Ermington Pre School

Three outdoor spaces give Ermington Pre School a clear identity: growing, climbing and outdoor exploration all have a place alongside its purpose-built building. At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Outstanding, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), made excellent progress.

Based at The Lodge in Ermington, near Ivybridge, the setting has 26 places in total. Its provision includes children from age 2 to school starting age. The outdoor offer is substantial: a garden for growing fruit and vegetables, a forest school area and an outdoor space that children can access freely.

Opening hours are now 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The strongest reason to consider it, however, is the combination of practical exploration and attentive teaching illustrated by the dated inspection examples.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, play gives children opportunities to develop language, investigate ideas and practise physical skills. The curriculum encourages children to follow their interests, use their imagination and explore their own ideas, rather than treating play as a break from learning.

In January 2023, children used magnetic panels to construct a house together. An adult introduced the idea of sharing a story inside it, giving the builders a practical reason to reconsider its size. That example connects construction, cooperation and books within one activity: the children's project supplies the next learning opportunity.

Other January 2023 examples were equally concrete. Older children assembled a bridge using planks and crates, then tested and altered their structure. Younger children investigated fruit and vegetables in a sensory tray, with adult help to cut pieces safely. These activities gave children problems to solve and tools to handle, rather than answers to repeat.

Language also received deliberate attention in January 2023. Staff introduced sign language to the children, giving them another means of communicating when spoken words were difficult. Stories were shared across the day and used to develop ideas arising in play. Books connected with what children were already doing.

Outdoor and Community Life

The three outdoor areas serve different purposes. One remains open for free access; the front garden combines a climbing frame with fruit and vegetable growing and a mud kitchen. The forest school area adds a swing, another mud kitchen and a fire pit, providing a separate setting for outdoor exploration.

A sensory room adds another physical space for exploration indoors. Together, these spaces give the setting more than a single playground: children can encounter growing, movement and sensory experiences in different surroundings.

In January 2023, outdoor activity included den building and climbing. Children also investigated balance by putting pebbles into buckets on scales and using a spirit level to test their adjustments. The adult stepped back while they worked out what to change. That is a useful illustration of practical investigation, with equipment making an abstract idea visible.

Relationships with families form part of the current approach, with staff working alongside parents to understand children's needs. The team includes designated and deputy safeguarding lead roles, as well as a SENDCO. These are identifiable responsibilities within the staff structure; the dated safeguarding judgement sits separately from those arrangements.

In January 2023, support for communication included adults modelling words for children with SEND. The special educational needs coordinator worked with outside agencies, while the team sought advice from early years professionals. This gives families a concrete picture of the support mechanisms in use at that time, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Professional discussion was part of the January 2023 staff routine. Training was regular, and colleagues shared ideas about how to use what they had learnt in children's activities. Safeguarding discussions also took place during morning staff briefings. These examples show how staff learning and daily responsibilities were organised at that date.

School transition has a practical place in the current offer. Staff maintain relationships with local primary schools to help children prepare for the move. This is support for a change of setting, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Lodge, School Road, Ermington, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 9NH. Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm on weekdays, giving families a longer daily window than the setting's inspection-era timetable.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. A tour can also be arranged. Discovery Playtime offers a private, one-hour session centred on children's activities; it is a specific service rather than a description of the whole opening day.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2023, the pre-school received government funding for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation statement, rather than a promise of a particular funded attendance arrangement today.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Families considering the private Discovery Playtime session should distinguish that service from their proposed ongoing childcare arrangement.

• Outdoor play. The forest school area includes a fire pit and swing, while the front garden has a climbing frame and growing areas. On a tour, ask how these different spaces are used with children of different ages.
• Your attendance and costs. The weekday opening window runs from 8am to 5.30pm. Ask for one written outline covering your proposed sessions, current funded-hours arrangements and responsibility for meals and consumables.
• The age of the judgement. The Outstanding grade dates to January 2023. Use a visit to discuss how the teaching examples, communication support and staff training described above operate now.

Ermington Pre School suits families who value outdoor exploration and learning built around children's ideas. Its garden, forest school area and sensory room give that approach tangible places to happen; the January 2023 examples show children constructing, testing, communicating and trying again.

The weekday opening window will also matter to families planning their working day. The decision should bring those practical arrangements together with the child's experience: an engaging physical setting, purposeful play and clear conversations about individual needs.