Sally Andrews

Thank you for welcoming Billy into your home

Sally has looked after our son Billy since he was 18 months old. The day that we first met Sally, we were struck by her warmth and professionalism.
Sally was the first person outside our family that had ever cared for Billy. She guided us through the settling in period with warmth and encouragement, reassuring us that all would be OK in the end. And she was right! Soon enough, Billy was running into her home without looking back.
Sally's communication with us as parents has been excellent. We got regular updates on what he had been doing, how much he had slept and so on. She has been incredibly reliable, always telling us about her planned holidays well in advance and she has never needed to take any time off. She would always plan in advance what she was doing with the children on particular days so that we could be prepared with what to pack for Billy.
I liked the idea of a childminder as I felt Billy would get to do different activities, and Sally really fulfilled this. They went to local playgroups, fountains in warm weather, farms and Paradise Park, all included in the price paid per hour. She also worked hard to acknowledge special events, with Billy bringing home artwork for Christmas, Easter, Mothers/Fathers day etc.
I also wanted Billy to get to know one person as his caregiver. Sally has been really warm and cuddles Billy if he needs it, for example when he was settling in and needing more cuddles than usual.
During our time with Sally as Billy's childminder, we started having to navigate the governments childcare incentive. Sally worked hard to navigate the process alongside us and has seamlessly helped us to access our entitlement which was great.
Sally also worked alongside us during potty training and supported us in our wishes for this process, helping it to go smoothly.
I would absolutely recommend Sally as a childminder. She is loving, warm, professional and hugely reliable. It is clear she cares a lot about the children she cares for, her profession and her knowledge.

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by Sally about Sally Andrews on 30/07/2024

Response by Sally Andrews on 31/07/2024:

Hi Sally, thank you so much for your lovely review, it has been an absolute pleasure caring for Billy and doing this along side you guys. I wish you all the very best for the future and hope to see you all soon. Take care xx

Brilliant care for our little one!

Our baby started with Sally when he was 10months. She was absolutely brilliant with him (and us, to calm our nerves). Sleep was a big worry for us, but Sally cuddled or rocked him to sleep which was amazing. Sally provides a loving environment, where little ones can thrive. She takes them out on adventures every day. We were completely happy with the childcare Sally provided

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by lro about Sally Andrews on 30/11/2021

Response by Sally Andrews on 12/01/2022:

It was an absolute pleasure to work with you guys, thank you so much for your lovely review. I will miss you all and wish you all the best :o)

Child centred

Sally was childminder for our daughter, Leah, between April 2018 to December 2020.

Sally is our second experience of a childminder as the childminder who had looked after our son was fully booked. We have been very pleased with Sally’s level of professionalism in her field. Sally was clear about the way she works with children and the way she sees them as individuals. This is evident in the way she talks with children and also in the way she interacts with her own children who are now older. The way we would describe Sally is: patient, kind and loving. She shows warmth and respect to all the children we have seen her with. Sally has always adapted to the needs of each child.

Within the setting, Leah has been happy and engaged in playing with different toys. The two pet rabbits have brought much enjoyment and feeding the squirrels in the garden has added to the fun. Sally has a good outdoor space with a little kitchen and different toys the children can play with. Usually Sally will take the children out in the morning. This has included a variety of activities such as children’s groups where they mix with other children, the toy library, a local park or the beach. She has also taken the children to local attractions such as Paradise Park.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic Sally has adapted her setting well to the changes. Sally’s approach has been taking practical steps to ensure guidance is adhered to and she has sought regular support from representatives within the council. The changes appears to have had little impact on Leah’s experience of being in the setting. Sally has continued to take the children out in the mornings as much as has been possible. They have been going to local woodlands and parks (usually avoiding play areas). Sally has also continued to work on the children’s social skills and has teamed up with other childminders to meet in the outdoors when government guidance has allowed for this.

Leah has always been happy at Sally’s and enjoyed the comfort of being in her home. Over the last year we have realised that our daughter experiences some separation anxiety. It is to the credit of Sally that it has taken us several years to understand this issue as she has always been easy to settle with Sally.

The support Sally has offered has been invaluable as a family with two key workers. Sally was able to continue to childmind Leah throughout the lock down when several other childcare facilities were closed. In the period Leah has been with Sally she has not had to take time off sick.

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by Sabine about Sally Andrews on 31/01/2021

Response by Sally Andrews on 02/02/2021:

Thank you so much Sabine for such a detailed and lovely review. It was a pleasure to look after Leah and Marcus and work along side you guys.

Best childcare decision we've made!

When our daughter, Anya, was 11 months, we could see she was ready for more social interaction and activity. We looked at a range of nurseries, and we met a number of childminders to see if we could find the right fit. It was only after quite a long search that we met Sally, and before we had left her building, we knew she was 'the one' for us. Anya is now three, and is ready for nursery. For those looking for more information about Sally, we hope this review helps. We'll give more detail about specific features of Sally's care because we remember reading these reviews, and how much they helped us. But in a nutshell, we believe that choosing Sally has been the best decision we could have made for our child's care in the first three years of her life.

Responsive care: We knew she was right for us, because we could visibly see the care and kindness with which she treated the other children in her setting when we went to visit her. Sally clearly loves the children she cares for, and she takes the time to get to know them as individuals. We wanted someone who would give our daughter a lot of hugs and physical reassurance, and be an adult with whom she could form a healthy attachment. We have seen how, in Sally's care, our daughter has unfolded into a secure, communicative, confident and playful three-year old, and we know that this is very much down to Sally's responsive and loving care giving. One example that stands out is a morning when Anya raced out to see Sally to tell her a story. She was midway through the story when we interrupted Anya, to check something about picking her up. Sally indicated very politely to us that we'd chat in a minute, and turned back to give Anya her full attention again (Anya had already climbed into Sally's arms at this point). This indicated an innate respect for our child, and an interest in her world, which we really valued. Sally is boundaried, kind and gentle.

The setting: Sally's home is immaculate, light and well-organised for indoor and outdoor play, with rabbits (and a rabbit hutch) that the children love and a beautiful big garden that has sweeping views across Brighton. The children have a consistent routine everyday and it is a routine that we still maintain as a family, even with our daughter now in nursery.

Sleep: This was another reason we chose Sally: each child has their own cot and a quiet room to sleep in. Anya had a special rocket night light that she loved, and Sally managed to get Anya to go to sleep on her own from the start (something we then were able to set up at home).

Activities: Sally combines indoor and outdoor activities, offering the children a wide range of spaces to play in and different art materials to play with. Sally has a strong belief, as we do, that it's good for kids to get fresh air and be outside; she also provides time each day for children to go 'slow', sometimes doing yoga with them along with lots of reading and playing. Anya misses the frequent outdoor activities, now that she's in nursery. Come rain or shine, the kids would often go out in the morning to stomp around the woods collecting pinecones and autumn leaves.

Covid: Sally is an excellent communicator, and she is also well-networked and aware of all of the latest (and ever-changing) Covid rules for childcare. She has not taken any risks with her childcare, and with the activities that she organises for the children at home and outdoors. We have felt entirely confident about having Anya with Sally, during the pandemic.

Communication/Administration: Sally has communicated consistently and clearly with us from the moment we set up our first meeting. We liked how boundaried she was, when working out our days/times; this is echoed in her consistency with the kids in her care. The contract is clear, and we received daily information about our children through Babysdays - an app that Sally uses to share information about the day's activities, photographs of the activities, sleep time and duration, developmental milestones etc. Now that Anya is in nursery, we really appreciate the level of daily information that we received. We also can see how rare it was to have had Sally's level flexibility and willingness to accommodate us, as our work shifted over time.

I don't really like or write reviews, but this is a long one because my wife and I are so grateful to Sally for all the love and fun she's given Anya in the first years of her life. We whole-heartedly recommend Sally!

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by Beth about Sally Andrews on 16/01/2021

Response by Sally Andrews on 17/01/2021:

Thank you so much Beth, such a lovely and detailed review, I really appreciate it. It was an absolute pleasure working along side you guys and getting to be such a massive part of Anya's early years has been a total privilege. Hope to see you all very soon.

I don't know what we'd do without her!

Sally has been our childminder for over 3 years, she looked after our first son until he was 3.5 and ready for pre-school, and now our second son, who is 20 months.

Overall I can honestly say we would be lost without her. Sally is kind, caring, considerate and most of all, fun!! She takes the children out almost every day to a wide range of places including parks, the library, groups, paradise park, the beach...in fact some days I wonder if weekends are boring with us!! I trust her completely and I know they are in safe hands, she gives them lots of cuddles and attention and I know they are well cared for. Our boys have enjoyed spending time with other children at the setting too, along with her own children (who are both lovely...and seemingly hilarious!) Plus she meets up with other childminders to allow the children to play together. I love reading the diary every day and looking at the photos she takes, to see what he has been up to and this makes me feel involved in his day. She also records progress against EYFS through observations and assessments.

Sally is also flexible, super organised and an excellent communicator. She has helped us so much over the years, she has been kind enough to accommodate my sometimes difficult working hours and various administrative bits and bobs that have popped up over the years. For example she accepts most childcare vouchers and signed up for funded hours.

Sally's flat is always very clean and tidy, but at the same time welcoming and complete with lots of fun toys and activities. There are cots provided for the little ones to sleep in and they even get their own rooms, so my son's have always slept well! The flat is secure and so is the garden. The bunnies are very cute and a big hit with the children who love to help take care of them.

People often comment on the polite and kind manner of my eldest son, I believe Sally has helped to nurture him into the lovely boy he is. I can already see this will be the case for my youngest too :)

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by Emilyh about Sally Andrews on 05/09/2018

Response by Sally Andrews on 05/09/2018:

Thank you so much Emily, such a lovely review :o) It has been and still is an absolute pleasure working with you guys and looking after your 2 amazing boys.