The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School

Hall House, 15 Cathedral Close, Exeter EX1 1EZ
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10 11 Reviews
  • The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School, Exeter
In the heart of Exeter lies The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School, a nurturing haven for 0-4 year olds. Now accepting applications for children aged 3 months+.

This modern, purpose-built nursery offers a happy environment where children can blossom. Qualified staff provide a bespoke education, tailored to each child's needs. Explore the beautiful Woodland Garden or bright, airy classrooms bathed in sunlight. Specialist music and sports teachers join the team, while hot lunches are included.

With flexible entry points throughout the year and Early Years funding accepted, The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School makes a perfect starting point for your child's journey.

You can arrange a relaxed visit to explore in-person this unique Nursery at a date and time that suits you. Simply email or phone the school's friendly admissions team using the contact details provided.
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Type of Service

  • Nursery School
  • Open term time
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Owner

  • Exeter Cathedral School
  • Voluntary / Not for Profit Owned

Person in Charge

  • Kate Newland (Manager)

Admission Information

  • Children must be potty trained

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 2

Registered Charity Number

  • 1151444

Total Places for Children

  • 26

Age Range

  • from 3 years 0 months
  • to 4 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • School Day: 08h45-15h15 (£61.77)
    Morning + Lunch: 08h45-12h15 (£33.26)
    Afternoon: 12h15-15h15 (£28.51)


    Wrap-Around Care:
    Nursery Keen Beans: 08h00-08h45 (£4.84)
    After-School Club: 15h15-17h00 (£4.84-£10.21)
    Whole Day: 08h00-17h00 (£76.82)


    Full fees info available here on our website.

  • Children are welcome to join our wonderful Nursery from the start of the term during which they turn 3. Nursery fees are charged per session: you can choose to attend for the Morning + lunch; or for the Afternoon; or you can choose to attend for the School Day (Morning + lunch and Afternoon).
    Nursery Keen Beans and After-School Club are also available.


    [The School also offers Early Club (07h30 – 08h00) and Late Stay (17h00 – 18h30). These are charged optional extras available to all pupils from Nursery to Year 8.]


    At Exeter Cathedral School we accept the Universal 15 hours EYE (Early Years Entitlement) in our Nursery*. Funding applies to core sessions and is not applied to Nursery Keen Beans and Pre-Prep AfterSchool Club.


    * EYE only covers hours attended for the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage; it does not cover the cost of consumable items or additional provision such as: our specialist music lessons; our specialist
    physical education lessons; our specialist curriculum & wellbeing days; access to our School facilities (for example the Hall House Library, our Music & Drama spaces, occasional use of the professional sports facilities used by the School, access to the Cathedral); snacks and meals (our Nursery provision includes a morning snack and a hot lunch).


    These additional provisions are charged as an additional fee per session (contained within the ECS Nursery fees above). These are applicable to all our Nursery children and a breakdown is below:


    • 08h45 – 12h15: £16.10
    • 12h15 – 15h15: £13.80
    • 08h45 – 15h15 £29.91
    • 08h00 – 17h00: £44.96

Opening Times

  • Monday 08:00-18:00
    Tuesday 08:00-18:00
    Wednesday 08:00-18:00
    Thursday 08:00-18:00
    Friday 08:00-18:00

When Closed

  • School Holidays

Parking

  • Current Nursery parents find that the most convenient place to park is on the Southernhay district, which is a 30 second walk from the Nursery. The closest car park is the Cathedral & Quay Car Park, which is a 3-4 minute walk away. When arranging a visit, the Admissions Manager will give you the details of the school's visitor parking spaces.

The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School Reviews (11)

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The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School has a Review Score of 10 (9.992) out of 10, based on 11 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School has 11 reviews.

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Total of 11, showing 1-11
Review from L A (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have sent all 3 of our girls to Exeter Cathedral School Nursery and having nothing but praise for this magical place! The physical spaces are so inviting, including a large airy nursery room, a woodland garden area set up like a forest school & a playground. The children are part of the Exeter Cathedral
School family, which we have found to be inclusive and friendly. The children get a bit of exposure to what school will be like, learning their letters and sounds and attending assembly with children in reception, year 1 and year 2. Our daughters have always loved looking up to the older ones so enjoy year 7 or 8 pupils coming to read, play or do activities with them in the nursery. The nursery is flexible - it's no drama if you forgot to apply suncream one morning - the kind staff will smile and do it for you! We have experienced one other nursery in Exeter (that was OFSTED outstanding) but Exeter Cathedral School is miles superior! This kind, inspiring place makes family logistics achievable!
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Review from Emily H (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School is truly one of a kind - both our children have been lucky enough to attend (our daughter left last year, our son is in the first year of nursery), and we have found it to be a brilliant and truly unique environment in the level of care, attention to detail, the
meticulously planned days packed full of activities to nurture and stimulate them, the close attention paid to each individual child. We couldn't recommend it highly enough. A huge thank you to the whole Nursery team for making such incredible topics and activities for our little ones, all in such a loving and friendly environment that our children run in every day, eager to get started!
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Review from T M (Father of Child) published on 3 July 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our Son really looks forward to going to Exeter Cathedral School Nursery and he comes home with such happiness every time. We really appreciate the calming environment, the warmth and professionalism of the team and the supportive, friendly spirit. It's lovely to see him learning new things everytime
and coming home to tell us all about it. As parents we're incredibly impressed.
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Review from Jackie W (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
As a trained nursery nurse myself, choosing the right setting for my own child felt overwhelming. The moment we entered the doors to Exeter Cathedral School Nursery I knew that's where we would choose.
The setting is open and welcoming with a wonderful outdoor space and the staff are like no other
nursery I have come across, professional, caring, approachable and genuine. They have come to know my son so well and show genuine care and love for him.
On many occasions the staff have supported him when he has felt overwhelmed, treated him as an individual and adapted their care to meet his needs. He loves attending and looking forward to starting reception (which is a daunting time for any parent!) I would not hesitate in recommending Exeter Cathedral School Nursery. I will be sending my youngest there next term!
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Review from R F (Mother of Child) published on 1 July 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our youngest child joined Exeter Cathedral School Nursery for pre-school in April and we are so pleased with how he has settled in. The staff are brilliant; he is so excited to go in every morning and to tell us about his day when we pick him up! We've been really impressed with the variety of activities
that the teachers arrange, and we have already seen how he is embracing the new ideas they are learning. The setting is absolutely beautiful and he loves playing and learning in the woodland garden. The menu is varied and well planned, and we hear a lot about how much he enjoyed his lunch!
We have also been really pleased that the nursery children get the opportunity to interact with the children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 through a shared play area and shared assemblies. It provides a great chance for him to make friends in and familiarise himself with the wider school community. We can already see how this will help with the transition from pre-school to school, and setting him up for success.
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Review from E S (Mother of Child) published on 1 July 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We absolutely love Exeter Cathedral School nursery and so does our son! It is such a wonderful nursery with incredibly dedicated staff who provide a fantastically high level of care in a nurturing, kind and happy environment. The nursery building is a lovely bright space that every day has multiple
learning and play stations set up for the children. These stations relate to weekly themes and clearly have had a lot of thought go into them. My son particularly loved the safari they went on, spotting animals with the binoculars they had made! Every day our son is excited to see what there is to do, learn, play and make. The quality of education provided is fantastic and carefully tailored to the individual child and their needs. It is so clear they get to know each child as an individual and encourage them to get involved in all that is on offer. They really make learning fun and our child's numeracy and writing have come on tremendously. We can't recommend it highly enough!
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Review from Victoria P (Mother of Child) published on 20 August 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The Nursery is wonderfully nurturing and supportive. My daughter has loved her time there and we are sad it is time for her to move on to school. We have been very impressed with all the staff, greeted by name and a smile. I felt totally at ease leaving my daughter there - I always felt able to ask
any questions and enjoyed fun updates on the app to see what they were up to. My daughter has grown in confidence and has been supported to make some lovely friendships. During her time they have covered a wide range of topics, asking the children what they are interested in, and always have a wonderful mix of activities and books on offer. My daughter particularly enjoyed the time they get to spend outside, whether in the front playground or the woodland area. She has loved the phonics songs and games. She has developed a wonderful pencil grip and really flourished with her drawing, writing and colouring in. Thank you all at nursery for welcoming our daughter and making us all feel so at home.
Reply from Heidi Lawford, Head of Pre-Prep at The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School
What wonderful words -thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. I am thrilled you found our nursery nurturing and supportive - it was such a joy to see your daughter flourish in…read more
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Review from M P (Mother of Child) published on 16 August 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery setting at Exeter Cathedral School is wonderful. The staff are so friendly and welcoming to the children and family members who drop off and pick up. The children have so much fun and enjoy a wide variety of activities. I love the fact that they have a theme each week and also start to encourage
the children to learn the Exeter Cathedral School habits that are shared throughout the whole of pre-prep.
Reply from Heidi Lawford, Head of Pre-Prep at The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School
Thank you so much for writing this lovely review of our nursery. I am so glad that you and your family continue to enjoy being a part of our community, and wonderful to read your praise of our weekly…read more
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Review from Vikki O (Mother of Child) published on 22 July 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has never been to a nursery before, so for him it was a big change, but the teachers were incredibly welcoming and supportive with this change. It's been amazing to see so many photos all the time of everything he has been up to in nursery. I can't thank the teachers enough for that! The amount
of amazing activities, the arts and crafts tables and play areas they create every day is absolutely brilliant, meaning the kids come in every day to something different. They are really loving, kind and supportive to the children and any time we had any questions they would always go above and beyond to help and support parents. Thank you so much for looking after my cheeky monkey! He can't wait to move up at ECS and will miss all the incredible nursery teachers!
Reply from Heidi Lawford, Head of Pre-Prep at The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School
It has been a pleasure helping your son manage the change to a Nursery environment. He has done brilliantly and we are so pleased he has enjoyed all the different activities on offer each week. Our…read more
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Review from B B (Mother of Child) published on 17 July 2024 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Exeter Cathedral School Nursery is quite simply superb. All three of my children have been through the nursery over the course of six years and I cannot fault it. The staff have a wonderful way of combining fun and learning so that even at such a young age, the children receive a first-class start to
their education.
Reply from Heidi Lawford, Head of Pre-Prep at The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School
Thank you so much for your kind words. It has been an absolute pleasure for our staff to nurture your children at Exeter Cathedral School. We will be sure to pass this on to our team as they will be…read more
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Review from A M (Mother of Child) published on 8 July 2024 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I cannot fault the nursery! From the environment, the daily activities/weekly themes and all-around breadth of learning and support offered to the children. From day one, the nursery staff have been so welcoming and supportive, helping my child truly thrive.
Reply from Heidi Lawford, Head of Pre-Prep at The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School
Thank you for this wonderful review of our Nursery! I'm delighted that your family are so pleased with your experience in Bumblebees and we very much look forward to continuing to support your child's…read more
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Current Review Score: 10.0 (9.992)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 10 (9.992) out of 10 for The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 11 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 11 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:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.992 for The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School is calculated as follows: ( (131 Excellents x 5) + (1 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 132 Ratings = 4.992
  2. 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 The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School is based on 11 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 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
    2. 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 26 number of registered child places is 5.2, which has been reached with 11 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (0)

Meet the Team (6)

Kate

Kate Newland

Job Title: Head of EYFS Joined: 2022

Kate is a qualified and experienced Early Years teacher, who oversees the learning and development of all of our Nursery children.

Erika

Erika Palmer

Job Title: Nursery Teaching Assistant Joined: 2020

Erika is one of our fully-qualified EYFS Teaching Assistants. She works alongside our Head of EYFS to make sure that our Nursery children's days are full of learning, friendship and fun.

Heidi

Heidi Lawford

Job Title: Head of Pre-Prep Joined: 2023

Heidi is our Head of Pre-Prep, working closely with the EYFS team to ensure first-rate provision for all of our children aged 3 to 7.

Mathilde

Mathilde Foin

Job Title: Receptionist and SLT Administrator Joined: 2024

Mathilde is the smiley face that welcomes you to Hall House (our Nursery and Pre-Prep setting). If you phone us up, it'll be Mathilde who answers - and who knows everything you could possibly want to know about our wonderful Nursery.

Jacqueline

Jacqueline Reid

Job Title: Admissions Manager Joined: 2021

Jacqueline is our Admissions Manager, and will guide you step-by-step through your journey to joining the ECS Nursery. If you'd like to enquire about visiting, funding, provision, fees (etc etc), Jacqueline is the best person to contact.

James

James Featherstone

Job Title: Headmaster Joined: 2016

James is the Headmaster of Exeter Cathedral School, responsible for the experience of each child and their family from their first day in the Nursery to their final day as a leaver at the end of Year 8.

Frequently Asked Questions about The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School

What is the Age Range of Children that The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School accepts?

The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School accepts Children aged from 3 years 0 months to 4 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School Open?

The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School is open: Monday 08:00-18:00, Tuesday 08:00-18:00, Wednesday 08:00-18:00, Thursday 08:00-18:00, Friday 08:00-18:00.

How many Children does The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School have capacity for?

The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School has capacity for a total of 26 Children.

How far is The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School to the centre of Exeter?

0.1 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 The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. The Nursery at Exeter Cathedral School has an Enhanced Service - more info.