Puffins at Westcliff

Puffins at Westcliff
Unique reference number (URN): 2839866
Address: School Bungalow, First Avenue, Dawlish, EX7 9RA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 21/03/2025
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Puffins of Exeter Ltd
Inspection report: 8 April 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
All children achieve well. They receive the right support at the right time and make rapid
progress from their starting points. Children are confident and motivated learners. Staff
equip children with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in their next stage of
learning. All children demonstrate high levels of engagement and sustained concentration in
their play. Children who face barriers to their learning thrive. Children become confident,
competent communicators. They share their thoughts, ideas and needs and listen superbly
to their friends. Children are developing their language skills and learn and use new words
in their play. Children's physical development is impressive. Babies confidently sit, crawl and
climb. They confidently explore their play space, negotiating their friends as they move
around. Toddlers develop their control and coordination as they create stamp paintings. Pre-
school children build enclosures to play inside. They develop balance as they ride scooters
and balance bikes and manage risks as they check for obstacles before riding down a slope.
Children enjoy helping and supporting each other to learn. Staff encourage this with children
of all ages, and children in pre-school demonstrate this consistently. For example, as
children play a matching game with small bears, they explain the rules of the game to their
friends and help them match the colour of the bear to the one they spin on a wheel. Children
show such levels of focus and engagement and praise each other as they take turns.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children behave exceedingly well. Leaders and staff create a calm, nurturing learning space
for babies and provide children of all ages with learning experiences that engage, motivate
and promote positive attitudes towards learning. Children arrive happy and eager for the day
ahead. They settle swiftly and engage in purposeful play quickly and confidently. Staff
establish consistent daily routines that children quickly become familiar with and enjoy
following. They model expected behaviours clearly and use simple, consistent signals, such
as asking children to 'freeze'. Children listen to staff. They model and whisper 'copy' as they
place their hands on their own head, clearly proud of their efforts.
Staff are quick to praise children's positive behaviours, and children are eager to please.
They are highly motivated learners. Children show confidence in routines as they tell visitors
that group time follows resetting the room. Children work together to tidy and care for their
environment. They then excitedly explain, 'We will share our stories. It is so much fun.'
Staff help children to develop into inquisitive, curious learners. Children show confidence,
asking questions to further their knowledge and understanding. For example, when toddlers
enjoy a visit to the park, they develop road safety skills as they ask each other, 'Can you see
or hear any traffic?' Older children support younger ones as they say, 'Walk across the road.
Don't run.' As children see a building site on their walk, they ask each other what the big
hole is for and listen to each other as they share ideas, such as, 'You hide inside' and, 'They
dig for treasure!' Staff praise children's thoughts and ideas.

Leaders work closely with families to promote attendance, adapting sessions and support to
best meet the needs of children. This ensures a shared understanding of the importance of
regular attendance in helping all children achieve and thrive.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders prioritise children's wellbeing and welfare. They know the families they serve well
and are swift to respond to changes in circumstances at home that could challenge children
and families. Leaders and staff are proactive in sensitively offering support. Staff help
children of all ages to recognise, express and manage their emotions. This promotes
children's confidence to share their feelings with staff and increases wellbeing. There is a
real community feel, with the children at the heart of every adaptation or tweak in procedure
or practice. For example, leaders adapt lunchtime routines so they further promote children's
independence and provide an enjoyable, calm eating experience. Staff provide children with
a high-quality mealtime that exemplifies the community ethos of the setting. Staff support
children's health and wellbeing superbly. They work in partnership with parents to promote
healthy eating, and children enjoy nutritiously balanced hot meals made on site.
Leaders and staff focus on building children's social skills and emotional resilience. Staff
form close bonds with children, which helps them thrive. Staff promote self-care routines
well with all children. Older babies enjoy washing their hands ready for lunch. Toddlers enjoy
helping apply their own sun cream and enjoy telling their friends, 'I won't burn now.' Pre-
school children develop confidence and independence in using the toilet without assistance.
As they wash their hands, they chat with each other about the importance of using soap to
kill germs. Staff help children to recognise how their skills develop as they grow. They praise
how thoroughly they can wash their hands now without any help. Staff teach children the
importance of oral hygiene. Children take part in daily teeth brushing, where staff model
technique and children thoroughly enjoy brushing for the duration of the sand timer.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders have a clear curriculum intent. They share this effectively with staff, and the team
all prioritise promoting children's confidence, independence and communication skills. All
children enjoy a high-quality and ambitious curriculum that is well planned and sequenced
and consistently builds on what children already know and can do.
Staff support children's language and communication skills to flourish. They model
vocabulary well and extend children's knowledge and skills through high-quality interactions
as they play and learn. Staff have comprehensive knowledge of all children they care for.
They adapt teaching highly effectively to meet the needs of all children, including those who
face additional barriers to learning. Through these thoughtful adjustments, staff help every
child make secure progress from their individual starting points.
Staff support children's early mathematical skills well. Babies explore number as staff draw
attention to the fish in the tank. Toddlers enjoy counting their steps as they travel across a
bridge on their outing at the park. Pre-school children focus intently as they pour and scoop
rice into bowls, with staff encouraging them to work out how many spoonfuls they have
used.

Staff promote children's literacy skills well. Children of all ages enjoy regular story times.
Children in pre-school are confident communicators and excitedly create their own stories
with staff. Staff model story sequencing language as they ask questions, such as, 'What
happens next?' Staff help children's personal, social and emotional skills to grow. They
narrate children's stories, and children work together putting actions to their words.
Inclusion Strong standard
All children show a real sense of belonging at this highly inclusive setting. Leaders are swift
to recognise barriers that children may have in their development. They meticulously assess
children's learning and are proactive in ensuring that targeted teaching meets children's
needs. They seek outside agency support as required, and this, alongside adaptive and
nurturing quality interactions, best promotes progress for all children. Leaders prioritise staff
training and match it well to the needs of children. For example, training on Makaton signing
has strengthened staff knowledge in helping children develop into being confident, able
communicators.
Leaders and staff monitor children's progress robustly and are quick to support any
emerging gaps swiftly. This fosters rapid progress for all children, including disadvantaged
children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or
previously known to children's social care. Leaders use additional funding purposefully to
provide targeted support that meets children's needs and supports achievement. All children
progress well from their starting points.
Leaders build effective, trusting, positive relationships with families. This helps foster a real
community spirit, and children show a secure sense of belonging. Leaders support families
superbly, and this helps children enjoy positive learning experiences that prepare them well
for their next stage of development.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders have clear goals for their provision and are aspirational for every child. They work
effectively to best support the learning and development needs of children who attend.
Leaders have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for
development. They are responsive and adapt practice swiftly when they recognise a need to
do so. For example, there is a new leadership structure in place to provide coaching and
mentoring. This supports staff to deliver consistently high-quality interactions that build on
what children already know and can do.
Staff wellbeing is high. Staff feel leaders value their contributions and provide training and
development that best supports their key children's needs. Staff are confident helping
children to progress. The key-person system supports staff and children well.
Leaders and staff build working relationships with parents that support all children to thrive.
They provide guidance to parents on promoting positive behaviours at home and effective
sleep routines. Parents receive frequent updates on progress and know how to further
support learning and development at home.

Transitions are superbly managed, whether these are into the setting when children start,
through the setting as children develop or leaving the setting when moving on to school.
They are all carefully considered and meet the needs of each individual child.
Partnerships with professionals from outside agencies are highly effective. Staff seek
support for all children swiftly, including those who need additional support. This ensures
that children receive the right help at the right time.
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
Leaders create a nurturing, inclusive and welcoming environment. Children arrive happy and
excited. They separate well from their parents and carers. Staff greet children warmly, and
babies and children settle swiftly with their key person and clearly feel safe and secure.
Children show confidence and independence as they select activities to explore. Staff model
respect, and children follow their example, sharing well and taking turns as they play.
Leaders and staff know the families and children they work with exceedingly well. Leaders
adapt induction visits, settling-in sessions and children's first days attending to meet each
child's individual needs. This benefits children greatly, and they show a real sense of
belonging.
Leaders prioritise helping positive relationships between staff and children to flourish.
Children are allocated a key person once a bond is clear. This helps children's characters to
blossom. They confidently engage with learning and thrive. Leaders and staff know each
child's needs and adapt their interactions to fully support these. Staff have high expectations
of children's participation and behaviour, and children take joy in meeting these. Children
beam as staff praise their effort and independence as they play. Leaders establish routines
and adapt these as needed to benefit all children. For example, children progress from baby
room to toddler room as and when this meets their learning and development needs. This
helps prepare children for their next stage of learning and helps their self-confidence soar.
Leaders promote good attendance. They are swift to identify patterns in absence and put
effective support in place that increases attendance and helps children develop and
progress. Staff support children new to the setting to quickly settle. Staff provide comfort and
reassurance and engage children in activities that interest them. For example, babies enjoy
looking at bubbles in the fish tank, and, as staff speak excitedly about them, babies giggle.
Staff redirect children's attention sensitively as they help them become familiar with the
setting. Children increase in confidence and happily move away from staff and enjoy rolling
a ball along the floor. Staff celebrate their efforts as they praise and clap. Children smile at
this. The care and nurture staff provide helps children build confidence and enjoy positive
first experiences of the setting.
Next steps
Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure
continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a
transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children,
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or
previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their
learning and/or wellbeing.

Inspector:
Shirley Evel
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2839866
Address:
School Bungalow
First Avenue
Dawlish
EX7 9RA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 21/03/2025
Registered person: Puffins of Exeter 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 8 April 2026
Children numbers
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, apprentices, parents and carers and
children 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.

Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
40
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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