I was really looking forward to my daughter starting with Stacey. She has a well-kept setting, makes lovely food, and takes the children on nice outings.

We did find some of her policies challenging though. Mainly that if a child is sent home with a temperature of 37.5, they cannot attend the following day. Due to this, my daughter was unable to attend 13 days over six months, but there was only one occasion that she seemed under the weather. Every other time we picked her up and she would be eating and playing as normal without any fever or signs of being unwell or distressed. After speaking with other parents, it became clear that children are frequently sent home, so it wasn’t just our experience. I have an older child and this policy isn't standard across all childcare settings. Combined with her term-time schedule and ad hoc closures, it became difficult to manage.

We decided to move to a different childminder who was a better fit for our family. Stacey offers a caring environment, but her approach and policies may not suit everyone.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication