Little Ducklings Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Basingstoke for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £9.00 an hour for 2 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 2011, with 40 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 years2y to 3y | – | £9.002 years | |
| 3 years and over3y to 5y | – | £7.003 years and over | |
| All ages | £7.00Breakfast club 8am drop off with breakfast, 1 hrs | – |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £3.50 a session Breakfast club 8.30am drop off
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £0.50 a session Consumablesper scheduled session, includes Snacks, Spare clothing, Spare nappies/baby
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Government funded hours.
Worth knowing. Between the hours of 9am - 3pm.
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
RG21 3EXWhat 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.
- 2 July 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 15 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settled at this inclusive pre-school. They are greeted at the door by friendly staff and settle quickly into activities alongside their peers. Staff provide a well-thought-out, ambitious curriculum. There is a strong emphasis on outdoor learning, which features prominently in the daily activities and routines for all children. For instance, in the mud kitchen, children practise their communication and language skills as they excitedly share their views and discuss their pretend play. They create and write their own recipes, which supports the development of early literacy skills. They source what they need and strengthen their arm muscles as they stir in their ingredients, such as herbs, broccoli, mud and water. Staff consistently support children to follow their own interests and develop their ideas.
All children thrive at this welcoming setting. They make good progress in their development from their starting points.
Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They demonstrate this as they give children gentle reminders to sit still while eating and explain why. Staff praise children for sharing and respecting the ideas of their friends. This has a positive impact on their social skills. Children are curious and engage positively with others. For example, they work together to build guttering runs and experiment with various objects to explore cause and effect.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen support for children to help them develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
- 15 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 25 October 2024Needs improvement
- 11 February 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Ducklings Pre-School
- 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
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.
- Is £9.00 an hour still the rate? 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.
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.