The Folly Nursery

A wooded classroom, a baby garden and monthly mornings with village senior citizens give The Folly Nursery its Dalwood character. The setting occupies the former Dalwood Primary School site in East Devon, with separate spaces for babies, two-year-olds and preschool children. Outdoor learning reaches beyond a turn in the garden: older children have Forest School sessions involving practical work with natural materials.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised good progress alongside early identification of additional needs and work with families and external agencies. That judgement also came with clear teaching improvements: more precise vocabulary for babies and toddlers, and greater accuracy in teaching letter sounds, especially for the most able preschool children. Both matter when choosing early education.

There are 55 places in total, with the current nursery age range running from 3 to 60 months. Families can choose term-time attendance or care across 51 weeks, subject to a minimum booking of two days each week. The strongest practical distinction is the combination of separate age-group environments, substantial outdoor provision and clearly differentiated paid and funded attendance options.

Rooms and Ages

Ladybird Room serves babies and toddlers up to two, combining sensory experiences, stories and music with its own garden, a sandpit, a play house and a dedicated sleep area. Keeping these spaces together means younger children can play, eat and rest within their familiar part of the nursery, rather than depending on the preschool garden for outdoor time.

For two- to three-year-olds, Caterpillar Room combines daily language games, role play and sensory craft with a covered veranda that allows children to choose between indoor and outdoor activity. That connection gives a developing toddler a practical opportunity to make choices, while small-group language activities give conversation a place in the day.

Butterfly Room prepares preschool children for school through self-care, friendships, early maths and phonics, with access through a conservatory to the main garden. Independence here means concrete tasks: managing the toilet, washing hands and changing clothes, rather than treating school preparation simply as learning letters.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) provides the shared framework for learning and care, covering language, physical development, relationships, literacy, maths, creativity and understanding the world. At The Folly, that translates into sensory play for younger children, conversation through small-group games and increasing opportunities for preschool children to manage everyday tasks themselves. The framework is the foundation; the additional activities give the day its local character.

STEM brings science, technology, engineering and maths together through practical investigations, with a dedicated preschool day each week. Children explore what happens, what they have changed and what they might try next. The emphasis is on investigating and explaining, giving early maths and language something tangible to work on.

Weekly Music sessions for two-year-olds and preschool children introduce songs and rhymes alongside movement to different musical styles. Preschool children also have weekly Mindfulness sessions, while Emotional Coaching is used throughout the nursery to help children recognise and manage their feelings. These are different kinds of participation: investigating a problem, moving to music and learning how to handle an emotion.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds outdoor exploration and bushcraft to the EYFS, using a wooded area with an outdoor classroom. Activities include shelter construction, cooking over a fire, identifying plants and animals, and working with rope. The current arrangements run sessions three to four times each week, with one weekly session offered to preschool children receiving three- and four-year-old funding; additional sessions can be booked for a separate charge.

In July 2023, children used binoculars for birdwatching, played in a mud kitchen and learnt tool use with an adult working individually alongside them. Those examples show the practical character of the outdoor work at that time. They also make the clothing requirement understandable: long sleeves and trousers, waterproof layers and wellies are part of participating in this setting's outdoor day.

Senior Citizen’s Activity Mornings take preschool children to Jubilee Community Hall once a month to spend time with village residents. Games involving taking turns, puzzles, colouring and playdough give the generations shared activities, rather than making the encounter only a visit. Village walks are also offered to children, with parental permission obtained when they join.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is planned around the individual child. Up to two settling sessions are included in the registration charge, usually taking place shortly before the start date, with time to discuss forms, routines and care requirements. A room leader initially monitors a new child before a key person is allocated, usually within the first couple of weeks; that key person becomes the family's main contact.

Famly, the nursery's communication and learning app, carries information about meals, sleep and routines as well as observations of development. Parents can message their child's room or the manager and contribute photographs of achievements at home. The learning journal is individual to the child, while a separate group wall carries activity information. This gives daily care updates and longer-term learning records different places within the same system.

In July 2023, babies had close relationships with their key people during feeding and preparation for sleep, and staff used observation and children's interests to plan subsequent learning. The current sleep policy allows familiar comfort items, records sleep on Famly and provides physical checks every ten minutes, increasing to every five minutes when other children and staff are outside. Sleep is therefore part of the care routine parents can follow during the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENDCo works with the key person, room leader and family to arrange additional support. Children receiving that support have an Individual Education Plan, drawn up with parents and reviewed regularly. External services include Speech and Language Therapy, Portage and Nursery Plus, so the mechanism extends beyond support from the child's usual room staff.

Food is cooked in the nursery kitchen, with menus changing seasonally and some ingredients grown on site during summer. The nursery describes an allergen-aware setting that seeks to remain nut-free, requires families to communicate dietary changes in writing and excludes packed lunches from home.

In July 2023, teaching needed greater accuracy in two areas: some vocabulary used with babies and toddlers was imprecise, and mispronounced letter sounds confused older children, with improvement especially needed for the most able preschool children. These were specific weaknesses within an otherwise Good judgement. They deserve attention because language runs through both everyday conversation and preparation for reading.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Folly Nursery, Dalwood, EX13 7EW. Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year; the nursery closes on bank holidays and from 24 December to 1 January inclusive. Attendance starts at two days each week, with both term-time and year-round bookings.

The paid full-day session runs from 7.45am to 6pm. Funded Option A runs from 8am to 6pm, with a separate charge covering meals, snacks, nappies, wipes and the listed extras; an earlier start at 7.45am can be added for a further charge. Funded Option B runs from 9.15am to 4.30pm, with a requested daily payment for meals, snacks, nappies and wipes, and additional blocks of 45 minutes available at a charge.

These options differ in both time and charging structure. Option B finishes earlier than the paid day or Option A, which matters for collection arrangements. Families specify the funded option and whether they want term-time or year-round attendance when booking. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form, which also accepts prospectus requests.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts eligible two-year-old funding, EYE funding for three- and four-year-olds and extended hours for qualifying working families. Private childcare is also offered. Meals and snacks are included in paid session fees; funded sessions have the separate meal and consumable charges described above, rather than sharing that paid-session arrangement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, alongside the fees page.

Registration involves an upfront charge linked to the days booked, most of which is credited to the first invoice if the child starts on the requested date. Term-time bookings require three months' written notice to withdraw or change sessions, or payment in lieu; year-round bookings require six weeks' notice to withdraw or reduce attendance. The different notice periods make the attendance choice a financial decision as well as a calendar one.

Children's learning information passes to their next school through a Transition Document within their Learning Journey. Alongside the preschool emphasis on self-care and social confidence, that gives the receiving school information about the individual child.

• Language teaching. The July 2023 improvements concerned precise vocabulary for babies and toddlers and accurate teaching of letter sounds, especially for the most able preschool children. During a visit, ask how staff training and everyday teaching now address both.
• Outdoor participation. Forest School involves practical outdoor activity, and the nursery requires suitable waterproof clothing, long sleeves, trousers and wellies. Discuss how that routine will work for your child and what clothing needs to stay at nursery.
• Attendance commitment. The two-day minimum and different notice periods for term-time and year-round bookings affect flexibility. Choose the calendar and funded option together, and obtain a written quotation covering the associated extras.
• Allergy arrangements. The policy seeks to maintain a nut-free setting and does not accept packed lunches. Families managing allergies should confirm current kitchen practice and the arrangements for their child's individual needs.

The Folly suits families seeking either term-time preschool attendance or care across the working year, with a choice between the shorter funded Option B day and the later-finishing paid day or Option A. Its appeal is concrete: a separate baby garden and sleep area, a veranda for toddlers, woodland activity for preschool children and regular contact with village senior citizens.

The July 2023 Good judgement supports that picture, while improvements to vocabulary teaching and letter-sound accuracy, especially for the most able preschool children, keep the assessment balanced. For parents comfortable with the two-day commitment, outdoor clothing requirements and option-specific charges, this is a nursery with a recognisable programme and a clear progression from baby care to preparation for school.