Little Ducklings Nursery Devon Topsham

An estuary-facing garden and a two-storey Church Rooms base give Little Ducklings Nursery Devon Topsham its character. At St Margarets Church Rooms, 59 Fore Street, Topsham, Exeter EX3 0HL, the emphasis is on younger children: a baby room serves under-twos, with a toddler room for children approaching two. This is the Church Rooms setting, separate from the group's other Topsham addresses.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 24 August 2022, with Outstanding behaviour and attitudes. That dated judgement gives a useful starting point, while the physical arrangement is the more immediate consideration for parents choosing baby care. There are 26 places in total, and the whole-setting age range is birth to four; these figures are separate from the Church Rooms baby provision.

Attendance is charged by the hour, allowing families to choose the hours they need rather than a fixed session package.

Rooms and Ages

Church Rooms, Babies occupies a two-storey building with a designated baby room and a toddler room for rising twos. Separating these stages allows activities to be matched to children at different points in their development. The garden overlooks the estuary, giving outdoor play a recognisable setting rather than simply an extension of the indoor space.

The Church Rooms age emphasis matters. Families choosing this address are choosing a base centred on babies and children approaching their second birthday, rather than treating every Little Ducklings location as interchangeable. The building, age grouping and garden together are useful points to weigh when deciding whether this is the right environment for a young child.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, activities use play and children's interests to build their next skills. It is the foundation of the nursery day, rather than an additional programme. In August 2022, staff adapted activities to individual development and used their knowledge of each child to decide what should come next.

That month's activities included a story-based exploration through water, foliage and mud, leaf rubbings and an obstacle course. These examples show how stories, movement and sensory exploration were brought together. Children could take part physically as well as listen, with older children helping younger ones and waiting for their turns.

There was also a clear teaching priority in August 2022: staff coaching needed further development so that opportunities to take children's learning further were used more consistently. For parents, engaging activities and the quality of the adult interaction around them are separate questions. Both matter.

Relationships and Communication

In August 2022, staff spent individual time with babies when they started, learning about them and helping them settle. Moves between rooms were based on readiness, with information passed to the next key person. That approach made the handover about the individual child rather than age alone.

Tapestry, the group's online learning journal, connects nursery observations with family life. Parents can see development updates and photographs, and contribute what their child is doing at home. Its practical value is two-way communication: a new interest or skill noticed by a parent can become part of the conversation with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children needing extra help, including those learning English as an additional language, making good progress, supported through individual key-person activities, visual prompts, signing and use of home languages. These are dated findings about practice, rather than a general promise about every child's experience today.

In August 2022, staff checked readiness before a room move and worked on the independence children would need for school. Links with local schools needed strengthening, however, to make the next transition smoother. Room-to-room continuity and moving on to school therefore had different strengths and priorities.

The group also supports Baby Bank Network Exeter through termly donations. This brings a named local charity into its relationship with families, alongside the everyday exchange of information about children's care.

Sessions and Attendance

Church Rooms opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, throughout the year. Flexible hourly attendance is the booking model: parents select the hours that fit their childcare needs. The opening window sets the boundaries for that choice; it is not a requirement to pay for an entire day.

For this address, the contact telephone number is 01392 875063. Expressions of interest for the waiting list go through the contact route. That is a joining procedure, rather than an indication of how many places are free.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is accepted, including the 15 or 30-hour entitlement and funding for working families. Funding is stretched across the year, with the nursery describing the weekly allocation as 11 or 22 hours. Eligibility remains a condition of entitlement, so the stretched pattern is the relevant starting point when planning attendance.

For paid hours, nappies, pull-ups and wipes are included, alongside resources, outings and transport. The Topsham charge structure also includes Spanish and Signing language classes. For funded children, there are no additional charges for resources or consumables; the nursery requests a voluntary monthly donation. This keeps the donation separate from the included provision.

Lunch at noon, an evening meal at 5pm and two daily snacks are included in the Topsham hourly fee, with no extra charges for funded children. The group prepares food with in-house cooks, so meals form part of the childcare arrangement rather than a separate purchase.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page explains the charge structure.

• The Church Rooms age emphasis. This address centres on under-twos and rising twos, while other Topsham provision is at separate addresses. On a visit, discuss how the next move would work for your child.
• Teaching and school transition. In August 2022, staff coaching and partnerships with local schools were improvement priorities. Ask how these now shape adult-led learning and preparation for the next setting.
• Settling into a two-storey base. Baby and toddler rooms occupy the Church Rooms building, with an estuary-facing garden. Ask how settling visits introduce your child to their key person and daily movement between spaces.

Little Ducklings suits families seeking a baby-centred Church Rooms base with an outdoor garden and attendance selected by the hour. That flexibility accommodates shorter periods of care as well as attendance spanning the working day, rather than requiring one fixed booking pattern.

The August 2022 picture combined thoughtful room transitions and engaging play with clear priorities for staff coaching and school links. The decision is therefore about both the immediate baby-care arrangement and how the next stage is planned. Included meals and consumables make the charge structure easier to understand, while Tapestry gives families a practical way to contribute to the learning conversation.