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Avatar for Karen W

Karen W

Childminder in Basingstoke

5 stars 5.0
redacted Caroline Gemma Lauren
(4 reviews)
Usually responds within 30 minutes
Rates from
£7/hr
Member
14 years
Last seen
10 Aug 2026
Updated
Aug 2026
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  1. Childminders
  2. Childminders in Hampshire
  3. Childminders in Basingstoke
  4. Karen W
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My Summary

Support Emotions And Mental Health

Ofsted Registered
Special Needs Experience
First Aid Training
DBS Check
Newborn Experience
Full Driving Licence
Own Car
School Pickups
Childcare Qualifications
2 Year old Funded Childcare
3 and 4 Year old Funded Childcare
Tax-Free Childcare
9 months old Funded Childcare
Highly Rated
Funded Childcare

About Me

Karen’s Kiddie Care
Updated: 05/08/2026 July 2026
I was last inspected by OFSTED on 15 October 2024, where I maintained my Outstanding rating. A copy of my OFSTED report is available in the documents section.
School-age childcare: I currently offer school pick-ups exclusively from Marnel Infant School and Marnel Junior School.
________________________________________
Welcome
Hello, my name is Karen, and I am an OFSTED-registered Childminder and an Early Years Education (EYE) Provider. This enables me to offer funded childcare places for eligible children aged 9 months, 2 years, and 3–4 years.

I live with my husband and our three friendly dogs: Chester (Border Collie), Buddy (Maltese), and Lola (Shih Tzu).

Our dogs have become a wonderful part of my childcare setting. Over the years, I have cared for several children who were initially nervous around dogs, and through gentle, supervised interactions with Chester, Buddy, and Lola, they have grown in confidence and overcome their fears. The dogs also help children develop kindness, empathy, and respect for animals. They have their own designated area within the home and are not with the children throughout the day.

My Experience
I have been a registered childminder for over 21 years, and I remain as passionate about my work today as when I first started. Supporting children as they learn, grow, and reach their full potential is incredibly rewarding.
I believe children learn best through engaging, hands-on experiences. I enjoy getting out into the local community and providing a wide variety of activities that promote learning, development, confidence, and independence in a fun and nurturing environment.

Qualifications and Professional Standards
My home is regularly inspected by OFSTED to ensure it continues to meet the highest standards of childcare.
Both my Husband and I hold enhanced DBS checks.
Throughout my career, I have also supported fellow childminders by contributing to training delivered through PACEY. This included providing resources to inspire childminders to enhance their indoor and outdoor learning environments, as well as acting as a mentor within PACEY support groups.
For outings and school runs, I have a fully maintained seven-seater vehicle with a full MOT and service history. I hold a clean driving licence and have the appropriate business insurance for both my vehicle and my childcare setting.

Community Involvement
I am also a volunteer with Barnardo’s, where I support the delivery of courses for first-time parents. These sessions provide practical advice and guidance on child development from birth to five years, alongside information about local support services and parenting programmes.

My Childcare Setting
I provide a warm, safe, and nurturing home-from-home environment where every child is valued as an individual. I work closely with parents to ensure each child’s unique needs, interests, and stage of development are fully supported.
Promoting healthy lifestyles is an important part of my setting. I encourage healthy eating and work in partnership with parents to accommodate allergies, dietary requirements, age-appropriate nutrition, and individual preferences. Fresh drinking water is always available throughout the day, encouraging children to develop healthy hydration habits.

School Pick-ups
I offer school pick-up only from the following schools
• Marnel Infant School
• Marnel Junior School

Additional Information
• OFSTED Registered
• Early Years Education (EYE) Provider
• Outstanding OFSTED Rating
• Non-smoker
• Non-vaper

Please take a look at my parent reviews to hear about the experiences of families who have used my childcare service.

My Experience

I have worked with children from different backgrounds and cultures I promote equal opportunities and anti-discrimination and anti-bias practices for all children. I have had experience with challenging behaviour and help a child with his transition into pre-school (child now in full time school)

I have helped children that are of different language that do not speak a word of English when they started with me, to speaking English and having a great understanding when they start their early years at school.

My Qualifications

EYFS training.
SPACE Community Training
Grade A Diploma in home-based Childcare Level 3
Paediatric First Aid
Advanced Childcare Protection
Level 2 Food Safety
EYE Business Support
Safe Guarding Children

My Availability

one space available Monday - Wednesday
I only have After School availability for pick ups

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Before School
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
Morning
yes
yes
yes
no
no
no
no
Afternoon
yes
yes
yes
no
no
no
no
After School
yes
yes
yes
no
no
no
no
Evening
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
Overnight
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
Available
Not available
Last updated 05/08/2026

My Fees

  • Childminding from £7.00 per hour

Fees
My hourly rates are as follows:

• Full-time care: £7.00 per hour
• Part-time care (under 21 hours per week): £7.50 per hour
• After-school care: £7.00 per hour

What’s Included
I provide the following at no extra cost:
• Healthy snacks and drinks throughout the day
• Baby wipes
• Sun cream

What You’ll Need to Provide
Parents are kindly asked to provide a packed lunch for their child each day.
If you have any questions about my fees or the care I provide, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’d be happy to help!

My Local Schools

  • I provide pick ups at Marnel Community Infant School
  • I provide pick ups at Marnel Junior School
  • I provide pick ups at Merton Infant School
  • I provide pick ups at Merton Junior School

My Ofsted Inspections

The inspection grades below have been obtained from the Ofsted website based upon the registration number the childcare provider has provided to us. You should verify this information yourself prior to using the childcare provider.

Ofsted Outstanding Provider Logo
Outstanding
15 October 2024
An outstanding childminder offers exceptional care and education, fostering remarkable attachments with children. The well-structured and ambitious curriculum employs innovative strategies to deepen understanding and ignite passion for learning. Health and well-being are promoted through creative tools, while an inclusive environment integrates children's family traditions into daily activities. Strong partnerships with parents further enhance children's educational journey and enthusiasm for lifelong learning.
Summary generated by AI from the text of the inspection report.
7 December 2018 - Outstanding
11 April 2014 - 2
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My Documents

This member has provided us with electronic copies of the following documents. These copies are held on file unless specified as deleted. The documents have been certified by the member as being true and accurate. We recommend you ask to see original copies of the documents before you hire them in order verify the true accuracy for yourself. Find out more about checks & references.
  • Ofsted Certificate (added 26/05/2017)
  • Inspection Report: Ofsted inspection report (added 26/03/2025)
  • Inspection Report (added 07/11/2024)
  • Inspection Report: Outstandng (added 16/10/2020)
Request Document Access We will notify the provider and you will receive an email if they accept your request

Reviews

5 stars 5 out of 5
4 ratings
5 star
100%
4 star
0%
3 star
0%
2 star
0%
1 star
0%

Latest reviews

Below are the latest reviews for Karen W. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk members and not of Childcare.co.uk. Parents must carry out their own checks and references on childcare providers to ensure that they are completely happy before enaging in the use of their services.

Fantastic Childminder

5 stars

My son has been with Karen from the age of 9 months until 3 years, and he absolutely loved his time there. I was nervous leaving him at such a young age but I genuinely had nothing to worry about, Karen made me feel extremely comfortable and I have loved hearing all about his day and what he has been doing!
The confidence in my son has grown tremendously during his time with her and I couldn’t recommend Karen highly enough !!

  • 5 stars Overall
  • 5 stars Setting
  • 5 stars Cleanliness
  • 5 stars Communication

by Avatar for Lauren Lauren on 14/10/2024

Childminder not to miss out on!

5 stars

Karen has looked after our daughter from 15 months up until she recently started school in September. We could not be happier with Karen as a childminder. We knew our daughter was in a safe environment with an extremely caring and personable childminder. The growth we saw in our daughter year on year was amazing and this was all down to the environment Karen creates. Karen is very active in educating, teaching and supporting children to explore and learn in a fun way, but tailored to their own individual personalities too.

Karen has an amazing childminder network which means our daughter embraced meeting new children she was not normally with day to day. This further improved her social skills, whilst having the most amount of fun too. Karen also organised and completed many days out with our daughter, which gave new experiences all based from Karen's ideas.

We cannot recommend Karen highly enough and anyone who is considering Karen as a childminder for their children, then please do it. You will not be disappointed.

Karen, thank you for everything. Gemma.

  • 5 stars Overall
  • 5 stars Setting
  • 5 stars Cleanliness
  • 5 stars Food
  • 5 stars Communication

by Avatar for Gemma Gemma on 12/10/2024

Fantastic Childminder

5 stars

Karen has spent the summer looking after my almost 2 year old and she has been fantastic. My son settled very quickly and that is greatly down to Karen's caring a loving environment. Harvey always looked happy doing different activities both at Karen's home and was often out at new parks which he loved exploring. My son always came home worn out but so happy so I know the he had lots of fun. I would recommend Karen to anyone and will definitely book my children in without hesitation. Thank you Karen.

  • 5 stars Overall
  • 5 stars Setting
  • 5 stars Cleanliness
  • 5 stars Food
  • 5 stars Communication

by Avatar for Caroline Caroline on 13/08/2023

Fantastic setting

5 stars

Karen was a wonderful childminder to our son Myles from August 2015, when Myles was 10 months old, until July 2017. Right from the start Karen has made us feel safe and reassured by inviting us to visit her setting and showing us the wide range of toys and educational material she works with. Karen has a warm and welcoming home with rooms and sections specifically dedicated to certain activities, as well as a large and well looked after outside area with plenty of exciting equipment for children of all ages.
Karen is admirably well organised and takes children to various groups on an almost daily basis, which I think was a great opportunity for Myles to socialise with diverse groups of children of different ages and participate in a very wide range of activities that stimulate all senses (such as singing & dancing groups, crafting groups, messy play groups etc.). At the same, more individual playing and learning at Karen’s house was equally provided, where Myles could bond more closely with the other children in Karen’s care. Furthermore, Karen sometimes joins up with other childminders to organise bigger events such as a sports day or a picnic in the park, which is great fun for the children. As a result of these varied social and educational opportunities Myles grew up a very confident little boy who is always eager to explore the world.
One of the many things I appreciated about Karen’s setting was that she took interest in Myles’s development as an individual and worked closely with us to provide tailored support for Myles. For example, she supported Myles in his bilingualism and we regularly talked about strategies to ensure that his language development didn’t fall behind, including a possible referral to a language specialist at a later stage. Karen also supported us in recording Myles’s food intake in detail so that we could discuss his eating habits with our health visitor.
Karen kept a personal folder and a scrap book for Myles where she recorded his individual progress and creative efforts, which we were very happy to see. She also provided us with a daily record of Myles’s activities, food intake, toileting progress and general well-being, as well as often sending us pictures of Myles during the day which never failed to bring a smile to our faces as we could see that our child was happy and well looked after. On top of this, she has regularly taken time to discuss Myles’s progress according to the EYFS framework in great detail, which has been very reassuring. On the other hand, Karen is also very approachable and was always available for an informal chat whenever we had any questions or concerns so that we could ensure we were all on the same page when it came to raising Myles.
Karen is very well qualified and experienced, and attends regular training courses to further advance herself in the field, which left us reassured that Myles was receiving professional and competent childcare. We could tell that he really loved Karen’s setting since he was always happy to come to Karen’s house in the morning and had a broad smile on his face when he saw her. It was great to know that he had a caring person looking after him that he could bond with.
We really appreciated Karen’s flexibility and hard work in everything that she did for Myles and we can very warmly recommend her setting to anyone in need of a friendly and reliable childminder.

  • 5 stars Overall
  • 5 stars Setting
  • 5 stars Cleanliness
  • 4 stars Food
  • 5 stars Communication

by Avatar for Parent Parent on 18/03/2018

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This profile was last updated on 5th August 2026 and has been produced from information provided to us by the user. We have not verified or confirmed the accuracy of any of the information and members should undertake their own vigorous checks and references. Please ensure you read our Safety Advice and information on how to Check Childcare Provider Documents.

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