hdc Dartmouth

Milton Lane, Dartmouth TQ6 9HW
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9.8 36 Reviews
  • hdc Dartmouth, Dartmouth
hdc's Dartmouth provides a safe, nurturing, stimulating environment, offering a perfect start for your child’s learning journey. The nursery offers exceptional care, enriched by unique learning opportunities for your child. One such experience is child-friendly cooking classes, helping to equip children with valuable skills and deeper knowledge of the cooking process.

In the Under 2's room, you will find a spacious and calm space with plenty of windows and light with a private deck that allows for fresh air. As your child becomes more independent, emphasis on child-centred practice and growth will give them the self-reliance and confidence to thrive. Their nursery educators enable active learning based on play and exploration. The Toddler Room has key areas and activities to capture the essential "learning in the moment". The room has plenty of natural light and the Toddler Room also has its own deck area to allow for fresh air and sunshine. As children approach their third birthday, with discussions with parents/carers, they will start a transition period into the nursery's Preschool Room. In their HDC Preschool Room, they focus on both prime and specific areas of learning – communication and language, physical development, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, expressive arts and design.

The nursery focuses on ensuring that their leavers are fully prepared for starting Reception at their chosen primary school. They have excellent links with the local primary schools and liaise with schools and parents to ensure that your child's transition is as smooth as possible.

The nursery proudly offers a 5% discount to NHS, The Britannia Royal Naval College, The Medical Practice (Victoria Road), Dartmouth Clinic (Mayors Avenue), Torbay Hospital and Totnes Community Hospital workers.

Care Provided by hdc Dartmouth

  • Type of Service
  • Day Nursery – Privately Owned
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Tash Slade (Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 7
  • Total Places for Children
  • 42
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:30-18:00
    Tuesday 07:30-18:00
    Wednesday 07:30-18:00
    Thursday 07:30-18:00
    Friday 07:30-18:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for hdc Dartmouth

  • Full Day Session £74.20


  • A £100 non-refundable registration fee is required to secure a place. Exact days of attendance should be confirmed no later than 6 weeks prior to the child’s start date. Any changes are subject to availability.


  • Parking
  • Parking is available within the school grounds for convenient drop-off and pick-up.


Total of 36, showing 1-20
9.8

hdc Dartmouth has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.791) out of 10, based on 18 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time hdc Dartmouth has 36 reviews.

Overall Experience

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Overall a lovely nursery . Staff are friendly and helpful. They take the time to do amazing activities in and outside of the nursery . My little boy absolutely loves it there and loves all the staff. The staff are reassuring throughout the day and are happy to work along side you if there is change
or things you need to start like potty training .

Reply from Hannah Nabil, Marketing Business Partner at hdc Dartmouth

Thank you for your glowing review. We're so happy to hear that your little boy loves nursery and that you feel supported by our team. We truly appreciate your feedback and are always here to help.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I could not ask for a better nursery for our daughter. To be honest I never want her to have to leave! I am constantly amazed by the care and imagination put into everything they do. Their updates are so thorough and full of wonderful memories. We feel so blessed to have HDC near us- it's an incredible
place.

Reply from Hannah Nabil, Marketing Business Partner at hdc Dartmouth

We're grateful for your positive feedback - thank you for the lovely words and appreciation of our nursery team.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We were extremely worried about sending our little boy to nursery as he was very attached to us and had very little contact with anybody else. The baby room team were excellent at settling him in and in reassuring us that he was loving his time at nursery by sharing regular and detailed feedback/pictures.
We can tell that our little one has made real and meaningful connections with the team and we feel confident going to work knowing that he is being looked after by people who show real passion and care for each child.
The management team are very helpful and approachable. I really love that the Manager and Deputy appear to be really hands-on alongside the team; making a point to really know each child and family as well as being present in the rooms overseeing everything that happens.
We are very thankful to the whole team for helping our boy to settle into nursery and for all the lovely experiences they give him.

Reply from Angela Bailey, Head of Customer Experience at hdc Dartmouth

Thank you for taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review. Choosing to enrol your child can feel daunting at first, but the whole team ensures that both child and parent are reassured during the transition process and beyond. Communication is key to this.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Adore HDC Dartmouth! The team are remarkable and have so much fun making each day with the children so special. It's clear just how happy and content the children all are there. Recently the team have started to create videos of their big adventures out and about in the community. It is brilliant to
witness how polite and engaging all the boys and girls are when meeting new people. HDC have an ongoing relationship with a local care home (The Fleet) and due to the frequency of their visits, you can really see the bonds being made between the young and the elderly. Learning isn't just from books HDC have a really holistic approach.


My dealings with the management team have always been really positive and certainly have no issues with getting speedy responses. Can not thank the team enough for everything they are doing for not only my nephew but the others in their service.


Reply from Angela Bailey, Head of Customer Experience at hdc Dartmouth

We are so pleased that parents are enjoying the videos that we have been sharing. We love to get out and about in our local community to explore the world around us! Thank you for sharing your experience.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The staff are fantastic, always so warm, friendly and calm. Our daughter loves attending HDC Dartmouth. The app is regularly updated with their activities and meals and there's always some lovely photos.
The learning is excellent and they will happily mix ages of children if they think this will help
improve their development.
Our daughter has made some great friends and is always talking about the staff.
Highly recommend!

Reply from Angela Bailey, Head of Customer Experience at hdc Dartmouth

Communication is so important. It reassures parents that their precious little one is safe and happy and records important milestones and development. Thank you for recommending our nursery.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We absolutely love HDC Dartmouth for so many reasons. The first is the care, attention and positivity the girls bring to our children. They are extremely aware of each child's needs, applying their expert knowledge & experience to manage situations, accommodate differing schedules and help to get the
best out of them. Secondly is the creativity and joyfulness they bring to each day, one day never looks the same as the next! Whether this be going out on trips to the library, bouncy castle, supermarket or park to baking, crafts, arts, music, role play to educational activities which help build key life skills. Lastly, we love HDC Dartmouth because of the overarching attention to detail they provide in everything they do, notably in communication which is so important. Any child would be lucky to attend this nursery setting. Thank you!

Reply from Angela Bailey, Head of Customer Experience at hdc Dartmouth

Our nursery practitioners are the heart of our setting. They are passionate about educating and supporting children in exploring the world around them and reassuring parents that their little ones are safe and cared for. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I had my first child back in July '23. Being in the military and always moving around, I was particularly nervous about putting my child into a daycare especially somewhere I had only moved a month prior. Starting a new job myself and my daughter going to daycare I was anxious, however from the first
visit at this daycare, everyone was so polite and welcoming! The process they have to introduce new children is amazing! Benefits both mother and baby, really helped with adjusting back to work. My daughter has grown and progressed so much being at this daycare! She gets to do so many activities, eat a brilliant variety of healthy food! My daughter has only cried once, this was when I picked her up the first full day she had. It goes to show how much she loves it there! The app is brilliant especially when I'm away from her for a week or so. And they are always happy to take calls if needed.

Reply from Angela Bailey, Head of Customer Experience at hdc Dartmouth

Leaving your child at a new nursery can feel overwhelming, but we are delighted to read about how happy you are with your experience. We love to think up new and exciting activities for the children to enjoy and reassure parents via our app or the telephone about how their little one is getting on.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started nursery when he was 10 months old and it was very difficult and challenging, it took him long time to adjust and settle. We were greatly supported by all the team members including the manager during his settling-in period. All the teachers are nice and caring ladies who genuinely like
my son and that's what is the most important for me. He likes them back and is very happy there. I also think that him starting nursery at very young age helped with his development. He is also building immunity. I can only recommend for your child to go to our nursery.

Reply from Angela Bailey, Head of Customer Experience at hdc Dartmouth

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are so happy to support both parents and children in settling into nursery life, which can feel daunting at first.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

All the girls at Dartmouth are fantastic. My son loves going there 4 days a week. They do so much with him ie visiting the local residential home for the elderly which I find brilliant, great for the elderly to connect with the children. They go to the park often, do lots of painting, sensory, counting
and reading. The staff are caring and approachable. The food they serve is good quality and lots of variety. I think they are all wonderful. Thank you!

Reply from Angela Bailey, Head of Customer Experience at hdc Dartmouth

The children and practitioners at HDC Dartmouth love to get out and about in their local community! We are so pleased that your son is enjoying his time with us and that you are happy with how he has settled.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Friendly and caring staff who accommodate my child’s allergies and encourage her development. Staff always have time to share how her day has been, I enjoy the updates on the app (sometimes they come through a bit late, and some more photos/moments would be great).

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

The staff are very informative. It would be better to have more staff on busier days as fewer staff can result in more bumps and scrapes for the children. My child often makes something in a craft/creative session, which I see from photos, but I don't often have it sent home with my child. My child
loves exploring outdoors, going to the library, going on the bus etc. More educational outings or visits would be useful including visitors to the nursery. Hygiene could be better as my child comes home looking sore on occasion. The nursery site is small (no separate spaces for eating or sleeping) so it can feel hectic, but they do ok with what they've got. More outside space would be ideal. Daily food costs are expensive and not value for money, I really think this should be made cheaper.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have the pleasure of sending both my sons to HDC Dartmouth. If you're looking for a nursery to suit your children's needs then look no further. All the staff are very friendly, engaging and take a real interest in my boys' lives. They are very quick to reply to messages and always answer the phone.
They are always willing to help my boys learn and develop in any way we need. Without the help of HDC Dartmouth, my boys wouldn't be the confident little lads they have become.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I can’t praise the nursery enough. My daughter loves going and I have absolutely no doubt that she is extremely well looked after. All the staff are friendly, kind and lovely! They do brilliant activities with the children and love seeing the photos.

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at hdc Dartmouth

That's really kind to say, thank you very much, we'll let the team know.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My child is always happy, smiley and excited to go to nursery. I feel happy and comfortable leaving him with his nursery workers while I’m at work.
I’m always kept well informed as to what he's been up to during the day.
The staff supports and encourages development, learning and play. I feel a wide
range of engaging activities are offered and explored weekly.
If there have been any concerns or issues they have always been dealt with in a kind, caring but professional manner. I would highly recommend HDC to other parents.

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at hdc Dartmouth

Happy children, staff and parents are definitely a winning combination. Thank you for sharing.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Friendly and caring staff. We always appreciate the feedback at the end of the day and thankfully most of the time to say it's been a good day. I like seeing the updates on the app in the daytime, especially with food and sleep. Overall very pleased.

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at hdc Dartmouth

We're really glad you're finding the app updates useful.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Since my child started last year, he has thrived in the setting. He runs in every morning and is making more friends. Every member of staff is so kind and professional. Would highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a nursery for their child.

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at hdc Dartmouth

That certainly means a lot to the team. Thank you very much for your kind words which we'll be sure to pass on to the team.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The team within Dartmouth are wonderful. Our daughter is from a military family, so we move around a bit. The toddler room are kind, welcoming, engaging and has supported our daughter's development as a 2-year-old amazingly. She goes in happy and comes out happy! That is all I need. Communication is
good, handing over a summary of her day at nursery. The manager is reassuring, approachable and accommodating which reflects in her team! Amazing team! Thank you.

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at hdc Dartmouth

The team will be delighted to hear this. Thank you for sharing.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Just a lovely place with a very caring workforce. Always blown away by the rate of learning my child displays and how happy and comfy he is in and around hdc Dartington. Excited to be sending my second child there in a few months.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at hdc Dartmouth

Thank you for your review, we really appreciate it!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I was a German exchange officer in Dartmouth and my daughter enjoyed hdc Dartmouth Day Nursery for two and a half years. The staff always acted highly professionally and politely. My daughter had surgery following hearing problems and hdc set up a special individual programme to further enhance her
bilingual development. When we left Dartmouth, English was her primary language thanks to the whole of the strong performing nursery staff. Especially the use of the app is absolutely state of the art and the German nursery she is going to now doesn't even consider a digitalised option like this. The key worker principle made perfect sense and the way how it was executed helped us extremely well to raise our daughter in these two and a half years abroad. The timings are super flexible and the staff always found a way to integrate my daughter straight away each day. This nursery is definitely our top recommendation and the goodbye situation there was the only one that made me cry when we left the UK.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at hdc Dartmouth

Thank you so much for your review, it is really appreciated!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been at hdc Dartmouth since 2021 and has come on a long way since being there. The staff are brilliant and really have looked after my son. I would highly recommend hdc Dartmouth to my family and friends.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at hdc Dartmouth

Hi, and thank you so much for your review; we really appreciate it!


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Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.791)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.791) out of 10 for hdc Dartmouth is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 18 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 18 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.791 for hdc Dartmouth is calculated as follows: ( (174 Excellents x 5) + (37 Goods x 4) + (4 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 215 Ratings = 4.791

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for hdc Dartmouth is based on 18 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4

    • ii) 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 42 number of registered child places is 8.4, which has been reached with 18 Positive reviews. Points = 1

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

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Awards / Recognitions (4)

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Meet the Team (1)

Tash

Tash Slade

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2023

Hello! I'm Tash and I am the Nursery Manager here at hdc Dartmouth.


We look forward to welcoming you to the nursery.


Frequently Asked Questions about hdc Dartmouth

What is the Age Range of Children that hdc Dartmouth accepts?

hdc Dartmouth accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is hdc Dartmouth Open?

hdc Dartmouth is open: Monday 07:30-18:00, Tuesday 07:30-18:00, Wednesday 07:30-18:00, Thursday 07:30-18:00, Friday 07:30-18:00.

How many Children does hdc Dartmouth have capacity for?

hdc Dartmouth has capacity for a total of 42 Children.

How far is hdc Dartmouth to the centre of Dartmouth?

0.7 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.