URN 2805306 · Inspected 2026-06-10 · Published 2026-09-03 · Inspector: Stephanie Wright Victoria Nicolson
The Cabin Unique reference number (URN): 2805306 Address: The Cabin, Courtlands Road, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 0EF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 26/09/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Nurtured Education Ltd Inspection report: 10 June 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 Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders establish a very positive and well-organised environment, where children understand the expectations for their behaviour clearly and consistently. Children respond very well to routines. They confidently help to clear up after mealtimes and know where to tidy toys away. Children demonstrate growing independence. For example, they very confidently put on their own waterproofs and boots appropriately for outdoor play. Staff provide clear guidance and gentle reminders, supporting children to share resources and cooperate with others. Relationships between staff and children are extremely warm and nurturing. Staff are constantly attentive and responsive. They create a secure environment where children feel safe and valued. As a result, children settle quickly and approach adults with confidence, knowing their needs will be met. Staff use successful strategies to support children in learning to regulate their feelings. For example, staff help children to talk about and identify feelings, which helps them to make sense of how they feel. Parents and carers settling new babies receive a warm welcomed from staff. They feel reassured to leave their babies at the setting. Staff support children effectively to collaborate and build friendships. Children learn to be respectful. Older children help younger children, who enjoy playing together. Staff model positive interactions, and their passion for their work helps children to be motivated and excited to learn. For example, they respond warmly to children who are excited to share their ideas about what they making. This further encourages children to develop their own ideas and imaginations. Leaders place an emphasis on attendance and punctuality. Robust systems ensure key persons carefully monitor patterns of attendance. They liaise closely with parents, who make effective use of the shared electronic system to communicate. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders and staff implement highly effective care practices that consistently meet children's individual needs. Key persons build deep and responsive relationships, particularly during settling-in periods. Children are warmly greeted on arrival. Staff comfort babies with reassurance, using gentle voice tones, physical closeness and praise to foster secure attachments and emotional security. Staff support children to manage their emotions effectively. They recognise cues quickly and respond with encouragement, helping children to feel confident, secure and valued. Staff support children's developing independence well. In the baby room, staff carry out personal care routines sensitively, singing songs to create a calm and positive experience. Older children demonstrate increasing independence as they wash their hands, pour drinks and serve their own food at snack times and mealtimes. For example, they butter crackers and spoon out beans. Staff supervise attentively while encouraging children to make choices and develop self-help skills, preparing children effectively for school. Expected standard Routines are well established and tailored to children's needs. Babies sleep in a dedicated and closely monitored space. Staff maintain communication with parents and carers regarding sleep patterns. Staff stay in very regular communication with parents and are responsive to any changes in circumstances. Children learn about health and safety, such as the importance of applying sun cream and learning to stay hydrated by drinking fluids. Staff share information with parents regularly to keep them informed, for example about healthy eating. Achievement Expected standard Children develop confidence, independence and positive attitudes to learning. They make positive progress from their starting points, including those with barriers to their learning. All children generally learn new words as they play. For example, children name dinosaurs as they cut out shapes with the play dough. Younger children learn to recognise signs and gestures, such as the sign for 'more', which helps them to communicate. They typically express themselves by pointing and by laughing and smiling at the staff. Older children are well prepared for moving on to school. They can manage their own clothes, develop independence with toileting and build the social skills to play together with their friends. Younger children begin to learn these skills from the start. They sit in a circle for mealtimes with their friends and enjoy being sociable as they look at each other and learn to eat together. Children develop social skills that help them play together. Toddlers play gently with younger babies, showing them how to stir water and sand. Older children play imaginatively with vehicles and construction toys, sharing as they make up games together. All children make positive relationships with staff, which helps to develop their confidence and social skills further. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders are ambitious about the curriculum offered to children. Staff provide a rich and varied range of learning opportunities and consider the needs of all children. They emphasise the importance of outdoor learning and the natural world being available every day for children. In addition to the garden at the setting, staff make use of wider opportunities in the community, such as the local park. Babies thrive as they explore mixing water and sand outside, while children enjoy planting herbs in the garden. Staff are skilled at developing interactions with the children, supporting their communication and language development. They position themselves at the children's level to join in the play. Staff engage babies in games with a repetitive song, which the children join in with happily. Older children learn to play imaginatively and cooperatively together. Occasionally, staff are less effective at ensuring younger children are as well engaged when in a larger group. Consequently, they do not provide opportunities for these children to develop their communication skills even further. Staff support children's imaginative ideas and physical dexterity as they play with play dough. Children learn to roll a ball in their hands to make a dinosaur egg and handle cutters and tools. They learn to experiment with making marks outside with chalks on the fence. They develop confidence as they learn to move and control their bodies. Staff sensitively support younger children who are learning to walk. Older children extend their skills by balancing across stepping stones. Staff skilfully support individual children and use their knowledge of each child's development to engage them in learning. Inclusion Expected standard Staff identify and assess children's individual needs effectively from the start. They attend training that helps them to have a thorough understanding of how to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They put in place targeted support that reduces barriers to learning and promotes inclusion. For example, children receive help to regulate their feelings and social skills. Staff share practical strategies with parents and carers, such as emotion cards, which parents report have a positive impact on children's personal, social and emotional development. Leaders work closely with families and external professionals to ensure children have appropriate support. They work in close partnership with schools to support children to have smooth transitions and share information in order to meet children's needs. Staff understand how to engage with children in different age groups, in line with their developmental stages. For example, older babies benefit from a dedicated quiet space to help focus their attention when learning in a small group. Older children learn to speak in a bigger group, telling their friends about their holidays. Occasionally, the needs of younger children who have just moved up to join pre-school are not met as well in the larger group. Some children become distracted and there are less opportunities for them to engage and interact. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have an understanding of the setting's context, strengths and areas for development. They use their knowledge of the setting effectively to identify priorities, such as strengthening the mathematics curriculum. They take appropriate steps to address these through targeted professional development. Occasionally, leaders do not consistently evaluate practice with sufficient detail to identify where practice might improve even further. For example, when children transition from one age group to the next. Leaders have a clear commitment to providing high-quality care and education. They maintain a focus on children's wellbeing. Their vision for the setting ensures each and every child and their family are a priority. Staff ensure that partnerships with other professionals meet the needs of individual children, and they ensure there is effective communication with other settings and schools. Leaders prioritise the importance of teamwork and are considerate of staff workloads. They take effective action to promote staff wellbeing and avoid creating unnecessary work for staff. As a result, staff are very supportive of each other and demonstrate a passion for their work. Parents and carers comment on the value they place on the consistency of staff, which supports children and their families to feel secure. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met Voluntary Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting Children receive a warm welcome as they arrive at the setting. Parents and carers value the consistent and familiar staff. Children quickly rush off to play with their friends. New children and their families receive support with sensitive approaches to settling in. Parents appreciate the friendly nurturing approach from staff where children feel safe and secure. Babies receive sensitive care, and older children learn to become independent, managing their own clothes and making choices about their lunches. Children attend regularly and enjoy learning in the setting where there is a wide range of choices both indoors and outdoors. They have opportunities to play in the setting's gardens, as well as regularly visiting the local park behind the setting. Children play together and develop social skills. Staff create a calm environment, which supports children to be curious and explore. Babies play with water, using spoons to pour and mix the water with sand. Older children learn to balance as they develop their physical coordination. Children develop confidence to develop fine motor control in mark making when they play outdoors with chalks. Children develop their communication skills, joining in with songs throughout the day. Older children speak with confidence in a group, which helps to prepare them for moving on to school. They learn to concentrate as they listen to their friends remembering what they did on their holidays. Babies enjoy playing games that help them to focus and anticipate what is hidden in a basket. They are excited and join in, tapping to rhythms as they develop listening skills. Staff are passionate about supporting each and every child and family. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support, with sensitive adaptations made to the curriculum to ensure children develop and thrive. Children learn to use some signs to communicate and learn to manage their feelings well through the sensitive support of staff. Next steps Leaders should use more detailed evaluations and analysis to understand the effectiveness of the provision even more precisely. Leaders should support staff to plan the provision even more effectively to meet the needs of younger children as they move on to join older children, particularly at group times. About this inspection The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, special educational needs coordinators, parents and carers and children during the inspection. Inspectors: Stephanie Wright Victoria Nicolson About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2805306 Address: The Cabin Courtlands Road Tavistock Devon PL19 0EF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 26/09/2024 Registered person: Nurtured Education Ltd Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Devon Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 10 June 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of 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. 1 to 7 Total number of places 31 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. 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