Ark in the Park Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Newton Abbot for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2022. Open since 2001, with 78 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Devon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Devon from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
TQ12 1BZWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 7 September 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The setting is a friendly, warm and nurturing nursery. It is inviting for children to attend. Although the setting is currently in temporary accommodation, this has been adapted by the management to provide interesting and welcoming learning spaces for the children to feel comfortable and confident in. Healthy and nutritious lunches are provided by the on-site chef. Children enjoy chatting with their friends while eating, and the atmosphere is calm. Older children independently clear their food, plate and cutlery away after meals.
Staff support the children's emotional and mental well-being well. Children have strong relationships with the staff and other children in the nursery. They know how to be kind and help their friends. Behaviour is good.
The children have access to a well-equipped outdoor area where they can enjoy riding on tricycles and scooters. They explore balancing on planks and tyres, have plenty of tables and chairs to sit together outside, and a little house to play creatively. The nursery has two resident donkeys and two pigs, which the children enjoy talking and singing to. These animals also provide children with the opportunity to learn how to care for animals and how to feed them when they go to the enclosure one at a time, with staff.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: - provide more directed leadership in all rooms, particularly in the 'Big Baby
Room', to develop staff skills further
- develop staff skills in the 'Big Baby Room' so that they engage in meaningful interactions more consistently with the children.
- 7 September 2022Good
- 27 February 2017Good
- 21 November 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Ark in the Park Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.