Sara's School

At the January 2024 inspection, an outdoor reading den, visiting farm animals and imaginative play in an outdoor kitchen gave Sara's School a recognisable village-hall character. Based at Tedburn St. Mary Village Hall in Exeter, it has 21 places in total. These are places across the setting, not a group-size measure.

Ofsted rated the provision Good at its January 2024 inspection. Children attending then ranged from 0 to 11 years old, covering early-years care and provision for school-age children.

In January 2024, outdoor play brought counting, conversation and imagination together: children gathered toy creatures with nets, counted their collection and turned it into pretend cooking. Plastic stepping stones gave friends a shared balancing challenge. The outdoor reading den offered another pace, with children sharing books and hearing stories.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the January 2024 activities connected those purposes through play: toddlers practised precise hand movements with tweezers, while ball games developed larger movements. Daily music and singing maintained familiar routines.

A farming topic in January 2024 included a local farmer's tractor and animal visitors, bringing children's interests into contact with real experiences. Story activities used costumes and objects to involve children. Conversation was less consistent indoors, however: some hall-based play involved little discussion with staff. That matters because handling resources and talking through ideas should work together.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support good, with staff tracking development, introducing early help for speech and language needs and involving other agencies when needed.

In January 2024, each child's key person gathered information about dietary needs and allergies before they started. The weakness was settling: staff sometimes lacked enough detail about a new baby's sources of comfort. Familiar routines help, but knowing how an individual baby settles matters too.

Children used an accessible handwashing station in the hall in January 2024. Drawings of feeling monsters helped older children recognise and discuss emotions, giving them a concrete starting point for expressing how they felt.

The address is Tedburn St. Mary Village Hall, Tedburn St. Mary, Exeter, EX6 6DZ.

In January 2024, term-time opening hours were 8am to 3pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, and 8am to 5.30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. A breakfast club operated Tuesday to Friday; an after-school club ran on Wednesdays and Thursdays for children at the local school. Holiday care sometimes operated on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

In January 2024, the setting received funding for free early education places for children aged two, three and four.

• Baby settling. January 2024 findings identified gaps in information about comforting new babies. During a visit, ask how your child's soothing routines would be shared with their key person.
• Indoor conversation. In January 2024, staff interaction was stronger outdoors than in some hall activities. Ask how indoor play now encourages children to exchange ideas.
• Attendance pattern. January 2024 opening hours differed across the week and holiday care was occasional. How would your required days fit the current booking arrangements?

For families looking for practical outdoor play and a village-hall setting, the January 2024 picture has clear appeal. It covered both term-time early-years attendance and breakfast or after-school care. The two decision points are equally clear: individual settling for babies and consistent opportunities for conversation indoors deserve attention.