Daisy Pre-School

Scooters on zigzag decking, an undercover space for sensory play and a garden for growing give Daisy Pre-School a recognisable outdoor character. This Totnes setting takes children aged two to four, with an open-plan interior where ages mix rather than spending the day in separate age rooms. The combination matters: children can choose their play indoors, while the gardens offer different ways to move, investigate and make things.

Daisy's overall Ofsted judgement on 27 January 2025 was Good, with safeguarding judged effective. The detail behind that judgement is useful for parents: practical independence, emotional awareness and hands-on activities featured strongly, alongside an improvement needed in extending learning for children already making steady progress.

Attendance is term-time only, with morning sessions and full days across a minimum booking of two days.

Rooms and Ages

An open-plan layout brings the two-to-four age range together, with key groups spanning the ages. Children play alongside younger and older peers.

The interior is spacious, but the strongest physical detail is outdoors. Adventure Garden combines scooters and zigzag decking with Builders Yard; Secret Garden has cover for sensory activities in smaller groups; Nature Garden gives children opportunities to dig, grow and investigate. Movement, construction and quieter exploration each have somewhere to happen.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning, development and care, with play used to plan activities around children's stages of development. At Daisy, the practical emphasis is on adults joining children's play, observing what interests them and planning their next learning opportunities. Singing, stories, messy activities and garden play form part of practitioners' duties, bringing language, movement and creative work into the day.

PAWS is a group for three- and four-year-olds, planned around a designated curriculum area. It adds adult-led learning to shared-age play.

In January 2025, fine-motor activities connected ordinary routines with early writing preparation. Children tried chopsticks with rice, manipulated spaghetti using tongs and used pegs to hold cotton wool for painting. These were different ways to practise grip and control. The interest came from food, texture and making marks, rather than a formal writing exercise.

Bonnie, a puppet used in whole-group movement activities that January, encouraged children to follow directions and imitate animals. This brought listening and physical movement together. Dressing practice also had a clear purpose: children took turns working on coats, shoes and wellies, with their efforts celebrated by the group. School preparation included being able to manage everyday tasks for themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

January 2025 activities included a stepladder and guttering for rolling a ball, large tractor tyres to move and ropes to pull. Younger children worked out how to pass through fabric weaves. The tasks demanded balance, coordination and decisions about movement, giving physical play a problem-solving element.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2025, settling was adjusted to individual children, including a quieter start where needed. Before joining, children could meet staff by video call, and parents shared detailed family information. These steps made the transition about the individual child rather than expecting everyone to settle in the same way.

The preschool keyperson role includes parent handovers and communication through WhatsApp, calls and texts when needed. Photographs and video support learning observations, helping families exchange information about development and care.

In January 2025, children helped prepare the snack table and practised sharing and turn-taking through games with a friend. Small responsibilities gave them something concrete to contribute.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that personalised group work supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and helped close learning gaps, but staff did not consistently plan and carry out further steps for children making steady progress. That distinction matters: additional help was effective, while children progressing without obvious difficulty needed more consistent extension.

Emotional regulation was taught through practical routines that January. Visual prompts helped children identify feelings, and breathing exercises gave them a way to settle and recognise a need for rest. The emphasis was on learning a usable skill, with repeated practice and a bell marking the end of the activity.

The preschool keyperson duties include working with other professionals involved in a child's care, including speech and language therapists and portage services. They also cover sharing care records with parents and passing safeguarding concerns to senior staff. These mechanisms connect care at preschool with families and other professionals.

Sessions and Attendance

Daisy opens from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning bookings run from 9am to noon, and full days from 9am to 3pm. Families must book across at least two days. The morning option gives a shorter attendance pattern, while a full day includes lunchtime and the afternoon.

Pre-registration puts a child's name on the waiting list and does not commit either the family or the preschool. Daisy contacts families within two months of their proposed start date about whether it can offer a place. Enquiries can also be sent through the contact form, selecting Daisy and including the child's age.

Getting There

The address is Daisy Play Centre, Pathfields, Totnes TQ9 5TZ, in the grounds of St Johns Primary School. The school car park is reserved for school staff; roadside parking needs care around residential parking arrangements.

Sharing the school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process, so choosing Daisy and choosing a school place are separate decisions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Daisy offers term-time funded childcare through Universal Entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, Working Entitlements for eligible working families, and FRAS Funding for two-year-olds, meaning Families Receiving Additional Support. The universal offer provides up to 15 funded hours weekly from the term after the third birthday. Eligible children can access up to 15 FRAS-funded hours weekly from the term after their second birthday, subject to application; eligible working families can access up to 30 hours, subject to application. Paid, non-funded hours are also offered.

Brunch is charged separately, with an opt-out arrangement, while children funded through FRAS or eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium are exempt from that brunch charge; families provide a packed lunch. The preschool asks families to avoid nuts and nut products in food brought from home.

For funded children, a separate voluntary consumables contribution covers items including wipes, craft supplies, cleaning products and hand towels. It is not requested for two-year-funded children or for three- and four-year-olds eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium, except that children receiving both that premium and extended funding are asked to contribute on funded hours above 15.

A non-refundable registration charge applies to children booking non-funded hours. Fees remain payable during absence, including illness or holidays, although hospitalisation may lead to a waiver; changing sessions normally requires four weeks' notice and depends on availability. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Extending learning. The January 2025 improvement concerned children making steady progress. At a visit, ask for an example of how staff now choose and follow through a next step for a child who is already managing an activity comfortably.
• Term-time rhythm. Morning sessions and full days both require bookings across at least two days, and Daisy closes for school holidays. This suits a term-time routine; families needing holiday childcare will need to plan separately.
• Food and allergies. Brunch has a charge and opt-out arrangement, and lunch comes from home. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice, including how their child's food and dietary needs will be handled.
• Mixed-age play. The open-plan provision brings ages together. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how your child's key group works within that shared space, especially if they prefer quieter play or are approaching school age.

Daisy suits families wanting either shorter morning attendance or full preschool days during term time, with at least two days booked. Its strongest current feature is the outdoor layout: scooter play, construction, covered sensory exploration and growing each have a named space.

The January 2025 picture adds substance to that physical offer, showing practical independence, movement and emotional skills in the daily activities. The reservation is equally specific: children making steady progress needed more consistent extension. For parents attracted by mixed-age play and an active outdoor day, that is the learning question to keep in view.