I initially had high hopes for Iris’s childcare setting, but my experience left me deeply concerned about professionalism, communication, and safeguarding standards.

On 18 November 2024, I left my 1-year-old daughter in Iris’s care for a settling-in session. I dropped her off at 9:00 am and picked her up around 11:00/11:30 am. During this time, I made six calls to Iris, and my sister called three times as well. Despite having two assistants working with her and keeping her phone on loud—as I had observed during my visit when she took a call while showing me around—Iris did not answer or acknowledge my attempts to contact her. A simple response, such as a quick text or instructing her assistants to reply on her behalf, would have been sufficient, but I received nothing.

When I finally received a picture of my daughter, she looked exhausted from crying. I understand that settling-in sessions can be challenging for children and that Iris has many kids to look after, but the complete lack of communication during this period was shocking and unacceptable. As a parent, this made me feel ignored and deeply worried about my daughter’s well-being.

To make matters worse, Iris’s follow-up texts were unprofessional and dismissive. She suggested I stop working if I “couldn’t handle it” and accused me of having “trust issues.” This was not about trust—it was about the basic expectation of communication during my daughter’s settling-in session. Her response completely disregarded my valid concerns and showed a lack of empathy.

Additionally, I believe it is important to highlight that sharing details of my situation with another childminder without my consent is a potential breach of confidentiality under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Further concerns included hygiene issues, such as a staff member with visible paan (betel nut) in her teeth, and organizational lapses like handing my daughter the wrong coat at pick-up. While minor on the surface, these incidents added to my lack of confidence in the setting’s attention to detail.

Another point of unprofessionalism was when my sister, who had found Iris’s profile on this website, discovered that she had been blocked by Iris. Blocking a concerned parent instead of addressing the issues raised is highly unprofessional and raises further concerns about transparency.

I have since reported my concerns to Ofsted and have screenshots of the unprofessional and inappropriate messages Iris sent to me. While her setting is well-equipped with plenty of toys and a good environment for children, her attitude and behavior when issues arise are deeply concerning.

I strongly recommend avoiding this provider. It’s essential to ensure that both the physical environment and the people caring for your child meet the highest standards of professionalism and care.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication