Southernwood Nursery
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Torquay for children from birth to 5, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 November 2023. Open since 2013, with 36 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 Torbay
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Torbay 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
TQ2 6JEWhat 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 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children settle quickly in this friendly and welcoming nursery. Nurturing staff greet families warmly and establish any information they need to share. Staff encourage children to bring in photos from home and talk about their experiences to support their language skills and self-esteem. Children learn about the rules of the nursery, such as using 'kind hands and words'. Children and staff hug one another and sing,
'Have a wonderful day, enjoy and play.'
The nursery ethos encourages children to be positive learners in a safe environment where they can flourish. Staff plan the curriculum around this vision to help children make good progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who learn English as an additional language.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to further implement effective teaching strategies during free-play sessions to help children build on their existing knowledge and skills n consistently engage children in valuable learning experiences to support their overall development further.
- 3 November 2023Good
- 28 February 2018Outstanding
- 17 April 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Southernwood 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.