Paula
Childminder in Cambridge (also available for babysitting)
My Summary
Nurturing Foundations
About Me
Child care in Sawston, Cambridge
Paula Barker - OFSTED registered with over 30 years experience, fully qualified, enhanced DBS, full paediatric First Aid trained.
I work alongside my daughter Molly Swales who is also registered on this site.
My Experience
I pride myself on providing a fun and nurturing environment where children will be encouraged to thrive. Through carefully planned, personalised activities, I will help your child to build confidence, make progress and enjoy their learning.
My Qualifications
I qualified as a teacher at Homerton, Cambridge 30 years ago.
My Availability
My Fees
- Babysitting from £20.00 per hour
- Childminding from £8.00 per hour
My Local Schools
This childminder has not yet informed us whether or not they provide any drop off or pick up services at local schools.
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.
- Enhanced DBS Check including Children's Barred List (issued 21/09/2025)
- Ofsted Certificate (added 25/06/2026)
Reviews
Latest reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Paula. 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.
Paula and Molly are absolutely BRILLIANT. I can’t recommend them enough. After being a bit stuck with childcare options for me returning to work and original nursery not having the right timeframe for my 2 to start I needed to find someone who could have them in the meantime… and we were so impressed that both the kids will be staying with them. It’s a no brainier!
Trusting someone to have both my babies was something that brought me a lot of anxiety but from the very first time we met them we immediately felt at ease. I was especially anxious with my first, entering the two’s and previously struggling with me leaving him, well apparently Molly and Paula are magic because he’s obsessed! Even more so when he is difficult and helping him with those big emotions. They are very attentive to both the kids and are amazing at keeping you up to date about how the day is going.
My youngest has several allergies, which includes her needing EpiPens. This was another anxiety riddled mess for me to navigate, from the second I mentioned this they made me feel at ease with prior knowledge, their own expierence with checking ingredients as well as asking all the right questions to make sure they had all the right knowledge and information. Fair to say she has continued to be a little foodie monster whilst under their care.
The communication is excellent, they work with you as the parent and more importantly you can see they are both passionate about what they do. The kids are truly obsessed and they have made my journey back into work far more enjoyable and less stressful.
We live away from family so don’t always have the stability for the kids that sometimes would be nice however both Paula and Molly have provided this for both of my children and I’m forever grateful for that.
Truly a home away from home❤️
Thank you!
by
Lucja
on 19/10/2026
I simply cannot recommend Paula and Molly highly enough. They have looked after my youngest child this summer, and I have been amazed by how much his confidence has grown, alongside his language development and ability to navigate new situations.
As a parent of three, I’ve experienced several different childcare settings, and I struggle to imagine anywhere improving on their approach. They have got the balance between nurturing, gentleness, development opportunities and genuine interest absolutely spot on. My child absolutely loved every day he spent with them.
He can be quite shy and takes time to warm up to new people and situations, but Paula and Molly took the time to get to know him, recognise his individual interests and adapt their care to meet his needs. That made such a difference, and was hugely appreciated by both of us.
They were also incredibly kind and flexible with me, which is so valuable when juggling multiple children alongside work.
We feel very lucky to have found them, and I’m genuinely sad that our time with them has come to an end. They have given him such a lovely summer, and I know he’ll carry the confidence and independence he’s developed with him for a long time. They are a brilliant team, and I suspect they won’t be available for long, anyone who gets a place with them will be very lucky indeed!
by
Susannah
on 03/09/2026
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This profile was last updated on 13th October 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.