Gemma

About Me

I am an Ofsted registered childminder living in Hexham with my husband and my 2 children who are now 15 and 10.

I have worked with children for just over 20 years.
I am also known as Oak Close Childcare.

I offer a home from home environment.
We regularly visit the library, our very own allotment, parks and attend the Family Hub weekly.

My aim is to provide children with a calm homely environment.
Children’s interests and needs can be individually tailored as ratios are small.

I am very passionate about learning outdoors. I provide regular outdoor activities and we visit our allotment nearby regularly.
My ethos is based around learning about nature and the outdoor environment. Children get regular access to a wide variety of outdoor activities.
I have a wide variety of high quality resources which complement our environment.

Our allotment is one of the main spaces we play where we grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables.
We have a poly tunnel which contains a variety of themed resources that link to what we are learning about at the allotment.
It’s a safe place to play when the weather perhaps isn’t as kind to us.

In the afternoon after our morning adventures we tend to do lots of home based activities such as baking, clay, playdough, painting and messy play.

We have song and story time each day too!

I have a dedicated playroom which leads out onto an outdoor garden area. The garden has a variety of activities including a water and sand area, a digging area, a 'mark making shed', a variety of bikes and cars and a fantastic mud kitchen

I offer 38 weeks of funded hours term time only. This includes food so no extra charge for that.
I am open 45 weeks of the year.

I have lots of references from parents in the local area.

I currently have a Tuesday and Thursday available starting September 2026.

Please get in touch if you would like more information.