Smartees Day Care Nursery Ltd
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Yeovil 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 November 2024. Open since 2014, with 49 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 Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Somerset 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
BA20 2DNWhat 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, 27 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The sensitive settling-in procedures and strong key-person system ensure that children soon become emotionally secure. They quickly settle and are eager to engage in the activities. Leaders and staff have developed a small nurturing group for toddlers. They have their own area that overlooks the pre-school, exposing them to the environment from the safety of their own space. They watch the older children, building their confidence so they move up happy when they are ready.
Leaders and staff plan an ambitious curriculum and an effective environment, which enable children to become active learners. For example, outdoors, children explore rolling different-sized balls down a drainpipe. They see which size fits best and rolls the fastest. Staff provide effective support, asking good open-ended questions to promote children's critical thinking. For example, when a ball is too big to fit through the hole of the stand holding the pipe, staff ask children what they could do. Children consider moving the pipe down the stand and discover through trial and error what works best. Staff introduce mathematical concepts from a young age, such as counting one to three and noticing that filling a watering-can makes it heavy. Hence, by pre-school, children can place items in order of size and count with confidence.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve staff techniques further on talking with younger children, to develop their speech and understanding even more.
- 27 November 2024Good
- 19 February 2019Good
- 4 March 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Smartees Day Care Nursery Ltd
- 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.