Puddleducks Day Nursery & Pre-School

A story boat, weekly toddler cooking and a preschool garden with a mud kitchen give Puddleducks a recognisable character. Its younger children use a single-storey nursery in Croughton, while preschool children have their own building in primary-school grounds. The move between those spaces is part of the nursery journey, rather than simply a change of room.

At its 24 July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Puddleducks Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. There was a clear improvement point too: staff needed sharper intentions for some adult-led learning. The useful distinction for parents is between the breadth of experiences children encounter and how deliberately adults turn an activity into learning.

Puddleducks has capacity for 34 children aged four to 60 months. Attendance options include full days, mornings, afternoons, a preschool school day and term-time funded sessions.

Rooms and Ages

Benjamin Bunnies Room has an approximate room band of three to 20 months, with low furniture, a carpeted play space, a separate messy area and a cushioned tepee for books and quieter moments. The nursery's accepted starting age is four months. Babies initially follow their individual routines, so the room's daily rhythm develops around their needs before they gradually join the wider nursery routine.

Jeremy Fishers Room serves children aged approximately 20 to 31 months, combining a carpeted front room for books and role play with a rear space for art, sand, water and cooking. Cooking happens weekly on different days, giving children attending different patterns opportunities to participate. It makes preparing something a recurring experience rather than an occasional demonstration.

Peter Rabbits Pre-School Room takes children from 31 months to school age, with construction, small-world play and a story boat indoors, plus direct access to a garden containing a mud kitchen, digging patch and vegetable patch. Preschool children also have timetabled use of school facilities, including a wooden climbing frame, tepee and a larger play area with ride-on toys. That extends the outdoor offer beyond their own garden.

Room moves depend on individual development. Before leaving Benjamin Bunnies, children prepare by eating at tables, using uncovered cups and sleeping on beds.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play: making marks, exploring materials and practising everyday independence.

The Curiosity Approach emphasises authentic objects and careful handling, illustrated by ceramic tea sets replacing plastic substitutes. Natural and recycled room resources connect play with familiar objects.

In July 2024, staff linked children's interest in farm animals with books, model animals and a farm visit. Toddlers explored scented dough and added flowers, while babies made painted marks using tools and their bodies. These examples connect language and physical exploration with something children can investigate directly.

The same July 2024 picture included children serving food, pouring drinks and putting on shoes. Independence was practised through ordinary routines. However, during some planned activities, staff were unclear about the intended learning and children disengaged; that limits how much the activity alone can tell a parent about its educational value.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large UV umbrella and outdoor suits support all-weather play in the younger children's small outdoor area.

In July 2024, walks took children around the village, to parks and to the farm, extending experiences beyond the garden. Equipment supported climbing, first steps and pulling up.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person. Settling starts with at least two sessions, one parent-accompanied and one independent, with extensions as needed. Our Settling Guarantee provides individually arranged sessions and conversations with parents about progress.

Famly carries eating, sleep and nappy updates, newsletters and notices. The garden whiteboard covers room activities; parents' evenings allow longer conversations with the key person about development and life at home.

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that communication and language were supported well, including through signs, objects accompanying spoken language and familiar words gathered from families whose children spoke another language at home. In July 2024, parents could also borrow books and receive ideas for continuing learning at home. The connection between nursery and home extended beyond updates about the day's care.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A designated Special Educational Needs Coordinator is present within the setting. That gives families a specific role through which to discuss additional needs, rather than relying solely on general conversations with whichever practitioner is available.

Baby sleep takes place in a cot area separated from the main carpeted space by room dividers. Older children have beds after lunch, and preschool children can use small mattresses when needed. The distinction matters for families considering their child's sleep habits: the arrangements change as children move through the nursery.

Medication requires written authorisation each morning and is administered by management with another team member observing. Accidents are recorded through Famly for parents to acknowledge, and head injuries prompt contact during the day. These are concrete communication and recording arrangements, rather than a general promise about safety.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 30a High Street, Croughton, Brackley, NN13 5LT. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, over 51 weeks, with bank-holiday closures and five additional days between Christmas and New Year. The village is accessible from the A43 and B4031.

Full days and morning and afternoon sessions are sold alongside a preschool School Day from 8am to 4pm. Term-time funded sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am and from 1pm to 4pm. An early start from 7.30am carries a separate charge, making it an additional arrangement rather than the standard opening time.

Enquiries use 01869 811222 or the contact form. Joining requires an application and non-refundable payment. Fees are paid monthly in advance; reducing or cancelling attendance requires one month's notice given at a calendar month's end.

Funding and Paid Extras

Two-year funding is offered subject to eligibility, alongside 15 hours from the term after a child's third birthday and an extended 30-hour entitlement requiring an eligibility code. Funded preschool sessions are term-time only and carry a separate healthy-snack contribution. Additional private sessions are also offered, so funded time and paid attendance need to be considered separately.

Paid-session fees include drinks and meals, while food is cooked in the nursery kitchen using fresh ingredients. Nappies and wipes are included, as is baby formula up to 12 months; after that, cow's milk is supplied and families provide other milk choices.

Parents supply sun cream, and those choosing their own nappies instead of the nursery's supplies provide them. The fees page sets out the charge structure; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Monthly payments are spread across the year, so the billing arrangement differs from paying separately for each attended week.

Peter Rabbits occupies a classroom in the grounds of Croughton All Saints Primary School. Attending the preschool does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Sharing grounds and having access to facilities are useful features, but the school application remains a separate decision.

• Purpose behind activities. In July 2024, some adult-led activities lost children's interest because staff were unclear about the intended learning. On a visit, ask how practitioners now choose and explain those learning intentions.
• The move to preschool. Younger children and Peter Rabbits use separate buildings, with transitions shaped around development. Discuss how familiarisation with the preschool space fits your child's settling and room-move plan.
• Funded attendance and charges. Term-time funded sessions include a separate snack contribution, while paid sessions have an inclusive structure. A written quotation should distinguish funded time, additional attendance and any associated charges for your chosen pattern.
• Sleep in a shared room. Baby sleep uses a divided cot area within the room. During a visit, discuss how that arrangement works for your baby's routine and sensitivity to surrounding activity.

Puddleducks suits families seeking full days, mornings or afternoons, with school-day and term-time funded options for preschool children. Weekly cooking and authentic resources give its play a clear character.

Individual settling and daily Famly updates are practical strengths. Families should weigh the small younger-child garden, the later move to Peter Rabbits and the July 2024 weakness in adult-led learning.