hdc Dartington

14/08/2026

🪱🌿 A Surprise Discovery in the Forest Garden! 🌿🪱

This morning, while playing in our Forest Garden, one of the children noticed something wriggling in a puddle near the river!

A member of staff went over to investigate and discovered that there were actually four eels that had become stuck in the small puddle! The children were fascinated watching them wriggle and move around, creating a wonderful spontaneous opportunity to learn about the wildlife living around us. 🐟

Once we had safely discovered our unexpected visitors, the eels were carefully moved further down towards the river.
This also gave us a lovely opportunity to talk to the children about being kind and gentle towards nature and how we can care for and protect the animals and wildlife around us. 💚

06/08/2026

🐾🩺 Vet Clinic Role Play! 🐶🐱

Our Vet Clinic has been a busy place this week! Throughout this topic, the children have been exploring how vets help to care for animals, learning about what animals need to stay healthy and the important role vets play in keeping them happy and well.

The children have loved taking on different roles in the veterinary surgery, from examining poorly pets and discussing different parts of an animal's body to paying for treatments and patiently caring for their animals while they recovered.

23/07/2026

If you're planning to use funded childcare from September for the autumn term, this is a quick reminder that you'll need to submit your valid funding code to us by Friday 31st July.

* New parents to The Old Station Nursery Group and existing parents claiming funding for the first time should:
1. Apply to receive your funding code: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0x6W_N0
2. Submit your code to us by 31st July: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0x6WBQ0

* Parents currently receiving nursery funding for a child already in attendance at The Old Station Nursery Group need to reconfirm their eligibility status by logging in to your GOV account at UK Childcare Service: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0x6Xhk0

22/07/2026

🎉 Congratulations, Rosie! 🎉

A huge congratulations to our wonderful Rosie, who has successfully completed her Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification! 🌟

Rosie has worked incredibly hard throughout her studies, showing dedication, enthusiasm, and a real passion for supporting the children in our care. We are so proud of everything she has achieved and are delighted to celebrate this fantastic milestone with her.

Well done, Rosie – what an amazing achievement! 👏💙

22/07/2026

🌟 We're Hiring at HDC Dartington! 🌟

Do you have a passion for helping children learn, grow, and thrive? We'd love to hear from you!

We are looking for enthusiastic, caring, and dedicated individuals to join our wonderful team at HDC Dartington.

✨ We're currently recruiting:
👶 Level 2/3 Nursery Practitioner (Full-time)
👶 Lunch Cover (Part-time)
👶 Bank staff

As part of the Old Station Nursery Group, you'll enjoy a fantastic range of benefits, including:
💙 Competitive pay
💙 £750 welcome bonus*
💙 52% childcare discount
💙 31 days annual leave
💙 Your birthday off, plus Christmas closure
💙 Training and career progression opportunities
💙 Wellbeing and healthcare benefits

If you're looking for a rewarding role where every day is different and you can make a real difference to children's lives, we'd love to welcome you to our team.

Please help us spread the word by liking, sharing, or tagging someone who might be interested! 💚

*Welcome bonus subject to terms and conditions.

15/07/2026

This afternoon the baby room continued their celebrations of The World Cup 2026 with a physical sports activity. We practiced and enhanced our physical development with kicking and throwing our balls towards the goal.

06/07/2026

A place to belong. A place to grow. A place to make a difference.
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02/07/2026

🧅🥔 From Planting to Harvest! 🌱

Back in the winter, our children carefully planted onion bulbs and potato seeds and have been eagerly watching them grow over the past few months.
Today was finally harvest day! The children were so excited to dig into the soil, pull up their onions and potatoes, and discover what had been growing beneath the ground. There were lots of smiles and proud faces as they uncovered their crops!
As they harvested, the children explored mathematical language by comparing the different sizes of the onions and potatoes, talking about which were big, small, bigger, and biggest. They also enjoyed carefully lining them up in the sunshine to dry, comparing their sizes and counting how many they had collected.🧅🥔🪴

01/07/2026

A day at the beach in the tuff tray. 🏝
As we have had some great weather recently the children loved exploring the beach tray and using their imaginative play and experiences of their own. They all had lots to share. "We went to the beach, Broadsands." "I went to the beach and caught lots of crabs." "I didn't go to the beach I went to the river."🏝️💛