Skylark Nursery School

Garden-grown salad leaves, balance bicycles and imaginative play give Skylark Nursery School a practical, outdoor character in its November 2025 account of children's daily life. The setting has 52 places in total. Meadow Park Barn is at Lower Mead Farm in Alston Cross, Ashburton; the postal town is Newton Abbot and the postcode is TQ13 7LJ.

At its November 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership to meet the Expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. Children attending at that time were aged 2 to 4.

In November 2025, play connected physical skills, language and early mathematics. Younger children experimented with water and toy ducks; older children persevered with puzzles and explored size and shape while building towers. The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, its everyday expression included conversation, play and growing independence.

Outdoor learning had substance. That November, children practised balancing on logs and tree stumps, rode balance bicycles and counted in both directions during a game involving hidden rockets. Stories about space introduced unfamiliar vocabulary. Getting their wet-weather clothing on themselves also made preparation for the garden part of learning.

There was room for quieter concentration too. Older children sometimes worked in smaller groups away from busier activity, while a comfortable storytelling space encouraged conversations about books.

In November 2025, staff comforted children who needed reassurance and supported them in recognising other children's feelings. Sleep checks included attention to bedding and room temperature. Children picked salad leaves for snacks and helped with food preparation, linking growing food with eating it.

At the November 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified learning barriers, involved parents and other agencies, and used additional staffing to support children entitled to additional funding who benefited from smaller groups. Families received ideas for learning at home, including drawing and using scissors to develop hand control.

That November, staff shared learning information with other settings children attended and worked with schools to prepare children for their next stage. Attendance monitoring included contact with families when children were absent, connecting regular attendance with attention to children's welfare.

Meadow Park Barn is at Lower Mead Farm in Alston Cross, Ashburton; the postal town is Newton Abbot and the postcode is TQ13 7LJ. In November 2025, opening hours were 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. These are dated opening hours rather than a description of bookable sessions.

• Learning between activities. In November 2025, the move from stories to lunch created queues for handwashing and lost learning time. More consistent teaching during transitions and stronger conversation during routines and meals were improvement priorities. These ordinary moments matter alongside planned activities.
• Home language and culture. In November 2025, children encountered festivals, but opportunities to celebrate their own languages and cultural backgrounds needed strengthening. This matters for families wanting their child's home experience recognised throughout nursery life.
• Planning attendance. The November 2025 opening window ran from 8.30am to 5pm on weekdays. Which booking patterns and current hours would fit your family's routine?

Skylark suits families drawn to outdoor play, practical independence and learning through everyday conversation. Its November 2025 picture includes gardening, physical challenges and imaginative games, alongside support tailored to children's learning needs. The balance is clear: routines, mealtime communication and recognition of home languages were the areas needing attention. Those priorities deserve as much weight as the garden activities.