Raddenstile Childcare Ltd T/a The Dolphin Pre School and Nursery
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Exmouth for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 May 2024. Open since 2011, with 75 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
EX8 2JHWhat 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, 29 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy at this friendly nursery. Staff warmly welcome them and they quickly settle into playing. Children form good relationships with staff who are attentive to their needs. Babies enjoy the comfort of having familiar staff near as they settle to sleep. Children enjoy the daily routines. They join in with songs as they help to tidy up and get ready for mealtimes. They demonstrate pride in being chosen as special lunchtime helpers. The nursery is calm and purposeful at all times.
Leaders put in place an ambitious and engaging curriculum. Children effectively build on their knowledge and skills in all seven areas of the early years foundation stage. They develop their mathematical skills as they learn to make patterns using natural materials such as pine cones. They carefully help to count different amounts and begin to recognise numbers. Children demonstrate great curiosity about the world around them. Older children excitedly find snails in the outdoor area and watch them climb up the walls. Staff help children to carefully pick the snails up to look at them closely. They share the children's enthusiasm and help them to marvel at how wonderful they are. Children are eager to join in activities and excited about their learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the use of strategies to help children who are nonverbal or with speech and language difficulties to communicate more effectively with others n strengthen the curriculum linked to personal development to ensure a consistent approach for helping children to become more independent over time, especially in the older-toddler room. Nursery
- 29 May 2024Good
- 4 July 2018Good
- 21 October 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Raddenstile Childcare Ltd T/a The Dolphin Pre School and 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.