Ducklings Private Nursery Sandiacre

A converted house and an enclosed garden give Ducklings Private Nursery Sandiacre a domestic setting for early childhood, with outdoor space that brings different surfaces into children's play. It takes children from 3 months to 5 years and has 55 places in total. The setting spans the baby years through to preparation for school.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with strengths in emotional care and communication alongside improvements needed in teaching intentions, mealtime interaction and explanations of behaviour. Those details matter more than the grade alone: they distinguish attentive relationships from the teaching practices that needed further work.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, this brings language, physical development and relationships into play and ordinary routines, rather than treating learning as something confined to a formal activity.

In November 2023, babies heard songs during nappy changes and chose books to share with an adult. Turning pages and trying familiar noises made the experience participatory. Older children had daily circle time, recalling parts of stories and joining repeated phrases. These were different ways of giving children a part in the conversation, suited to their stage of development.

Dough disco also featured in November 2023: children manipulated play dough to music, following an adult's directions. The activity gave finger movements and coordination a playful purpose ahead of writing. It is a useful example of how a nursery activity can serve a specific developmental intention.

The same month, activities did not consistently reflect what each child needed to learn. Some group work was adjusted to children's developmental stages, but staff sometimes led an activity without a clear understanding of individual learning needs. Enjoyable participation and purposeful teaching therefore did not always coincide.

Outdoor and Community Life

The converted house contains separate areas with educational materials and toys. Outside, the enclosed garden has different surfaces to explore. This gives the physical setting two contrasting elements: indoor resources for play and a garden where children can experience changes underfoot. The house and garden are the clearest features of Sandiacre's environment.

In November 2023, family photographs were displayed low enough for children to see and talk about them. Familiar faces became part of the nursery day, connecting home with time spent away from parents. Staff also responded to children's need for comfort with reassurance and physical affection. These small, concrete practices gave emotional care a recognisable form.

In November 2023, communication with families included home-learning suggestions and opportunities to discuss the curriculum. In November 2023, parents received weekly suggestions for learning at home, while coffee mornings helped explain the curriculum. Parents described knowing what their child had achieved and what they would work on next. That combination gave families something practical to continue at home, rather than simply a record of what had happened.

Independence appeared in ordinary routines in November 2023. Babies practised using cups and spoons; older children served food and drinks, then dealt with their plates and cutlery. Everyday tasks offered opportunities to practise doing things for themselves. However, adult conversation was less sustained at some meals, reducing opportunities to develop learning through discussion.

Behaviour guidance had a similar distinction. In November 2023, staff used encouragement and praise, and children generally responded to instructions. When unwanted behaviour occurred, explanations of its possible consequences were sometimes missing. Families should weigh the positive encouragement alongside that need for clearer teaching about how actions affect other people.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. For working families, the closure pattern is a concrete part of planning childcare across the year.

Getting There

The address is 69 Derby Road, Sandiacre, Nottingham, NG10 5HY. Enquiries can be made through the contact form by selecting Sandiacre, or by emailing sandiacre@ducklingsnursery.org.uk. Visits can be arranged through the enquiry form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding enquiries are supported through the nursery's contact route. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Teaching with a clear purpose. In November 2023, staff did not consistently connect activities with individual children's learning needs. At a visit, ask how practitioners decide what your child should learn next and adapt an activity accordingly.
• Conversation and behaviour guidance. The November 2023 improvement points included richer discussion at meals and clearer explanations of the effects of unwanted behaviour. Ask for examples of how these ordinary moments are now used to teach children.
• The household timetable and costs. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. What booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would suit your family, and how would meals and non-food consumables be treated in the quotation?

Ducklings Private Nursery Sandiacre suits families seeking care from infancy through the preschool years in a converted-house setting with an enclosed garden. Its November 2023 strengths were tangible: shared stories, family photographs and practical independence at meals. The reservation is equally specific. Teaching intentions and the learning value of everyday conversations needed greater consistency, so those practices deserve attention when choosing it for a child.