Ottertots Day Care Nursery Ottery St Mary

Farm animals, woodland walks and a dedicated Art Room give Ottertots a clear countryside character. Based at East Hill in Ottery St Mary, the nursery combines opportunities to help care for animals with spaces for creative work and indoor physical play. Outdoor experiences are part of its appeal, but wet weather need not bring active play to a halt.

At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and reported that children made good progress towards later learning. That assessment sits alongside two specific teaching priorities: giving children more encouragement to speak and making adult-led activities more closely match their next steps.

Children can attend from 3 months to 5 years. Separate provision for babies, toddlers and preschool children gives each stage its own emphasis, while shared spaces allow different ages to take part together. Short Day and All day bookings serve different family schedules.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Rooms combine toys and equipment for early development with a separate sleeping room containing cots; this gives rest its own space rather than keeping it within the play area. Daily diaries help connect routines at home and nursery. For parents of babies, those are practical details with consequences for both sleep and communication.

The Toddler Room emphasises communication, movement, social relationships and increasing independence, with regular visits to the Art Room for paint, dough and other creative materials. Toddlers therefore have both their own base and another space in which to experiment. The Pre - School Room introduces more structured learning through play, including early number work, pencil control, practical tasks, music and physical activities.

Art Room activities extend across the age groups, rather than belonging only to older children. The Kitchen & Dining Room provides a shared eating space and accommodates cooking activities. These rooms broaden the day beyond the main age-group bases: children can make something, eat together and share experiences with children at another stage.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets out children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, learning through play includes communication, physical development and practical experiences, rather than being confined to formal tasks.

In June 2025, babies joined rhymes with instruments, older babies used dough to make pretend picnic food, and preschool children contributed ideas to a story created with staff. These examples show different ways into participation: sound and movement for the youngest children, imaginative play and shared storytelling as they grow.

Staff also responded to toddlers' interest in throwing by putting targets on a wall for ball play in June 2025. Turning that interest into a purposeful activity gave children something concrete to practise. Signing accompanied speech, while songs and books supplied further opportunities to hear and use language. The improvement priorities matter here: an activity can catch a child's interest while still needing more precise adult support to extend it.

Outdoor and Community Life

The farm setting brings animal feeding and care into children's experiences. Woodland walks add another outdoor opportunity, and walks take place regularly. These are reasons to choose this particular setting if contact with animals and countryside experiences matter to your family.

Outdoor equipment includes ride-on toys, climbing frames and sand pits, alongside lawned spaces. Children are taken outside daily when the weather allows. Upstairs, an indoor area supports climbing, sliding and physical activity across the age groups, providing an alternative when outdoor conditions are unsuitable.

Sleep and communication are closely connected in the baby provision. A separate room for sleeping gives babies a place to rest, while individual daily diaries help parents and staff follow each child's routine. The practical benefit is continuity: information about the nursery day can travel home, and the home routine can inform care.

In June 2025, babies recognised the approach of nap time and indicated the sleeping room. Children were familiar with the day's routines and had formed close relationships with staff. That observation gives useful context to the physical sleeping arrangements, while remaining a picture of nursery life at that date.

Communication with families in June 2025 included information about who was caring for their child, what the child was learning and activities parents could continue at home. Independence also featured in daily tasks: children used cutlery, and preschool children managed coats and boots. Preparation for later learning included ordinary self-care, as well as planned activities.

Meals are cooked at the nursery, using local ingredients where possible; drinks and snacks are supplied during sessions. A vegetarian choice is offered, and the nursery's meal arrangements accommodate most allergies and intolerances, so individual dietary needs require a specific discussion.

Access to the main building is controlled, and collection is restricted to adults authorised beforehand. Clear glass panels separate many rooms. These are concrete arrangements for access and visibility; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the relevant assessment of their effectiveness.

Sessions and Attendance

Short Day runs from 9am to 4pm, while All day runs from 8am to 6pm. The nursery operates on weekdays and closes on Bank Holidays. Choosing between the two patterns changes both ends of the day, so the difference matters for work schedules as well as a child's routine.

There is also a Christmas closure. Fees are payable a month ahead, and a deposit secures a child's place. Older siblings receive a discount on their fees. These terms make the payment timetable worth considering alongside the attendance pattern.

Getting There

The address is East Hill, Ottery St Mary, Devon EX11 1QH. Telephone enquiries go to 01404 815854, and email enquiries to info@ottertots.org.uk. The setting is within farm grounds overlooking woodland and fields, making the countryside location a practical part of the choice as well as an attraction.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered for children aged 2, 3 and 4. Paid childcare is also offered, with the two day patterns providing the attendance choices. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out payment and closure terms.

Bank and Public Holiday closures are charged at the usual rate, while the Christmas closure carries no charge. Families should weigh those different closure terms when comparing the overall arrangement, rather than looking only at the length of a booked day.

• Teaching precision. The June 2025 inspection identified the need for more encouragement of children's speech and better-targeted support during adult-led activities. At a visit, ask how practitioners now build these two priorities into everyday play.
• Funded attendance and extras. Funding is offered for children aged 2, 3 and 4. Ask how it fits the Short Day or All day pattern, and what the quotation includes for meals and consumables.
• Food requirements. The nursery caters for most allergies and intolerances. Families managing a particular dietary requirement should confirm the current arrangements for their child before booking.
• Closure costs. Bank and Public Holidays are charged, while the Christmas closure is uncharged. Factor both the care gap and the payment terms into your family calendar.

Ottertots suits families who want countryside experiences alongside dedicated creative and physical-play spaces. Animal care, woodland walks and the Art Room give that proposition substance. Separate baby sleeping arrangements and daily diaries add practical value for younger children.

Ottertots suits families choosing Short Day bookings as well as those needing the longer All day pattern. The Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with specific improvements in speech support and adult-led learning that deserve attention when choosing the setting.