Apple Blossom Day Nursery

A six acre field, poultry and horses give Apple Blossom Day Nursery a clear rural character. Children make supervised trips to the field, while fenced outdoor space combines paving with grass. Nature is part of the nursery day rather than simply its backdrop.

Apple Blossom has capacity for 29 children, with an early-years age range of 3 to 60 months. Its London Road address is in Whimple, Exeter. At its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective, while asking for more consistent help with children's communication and better staff deployment at meals.

The strongest practical distinction is the combination of animal encounters and outdoor exploration. The nursery also runs a term-time before and after school club, alongside a Holiday club for school-age children.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences support language, movement and understanding of the world. Here, the rural setting gives that learning concrete material, with supervised field trips and opportunities to interact with animals.

In December 2024, children visited the field to feed Indie, a horse, gathered orchard apples for snacks and collected eggs from the chickens. Vegetable growing and watching pumpkins decompose connected food with the soil it comes from. These are useful experiences for children who enjoy learning through things they can handle, observe and help care for.

Other activities at that time worked on smaller physical skills. Younger children separated cotton wool before sticking it onto a picture, while older children mixed white and red paint to make pink. These examples show different levels of challenge rather than one identical task for everyone.

Language also ran through activities in December 2024. Decorating a Christmas tree introduced vocabulary such as tinsel and bauble; younger children combined words and asked questions about what staff were preparing. Daily speech-sound activities gave language another place in the routine.

Stories and music provided a different pace. In December 2024, children discussed book covers and predicted the story, while younger children explored instruments and ribbon movements. Older children followed directions during music and movement activities. That mix gives children opportunities to listen, talk and practise moving their bodies.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fenced play space has both paved and grassy surfaces, with the six acre field extending the outdoor offer beyond it. Chickens, ducks, turkeys and horses give supervised outings a recognisable purpose. For a child interested in animals, there is something tangible to return to and learn about.

The Holiday club serves children aged 5 to 11 outside school time, with activities and outings. It sits alongside the younger children's nursery provision, giving the setting a role beyond preschool care without changing the early-years age range of this profile.

Relationships and Communication

Staff work across the children rather than knowing only one small part of the nursery. That familiarity is a useful part of its personal scale: children and families know the adults caring for them. Staff attend further training, and all hold current paediatric first-aid qualifications.

In December 2024, children sought physical reassurance from staff, who responded affectionately. Parents had termly discussions about their child's development, alongside conversations about individual needs. Those meetings gave families a regular opportunity to discuss progress rather than relying solely on brief everyday exchanges.

Communication was also an improvement point. In December 2024, some adults used language that was too complicated when children were distressed, making it harder for them to explain what they needed. The practical issue is consistency: a child who is upset needs an understandable response whichever adult is helping.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Sleep arrangements in December 2024 included lighter and darker designated spaces, chosen around children's preferences and home routines. This gave rest its own considered place in the day rather than treating every child's sleeping habits as interchangeable.

Meals are prepared on the premises by nursery staff. In December 2024, younger children sometimes became unsettled while waiting for food when an adult briefly managed mealtimes alone; children remained safe, but staffing organisation needed attention. For families of younger children, the handling of these busy care routines deserves as much attention as the activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year, closing over Christmas. That calendar matters for families whose childcare needs continue beyond school terms.

For children aged 5 to 11, the before and after school club runs during term time. The Holiday club provides activities and trips outside school time. These are different attendance arrangements, so families considering care for siblings should distinguish the early-years nursery day from the school-age clubs.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01404 822251 or by email at info@appleblossomdaynursery.co.uk.

Getting There

The address is London Road, Whimple, Exeter, Devon EX5 2PT. Directions use the A30 turn for Ottery St Mary and Whimple, with the East Devon Crematorium as a local landmark.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts childcare vouchers and offers 2, 3 and 4 year old Early Years Grant Funding. This establishes participation in funded childcare; it does not guarantee an individual family's eligibility or a particular attendance arrangement.

• Communication when children are upset. December 2024 brought a recommendation for simpler, more consistent responses. At a visit, discuss how adults help a distressed child express what they need.
• Mealtime organisation. In December 2024, younger children sometimes waited for food while an adult briefly handled the routine alone. Ask how staff now organise meals and support children during the wait.
• Nursery care and school-age clubs. The term-time before and after school club and the Holiday club serve ages 5 to 11. Families arranging sibling care should discuss how those patterns fit their nursery booking.
• Funding and the complete cost. Funded childcare is offered. Request a current written quotation covering the attendance pattern, meals, consumables and any other charges.

Apple Blossom suits families who want early-years care with a strong connection to animals and outdoor exploration. Its six acre field is the clearest reason to choose it over a setting whose outdoor life stays within a conventional play space.

The attendance offer also serves families using term-time before and after school care or the Holiday club for older children. The December 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific questions about communication during distress and the organisation of meals. Those everyday care details should carry real weight in the decision.