Puddle-Ducks Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in Derby for children from birth to 5, open 08:45 to 15:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 2012, with 26 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 Derbyshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Derbyshire 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
DE73 8BZWhat 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, 2 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at this pre-school with enthusiasm and are eager to play with the toys on offer. They settle quickly and show they are comfortable in their surroundings. Children choose what they want to play with, both inside and outside. Staff support young children to learn how to pedal the tricycles, which also builds children's confidence. Children safely ride the tricycles and scooters around the playground, negotiating the cones as they pedal fast. They show good physical skills as they scramble up the climbing frame, balance at the top and work out how to come down safely. Children have fun as they pretend to be pirates and scream with delight as they excitedly hunt for treasure.
Children show a positive attitude to learning. Staff set up activities that allow children to explore and develop their problem-solving skills, such as a construction site. Children pretend to be builders. They put on their safety hats and builders'
jackets independently and work as a team to build a pretend house. Children discuss with each other how to build the roof. With excitement, they build walls, decide on the shape of the roof, and use paper to create windows. Staff help children to compare the different size of the walls. They introduce new words, such as 'angle', to help children recognise the triangular shape of the roof. Children talk about their own experiences of building sites and comment on their own parents, some of whom are builders.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support less confident staff to develop teaching techniques to help them understand how to adapt the activities to the differing learning needs of children n help staff to understand how to develop children's speaking skills further, particularly for children who speak EAL and for those with speech delay.
- 2 February 2023Good
- 20 March 2017Good
- 1 February 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Puddle-Ducks 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.