Puffins at Sowton

Lower SSE Building, Heron Road, Sowton, Exeter EX2 7FB
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9.8 24 Reviews
  • Puffins at Sowton, Exeter
Puffins at Sowton offer children a safe and secure place where they can play and learn about the world around them as well as develop their own unique personality.

Children spend time with their peers in age specific rooms with staff there to help them progress as they grow up and move into the different environments. Children are encouraged to be as independent as possible and staff allow children to direct their own learning and play experiences.

Each child has their own key worker who is responsible for ensuring all their needs are met, building the child’s confidence and happiness.

An outdoor area is provided for children to explore and play in, with a woodland area offering trees, logs and rope swings for children to play amongst.

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Care Provided by Puffins at Sowton

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Chelsea Brown (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 13
  • Total Places for Children
  • 40
  • 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 Puffins at Sowton

  • Under 2s:
    Daily (07:30-18:00) £72.50 per session


    2 - 3yrs Sessions with no Grant Funding:
    Daily (07:30-18:00) £69.50 per session


    2 - 3yrs Grant Funding available for full day sessions or 5 hour half day sessions


    3 and 4yrs:
    £7.50 per hour; for hours not allocated with grant

  • We offer half day sessions, full day sessions and hourly sessions which can include lunch sessions. Discount for full time children.


    For more information on their fee structure and information, please contact them directly and they will be happy to help.

Puffins at Sowton Reviews (24)

Total of 24, showing 1-20
9.8

Puffins at Sowton has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.800) out of 10, based on 8 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Puffins at Sowton has 24 reviews.

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Review from Rachel B (Mother of Child) published on 13 March 2025
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter joined Sowton the beginning of January and I was a little nervous as we had a big move to Devon and a my daughter is our first child however meeting the manager put us at ease and we knew instantly that sowton Puffins was the nursery for us! We would also like to say a huge thank you to
two members of staff in particular who have made the settling in process super smooth meaning my daughter settled in amazingly!Her face lights up when she sees these staff members at the gate in the morning and I know instantly she is going to have a great day. They have made such a special bond with our daughter and truly know her inside and out. There are so many great activities set up every day, they go on many trips and always go in the garden come rain or shine. And I love getting pictures of her during the day to see what she is up to. We can't thank all the girls enough! If you're looking for a nursery then Sowton is the one!

Reply from Cara Barraclough, Social Media and Business Marketing at Puffins at Sowton

Thank you for a very kind and thoughtful review. We really appreciate it!


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Review from Danielle R (Mother of Child) published on 18 February 2025
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I just wanted to share how the team at Puffins have been at settling my son into nursery. Until now, he has been in smaller groups at a childminder and I was worried how he would settle. The move in process is gradual, and at the child's pace. The team put the child at the centre of the work and bring
a welcome story for the child to read and to show the nursery is thinking of them before the start. The team are great at communicating, and I see this from the manager through to all of the team. They are very efficient and professional, but always caring and calm with the children. A special mention to two members of staff who have been my key contacts during this process.

Reply from Cara Barraclough, Social media and Business Marketing at Puffins at Sowton

Thank you for your kind words! We're so pleased to hear that your son's transition has been smooth and that our gradual approach helped. Our staff are dedicated to creating a caring and supportive environment, so it's great to know their communication and professionalism stood out. We're delighted to have you both as part of the Puffins family.


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Review from Elisha R (Mother of Child) published on 2 October 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The manager and everyone at Puffins are a lovely team. My daughter had no problems in the 4 years she was there. She really enjoyed it, and was always happy going in and also happy on pick up, so thank you to you all for making her journey at Puffins so lovely. It's such a lovely nursery setting and
I'd recommend you to anyone, so thank you all. My daughter will definitely miss it.

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Review from Claire S (Mother of Child) published on 27 August 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I continue to feel very fortunate my little boy attends Puffins at Sowton. He absolutely loves his days there. The staff are all amazing, you can clearly see they enjoy their job, and the communication is brilliant, special thanks to four members of staff in particular.

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Review from Layla C (Mother of Child) published on 7 December 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter has been attending Puffins at Sowton since September, and we couldn’t praise it enough. The staff have such a great understanding of what our daughter needs, likes and wants, and offer her so many great experiences whenever she is in their care. They are incredibly caring and excellent
at supporting our daughter’s development through imaginative and engaging play.
The baby room staff are always so friendly and easy to chat with, and each of them has built such a great relationship with our daughter. That was particularly evidenced today when we went to the Christmas Craft morning - she just wanted to hug them and interact with them; we felt, as parents, surplus to requirements, as she just loved spending time doing all the wonderful and thoughtful activities that they had constructed for all the babies and toddlers. It was wonderful to see our daughter so confidently explore the setting, and it really reflected how safe and happy she is at Puffins!

Reply from Gabriella Rourke, Training and Office Administrator at Puffins at Sowton

This is a lovely review to read! Our ethos at Sowton is "A fun, natural, curious environment that strives for outstanding care", and we feel this review really supports this ethos. We look forward to continuing to care for your daughter throughout her time with us at Puffins; thank you for taking the time to write this.


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Review from Charlotte J (Mother of Child) published on 7 December 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Absolutely amazing; they are so welcoming and supportive, and both of my girls love going to Sowton. My girls learn so much socially and able to learn new words and being able to learn to share, etc. Would highly recommend this beautiful nursery.

Reply from Gabriella Rourke, Training and Office Administrator at Puffins at Sowton

Thank you for providing us with this review! We are glad that you feel Puffins Sowton has provided a welcoming and supportive environment for your daughters. We look forward to continuing this level of care for you as a family!


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Review from K R (Mother of Child) published on 7 December 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

A lovely nursery. Our son has settled in so well and is always happy to go in! He does a great range of activities, and we are kept well updated through the parent app. Communication has been very good.

Reply from Gabriella Rourke, Training and Office Administrator at Puffins at Sowton

Thank you for providing this five-star review; it is lovely to hear parents' feedback, and we appreciate the time you have taken to write this. We love to share the children's experiences and are glad that you feel communication has been very good with regular updates. We look forward to continuing to care for your son at Puffins Sowton!


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Review from Hannah C (Mother of Child) published on 21 November 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter has attended Puffins at Sowton since January, and we couldn't be happier with the care she receives. More importantly, she absolutely loves going. The activities and updates we receive always look so engaging and varied. The staff are brilliant and have a great bond with her. We wouldn't
hesitate to recommend.

Reply from Gabriella Rourke, Training and Office Administrator at Puffins at Sowton

This is a lovely review to read about our Puffins at Sowton team. We are pleased that you feel our quality of care is so high. Thanks for taking the time to review us; this will be shared with our Sowton team!


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Review from Amy C (Mother of Child) published on 4 January 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending Puffins for almost three years, and she absolutely loves it. The staff are amazing, and she has such special relationships with them. She has really thrived at the nursery, and they always have a variety of different activities inside and outdoors as well as trips out,
and she especially loves the cooking activities. She always comes home happy and excited to tell us about her day, and she's made some lovely friends. I would thoroughly recommend Puffins; the setting and the staff are brilliant.

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Review from Angela S (Mother of Child) published on 5 September 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son attended Puffins Sowton for 4 years and it was a truly wonderful time for him. As soon as I walked into the nursery I had a great feeling about the place - the kids looked really happy and it was obvious that the staff are enthusiastic about their jobs. The outdoor space is fantastic and includes
a small Forest School. It's great that the children can choose to play inside or out and there is a free flow between the two, whatever the weather. There are endless opportunities to explore new experiences, which sometimes involves getting mucky. I love the fact that the staff are happy to get stuck in and mucky themselves! Our son has also been lucky enough to go on many adventures away from the nursery, including trips into Exeter on the bus. A trip to the Farmers Market to buy vegetables for making soup was a particular highlight. The 'Outstanding' Ofsted result is well deserved and I highly recommend the nursery. Thanks for giving our son such a great start to life.

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Review from Jennifer M (Mother of Child) published on 21 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our 18-month-old has been with Pufffins since 5 months. He absolutely loves it there and has done since day 1. They've been fantastic with his development, and provided a supportive, encouraging and fun environment. He adores the staff, and we never have any trouble dropping him off.


They've been

wonderfully accommodating with everything from my awkward work pattern/roster changes, through the storing and feeding of my expressed milk and our cloth nappies. He's enjoyed such a wide range of activities from messy outdoor play to trips to the library. All the staff are really lovely, would 100% recommend.

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Review from Sarah P (Mother of Child) published on 15 November 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter attended Puffins one day a week from when she turned 1, I wanted to find a nursery to help her with her social development as she spent most of her first year in lockdown. We visited Puffins and had such a positive feeling about the nursery as soon as we walked through the door, the two
staff members that showed us around were helpful and was playing with our daughter and making her feel welcome. During the 9 months that our daughter spent at Puffins, not only did her social skills develop but also her confidence and overall development, she used to get excited to go in on her nursery day and always enjoyed her day, the staff were always open and honest with us and nothing was too much trouble. If we called to see how she was getting on they would always make time to keep us updated and would update the parent app with food logs and pictures. I will always be so grateful to Puffins and the part they played in our daughter's early years care and development.

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Review from Polly S (Mother of Child) published on 10 April 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter attends this nursery and she loves it. It has a friendly, family-like atmosphere and very positive and polite early years practitioners who seem genuinely happy in their work. There is a lot of outdoor play and the setting is a quiet location bordered with trees - their own ‘forest’! I wouldn’t
hesitate in recommending Puffins at Sowton, especially if you’re looking for somewhere that doesn’t have a large, commercial feel to it.

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Review from Alice (Mother of Child) published on 13 January 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter attends this nursery and she loves it. I’m really happy with how quickly she settled in at a very young age and the staff are all helpful and friendly. They do lots of great sensory and outdoor activities which she wouldn’t experience at home. I love that it’s a small setting meaning the
staff and children can really bond with each other. Highly recommend!

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Review from A (Father of Child) published on 1 December 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We can't recommend them highly enough. All of the staff we have dealt with have been great, and it feels like they enjoy working there. Our son always comes home with a big smile on his face, excited by the day he has had.

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Review from Katie G (Mother of Child) published on 6 November 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter attended the nursery since she was 9 months old and is now 2.5 yrs. She absolutely loved it, the staff are so friendly and they build brilliant relationships with the children. They are really flexible and professional, especially in these unusual times. Thank you so much Puffins - highly
recommend.

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Review from Anissia H (Mother of Child) published on 17 September 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Excellent nursery! My daughter has just left to go to school, but she attended for almost 4-years. The staff are exemplary, full of creative ideas and very approachable to both children and parents. The children are always doing exciting and interesting things, experimenting and learning lots through
creative play. My daughter spent a lot of time outside, learning about nature and playing in the mud kitchen! She always came home happy, full of stories of all the fun she'd had. We'll miss it now she's at school!

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Review from Bella L (Mother of Child) published on 20 April 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been going to puffins since he was 5 months old and is now two. I have always had full confidence in the staff and their skills and they really take the time to get to know the children and their personality. My son really enjoys going to nursery and talks about his time there, he particularly
enjoys his time spent in the garden.

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Review from Delyth (Mother of Child) published on 13 March 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This is a small setting, but it is really lovely. The staff are warm and friendly. I like the fact that this is a child lead setting because it stimulates learning, teamwork and play. My daughter gets excited when I drop her off and she has lots of exciting things to say when I pick her up. She is happy
and I wouldn't ask for anything else for a 2-year-old. Thank you for everything Puffins!

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Review from R P (Mother of Child) published on 12 October 2018
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Very adaptable nursery to individual childs needs especially dietary. Very accommodative to my daughter's food allergies/tolerances and they review them regularly to check if still all appropriate as we are reintroducing food to her. All the food is cooked fresh on site daily.

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Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.800)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.800) out of 10 for Puffins at Sowton is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 8 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.8 out of 5 from 8 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 5.000 for Puffins at Sowton is calculated as follows: ( (96 Excellents x 5) ) ÷ 96 Ratings = 5

  • 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 4.8 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Puffins at Sowton is based on 8 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 = 3.8

    • 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 40 number of registered child places is 8, which has been reached with 8 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.

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Meet the Team (1)

Chelsea

Chelsea Brown

Job Title: Childcare Centre Manager

Joined: 2013

Chelsea has been with Puffins for over 8 years and has managed Puffins at Sowton for one of those years. She joined Puffins in 2013 and did her Level 2 and 3 Childcare qualifications with us. Chelsea has progressed through the ranks and has worked her way to be a Childcare Centre Manager, gaining her Level 3 in Management in 2018.


She has enabled Puffins at Sowton to grow and be a beautiful explorative environment for the children. Chelsea is supported by her Deputy Sophie. They would love to show you around their nursery, so please get in contact.


Frequently Asked Questions about Puffins at Sowton

What is the Age Range of Children that Puffins at Sowton accepts?

Puffins at Sowton accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Puffins at Sowton Open?

Puffins at Sowton 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 Puffins at Sowton have capacity for?

Puffins at Sowton has capacity for a total of 40 Children.

How far is Puffins at Sowton to the centre of Exeter?

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

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Puffins at Sowton to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Puffins at Sowton has an Enhanced Service – more info.