The Ducklings Day Nursery Skelmersdale

Dinosaurs frozen into ice, babies exploring coloured rice and preschool children taking responsibility for lunch: the January 2025 picture of Ducklings Skelmersdale is one of learning through practical, purposeful play. Small experiences do substantial work here, connecting conversation, curiosity and independence.

At its 3 January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and judged its teaching, support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and safeguarding effective, with children well prepared for their next stage of learning. Later regulatory action also matters to the overall picture and is addressed below.

On Daniels Lane in Skelmersdale, the nursery accepts children aged five months to five years and has 71 places in total. Full days, mornings and afternoons give families different attendance patterns to work with.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: practical play supports communication, physical development and growing independence. In January 2025, activities built on children's existing understanding, with staff extending an experience rather than simply moving on to the next one.

The ice experiment illustrates that approach. Children put toy dinosaurs into water, waited for it to freeze, then used tools to break the ice and retrieve them. Adults introduced language about the change from water to ice. An absorbing task became an opportunity to explore materials and talk about what had happened.

Conversation ran through play in January 2025. Adults introduced words, asked questions and made time for children to respond; books, singing and action rhymes added other ways to practise listening and speaking. For parents, this gives a concrete picture of language learning beyond a separate activity at a set time.

Babies had their own practical experiences in January 2025. A toy farm prompted animal sounds, while coloured rice offered sensory exploration and opportunities to practise physical skills. These were experiences suited to their stage of development, rather than smaller versions of preschool tasks.

Everyday Independence

During January 2025, preschool children took on lunchtime jobs, including preparing the table and removing friends' plates. Responsibility was attached to an ordinary routine. That makes independence something children practise during the day, rather than an abstract goal reserved for school preparation.

Hospital role play also featured that month. Children played together and practised cooperation, sharing and responding to other people's feelings. The practical value is clear: pretend play gives children reasons to talk, negotiate and take account of a friend while pursuing an activity together.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2025, staff used encouragement and praise, and children developed close relationships with adults and other children. Those everyday interactions belong alongside the learning activities in understanding the nursery's character. Care and education were connected through the way adults responded to children.

Parents could take part in workshops in January 2025, including sessions about helping children manage emotions. Learning sacks supported activities at home. This gave families practical ways to continue an experience beyond nursery, rather than limiting parent involvement to receiving updates.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Individual support plans were in use in January 2025. Staff adjusted teaching in response to children's progress and advice from specialist professionals. For a family considering SEND support, the useful detail is the mechanism: planning around the individual child and drawing on professional input.

Health habits were also taught through everyday routines that month. Children learnt about caring for their teeth and washing their hands, including after wiping their noses. These small routines connect adult guidance with actions children can increasingly manage themselves.

Ofsted's later outcomes, dated 31 October 2025 and 6 July 2026, recorded unmet requirements and corrective action: the first addressed staff understanding of safeguarding procedures and reporting concerns, while the second addressed environmental risks around stairs, staff training in revised risk assessment procedures and monitoring of practice. These were separate events after the Outstanding inspection; the July outcome described children no longer congregating near the stairs when entering or leaving.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays. The nursery closes for bank holidays and a week at Christmas, so families needing care throughout those periods will need another arrangement.

The attendance choices include full days, morning sessions from 8am to 1pm and afternoon sessions from 1pm to 6pm. Five-morning and five-afternoon patterns are also offered. A morning booking and an afternoon booking therefore serve different parts of the working day; the opening window should not be treated as the length of every booking.

Getting There

The address is Daniels Lane, Skelmersdale, WN8 9NH. Enquiries can be made on 01695 726539 or by email to skelmersdale@theducklingsdaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2025, the nursery offered government-funded childcare. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen attendance pattern, including the treatment of meals and non-food consumables.

• Later safety action. The October 2025 and July 2026 outcomes addressed separate failures to meet requirements. At a visit, ask how safeguarding reporting and the revised arrangements around stairs work in daily practice.
• Choosing the right session. Morning bookings end at 1pm, while afternoon bookings begin then and finish at 6pm. Discuss which pattern fits your child's routine alongside your working day.
• Individual support. Individual plans and specialist input were part of practice in January 2025. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how a plan would be developed around your child's needs.

Ducklings Skelmersdale merits consideration for families seeking either full-day care or morning and afternoon sessions. Its January 2025 strengths were concrete: conversation woven into play, practical investigation, lunchtime responsibility and individual support planning.

The later regulatory outcomes belong in that decision too. Both described corrective action, but they mean the Outstanding judgement should be read alongside the subsequent safeguarding and environmental findings. The strongest fit is for parents who value practical early learning and want to understand how those later changes operate day to day.