Highest Quality Childcare Exwick Ark | Exceptional Childcare Provider in Exeter

About The Exwick Ark

Caring & Qualified Staff

Meet The Team

We are fully committed to continual professional development of our staff team. All staff have either achieved or are working towards their level 2 or 3 childcare qualifications. We also have 4 staff who have early years degrees. As part of their induction all staff complete Paediatric First Aid, Safeguarding, Food Hygiene, Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity Training.

Sharon Crook

Nursery Manager. Level 4 qualified in Childcare with a BA Hons in Health and Social Care Professional Diploma in Management and Leadership Level 5. Safeguarding Officer.

Wioletta Hojda-Jakubowska

Deputy Manager, Sendco, Safeguarding Officer. Wioletta has Qualified teacher status.

Julia Mckenzie- Grant

Our nursery Administrator is Julia McKenzie-Grant This is the person who is likely to be on the end of the phone if you call the nursery.

Lucy Warburton

Deputy Manager. Lucy has a level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner qualification.

Highest Quality Childcare

The monkey room is a beautiful light airy room for our youngest children aged 6 months to approximately 2 years. We work on a ratio of 1 adult to a maximum of 3 children in this room so we can always give plenty of love and attention. We have a maximum of 12 babies at any one time. Patio doors open onto a decked area and a ramp leads down onto a well planned garden. A separate sleep room allows children to nap as needed.

The Elephant room is a light and airy room for our 2 year old children. We work on a maximum ratio of 1 adult to every 5 children in this room. Doors open onto our separate garden and large sandpit area. We have a maximum of 16 children at any one time. A separate sleep room allows children to nap as needed.

The giraffe room is a light and airy room for our oldest children aged approximately 3 to 4 years. This is where we start to get them ready for school. Our well planned play areas allow for plenty of free play and also short teacher led activities. They have free flow access to our large play ground and mud kitchen areas. These children also access the Parrot room which is a smaller quiet space for focussed activities or naps in the afternoon if needed.

All our children from 2 years old have weekly forest school sessions in the Jubilee garden. Here we have a covered shelter with pizza oven and fire pit area. Sarah Emerton is our qualified forest school teacher and she enthuses children with her passion for bush craft and the natural environment. We work on a maximum ratio of 1 adult to 4 children in this area.

Community Links

We have close links with Exwick Community Church and St Andrews church who are across the road from our building.

We regularly take walks along the flood relief channel and through Exe Valley Play Parks.

Being so close to St David’s train station allows us to take groups of children on adventures to the beach or to St Thomas to visit the Splash Park or library. We will always ask for your consent when taking children further afield and you are welcome to join us.

We have regular visits from members of the community such as our local PCSO, Fire Brigade or police dog handler.

In the summer term, as our eldest children prepare for making the transition into Primary school, we have the reception class teachers come to visit and get to know the children.

Harriet Sharp, one of our Directors, runs Parent Point on a Friday afternoon in Exwick Parish Hall. This is a chance for parents to meet and support each other through the challenges of being a parent. Please ask for more details if interested in joining a group.

Parking

We have a small car park at the entrance to the nursery which can be used for drop off and collection. Please do not leave your car here for more than 15 minutes. There is a public pay and display car park at the other side of the play park if you ned to stay for longer.

We have a bus stop directly outside the nursery and are only a short walk from St David’s train station.