Dinky Ducks Nursery and Pre - School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Gosport for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 2004, with 76 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
PO13 8AAWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 5 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children come into the setting happily. They are warmly greeted by the kind and caring staff. Children behave well at nursery and staff have high expectations for their behaviour. Staff model to children how to solve minor conflicts and support them to do this independently. Children are challenged in their physical development. For example, very young children climb up and down a climbing frame with great delight. Older children enjoy creating their own obstacle courses and challenge themselves to jump as high as they can off the cable reel while being supported by staff. Staff develop children's knowledge of the world around them. For example, children learn about the coronation, as they take part in a
'crowns and tiaras' day. They enjoy having their face painted, creating red, white and blue pictures as well as talking about the King and Queen.
It is important to staff that children develop their independence skills. It is an embedded part of daily practice and children develop skills from a very early age.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff's understanding of the curriculum to ensure that it is precise and that they understand the overall aims for learning n develop interactions further to build on very young children's emerging language skills.
- 5 May 2023Good
- 5 June 2018Good
- 5 February 2018Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Dinky Ducks Nursery and Pre - School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.