Puddle Ducks Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Louth for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 17:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 2006, with 64 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
We take 2 year old and 3/4 year old funded children. and now the Working Family Funnding at present.
Worth knowing. We kindly ask for voluntary contributions. Please note that government funding is applicable for term-time only.
What childcare usually costs in Lincolnshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lincolnshire 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
LN11 0QDWhat 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, 7 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The growth in children's confidence and independence is accelerated through their access to the outdoors, where they are supported by attentive staff to take risks, develop secure physical skills and learn about the world around them. Each day, older children sensibly walk through a working farm and churchyard to arrive at the setting's forest school. Children quickly immerse themselves in well-thought-out activities, which staff have planned to develop their skills and knowledge ready for school. For example, children use a glue stick with precision as they carefully decorate a 'leaf man' with the leaves they have found. Through this activity, children develop the hand dexterity and control that they will need for later writing.
Younger children who have just started to walk build their stamina and strength as they toddle around the farm. They explore how their bodies work as they splash in puddles, holding the hand of a member of staff for reassurance and support. Staff encourage children's listening and attention skills as they identify pigs oinking from the nearby barn. They remove babies' dummies, which have appropriately been used for comfort, to encourage children's early communication skills. Babies pause and then make noises in response to the animal sounds they hear.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the induction process for new staff so that they swiftly gain secure knowledge of all aspects of their role n review and reorganise the deployment of staff who are caring for groups of children, including those who are new to the setting, so that all children receive the support they require to remain engaged in meaningful activity throughout their day.
- 7 October 2024Good
- 5 November 2018Good
- 4 November 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Puddle Ducks Pre-School
- What it costs
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.