A little about me
A little about me
I have always had a genuine love of children, so I trained and became a social worker specialising in children and young people when I left school.
I registered as a childminder and started to care for other people’s children in my own home after the birth of my elder son because I simply couldn’t bear the thought of leaving my baby with someone I didn’t know! The whole ‘leaving my baby’ situation was compounded because childcare was poorly regulated then. I didn’t know anyone who used childcare; there were no day nurseries in Ivybridge, and the process of registering childminders with Social Services was in its infancy.
As an ex-social worker, with a fertile imagination (!), my instincts just wouldn’t let me leave my baby with someone I didn't know.
Consequently, I now have over 25 years of experience as a registered childminder. Throughout this time, I have experienced a lot of change within the profession and have always embraced new practices willingly due to the benefit to both the children and their families. I am passionate about the impact that high-quality early years care and education can have on children. Maintaining my continuing professional development enables me to incorporate different ways of helping children learn and develop into my childminding practice.
I am married to Ken, who is semi-retired and helps out during the day, have two adult sons and a dog called Lily
Don't just take my word for it...
What others say...
Ofsted
Ofsted have judged me as Outstanding, at every inspection, in all areas of their judgements, since 2003.
Below are some of their comments from my most recent inspection in November 2015:
Parents
“First and foremost, we have no doubt that our daughter has been safe, secure and extremely well cared for whilst at the setting. From the first day we had a strong confidence and high level of trust in Frances and this has only grown further over the 28 months our daughter has been in her care. Every morning at ‘drop-off’, our daughter is warmly welcomed and she is unfailing happy to be left. Indeed, this reflects the tone of our experience with Frances; our daughter has been extremely happy and thrived under Frances’ supervision, nurture and care… We couldn’t have asked for more from a childminder for our daughter and have recommended her without reservation to other parents seeking childcare in Ivybridge."
“From my first visit to Frances, she very much put me at ease about the idea of leaving my children with a childminder..."
"During those initial visits where I stayed with my son I was absolutely in awe of how calm and well organised the setting was. I watched as a group of small children set the table for lunch and ate a meal together with far greater independence than I could have hoped for… It was watching the way that Frances organised such a cohesive, supportive and yet independent learning environment that absolutely convinced me that this was the right setting for my son… As a working mother, it was very important to me know that my career was not impacting negatively on my children and I felt very lucky to have a childminder who ensured that I never doubted my decision to return to work. I was always given lots of photographs and texts messages to keep me up to date with what the children were doing and often returned home laden with things the children had made or grown…I cannot recommend Frances’ child-minding service highly enough. Quite often all of her places have been filled by the children of my colleagues as her reputation is so high amongst local teachers"
"Frances gave both of my children a fantastic start to their education but also ensured they were in a comfortable home environment feeling secure and cared for. Both of my children still talk very fondly about her and neither has experienced such personalised learning since, either at pre-school or at school."
“She truly is a real life Many Poppins”
Full references can be supplied and past parents are happy to be contacted to discuss references further.
Professional Visitors
Sue Waite*, Bernie Davis and Kylie Brown, University of Plymouth
‘Because the outdoor space at the home of the childminder is limited, the children are often taken out to other areas within the community… Frances’ willingness to plan trips to parks, woodland, the moors and the beach, plus her use of her garden as the setting for a variety of outdoor activities means that the children in her care have many opportunities to experience different sorts of outdoor learning… Frances is very aware of each [outdoor] opportunity presented and how to maximise the children’s experiences…’
We were accompanied to the woods, what follows are snippets from their observations.
‘The children were very enthusiastic about the prospect [of a walk in the woods] as could be seen from the very bouncy and energetic walk the children adopted… Every time a little girl collected something, she would take it over to Frances to show her. Frances always responded with very positive language, commenting on certain aspects of the piece… Frances encouraged the children to balance on fallen logs or rocks, utilising the surrounding around them… During my observation of the walk, Frances and the children were in constant communication about items they had found and different aspects about the woodland… Frances spent the whole walk pointing out what type of leaves the children were finding, and commenting on other objects of interest i.e. lichen. She also provided the children with a magnifying glass and prompted certain aspects of the finds, for example, where a caterpillar had eaten some of the leaf or the veins of a leaf. This example represents another area of good practice regarding the importance of encouraging ‘children to use their imagination and ask questions…’
‘Case studies of outdoor learning in five setting for 2 – 11year olds in Devon’ is available to read.
*Sue Waite is Associate Professor (Reader) in Outdoor Learning in Plymouth Institute of Education at Plymouth University, investigating how place, people and pedagogies interact to support positive societal outcomes in play, learning, health and wellbeing through the great outdoors. A qualified primary school teacher, over the last 20 years, Sue has published widely in academic and practitioner journals and edited books.
Ofsted
Ofsted have judged me as Outstanding, at every inspection, in all areas of their judgements, since 2003.
Below are some of their comments from my most recent inspection in November 2015:
- The childminder has an outstanding understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
- She organises her provision very efficiently, which benefits children and families enormously.
- The childminder continually strives to enhance her professional qualifications. She makes use of training to extend and further develop outstanding play experiences for the children. For example, training has helped the childminder teach children to manage risks an enjoy physical challenges outdoors.
- The childminder has an excellent knowledge of child development. She uses her understanding and skills very effectively to help children develop their communication and language skills.
- Children benefit from a nurturing and welcoming, homely environment. They are extremely happy and relaxed in the childminder’s care, an explore the activities and resources with enthusiasm and great interest.
- The childminder makes the mostly of every opportunity to encourage counting and promote mathematical development during activities and everyday routines. For example, children have fun noticing numbers on outings and recognising shapes at snack time.
- Assessment is meticulous and highly focused on children’s needs. The childminder monitors children’s learning closely, and carefully considers all the information to help all children make the best possible progress.
Parents
“First and foremost, we have no doubt that our daughter has been safe, secure and extremely well cared for whilst at the setting. From the first day we had a strong confidence and high level of trust in Frances and this has only grown further over the 28 months our daughter has been in her care. Every morning at ‘drop-off’, our daughter is warmly welcomed and she is unfailing happy to be left. Indeed, this reflects the tone of our experience with Frances; our daughter has been extremely happy and thrived under Frances’ supervision, nurture and care… We couldn’t have asked for more from a childminder for our daughter and have recommended her without reservation to other parents seeking childcare in Ivybridge."
“From my first visit to Frances, she very much put me at ease about the idea of leaving my children with a childminder..."
"During those initial visits where I stayed with my son I was absolutely in awe of how calm and well organised the setting was. I watched as a group of small children set the table for lunch and ate a meal together with far greater independence than I could have hoped for… It was watching the way that Frances organised such a cohesive, supportive and yet independent learning environment that absolutely convinced me that this was the right setting for my son… As a working mother, it was very important to me know that my career was not impacting negatively on my children and I felt very lucky to have a childminder who ensured that I never doubted my decision to return to work. I was always given lots of photographs and texts messages to keep me up to date with what the children were doing and often returned home laden with things the children had made or grown…I cannot recommend Frances’ child-minding service highly enough. Quite often all of her places have been filled by the children of my colleagues as her reputation is so high amongst local teachers"
"Frances gave both of my children a fantastic start to their education but also ensured they were in a comfortable home environment feeling secure and cared for. Both of my children still talk very fondly about her and neither has experienced such personalised learning since, either at pre-school or at school."
“She truly is a real life Many Poppins”
Full references can be supplied and past parents are happy to be contacted to discuss references further.
Professional Visitors
Sue Waite*, Bernie Davis and Kylie Brown, University of Plymouth
‘Because the outdoor space at the home of the childminder is limited, the children are often taken out to other areas within the community… Frances’ willingness to plan trips to parks, woodland, the moors and the beach, plus her use of her garden as the setting for a variety of outdoor activities means that the children in her care have many opportunities to experience different sorts of outdoor learning… Frances is very aware of each [outdoor] opportunity presented and how to maximise the children’s experiences…’
We were accompanied to the woods, what follows are snippets from their observations.
‘The children were very enthusiastic about the prospect [of a walk in the woods] as could be seen from the very bouncy and energetic walk the children adopted… Every time a little girl collected something, she would take it over to Frances to show her. Frances always responded with very positive language, commenting on certain aspects of the piece… Frances encouraged the children to balance on fallen logs or rocks, utilising the surrounding around them… During my observation of the walk, Frances and the children were in constant communication about items they had found and different aspects about the woodland… Frances spent the whole walk pointing out what type of leaves the children were finding, and commenting on other objects of interest i.e. lichen. She also provided the children with a magnifying glass and prompted certain aspects of the finds, for example, where a caterpillar had eaten some of the leaf or the veins of a leaf. This example represents another area of good practice regarding the importance of encouraging ‘children to use their imagination and ask questions…’
‘Case studies of outdoor learning in five setting for 2 – 11year olds in Devon’ is available to read.
*Sue Waite is Associate Professor (Reader) in Outdoor Learning in Plymouth Institute of Education at Plymouth University, investigating how place, people and pedagogies interact to support positive societal outcomes in play, learning, health and wellbeing through the great outdoors. A qualified primary school teacher, over the last 20 years, Sue has published widely in academic and practitioner journals and edited books.
Contact
Where to find us:
3 Barons Pyke, Ivybridge, PL21 0BZ, UNITED KINGDOM
frances.rogers@btinternet.com
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