Tarka Tots Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Bideford for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 2005, with 45 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
We offer the universal and extended Funded Pre-School places for 3 & 4 year olds, and 2 year funding for eligible 2 year olds. If eligible you can access funding for up to 15 hours per week from the term after their 2nd and 3rd birthday. Alternatively this can be taken all year round as 11 hours per week. If claiming the extended 30 hours funding entitlement you can alternatively access this fundi.
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
EX39 2QSWhat 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 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happily and demonstrate that they feel safe, settled and secure.
Staff are excellent role models. They show respect and kindness for others, which children mirror in their own interactions. For example, older children say please and thank you when staff offer them snacks. Children behave well. When minor disagreements occur, staff manage this well. They explain the potential consequences of children's actions on themselves and others to help them learn to manage their own behaviour.
Staff encourage children to persevere when they find things difficult, building children's resilience and self-esteem. For example, they show children how to balance on planks. Children practise with staff guidance and beam with delight when they achieve their goal. Children show motivation to learn. They focus for long periods from an early age. For example, babies listen intently as staff read stories. Older children learn to solve problems to develop their critical thinking skills as they experiment with ways to remove cars that are stuck in play dough.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build further on relationships with parents to ensure all parents know who their children's key person is and understand the role of the key person to help ensure continuity of care and learning n continue to provide support, training and coaching for new staff, to build their confidence and skills in delivering the curriculum effectively for older children.
- 27 February 2024Good
- 7 August 2019Good
- 29 August 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Tarka Tots Nursery
- What it costs
- Meals
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.