Little Angels

Children's ideas have shaped the play at Little Angels: in July 2022, a request for a construction area led to outdoor building with bricks, tools and a toy cement mixer. That is a useful introduction to this Rackenford nursery, where learning follows children's interests and families contribute to their development.

Ofsted rated Little Angels Good at its 27 July 2022 inspection. The nursery has capacity for 30 children and occupies an annex adjoining a family home, with playrooms on both floors. Its scale and domestic setting give it a clear identity, rather than the layout of a large purpose-built centre.

Attendance can follow a term-time or year-round contract, with a core day session and flexible hours around it. The practical detail matters: opening is Monday to Thursday, with Fridays closed.

Rooms and Ages

Two ground-floor playrooms sit alongside a kitchen, bathroom and staff office; upstairs are two further playrooms and another toilet. The spaces are arranged around the children attending, allowing different learning experiences across the day.

Younger children use the upstairs group, while the downstairs group is a later stage in their nursery experience. Room leaders work with these groups, and relationships formed upstairs can continue as children move downstairs. For families, that continuity is a useful part of a move between spaces: a change of room need not mean starting every relationship again.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. Little Angels uses observations of children's interests to plan experiences, then assesses their development and adjusts what comes next. This connects play with learning rather than treating activities as isolated entertainment.

Storytelling also shapes the nursery's curriculum through the year. Children have opportunities to choose learning experiences, and planning takes account of events that matter to them and their families. The emphasis is personal: a child's interests and home life help determine what staff introduce.

In July 2022, construction play involved counting, measuring and estimating as children planned their building. Safety was part of the activity too, with children explaining precautions and using safety glasses with the toy cement mixer. One activity brought together practical problem-solving, mathematical language and thinking about risk.

Conversation accompanied play in July 2022. Adults asked questions, allowed time for answers and introduced vocabulary through books; older children could explain the meaning of bacteria. These examples show the substance behind the language work, rather than simply naming communication as an area of learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supported active play in July 2022, including younger children riding wheeled toys down a long slope. Older children wore reflective jackets on outings and understood why being visible mattered. Physical confidence and everyday safety were being practised together.

Family participation extended beyond updates in July 2022: a parent working as a dentist visited to discuss looking after teeth. This brought a familiar adult's professional experience into children's learning. Links with the local primary school also supported preparation for the next stage.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding, support matched to individual needs and very good progress from children's starting points. Those are dated judgements, rather than assurances about every aspect of care today.

In July 2022, independence was visible in small routines: older children put on their shoes before outdoor play, while younger children managed forks when eating. Adults helped children share, and relationships between staff and children were warm. These details matter because early independence develops through repeated everyday opportunities.

Relationships and Communication

Famly, the nursery's learning journal app, gives families photographs and information about their child's activities and learning. Parents can add observations and pictures of their own, making communication a two-way exchange rather than a stream of nursery updates. Termly reports sit alongside the daily photographs.

The protect our planet project includes using the app to reduce paper consumption. Here, the environmental aim has a concrete application: the learning journal moves onto a shared digital service that families can contribute to.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Early Help forms part of the nursery's work with families and other professionals. A written developmental report is also provided for families to share with the Health Visitor around the child's two-year check. This gives parents a way to bring nursery observations into a discussion beyond the setting.

Current safeguarding arrangements include a safeguarding policy, staff checks and a deputy safeguarding officer role. These are arrangements for managing responsibilities alongside the safeguarding policy.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Angels opens from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Thursday. Its day session runs from 9am to 3.30pm, with flexible hours before and afterwards where possible. Families can choose term-time or year-round contracts, while a holiday-only contract serves school-aged children.

Bookings are made term by term. Cancelling or changing a place requires eight weeks' written notice, so a change in work arrangements may need planning well ahead of the next invoice.

Although year-round contracts are offered, closures include bank holidays, a week in April, another week in August or September, Christmas Eve and the interval between Christmas and New Year. Fridays are also closed. The year-round option therefore needs to be considered alongside those breaks.

A deposit equivalent to one week's payment is credited against the first month's invoice. It is non-refundable if the family subsequently decides not to take up the place. Invoices are issued monthly in advance; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

The nursery is in Rackenford, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8DU, at the Myrtle Grove address. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01884 881272, and visits can be arranged by contacting the nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Little Angels accepts Nursery Education Funding for children from nine months, as well as two-, three- and four-year-olds, alongside other funding or vouchers families can access. Private hours are also charged, so funded entitlement and the family's additional booked care are separate parts of the arrangement.

Families may send a packed lunch or food for warming, while a hot school meal is an option during term time. Breakfast, snacks and tea can be bought separately or supplied from home; nappies are charged separately too.

• Four-day opening and planned breaks. Friday closure and the holiday shutdowns affect both term-time and year-round planning. Match the nursery calendar to your working week and backup care.
• Story and snack routines. In July 2022, some children left stories early to wash for lunch, and some group routines involved unnecessary waiting. On a visit, ask how these transitions now protect children's reading and play time.
• Changing a booking. Eight weeks' written notice applies to cancellations and amendments, and the deposit is non-refundable if you decide against taking up the place. Consider these terms before committing to days.
• Friday book-sharing. The curriculum includes sharing a book with families every Friday, while the nursery closes that day. Ask how families take part in this activity.

Little Angels suits families seeking either term-time attendance or a year-round contract, with a core day and flexible hours around it where possible. Its home-annex setting, interest-led planning and Famly communication give parents concrete reasons to consider it. School-holiday care adds another attendance option for older children.

The July 2022 Good judgement is a useful reference point, with interrupted stories and waiting during group routines remaining sensible visit topics. The decisive practical fit is a Monday-to-Thursday week, together with planned closures and booking terms that reward forward planning.