gradually been introduced to larger numbers and now she is thriving in groups of children. Likewise they have lots of fun indoors - learning to paint, draw, messy play, collecting shells on the man-made beach, an endless supply of toys for every age, building all sorts of things - head bands, binoculars! The list is endless!

Izzy loves going to Sarah's, her little face lights up when the door opens every morning. She has been welcomed by all the family and it's like her 2nd home. We only wish we could take Sarah with us. Thank you for all your help, you will be missed.

Lots of love

Liz and Izzy

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by Parent on 17/03/2014

Perfect Childminder

Sarah was child-minder for our 2 sons, Isaac (2) and James (8) from October 2012 to July 2013. She has looked after Isaac for 3 full days a week and picked James up from school twice a week.
Both boys settled in to being cared for by Sarah immediately, she provides a safe, caring and stimulating environment for all the children she looks after.
Isaac has really thrived in Sarah’s care. She has a large array of toys and activities, indoors and outdoors and also takes the children on lovely trips out to playgroups, parks or even to fab places like Wisley for the day. She provides thorough and informative daily feedback on what they have been up to each day with a diary and also completes a developmental progress record in line with EYFS guidelines. Sarah also takes some great pictures of what Isaac gets up to and regularly emails them.
Sarah is a very approachable and knowledgeable child-minder and it’s easy to see why she is rated by Ofsted as outstanding.
Both our boys are very sad to be leaving Sarah’s care and we are only moving on having managed to secure a nursery place for Isaac that perfectly matches my complicated shift working pattern.
It is a big wrench returning to work and leaving young children in someone else’s care but we have learnt that a child-minder is the perfect first step and Sarah is the perfect child-minder!
Thanks so much from all of us x

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by Parent on 18/07/2013

Response by Sarah A on 18/07/2013:

:') Thank you so much, I will miss both the boys terribly, but I look forward to hearing about Isaac's new adventures :) x

She'll always be there for you

Our son Francis was in the care of Mrs. Sarah Arnold from 16 months of age until his 3rd birthday, just before the start of preschool. Francis was at Sarah's three days a week, for a total of 21 hours a week.

Sarah's setting is a lovely family environment. Sarah is passionate about her job, she has a very energetic yet sweet personality which suited our son's vigorous approach to life. Sarah is a trustworthy and reliable provider.

Because Francis started at Sarah's at a fairly early age, it was important for us that he should follow a consistent routine during the day, in addition to enjoying lots of different activities. Sarah always scrupulously followed our instructions on how to deal with Francis with regard to naps and meals, and recorded this information in a daily diary, along with the fun activities the children had done during the day. The diary was a really useful tool which would ensure continuous communication between us and Sarah.

Fun activities included arts and crafts, gardening, nature walks, visits to science museums and local parks. There was never a dull moment! Sarah also made sure to include activities which would expose Francis to both languages he speaks at home, English and Italian. As a result, Francis is making good progress at becoming a bilingual little boy.

Because Sarah closely follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidelines, she also reported Francis' progress on a separate book with lots of descriptions and pictures to document Francis' educational journey. Francis' preschool teacher will use these books (we now have two) as a tool to ensure continuity in Francis' development.

We always felt Sarah had a genuine interest in Francis' physical and intellectual development, and we knew we could trust her in doing the best possible job in raising Francis and making him the happy, confident child he is today.
We will miss Sarah lots, though luckily she lives just down the road so we'll make sure we visit her often enough!

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by Parent on 01/09/2012

Response by Sarah A on 02/09/2012:

Francis will be missed by us all, can't wait to hear about his new adventures at nursery :) xx

5 stars

The contents of this review are no longer available as the reviewer's account has been deleted.

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by Parent on 20/08/2012

Response by Sarah A on 20/08/2012:

:) Thanks Becky, glad we still live so close so we can stay in touch xx

The right decision

Sarah looked after my daughter for 18 months and it was definitely the right childcare setting for her.

Sarah (and her family) formed a great bond with my daughter - she always showed such care and attention for her well being.She tried hard to provide one to one care for the children and was never 'too busy' with other children. There was a nice balance of age ranges amongst the children helping my daughter to develop socially. Sarah took her out to playgroups, walks outside, mixed with other children etc. She kept me and my husband updated on how she had been each day, what she had been up to and where she thought she was in her development. She also gave good advice from her own experience of weaning, socialising, managing difficult behaviour!! I always felt extremely comfortable with my daughter being in her care and that she would also listen to our wishes and concerns when required. I would happily endorse the 'outstanding' ofsted rating Sarah was given. We admire the time and effort you give to making your childminding such a success.

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by Parent on 23/05/2012

Response by Sarah A on 23/05/2012:

:) Thank you so much for your kind words Jen, it is always lovely to see children grow and develop from such a young age. G is missed by everyone :) My greatest job satisfaction is to see little ones thrive and their parents happy x

5 stars

The contents of this review are no longer available as the reviewer's account has been deleted.

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by Parent on 16/05/2011

Response by Sarah A on 23/05/2012:

:))