The Sunshine Pre-school

An allotment plot beside the garden gives Sunshine a practical thread running from growing vegetables to preparing food. Based at Gorfin Hall in Exmouth, The Sunshine Pre-school combines a shared indoor hall with substantial outdoor space for children aged two to five. The garden matters here: covered decking, a summerhouse and space for climbing make outdoor activity more than an occasional change of scene.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement comes with two clear priorities: extending children's mathematical understanding during their own play and making adult-led learning better suited to younger children. Families should weigh those specific weaknesses alongside the outdoor experiences and opportunities to practise independence.

Hours can be booked flexibly within the weekday opening window, rather than through fixed morning and afternoon sessions. This is a practical choice for families whose childcare needs do not fit standard session blocks.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, covering children's communication, physical skills, relationships and understanding of the world alongside early literacy, mathematics and creative activity. Sunshine puts this into everyday experiences: children pour their own drinks, borrow books to share at home and use songs and stories to develop language. These are ordinary nursery routines with a learning purpose, rather than separate lessons added to the day.

The packaway hall can be rearranged weekly around a monthly theme, with daily areas for construction, imaginative play, creative work and exploration. Children have familiar activities within an adaptable shared space.

A café-style snack area supports choices and social skills. At lunch, children serve themselves with adult help, choose their seats and talk with staff at the tables. Eating becomes practice in managing small tasks.

In February 2025, play dough, drawing tools and other equipment exercised children's hands and fingers. Help with opening food packaging connected those skills to an everyday task.

The learning weaknesses are equally concrete. In February 2025, staff had introduced group mathematics activities, but opportunities to revisit and extend mathematical ideas during children's freely chosen play were inconsistent. Some adult-led activities were too demanding for younger children and did not match what they needed to learn next. A busy activity programme alone therefore does not settle the question of how well each child is being challenged.

Outdoor and Community Life

Hamilton Lane allotments are a regular part of the nursery's world. Sunshine has its own growing plot, and daily outings to the neighbouring allotments include tending plants, seeing other gardeners, looking at the pond or checking on chickens. This gives children reasons to observe change and talk about living things beyond the garden fence. The kitchen provides opportunities to prepare food using fruit and vegetables grown in the garden and allotment, joining those experiences together.

Outdoor provision includes a grass garden, a sheltered deck, a workshop or outdoor classroom and a surfaced area at the front. The garden also has a mud kitchen, slides, swings and equipment for balancing and climbing. These spaces are used throughout the year, so outdoor activity is part of the routine rather than reserved for warm days.

Beyond daily allotment visits, community outings include the library, beach, parks and soft play venues. In February 2025, children connected toy insects with creatures encountered outdoors, drawing on familiar experiences in conversation.

Relationships and Communication

Free taster sessions in the week before starting give families a gradual introduction. Parents attend the first; subsequent sessions help children get to know staff.

Children's relationships with staff during their first weeks guide the choice of key person, who documents development and plans activities around individual needs. Face-to-face conversations are preferred, alongside WhatsApp messages, photographs and videos, giving parents several ways to exchange information.

The All about me book brings photographs, observations and information home on the child's final attendance day each week. Parents add pictures and notes from home, linking experiences across both settings and creating a physical record to share.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised additional learning needs promptly, coordinated targeted plans with other settings and made timely referrals, including to the local speech and language team. That is a dated finding about how support worked, rather than a guarantee about an individual child's future provision. The current staff structure includes a SENCo role and a safeguarding lead, and the team undertakes paediatric first aid training.

In February 2025, children used breathing techniques from yoga activities to help manage their emotions, while jumping and balancing in a soft-play area supported physical activity. Staff discussed how movement affected their bodies. The combination addressed both being active and recognising how they felt.

Small, accessible toilets support children learning to manage toileting. Staff work with parents to keep the approach consistent between nursery and home. The operation pants programme, training about the move from nappies to pants, has informed the team's support for toilet training. This sits alongside the broader emphasis on practising independence in manageable steps.

Preparation for school includes a School readiness information sheet in the term before children start school, invitations for teachers to visit and a written transition report. Children practise managing coats, recognising their own attendance and communicating their needs. These arrangements help the next setting understand the child and give parents a clearer picture of the practical skills being developed.

Sessions and Attendance

Sunshine opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm across the year. Families book their chosen hours instead of fixed morning or afternoon sessions, allowing shorter periods or longer attendance within that window.

Getting There

The address is Gorfin Hall, Claremont Lane, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 2LE, just off Salterton Road in a residential area. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form, and visits can be arranged through the nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-year-olds and for three- and four-year-olds, with funding stretched across the year. Universal funding provides 11 hours a week from the term after the child's third birthday, while extended provision provides 22 hours for eligible families. These are the nursery's stated stretched patterns, so the relevant arrangement needs to be considered alongside the hours a family wishes to book.

Funded attendance carries a separate service charge covering items including snacks, craft materials, sun cream and outings. Those food and non-food extras are charged separately from the funded hours. An optional cooked lunch also costs extra; it is served around 12.30pm. Current prices should come in a written quotation from the nursery, with the distinction between funded hours, additional childcare and extras kept clear.

• Learning for the youngest children. In February 2025, some adult-led activities were too difficult for younger children and did not build on their next learning steps. During a visit, ask how activities are adapted for a newly arrived two-year-old.
• Mathematics during play. The February 2025 improvement priority concerned extending mathematical understanding beyond group activities. Look for how staff develop ideas about quantity, shape and capacity while children choose their own play.
• The annual calendar. Opening arrangements give both 50 and 51 weeks across the year. Confirm the closure dates before matching the booking to work commitments.
• The complete childcare cost. Funded attendance includes separately charged services, and cooked lunch is an optional extra. Ask for one written quotation setting out your chosen hours, funding arrangement, meals and consumables.

Sunshine suits families seeking either shorter booked periods or longer stretches of weekday care, with outdoor activity and practical independence woven into the nursery day. The growing plot at Hamilton Lane allotments, food preparation and self-service routines give that character substance. Communication through the All about me book also offers parents a tangible way to follow and contribute to their child's experiences.

The February 2025 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the two learning priorities deserve attention. For a younger child especially, the deciding question is how staff now match adult-led activities to the child's stage and carry mathematical learning into play. Families comfortable with a changing hall layout and year-round flexible attendance have a clear set of reasons to consider Sunshine.