In short, I would not recommend Mary Tadros as a childminder.

We employed Ms Tadros’ services from mid-March to the end of April 2022, which included our one-month notice period (we handed in our notice after two weeks). This review is based on our experiences during that time and includes the things we would have wanted to be aware of before signing a contract. The reason we waited to post a review is because we were waiting for the outcome of a court case we lodged against her, which we won on all counts.

For transparency, these are the things we claimed for, and won, in the court case:
• £10 for a trip which we had paid for in cash but was taken out of the deposit at the end of the contract.
• £70 (a day’s fee) that was taken out of the deposit for a day after the contract ended.
• £70 for a day Ms Tadros took off sick, although she hadn’t provided us with her sickness policy before the contract started so we weren’t aware we would have to pay for her sick days.
• £70 for a Bank Holiday that fell outside of our contracted days (she charged us for Good Friday, although we didn’t normally send our child to her on a Friday) – if you decide to employ Ms Tadros as a childminder, I would recommend you get in writing that you will only be charged for Bank Holidays that fall on your normal contracted days.

Ms Tadros provided a range of healthy, home-cooked meals for lunch. She involved the children in a variety of different activities, baking for example, and sent photo updates to parents via WhatsApp. The children wore overalls during messier activities to help protect their clothes.

Other things we would have liked to have known include:
• She took a certain number of holidays a year and charged parents for that time, which was in the contract. Again, I would suggest you clarify in writing that you will only be paying for her holiday if it falls on your normal contracted days.
• She does occasionally take the children out on trips, but doesn’t regularly take them to local playgrounds and playgroups, which other childminders in the area do.
• She has a very strict sickness policy for the children: if the child has a temperature of 37.5 or above, they will be excluded from the setting for 48 hours, even if it’s because of teething, the temperature disappears by the time the child gets home, and/or there are no other symptoms. You have to pay for days when your child is unable to attend because of sickness (having to pay is clear in the contract and common among childcare providers).
• She took the children to church around Easter time.
• She has rabbits and dogs (she did tell us about this before we employed her).

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication