Puffins Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Helston for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 1991, with 76 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 Cornwall
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cornwall 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
TR13 0LWWhat 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, 3 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive in this caring and nurturing nursery. They build strong bonds with the supportive staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and emotionally secure in their care. Parents of new children are encouraged to stay to get to know staff and enjoy new activities with their children. Sessions free of charge are routinely offered to help children to become familiar with their room. This helps staff to build strong trusting relationships with parents and family members.
Dedicated staff deliver a suitably challenging curriculum that supports all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The manager acts with integrity in using the funding the nursery receives to provide extra support to those children who need it the most. Children enjoy activities that are well suited to their age and stage of development. Babies enjoy the calm environment of their well-resourced room. They receive excellent support to explore and develop their physical skills. Younger children receive good guidance to help them to play with their friends and learn to share. Older children have many opportunities to develop their independence skills, extend their communication skills and be ready for the next stage of their learning. Staff are positive role models for children. They encourage children to use good manners and show respect for each other. Children's behaviour is very good.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on plans to provide better monitoring of teaching, to ensure all children experience the curriculum content at a greater depth n continue to implement and embed plans to further improve the environment, to ensure all children benefit from them n consider ways to improve the cleaning of high ceilings and windows.
- 3 February 2023Good
- 26 July 2017Good
- 18 October 2016Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Puffins 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.