Ducklings Private Nursery Sutton Coldfield

In April 2024, hatched duck eggs, clay tea-light holders and bus trips to a residential home gave Ducklings Sutton Coldfield a recognisable character: early learning connected to things children could handle, discuss and experience. Its purpose-built premises sit within school grounds, with bright spaces designed for toddlers and preschool children. The accepted age range is two to five.

At its 26 April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement matters: learning included practical mathematics, conversations about animal development and opportunities to choose books independently. There were also two clear priorities, giving quieter children more room to contribute during group activities and expanding the outdoor provision.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday language, that means helping children develop communication, movement, relationships and early learning through their experiences and play; it is the common foundation for nursery education rather than an extra programme.

In April 2024, clay work connected making something attractive with preparation for writing. Children shaped duck tea-light holders, exercising the fingers they would later use to control a pen. Building blocks and sand activities brought counting and colour into play, while children ready for greater challenge explored three-dimensional shapes. The practical task carried the learning.

Animal life cycles gave children something substantial to talk about in April 2024. Duck eggs had hatched, and conversations also followed frogs through their stages of development. Staff discussed the difference between amphibians and reptiles. These were concrete starting points for questions about living things, rather than an isolated vocabulary exercise.

Books offered another route into discovery that April. Children selected stories for themselves, shared reading with adults and used encyclopaedias to discuss farms. Conversations about dairy farming led into where milk comes from, foods made with it and healthy eating. An early reading programme was being introduced through groups of different sizes, although more confident children sometimes dominated those activities. Participation needed closer attention.

Outdoor and Community Life

In April 2024, balance beams and wooden cubes gave outdoor play a physical challenge. Children practised balancing, climbing and jumping, with reminders to leave space for one another. Duck, Duck Goose, a team game used to practise cooperation and taking turns, connected movement with social learning.

The outdoor arrangement had limits in April 2024. Children could move between the indoor provision and a small outdoor area, while use of the school fields and playground depended on particular times. Leaders wanted more space for learning outdoors, especially for children who preferred it. Families whose children spend much of their day outside should give that priority proper weight.

Community experiences extended beyond the grounds in April 2024. Children travelled by bus to a residential home and walked to the local library. These outings brought learning into contact with other people and places; neither destination was simply a backdrop to classroom work.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2024, staff comforted children who found separating from parents difficult, helping them settle into activities. Parents' information about their children shaped the next steps staff planned, and those plans were shared regularly. That made communication useful to the child's learning, rather than just a description of what had happened during the day.

Support also reached into home learning in April 2024. Parents received help with continuing activities beyond nursery. For families, the useful point is the connection between what a child was practising at Ducklings and what adults could support at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found SEND support good, with a trained member of staff working with external agencies, helping parents with referrals and using targeted plans to address gaps in learning. These are concrete support mechanisms, and more informative than a general promise of inclusion.

In April 2024, pictures and sounds helped children learning English as an additional language communicate. Outdoors, children included friends with SEND in turn-taking games when extra support was needed. The group-activity concern remains relevant alongside those examples: a child could join an activity yet still have fewer opportunities to express an idea.

Sessions and Attendance

Ducklings accepts children aged two to five and opens from 7.30am to 6pm. It operates Monday to Friday across the year, with bank holidays and two weeks at Christmas closed. The opening window is useful for planning working hours; the attendance arrangement is a separate decision.

Enquiries can be sent through the contact form by selecting Sutton Coldfield, or by email to sutton@ducklingsnursery.org.uk.

Getting There

The address is Moor Hall School, Rowallan Road, Sutton Coldfield, B75 6RE. The nursery occupies premises within the school grounds, but attending Ducklings does not guarantee a Reception place.

Funding and Paid Extras

In April 2024, funded early education was provided for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Outdoor choice. In April 2024, the nursery's own outdoor space was small and access to the school playground and fields was restricted to certain times. During a visit, ask how outdoor learning and access now work throughout the day.
• Quieter voices. Group activities in April 2024 sometimes allowed more confident children to dominate. Ask how staff now make room for children who need longer to contribute.
• Attendance and the total bill. With a two-to-five age range and a 7.30am-to-6pm opening window, ask for the booking pattern and a written breakdown covering funded hours, meals and non-food consumables together.

Ducklings suits families seeking toddler or preschool provision in school grounds, with practical learning and community experiences prominent in its April 2024 provision. Clay work, animal life cycles and outings give that account substance. The Good judgement supports consideration, while the outdoor-space and group-participation priorities deserve attention when deciding whether the daily experience fits an individual child.