Puddleducks Nursery Chalford CIO

A small playroom for the youngest children, a bright shared hall for the older groups and separate outdoor spaces give Puddleducks a clear shape. This Chalford Hill nursery welcomes children from their first birthday until school age, with play and growing independence running through its day. The canopy and outdoor classroom make outside time a practical part of the offer, rather than an occasional change of scene.

At its April 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged Puddleducks Good overall, found safeguarding effective and praised the development of children's language alongside warm staff relationships and strong communication with parents. There is a specific improvement to weigh alongside that positive judgement: broadening children's understanding of people and communities beyond those they already know.

Puddleducks has 36 places in total and occupies premises rented for its sole use from the local Royal British Legion branch. School-day and full-day bookings serve different family routines, within a mainly term-time calendar.

Rooms and Ages

Three age groups organise the provision: Ducklings for children aged one to two, Diddy Ducks for two- to three-year-olds and Ducks for those aged three to five. That progression gives families a clear picture of how the surroundings change as children grow, while the daily routine combines activities chosen by children with adult-led group experiences.

Ducklings emphasises early independence and relationships with adults, with a separate entrance, changing area, small playroom and neighbouring messy-play space giving the youngest group its own base. Diddy Ducks uses the Continuous Provision Curriculum, an arrangement that lets children pursue an activity and come back to develop it later. Ducks combines fresh experiences with opportunities to practise familiar skills through play, both independently and with other children.

The two older groups share the main hall. Outdoors, Ducklings and Diddy Ducks use a playground equipped for younger children, while Ducks has its own larger playground with more demanding physical activities. Families choosing care for a younger child can therefore weigh both the separate indoor base and the shared younger-age outdoor space.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supplies the framework for learning and care: here, children learn through play, conversation and practical experiences, alongside adult-directed activities. Puddleducks adds In the Moment Planning, an approach in which responsive adults extend children's play as it develops. Long stretches of freely chosen activity give children time to follow an idea rather than repeatedly move on to another task.

In April 2025, everyday experiences included adults talking through toddlers' play, using songs and stories to introduce vocabulary, and bringing counting, shapes and position into activities. Older children discussed how caterpillars change into butterflies and tackled simple number problems. These examples show how language and mathematical ideas could develop within play, rather than depend entirely on a separate group lesson.

Hands-on food preparation also featured that April. Children grew herbs and flowers, used harvested herbs in a dip and baked bread rolls; taking turns to cut vegetables for soup gave them another practical task. The connection was concrete: something grown or prepared became something to eat.

Forest school is an additional, separately charged Monday session during term time for children older than three. That age condition matters for families comparing the experience offered to different groups. It sits alongside the everyday play provision rather than replacing it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor play continues through changing weather, with a canopy and purpose-built outdoor classroom extending the usable space. The division between the younger children's playground and the older group's more challenging area gives outdoor play a progression as well as a place in the routine. Clothing suitable for outside activity matters here.

In April 2025, toddlers used a soft-play structure and older children practised different movements in group games, while wheeled toys and tricycles added further ways to develop coordination. A visit to the village church for Easter brought children and parents together, and children practised road safety on the walk. At the same inspection, Ofsted asked the nursery to extend children's understanding of families and communities outside their own experience.

Relationships are supported by the organisation of the younger group's spaces and by close work with parents and carers. Ducklings has its own indoor base, while the wider routine gives children opportunities to make choices and build independence. Sensor-operated taps offer a useful physical detail: children can practise washing their hands without needing to manage a conventional tap.

In April 2025, younger children explored sensory materials with adults nearby, while older children practised managing coats and fastenings. Staff used signs as well as speech, including simple courtesy signs with the youngest children. For a child still developing spoken language, that offered another way to take part in everyday exchanges.

That April, staff had undertaken training related to difficult transitions and managing emotions. Adults helped children when frustration arose and modelled considerate behaviour. The current team structure includes a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), who works in each age group, alongside designated safeguarding and child-protection roles. These are concrete support arrangements for families to discuss in relation to their own child.

Parent communication in April 2025 combined conversations at collection with daily updates through an online app. Stay-and-play opportunities and invitations to events gave parents ways to participate beyond receiving information. The church celebration was one example of that involvement, with parents accompanying children and listening to their singing.

The illness policy excludes children who are unwell and requires a 48-hour interval after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea before returning. That is a practical consideration for working families: attendance plans need to accommodate recovery time as well as the nursery's normal calendar.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is on Haywards Lane, Chalford Hill, Stroud, GL6 8LH. It opens Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm, with a normal calendar of 38 weeks. Its two principal bookings are the School Day Session, 8.45am to 3pm, and the Full Day Session, 8.30am to 5pm. The difference is useful: one ends alongside a school-day routine, while the other extends care into the afternoon.

Hourly settling-in and extra-hours bookings are also offered. Holiday provision is an optional addition outside a child's usual booking schedule, covering two weeks at Easter and three weeks in August. It should be treated as a specific supplement to term-time attendance when planning work and family commitments.

Bookings are accepted no more than one year before a child starts. Priority goes to children already attending, siblings and children starting between September and January. The waiting-list deposit is credited against the second invoice when a booking is taken up and can be waived for financial hardship. It is refunded if requested sessions cannot be offered and alternative days are unsuitable; otherwise, choosing not to take up the booking means losing the deposit. An enquiry form and downloadable application provide the joining route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered, alongside paid sessions and additional hours. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and policies explaining the charge structure. The useful distinction is between the childcare booking and the extras attached to the day.

Lunch and both snacks have separate voluntary charges, with families able to opt out through their child's Famly permissions; hot lunches are supplied by Caterlink and prepared at Chalford Hill Primary school. Dietary requirements can be catered for, while snacks include fruit and food the children help prepare, such as vegetable soup.

Parents supply nappies and wipes, and the nursery contacts them when replacements are needed. Forest school carries a separate session charge. Families can therefore assess food, personal supplies and the additional activity individually, rather than treating them as one combined package.

• Learning about other communities. The April 2025 improvement point concerned children's understanding beyond their own families and communities. At a visit, ask which experiences now address this and how children encounter different ways of life.
• A term-time calendar with specific holiday additions. The main year covers 38 weeks, with optional Easter and August care. Match those periods to your working calendar, especially if you need childcare through other school holidays.
• The younger child's daily experience. Ducklings has separate indoor spaces but shares its playground with Diddy Ducks. Ask how settling, rest and outdoor use work for your child's age and routine.
• Extras and booking commitments. Meals and snacks carry separate voluntary charges; parents supply nappies and wipes, and the waiting-list deposit has conditions. Request a written quotation that distinguishes funded attendance, paid hours and the extras you choose, including dietary arrangements where relevant.

Puddleducks suits families seeking either a school-day booking or a longer full-day session within a mainly term-time routine. Its strongest practical features are the youngest children's separate indoor base, outdoor spaces organised by age and play that allows children to return to their ideas. Optional holiday care adds some flexibility, but the specific Easter and August periods deserve attention when planning a working year.

The April 2025 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with language, relationships and parent communication standing out. The improvement point is equally clear. For families who value practical play, everyday independence and participation in village life, this is a well-defined option, provided its calendar and charge structure fit their needs.