Sadie’s Little Sunflowers

Had a wonderful morning at Lydiard with some lovely local childminders and their mindees in celebration of Childminders Appreciation Week ❤️

This week marks the start of Childminder Appreciation Week 🥰🩷

We will be sharing lots of different fun facts this week 🥰🩷

Feel free to share and tag 🥰🩷 let’s show everyone just how fantastic childminders are this week 🥰🩷

ChildminderAppreciationWeek

Time for this childminder to take a well earned break 🥂🎉🍾

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter 🐣

See you all on the 13th April!

First visit to Sustain farm shop and cafe of the year and nice to have some lovely sunny weather for a change ☀️🦙🐖🛝

Having just had my inspection using the now old system this speaks volumes …

Every time Ofsted announce a ‘new system,’ I find myself asking: will this one actually change anything?

The weight often isn’t in the grade itself, but in the uncertainty that surrounds it. One voice tells you you’re doing brilliantly, the next insists you’ve fallen short — all for the very same thing. That unpredictability and contradiction leaves us constantly second-guessing. It’s the crushing weight and reality of knowing your whole livelihood — your passion, your years of care, your very reputation — can hang on the perspective of who happens to walk through the door that day.

That kind of pressure doesn’t just disappear when the inspection ends. It lingers like a dark shadow. It steals sleep. It chips away at confidence and joy. It leaves us questioning ourselves. All while we continue giving everything we have to the children we care for.

This isn’t about avoiding or resisting accountability. Parents deserve clarity. Children deserve the very best. But educators deserve respect too. We deserve a fair system that values our work, recognises the heart we pour into it, and truly supports improvement — not one that leaves us fearful, depleted, and bracing for impact.

A colour chart won’t lift this weight. But real change could. And that’s what every child, every family, and every educator deserves ❤️

Childminder Off Duty 🎉😴🥂

Time for a well earned break after working all summer (never again 🙈)

Back open on 15th September

So over Summer this happened… 🌸

Back in January I got the dreaded Ofsted email to say my inspection was due, and it’s been 8 long months of stress and waiting for that call.

At times I honestly felt like giving up – and I know anyone who has been through an Ofsted inspection, especially as a lone childminder, will feel my pain!

When the day finally came, my inspector was a man – which felt a little unusual for me – but he was professional, fair and put me at ease as I was extremely nervous. In the end, it wasn’t nearly as daunting as all those months of worry had made it seem.

I couldn’t have got through it without the support of my own family. 💕 It’s also the first inspection I’ve faced since John passed, and I truly hope I’ve made him proud. Being a widow comes with many daily struggles, but this job really does keep me going.

To me, the children here aren’t just in my care – they’re part of my extended family

I’m so thankful to the families who trust me with their little ones everyday, and proud of the caring, nurturing space we’ve created together 💛

Leaving Day for O and a 3rd Birthday for G warranted an outing to Crocodiles of the World 🐊 yesterday with Aubrey and Sharlotte 💖

We were lucky enough to see the Clouded Leopard too 🐆