Sarah A
Childminder in Runnymede
Usually responds within 2 hours
Female Member since Apr 2010 Last Updated Jan 2025 Last Login 17 Jan 2025
My Summary
Experienced Childminder, Specialising In Under 3 Year Olds
About Me
All spaces now filled, please message if you would like to be added to my waiting list.
My name is Sarah Arnold and I have been a registered childminder for 15 years and I live in Addlestone with my husband and my 17 year old son.
My aim is to give parents high quality childcare and peace of mind that their child is being cared for in a safe, loving and fun environment. A family setting where they are nurtured and stimulated, so they can grow to their full potential. Somewhere they can learn through play, experience new ideas and develop their own individuality, independence and self-confidence, under my guidance. I want them to end each day at my setting excited about the next time they come.
My Experience
I have been minding since September 2009, I have worked very hard to make sure that my home is the ideal enabling environment for the children to learn through play. I have a wealth of toys and learning resources and all activities are planned for the individual child, to ensure they cover all the learning areas needed for a good foundation in the early years stage. We go out and about to various playgroups and parks, love going on nature walks, we love Wisley Gardens where I am a member and we go there regularly, as well as playing in the garden which is well equipped with outdoor toys, bees and butterflies garden, lots of sensory plants and mud kitchen, we do lots of arts and crafts, cooking and have so much fun learning together!
I have attained my Level 3 Diploma in Children's and Young People's Workforce and regularly update my professional development and knowledge, to ensure that my setting is providing the best possible quality care.
I currently do not do any nursery runs as I care for little ones who need to nap in the middle of the day, I am currently not providing any before or afterschool or holiday care for school age children.
My Qualifications
Early Years Childminding in Practice Training
Paediatric First Aid.
Safeguarding Children Course
Food Safety and Hygiene Level 2
Children and Young People's Workforce Level 3 Diploma
Fully Covid vaccinated
My Availability
I work Monday-Thursday between 8.30am at the very earliest and 5.30pm. I provide the new 15 hours funding for eligible working parents. I am open all year, so do not provide term time only places.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| After School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 10/01/2025 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £8.00 per hour
Please give me a call to discuss availabilty and any other queries you might have.
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 Ofsted Inspections
The inspection grades below have been obtained from the Ofsted website based upon the registration number the childminder has provided to us. You should verify this information yourself prior to using the childminder.
My Documents
- Ofsted Certificate (added 25/07/2023)
- DBS Check (added 25/07/2023)
- UK Driving Licence (added 25/07/2023)
- UK Passport (added 25/07/2023)
Reviews
5 out of 5
Parents say
The childminder receives overwhelmingly positive reviews, with parents praising her caring nature, dedication, and ability to create a nurturing environment. She provides a wide range of engaging activities, focusing on outdoor exploration and nature. Parents appreciate her communication, detailed updates, and support for each child's individual development. The childminder is described as reliable, trustworthy, and passionate about her work, often exceeding expectations.
Summary generated by AI from the text of most recent member reviews
Latest reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Sarah A. 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.
My daughter has been in Sarah’s care for over 2 years now and we have seen her flourish! The love and care that Sarah puts into each child in her care is outstanding, we couldn’t have asked for someone better to look after our daughter.
She comes home everyday day with a smile on her face and talks us through everything she had done in the day - usually outdoor exploring learning all the different mushrooms, foraging for sticks and leaves, climbing trees and jumping in puddles. In the summer the children spend time learning all about different plants and flowers and growing some of their own and there is always space for playtime and crafts throughout the day! There is never a dull moment!
Sarah puts so much energy and love into investing in to each child and it really shows in how they grow and develop over the years in her care! She is accommodating and understanding and caters to each child’s need. We are so sad for our daughter to be leaving Sarah’s Happy House, but we know that she would not be who she is today without Sarah and as parents, feel confident that our daughter is set up for the future as she ventures into pre-school and beyond!
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Buffy
on 10/12/2024
Our little boy Max has been with Sarah for 2 years now. It was honestly the best decision we made asking her to take care of him. He absolutely adores her and her knowledge and guidance has been second to none to us as first time parents. She provides the most wonderful environment for the kids and gives them all so much fun and learning that you wouldn’t receive in a larger nursery setting.
She takes them to all sorts of wonderful places like the Wisley and playgroups and introduces them to new experiences every day which has been wonderful for Max. He was a little behind on his speaking and Sarah took to much time one on one with him to teach him and encourage his language and I believe made a huge difference so now he’s chattering away non stop.
Sarah isn’t just a childminder… she cares so much for her babies and toddlers and is an expert in encouraging their development and talking to parents every step of the way. She is 100% reliable and never has unplanned days off or lets you down.
Our boy will be with Sarah for another 9 months before he goes to preschool and we thrilled that every morning he is excited to go and see her and demands cuddles off her at the end of every day.
Can’t recommend her highly enough!
Steph & Tim
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Steph
on 27/11/2024
Our son has been with Sarah for nearly two years now, and he is thriving under her care. When we first met Sarah, we instantly knew we wanted to send our son to her. She creates a wholesome, homely space for children to explore, learn and most importantly, have lots of fun! She truly cares for the children she looks after, and really brings out the best in them by encouraging their individual interests.
There’s never a dull day with Sarah. Whether it’s a trip to Wisley, playgroup, the park or going on an adventure in the woods, Sarah’s love for nature has such a positive influence on the children she cares for.
Sarah always goes beyond her call of duty - as first time parents, she has provided us with so much advice and support along the way, never with judgement and always with a brilliant sense of humour too.
Sarah has created such a safe, loving and nurturing environment for our son, and I feel so grateful that she has been such a big part of his life for the last few years. We will be sending our new baby to Sarah next year and we can’t wait for her to spend her days at Sarah’s happy house.
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Ellie
on 25/11/2024
Our son started with Sarah around 10.5 months and was with her for 2 years.
We honestly couldn’t have wished for a better childminder.
Sarah is so caring which makes things easier for us knowing he is in safe hands.
We are sent photos and videos throughout the day which is lovely to see what he gets up to.
Her setting is clean and full of appropriate toys and crafts it’s so lovely.
As first time parents, we felt comfortable being able to ask questions and ask for advice is great as she is so experienced and understanding.
When our son was with Sarah, he would be doing crafts, playing or out visiting playgroups, watching diggers, parks, having fun and making new friends. Sarah has great communication and has been more than a childminder to us, she felt part of the family!
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Elg_90
on 15/03/2024
My daughter has been with Sarah for the last few years and has shone. She was a Covid Baby and only saw her family so was very shy and timid but being at Sarah’s has bought her out of her shell in so many ways. Her language , learning and her social skills have all improved so much we are really sad to be leaving her. Sarah is always busy, whether learning at home, trips to local attractions or meeting other children and selected groups, my daughter always had stories to tell.
Thank you Sarah for everything you have done for our little one, will never forget you xxx
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Naomi B
on 19/12/2022
My son has been with Sarah for 18 months and absolutely loves every day. Sarah does A LOT of activities outdoors which is really good and has made my son appreciate the walks/finding and identifying different leaves, plants and mushrooms.
Sarah is such a caring individual and it's great to get updates and see what they're getting up to. There's always activities related to what the child likes and Sarah really does allow each child to shine.
Sarah also supports different languages and festivals (we're a bilingual family) and it's lovely to see her encouraging some of our specific festivals and having the songs on.
I'd definitely recommend Sarah to other parents.
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Emily
on 29/09/2022
Cannot recommend Sarah highly enough! Our daughter Lexi went to Sarah for a year before starting nursery in September this year. She has grown so much in her vocabulary and her confidence and communication skills
Sarah created such a lovely friendly environment for Lexi and the other children, and took them on such fun days out to local spots and different activities, and always sent lots of pictures and updates throughout the day of their adventures, which was so nice to see and so reassuring :)
We are due baby number 2 any day now and will not hesitate to contact Sarah next year when we need childcare again! :)
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by
carlio
on 29/09/2022
We can’t recommend Sarah enough. Our boy has loved every second of being with her. I only wished we had found her for our eldest when we first moved here!
Sarah clearly loves what she does. She really cares for the children she looks after, and is super with supporting their needs through exploring, play and learning.
Rufus has loved his creative sessions and the artwork he comes home with is beautiful - he’s really proud of it.
Sarah really encourages the children’s love and appreciation of nature through their walks and adventures. They would often be out and about in the morning, discovering wildlife and loving the fresh air. It’s my favourite time of day when I receive updates from Sarah showing me what they’ve been up to.
We’re so sad to be finishing with Sarah this month. Rufus is going to miss her - I don’t think there is anyone I would have rather entrusted my child to. A truly fantastic person.
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by
Hawkins
on 04/10/2021
I cannot recommend Sarah enough. My daughter started in 2019 and left 2021, Millie was always happy to go straight in without looking back to say goodbye!
Sarah always takes them out exploring the local parks and Millie has found a new appreciation for bugs and wildlife due to Sarah’s enthusiasm for all things nature.
Even though lockdown was difficult for everyone, Sarah made sure she kept in contact and sent videos and activity suggestions throughout.
She was always sending photos and communicating throughout the day she had Millie, and she is so creative with the artwork that was sent home, which is lovely to look back on.
I am so pleased we found Sarah, you could find a more lovely, understanding and supportive childminder.
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Samantha
on 08/09/2021
I have sent both my children to Sarah’s, my first son started with Sarah back in 2017 and my second son in 2019 and he is currently still there.
I don’t know where to start with saying how brilliant Sarah has been. She has exceeded my expectations of what you can get from a childminder by light years. It’s easy to see how Sarah has been awarded Outstanding twice by Ofsted because she is truly dedicated and passionate about her work, a complete natural. Both of my boys have loved their time at Sarah’s and I know it will be a wrench when we finally leave as she has been such a big part of their lives so far, as well as a big part of their development. Sarah is really supportive of your child’s specific interests and needs, what ever your child is into she will find way to play with them using their interests to help them learn. If your child loves trains, or animals, or dressing up etc, she will have toys and resources for everything.
Sarah encourages all the children to reach their developmental milestones using a huge range of resources that she has. I’ve been amazed at the things my boys have learned with her, knowing it hasn’t been me that taught them those things. Sarah also keeps a journal of your Childs developmental journey during their time with her which was amazing to read back on when I got given my eldest sons, so much detail in there that I had forgotten with time.
Sarah is always updating and creating fun new setups like teepee’s or mud kitchens for the children in her home, as well as having themes that the children learn about, and she makes beautiful art displays that regularly change. They simply can never be bored there!
As well as her lovely welcoming home and her big range of toys and books, Sarah has taken my boys out of so many great outings. She loves the Pheasantry at Bushey Park as well as Wisley Gardens, and she uses all the different local wildlife areas and parks to take the children out exploring, which is something my boys really love and need. Sarah herself is true lover of nature and she so much knowledge that she shares with the children that they learn along the way.
Importantly, Sarah has a really kind and lovely nature with the children. She has always been very nurturing and kind with my boys. Both of my children talk about her all the time with fondness and my youngest son who is still there now is always excited for his ‘Arnold’ day (what he calls her!), he goes in in the mornings with no fuss and gives Sarah a big cuddle as soon as he’s there.
When my boys have been at Sarah’s I have never had to feel worried while I was at work about them. Sarah send lots of beautiful photos and videos via WhatsApp of the children’s activities through the day, which I always look forward to, so I always feel like I have a good insight into how their days has been.
Sarah is very thorough with her policies and safe guarding and safety measures. Since Covid she has gone to a lot of effort to make changes to how she does things to keep everyone as safe as possible.
I could keep going on and on about how great Sarah is, but to round it off I would say that if you are lucky enough to get a space at Sarah’s then you have won the childminder jackpot! :)
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s_j_k
on 21/04/2021
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