Baby Ducks

Play, books and a parish-centre setting give Baby Ducks its character. This family-run Portslade playgroup has capacity for 25 children aged two to five, making it a relatively small setting overall. That is a whole-nursery figure, rather than the size of any child's daily group.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Baby Ducks Good overall, with children making good progress and showing positive attitudes towards learning. The practical examples were memorable: weighing flour, solving problems with ice and using stories to build conversation. They give substance to the nursery's emphasis on learning through play.

Attendance is term-time only, with hours booked flexibly rather than through fixed sessions. For families who need preschool care around a changing timetable, that flexibility is a substantial part of the appeal.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out children's learning, development and care. Learning through play gives children opportunities to develop communication and physical skills through conversation, stories and activity. This framework is the foundation of the day, rather than an extra programme.

Books have a concrete presence. The nursery's library contains hundreds of titles, and Books We Love highlights favourites including Shark in the Park and Dear Zoo. This gives parents recognisable stories to share at home, alongside the books children encounter at nursery. Reading is an identifiable part of Baby Ducks' offer, rather than a passing mention in its philosophy.

In October 2022, staff encouraged children to contribute ideas during stories and anticipate what might happen next. Songs also supported language development. During cooking, adults introduced ideas about quantity and measurement through flour and scales; children subsequently used those ideas in their own play. The connection between an adult-supported activity and independent exploration was clear.

Problem-solving took practical forms that month. Children worked out how to move ice into a play kitchen and practised transferring rice with scoops. These were opportunities to persist, handle materials carefully and test an idea, rather than simply finish an adult's task.

Outdoor and Community Life

In October 2022, a large outdoor area gave children room to use ride-on cars and bicycles, practise hopping and negotiate obstacles. An outdoor play kitchen also supported imaginative play. Space for movement and space for pretend play served different purposes within the same outdoor provision.

Charity Days brings fundraising into nursery life through events supporting Children in Need, Comic Relief and Macmillan Cancer Support. The activities connect the setting with causes beyond its own families. They sit alongside the everyday playgroup offer; they are not a separate paid activity programme.

Relationships and Communication

A small staff team and a key-person structure give families identified adults to work with. The team includes practitioners with early-years diplomas and training covering safeguarding, paediatric first aid and SENCo work. Those are concrete elements of staff preparation, rather than a reason to infer a particular staffing ratio or daily group size.

Tapestry, the nursery's online learning journal, records children's experiences through photographs, observations and comments. Parents can contribute their own entries and respond to staff observations, allowing learning at home and nursery to be shared in both directions. That makes communication more useful than a stream of photographs alone.

Regular newsletters add another channel for nursery information. Parents can also book a Parent / Carer Meeting, a 15-minute appointment at the setting. The combination provides both ongoing updates and a separate opportunity for conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and disabilities well supported, with staff training and collaboration with professionals contributing to their progress. These are dated findings, rather than a current blanket assurance.

In October 2022, speech and language therapists supported children who needed additional help with communication. Staff also used activities to help children identify feelings and talk about what made them individual. Sensitive responses to those feelings were part of the care described at that time.

School preparation was practical that month: staff worked with local schools over children's transition to Reception and encouraged independence and confidence. This was transition support, with no implication of an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Baby Ducks operates at St Nicholas and St Andrew Parish Centre, South Street, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 2LE. It opens during term time, from 8.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Thursday and from 8.30am to 12.30pm on Friday.

There are no fixed sessions. Families can book suitable hours within that opening window, subject to availability, starting with one hour. Some children begin with a few hours each week and increase their attendance as they settle. This makes a gradual start compatible with the booking model itself.

Email and a contact form provide enquiry routes. Visits can be arranged by telephone or through the visit form. Booked hours are invoiced each term, with flexible payment options; sickness and holiday absences remain chargeable. The nursery asks for one month's notice where possible when a family leaves.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years Free Entitlement (EYFE) hours can be used during the nursery's opening hours, with additional private hours charged separately. Funded attendance is term-time, and there is no requirement to purchase extra hours beyond the funded entitlement. There is no registration charge.

Parents supply a packed lunch; morning and afternoon snacks carry no extra charge, including for funded attendance. Parents provide nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream.

Activities at the setting carry no parental charge, although the nursery may ask for a voluntary contribution towards an outing. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and charge terms explain the structure.

• Term-time timetable. Friday closes at 12.30pm, while the other weekdays extend to 3.30pm. Families needing school-holiday care or later afternoons will need a separate arrangement for those periods.
• Group learning. In October 2022, routine tasks interrupted some adult-led group activities. During a visit, ask how group time is now organised so children can stay with an activity.
• Health conversations. The October 2022 improvement points included making better use of daily routines to teach healthy eating and oral health. Ask how snack and lunch routines now support those conversations.

Baby Ducks suits families seeking term-time preschool care, whether through short bookings that grow as a child settles or longer stretches within its opening hours. Books, parent contributions through Tapestry and a flexible hourly model give it a clear practical identity.

The October 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, with concrete examples of language, movement and problem-solving. Its improvement points remain useful visit questions. The shorter Friday and term-time calendar are the decisive limits for families planning care around work.