Home / Education / UK Childminders Find New Homes in Schools
UK Childminders Find New Homes in Schools
3 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Childminders are essential for flexible childcare, especially for non-traditional hours.
- A new scheme allows childminders to operate from schools and community centres.
- One childminder enjoys increased space, staff flexibility, and a better child ratio.
Childminders are crucial to the UK's childcare system, providing flexible, home-based care essential for parents with varied work schedules. However, a significant decline in registered childminders has raised concerns about the future availability of this service.
To address this, a new scheme is being piloted, allowing childminders to operate from school and community centre premises for the first time. This move aims to retain experienced professionals and offer them improved working conditions away from their own homes.
Early results from this initiative are positive, with childminders reporting benefits such as increased space, greater flexibility in staffing, and the ability to accommodate higher child ratios, thereby strengthening their role as educators and community providers.
