Compton Valley Nursery and Pre-School

Garden access shapes the day at Compton Valley Nursery and Pre-School: children can move between indoor play and outdoor spaces, while the rural surroundings allow for countryside walks. This family-run setting in Marldon has capacity for 50 children, with a current age range of two to five. Outdoor play is woven into the routine rather than saved for a separate activity.

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that carefully planned learning helped children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and those learning more than one language, make excellent progress. That is a dated judgement, supported by concrete examples of language teaching, independence and exploration.

All-day sessions run alongside year-round childcare, with scheduled holiday closures. For parents, the strongest combination is practical: outdoor access, individual learning records and meals prepared on site.

Rooms and Ages

Ducklings Group occupies the baby room, which has a published maximum of eleven babies and works around home routines, while Squirrels covers children from around twenty-two months to three years in a room whose folding doors connect directly to decking and the garden. Rabbit and Butterflies Pre-school group spans thirty-four months to five years, combining indoor and outdoor classrooms with activities planned around children's next steps and growing independence.

The physical arrangement matters. Squirrels can choose between the room and garden during the day, and preschool play moves between indoor and outdoor spaces rather than depending on a single shared outdoor slot. The younger-age arrangements need clarification before booking, as discussed below.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play across its prime and specific areas of learning. Planning starts with children's interests and developmental next steps, giving messy play, phonics and games a purpose within the child's learning rather than treating them as a disconnected activity list.

Children have opportunities to make choices, solve problems and develop their own play. Digital Learning Journeys record that development through written observations, photographs and videos each week; parents can contribute observations from home. This creates a useful connection between what interests a child at nursery and what the family notices elsewhere.

In April 2022, language teaching included adults building a child's single word into a longer phrase and connecting it with something familiar, such as the garden's apple tree. Toby the Train brought early letter sounds into a track-building activity, with more demanding letter formation work for children ready to move further. The examples show how play could carry different levels of challenge within the same broad area of learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free-flow access to outdoor spaces is part of the routine across age groups, and the rural surroundings allow for countryside walks. The gardens support physical movement alongside imaginative and social play. This will appeal to families who want outdoor experiences to be part of an ordinary nursery day.

In April 2022, children practised climbing and balancing outdoors, while a water spill became a discussion about absorption and the different ways people use water. Celebrations included Ramadan and Easter, with children sharing family experiences and exploring similarities and differences. These were practical starting points for conversation, rather than learning confined to an adult-led lesson.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a Key Person who oversees their development, care needs and communication with the family. That gives parents a clear point of contact for the child's experiences, alongside relationships with other staff.

Daily feedback complements the digital Learning Journeys. Parents can see learning in photographs and video, add their own observations and discuss the day with staff at collection. The baby-room arrangements also include a diary covering sleep, meals and nappy changes, while toddlers can rest after lunch. These are concrete routines to discuss when matching care to a child's needs.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported that staff met children's care needs exceptionally well, including complex medical needs. Staff used communication systems to notify parents when medication had been given, and safeguarding practice included scenario questions to test staff knowledge and close monitoring of sleeping children.

In April 2022, independence was visible in everyday tasks: older children served their own food, poured drinks and organised their pictures, while adults helped younger children develop eating skills. Support for turn-taking also helped older children work through disagreements. These examples give substance to the nursery's emphasis on preparing children to make decisions for themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Compton Mill, Marldon, Paignton, TQ3 1TB. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the booking pattern is all-day sessions. Those opening hours describe the operating day; the session arrangement is sold as all-day care.

Childcare runs throughout the year, with closures for bank holidays, Christmas and a maintenance week at the end of May. Families organising work around nursery attendance should factor those breaks into their plans. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01803 873345.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded entitlement is offered for three- and four-year-olds. All-day session fees include three meals plus snacks, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Prices are reviewed each April.

A nursery registration charge is payable, and a deposit applies when a nursery place is reserved six months in advance. These are separate booking terms, so the timing of a reservation matters as well as the attendance pattern. The session and fees information sets out that structure.

Two on-site chefs prepare food using fresh ingredients, sourcing locally where possible, and menus change regularly to introduce different foods and international dishes. Dietary requirements are catered for, including weaning needs.

• Age fit. The current age range is two to five, but Ducklings Group is described for babies from three months to two years. Families seeking younger-child care should establish which provision their booking would cover.
• Whole-day attendance and closures. All-day sessions are the stated booking pattern, with Christmas, bank-holiday and late-May closures. At a visit, discuss how that pattern fits your working week and holiday cover.
• Reservation timing. A registration charge applies, with a deposit when reserving six months ahead. Review the written quotation against your intended start date before committing.
• Dietary needs. Meals and snacks are included in session fees, and the kitchen caters for dietary requirements. Families managing allergies should discuss current kitchen practice and their child's specific needs.

Compton Valley suits families seeking all-day, year-round childcare with outdoor play built into the routine and regular communication about learning. Garden access and on-site cooking give the offer a clear practical character, with rural surroundings that allow for countryside walks.

The April 2022 judgement provides substantial support for the quality of its education and care at that time. The decision today rests on matching the all-day pattern, planned closures and age arrangements to the family, with particular attention to the younger-child provision.