Opening hours
7.30am - 6.30pm, 51 weeks a year. Full day: 8am to 6pm, Early start: 7:30am to 8am, Late finish: 6pm to 6:30pm
hdc Nursery Dartmouth
Ofsted: Outstanding
(Feb 2023)
Number of places
41 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2023
Local authority
Devon
About this day nursery
hdc Nursery Dartmouth, located in Dartmouth, Devon, provides outstanding childcare for children aged 0-4 years. Inspected by Ofsted on 2 February 2023, the day nursery offers a highly stimulating and nurturing environment where children flourish.
Staff are warm, affectionate, and dedicated, forming excellent bonds with children and consistently meeting their individual needs. 30pm, 51 weeks a year, within the Dartmouth Academy Campus.
An exciting curriculum ensures children build on existing skills and make excellent progress in all areas of development. The nursery effectively uses funding to create an inclusive environment and fosters independence from a young age, with babies learning to self-feed and older children preparing their own meals.
Children's behaviour is exemplary, and staff support their communication and language skills exceptionally well, introducing new vocabulary and promoting articulate communication. The manager maintains high expectations for the team, fostering outstanding practice through consistent support and training.
The nursery actively involves parents in their children's learning, sharing detailed information and receiving unanimous positive feedback on children's progress. Daily outdoor access and a superb new outdoor space provide rich opportunities for exploration and development, including woodwork sessions with real tools.
Regular community visits, including to the naval college, help children learn about the world around them, ensuring an enriching and supportive experience for all.
Our ethos
At our St Neots children’s day nursery, we follow the Montessori approach in a home-from-home environment. The children in our care learn through play, and the passionate team at our nursery offer children a variety of activities and learning opportunities every day related to their individual interests, ensuring no two days are ever the same. Our smaller size enables us to work closely with children and families to form a partnership which allows us to meet their individual needs and develop capable learners and communicators.
What it's like
Children thrive in this highly stimulating and nurturing environment, benefiting from warm, affectionate staff who consistently meet their individual needs and foster excellent bonds with their key persons. The curriculum is exciting and ensures children build on existing skills, making excellent progress in all areas of development with effective use of funding to create an inclusive environment.
Montessori ApproachChild-led learningOutdoor LearningNext Stop School ProgrammeBrighter Learning Approach
Pricing & funding
Funding accepted
15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
Pricing on request
This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.
Key facts
Term time / All Year
All Year
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for hdc Nursery Dartmouth
Last inspected 2 February 2023 · Joanne Steward
Overall effectiveness
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
What it's like to attend
Children thrive in this highly stimulating and nurturing environment, benefiting from warm, affectionate staff who consistently meet their individual needs and foster excellent bonds with their key persons. The curriculum is exciting and ensures children build on existing skills, making excellent progress in all areas of development with effective use of funding to create an inclusive environment.
Inspector highlights
- The manager has high expectations for the team and implements new ideas into practice immediately.
- Staff work exceptionally well with parents, involving them in all aspects of their children's learning and development.
- Children have excellent opportunities to learn about the world around them through regular community visits.
- Staff actively embrace children's interests, leading to engaging and creative learning experiences.
- All children have strong opportunities to explore and experiment, with staff enthusiastically encouraging sensory and creative development.
Inspection #10276181 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
What parents say
Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection
Parents unanimously state how children have made excellent progress from their starting points and comment on the highly committed staff.
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
Staff use funding effectively to ensure that children make the progress they are capable of within an inclusive environment.
Outdoor space
Every child has daily access to the outdoor environment, which is filled with an exciting range of resources. A superb new outdoor space provides toddlers and older children with an amazing space to play, including woodwork sessions with real tools and free access to materials like flour, salt and clay for mark-making.
Google Reviews of hdc Nursery Dartmouth
5.0
(7 Google reviews)
Hannah
2 months ago
Adventures begin at HDC, from child led learning to outings in the community, every child has the opportunity to grow in confidence, overcome challenges and develop new skills. Being part of every child’s journey is magical, rewarding and brings a smile to my face everyday.
Read on Google
Tracy Berry
a year ago
This is a truly wonderful nursery. The team are fantastic, offering support, care and advice for all families. The team build wonderful bonds with the children and families and you can see the secure relationships when watching the children and team members together. There are 3 lovely rooms for the children to explore and grow their independence and confidence. Babies were babbling happily, the toddlers were busy eating their lunch and talking together about their morning adventures. The preschool were enjoying a story where they were joining in and having great fun. There is also a garden with so much on offer. I loved my time here and can not wait to visit again. Keep on being the amazing place you are, offering exceptional early years learning as it is wonderful for the children and families.
Read on Google
Beth Nicol
9 months ago
My son has attended HDC Dartmouth since he was 9 months old and is now 2 and a half. I absolutely cannot fault them. Every member of staff is open and friendly. My son absolutely loves attending and has a strong attachment to his key worker, but has good relationships with all staff. I always get a good handover about his day and they contact me about any accidents. The staff know my son well, and plan activities based on his likes as well as development needs. They offer a wide range of healthy foods so despite the fact my son is quite fussy, I know he eats well there. Staff have also supported us with potty training and behaviour management. 100% recommend this nursery and I cannot thank them enough!
Read on Google
Rehanna Davies
4 months ago
HDC is a lovely setting for children, with warm welcoming staff with lovely engaging activities throughout the day. Highly recommend!
Read on Google
Roz Worster
11 months ago
What a lovely visit to this fabulous nursery today. Warm, welcoming professional staff and all I could see was happy, laughing busy groups of children both inside and outside. The outside environment is so beautiful and even includes a real boat. Feels like the perfect nursery and highly recommend.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for hdc Nursery Dartmouth. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: December 2004
- March 2023Outstanding
- February 2023Outstanding
- July 2017Good
- July 2017Good
- April 2014Good
- March 2014Good
- December 2008Good
- September 2008Good
- December 2005Good
- December 2004Requires improvement
Frequently asked about hdc Nursery Dartmouth
About the setting
Humpty Dumpty Childcare registered in 1991. It occupies premises situated on the ground floor of the children's centre, which is part of the Dartmouth Academy Campus. The setting is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6pm, all year round. It receives free early education funding for children aged two, three and four years. There are 20 staff members employed to work with children, most of whom hold relevant early years qualifications from level 2 to 5.
- URN
- 106136
- Registered person
- Humpty Dumpty Childcare Limited
- Day care type
- Full day care
- Register
- Early Years Register
- Establishment type
- Childcare on non-domestic premises
- Previous rating
- Good
Nearby day nurseries in DARTMOUTH
Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to hdc Nursery Dartmouth.
Are you the owner of this nursery? Claim this listing to manage photos, hours and contact details.
Claim listingShare this nursery
Send to a partner, friend or family member.
This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more