Tabz's Reviews

From Confidence to Complete Loss of Trust

When entrusting someone with your child, honesty, transparency, organisation and communication are fundamental. Our children are our world, and choosing who to trust with their care is one of the most important decisions a parent can make. Unfortunately, based on our experience, we cannot recommend this setting.

We chose this setting because of the promises, communication and vision presented to us at the beginning. Sadly, our experience did not reflect those expectations. This is not an experience we would wish on any family. If you are looking for childcare, we would encourage you to carefully consider all of your options, including more established childminders or nursery settings with a proven track record of managing multiple children whilst maintaining consistent standards of care and communication.
As first-time parents, we never imagined we would be writing a review like this.

When we first joined, our experience was positive. We hoped to build a long-term childcare relationship and discussed increasing our son's attendance to four days per week from September. We were reassured this would not be a problem and were told that, as the first client, we would be looked after.
Unfortunately, our experience changed significantly over time.

Communication gradually deteriorated. During the early months we felt well informed, but once additional children joined the setting, updates became infrequent and eventually stopped unless we asked. When we raised concerns, we often received vague responses that left us with more questions than answers.

We also received inconsistent explanations about our son's future attendance. Although we had initially been told four days would be possible, we were later told funded hours could not be stretched across four days. We were then told Ellie was considering closing the business because of the risks involved and suggested another childcare setting may be more suitable. This explanation was later dropped, with different reasons given for why a fourth day could not be accommodated, making it difficult to understand the true position or plan ahead.

We were also frustrated that decisions often appeared to be made on our behalf rather than discussed with us. Whether an arrangement is suitable for our family is ultimately our decision as parents.
As the setting became busier, we noticed a decline in standards. Once two additional children had joined the setting, conversations became increasingly rushed, communication reduced, and the level of attention to detail we had experienced at the beginning was no longer evident. At pick-up times, Ellie often appeared under considerable pressure, leaving us with the impression that maintaining the same standard of care and communication had become increasingly difficult as the number of children increased.

There was also an accident whilst our son was in the setting's care. We understand that accidents can happen and do not expect perfection. However, the explanation we received did not appear to align with our understanding of the injury, leaving us with unanswered questions at a time when clear and transparent communication was essential.

We were also disappointed that the activities no longer reflected what had been presented to us. We had expected a varied programme supporting our son's learning and development, but the routine became much more limited, with park visits making up a large part of many days. Information about his progress was often vague, and although we eventually received a daily activity plan after repeated requests, it felt generic rather than tailored to his development.

A further concern was how our son's funded childcare hours were administered. We queried whether they had been applied correctly and were reassured everything was in order. After contacting Tower Hamlets ourselves, they reviewed the matter, advised us the funded hours had not been applied correctly, and informed us that they had contacted the childminder. Learning this after we had already raised our concerns was particularly disappointing.

Finally, we were disappointed by how our concerns were handled. When I asked if my husband, Ellie and I could sit down together to discuss them, Ellie declined, saying she was already speaking to me. Given the seriousness of the issues and the importance of the decision for our family, we felt our concerns were being dismissed rather than genuinely listened to.

Ultimately, this review is not about one isolated incident. It is about the gradual loss of trust that resulted from repeated communication issues, inconsistent explanations, concerns following an accident, declining standards as the setting became busier, the funded childcare issue reviewed by the local authority, and the way our concerns were handled.

Trust is everything when leaving your child in someone else's care. Unfortunately, by the end of our experience, that trust had been completely lost.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Tabz about Ellie (Childminder) on 20/07/2026

Response by Ellie on 20/07/2026:

We take all reviews seriously and respond mindful of our duty of confidentiality to the children and families in our care.

Safeguarding is our absolute priority and is never compromised for the convenience of any one family. Your specific demands, which prioritised personal convenience over children's safety, raised genuine safeguarding concerns; we acted responsibly by declining to accommodate them and offering an immediate referral to another setting. This decision triggered a series of complaints.

We hold ourselves, and expect from families, a standard of ethical and respectful communication that was regrettably not met here.

Throughout our engagement, we provided extensive daily written reports and verbal feedback: daily notes covering food, water, nappies, activities, classes, milestones met and particular interests, supported by tens of photographs, alongside a daily minimum of twenty minutes of face-to-face conversation with both parents at every drop-off and pick-up, as well as onboarding assessment and quarterly milestone reviews. We remained available to support your transition despite the disrespectful attitude shown toward us.

The incident referenced was a typical minor cut, assessed by a GP within 48 hours with no further action required, and it healed fully within days. Our accident procedure was followed in full, with immediate communication and documentation completed and countersigned.

We also note that this family raised numerous complaints during our engagement, including regarding terms that had been mutually pre-agreed and contractually signed.

We look forward to working with parents who respect the values and professionalism of our provision.