Ducklings Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Caterham for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 2006, with 32 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Funded Early Education (FEET) for 2 year olds; Funded Early Education (Universal funding) for 3-4 year olds; Funded Early Education for Working Parent Entitlements for 2-4 year olds.
Worth knowing. Funded hours can be claimed during any opening hours, subject to availability. Voluntary contribution of £15 per term if your child attends on a Wednesday afternoon to cover the cost of cooking.
What childcare usually costs in Surrey
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Surrey 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
CR3 6QDWhat 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, 14 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff warmly welcome children as they arrive and support them to take off their shoes and change into slippers before going into the main hall. Staff use Makaton to sign 'good morning' to children and encourage them to explore the resources they have organised. Staff have effective strategies in place to support the high number of children who speak English as an additional language. This helps all children feel welcome and secure.
Staff promote an inclusive pre-school and provide effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They give children reassurance and comfort if they arrive unsettled, and children very quickly settle into play.
At the start of the session, staff talk to children about how they are feeling and remind them of the setting rules. For example, they use visual aids to support children's understanding of how to use good listening skills, 'kind hands' and
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen practice so that all children fully benefit from opportunities to extend and enhance their learning further.
- 14 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 24 April 2019Good
- 2 February 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Ducklings Pre-School
- What it costs
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.