Adventurers

Adventurers
Unique reference number (URN): 2817915
Address: 64 Sylvan Road, Exeter, EX4 6HA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/11/2024
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Devon Nurseries Limited
Inspection report: 27 May 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Children consistently achieve well from their starting points and develop positive attitudes to
learning. Babies progress well. They develop age-and-stage appropriate knowledge and
skills in the prime areas of learning. Babies make rapid progress in their physical
development. They develop core strength and balance as they pull themselves up on a bar
and beam as they see their faces in a mirror.
Toddlers take turns pushing wooden aeroplanes and cars down a slope, declaring 'oh oh'
when the planes stop moving at the bottom of the slope. Some of the vehicles are heavy,
and children persevere as they pick them up, adjusting their grip to improve control and
stability.
Pre-schoolers thoroughly enjoy choosing from a variety of play spaces to explore and learn
in. They delight at being builders. They wear hard hats and goggles with pride and develop
balance and coordination as they climb a stepladder and apply taught safety measures,
such as only going up 2 steps on the ladder. Children learn about important buildings they
may have visited. Staff speak with them about a poster of the local cathedral and ask them
about any visits they have had there. Children busily set about creating their own building,
making their own cement and explaining to friends they need 20 grams of soil in the mix,
with friends wholeheartedly agreeing. This confidence and the focus with which children
engage with exciting learning opportunities, which are chosen to build on children's
interests, help all children achieve.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children manage their behaviours superbly and show care and consideration for others that
far exceed age-and-stage expectations. Leaders and staff establish a calm, nurturing
learning space for babies and older children, with learning experiences that engage,
motivate and promote positive attitudes towards learning. Children experience daily routines
that are well embedded and help children know what is expected and when. Staff are quick
to praise children's positive behaviours, and children aim to please. Children grow into
inquisitive, curious, enthusiastic learners. Children show confidence and independence as
they play. They enjoy supporting each other and sharing knowledge they have learned
through practise. For example, as older children drink from their water glasses at snack
time, they remind each other to be careful because, 'These glasses are heavy with water
and can break.'
Children's behaviours and attitudes to learning are well promoted by staff. Staff build
excitement and engagement at the right time and provide a calm, restful presence when
beneficial for supporting learning and development. Children learn to recognise and manage
their feelings well, and staff support this with sensitivity and care. All children achieve well
and develop high levels of self-confidence, resilience and a joy in being a curious learner.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders and staff create a safe, welcoming environment. Staff support children's wellbeing
to blossom. Children transition happily from parents and enter the setting eager to play.
There is a comprehensive handover between families and staff, and this promotes
consistency in care. Staff are highly responsive to children's needs and are swift to meet
them. Staff in the baby room demonstrate a sound understanding of safe sleep practices
and consistently promote these. Staff regularly physically check babies as they nap. In the
toddler room, children excite about potty-training week and are keen to sit on the potty
regularly. Staff speak with children about recognising signs that they need the toilet.
All children enjoy nutritious meals made on site. Leaders ensure that the menu reflects
children's cultures and home experiences. They consult with parents on meals enjoyed as
families and include these on the menu, making sure the meal meets nutrition guidelines.
Staff sit with children for meals and model enjoyment of eating for babies and table manners
for older children. Older children manage their own needs at mealtimes and develop
independence. They collect their table mats and select where they wish to sit, pour their own
water, wipe their faces and hands with a cloth after eating and take their empty plates to the
chef once they have finished. Children say 'thank you' as they hand them over, and the chef
thanks them for eating all their lunch.
Leaders assess risks well to best support children's welfare and wellbeing. For example, as
the weather is hot and UV levels are high, they tweak morning activities to ensure that all
children have opportunity for outside play in the fresh air before the temperature rises and
conditions are not conducive with outside play.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders build a curriculum that prioritises the development of social, emotional skills and
physical development. They interact frequently and purposefully with children, and this
promotes high levels of engagement, contentment and progress for all. Children experience
a learning environment that is full of language. Children experience regular story times and
sit focused and engaged as staff read stories with animation and joy. Children learn
unfamiliar words in stories, and staff teach them to understand the meaning. For example,
as younger children enjoy a story about a creature living in the woods with purple prickles all
over his back, they explain that the creature's prickles are bumps that stick up and stop his
back being smooth and then asks children to check each other for prickles. Children
thoroughly enjoy checking their own bodies for features like the story character. Children
giggle in delight as staff check their toes are straight and their knees are not knobbly.
Children are clearly enjoying this activity so much that it draws others in to participate, and
children show kindness, consideration and respect beyond their age and stage of
development, as they make room for their friends to see the story too.
Staff frequently ask questions of children that challenge their thinking and require children to
put their thoughts into words. Children have time to process questions and respond. For
example, children place cones out in a line to indicate building work is happening here. Staff
ask why children are putting cones there, and children declare, 'Don't cross this line. We are

building.' Children learn to be progressively more independent as they grow and persevere
well as they learn. This prepares children well for the next stage of their education.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders monitor children's progress rigorously. Staff know children and their families
extremely well and work in partnership with them to build a shared understanding of
children's needs and help children receive the right help at the right time. All children make
rapid progress from their starting points. Leaders have built a community that thrives.
All staff know all of the children's interests, barriers to learning and individual needs. Each
interaction children receive best promotes development, knowledge and progress, and staff
build superbly on what children already know and can do. The key-person system supports
staff and children well. Leaders and staff build trusting relationships with parents that help all
children progress. They support parents with aspects of development, such as promoting
positive behaviours at home and building effective sleep routines. Parents appreciate this.
Staff communicate regularly with parents to best support progress and help them know how
to further support learning at home.
Leaders use early years pupil premium funding to best support disadvantaged children.
They assess children's individual interests, care and learning needs and purchase
equipment to promote progress. For example, staff buy a parachute and stones showing a
variety of emotions to support children who find sharing, turn-taking and regulating their
emotions a challenge.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders have a clear, ambitious vision for their provision. They are aspirational for every
child and work effectively to best support the learning and development needs of all children
who attend.
Leaders support staff well to fulfil their roles and responsibilities to a high standard. They
build staff's understanding of what learning environments look like through the eyes of
children. At a recent staff meeting, leaders encouraged staff to lie on the floor in playrooms
for younger children to see what the room looks like from a child's perspective, so learning
can be best tailored. Leaders are present in the setting, modelling good practice. This helps
to embed consistently high standards of teaching and care. Leaders provide professional
development of all staff in a supportive environment. For example, apprentices are never
included in room ratios, so they can develop skills and knowledge without pressure.
Leaders work successfully with parents to best support children to achieve and thrive.
Leaders gain parental feedback and use it to best help children flourish. Leaders organise
community events. For example, a barbeque, where parents enjoyed onion relish created by
the children and made from onions the children grew in the setting's garden. Leaders use
shared events such as these to highlight how the learning activities children experience
build on each other and deepen children's learning. Children now thoroughly enjoy growing
more produce. Children proudly show visitors tomatoes and sunflowers they are currently
growing.

Staff's wellbeing is a priority for leaders. They hold a regular staff get together and celebrate
the difference each member of staff makes to children.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive happy, and staff greet them warmly. Staff promote children's independence
as they help children find their peg and store belongings. Leaders are swift to create play
activities that build on children's interests, and children engage immediately, showing high
levels of focus and joy. Children show a clear sense of belonging and can see themselves
throughout the setting, from family photos in the baby room to photo books celebrating
events in toddlers' lives. Children excitedly show each other these, and staff talk to children
about them. Older children enjoy looking at a display of photos of their own home front
doors. They exclaim, 'That's my house.' Children chat with each other about the number on
their house, the colour of their door and the position of their letter box.
Younger children enjoy water play outside in the cool morning sun. They manage their own
safety in the sun well as they follow well-established routines of wearing sun cream and a
sun hat. Children engage well as they create paths for water to travel down. They develop
physical skills as they lift water containers and develop an understanding of caring for the
environment, as staff speak with children about the water butt filling with rain water and
reusing it in their play to water plants they are growing together.
Babies enjoy experiences that promote their wellbeing. They show strong bonds with staff
and are content and comfortable. Babies giggle as they explore toys and books, and staff
narrate their play well, surrounding babies with an environment full of language. Babies
enjoy listening to staff sing nursery rhymes and songs and join in as they babble along.
Children beam as staff praise their beautiful singing and celebrate their efforts by clapping.
All children thrive and achieve well. They clearly feel safe and secure. Leaders build
respectful relationships with families and work in partnership with them to best support all
children. Staff promote attendance well. If children are absent, staff are swift to contact
parents to check on welfare and offer support to help children return to the setting when
well.

Inspector:
Shirley Evel
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2817915
Address:
64 Sylvan Road
Exeter
EX4 6HA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/11/2024
Registered person: Devon Nurseries Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 18:00
Local authority: Devon
Facts and figures used on inspection
Next steps
Leaders should ensure continued development in the setting's successful work to remove
barriers for children who need extra help to realise a transformational impact on all
children's achievement and wellbeing.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 27 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
66
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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