Sandcastles Pre-school
Good★ 4.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Tiverton for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 May 2023. Open since 1992, with 46 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
EX16 6QRWhat 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, 24 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are very busy and engage in a wide variety of activities. Staff provide activities to help develop children's hand control and concentration. For example, young babies become more skilful as they sort shapes and excitedly paint pictures using brushes. Toddlers are very proud when, after much perseverance, they can pick up a single lentil with the tweezers. Outside, children use chalk to carefully draw large triangles and circles on the path.
Children play with model dinosaurs. They eagerly point out the difference between the number of horns on the 'Triceratops' and the 'Styracosaurus', supporting their mathematical development. Following a recent interest in insects, children are keenly observant. They spot a small beetle scurrying in the grass and relocate a solitary green fly to a 'happy home' among the pansies. Children ask: 'Are there predators in there?' This shows that children are extending their existing knowledge about dinosaurs to different contexts.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, managers have identified the need for a strong focus on children's personal, emotional and social development to create a secure foundation for other areas of learning. For instance, staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and establish routines that enable children to move about safely. They encourage children to listen and to follow instructions well, take turns and share fairly. Staff focus on developing close bonds with children to help them feel emotionally secure. This helps prepare children well for their future learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to consistently extend learning for older children to build on what they already know to develop their thinking skills further.
- 24 May 2023Good
- 27 November 2017Good
- 5 January 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sandcastles Pre-school
- 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.