Puddleducks Pre School
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Brackley for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 June 2022. Open since 2014, with 40 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 West Northamptonshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West Northamptonshire 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
NN13 5LTWhat 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, 20 June 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive confidently and greet their friends with a smile. They enjoy learning in the warm and welcoming environment created by staff. Children learn a variety of skills and good manners through everyday routines. For example, they help staff set the table for lunch. They place knives and forks the right way round, carefully putting out China plates and sweeping the floor when they have finished. Children listen closely to staff as they read familiar stories to them. They wait for the appropriate moment to join in with phrases they know. Children follow staff's instructions and are able to change their clothes and wash their own hands after digging in the mud. They have close relationships with staff which positively impact on their emotional development and help them to feel safe and secure.
Children enjoy imaginative play and show their inquisitive nature as they explore real food items. They pretend to cook for each other and ask staff what is inside a pepper. Staff encourage children to investigate for themselves by suggesting they cut open the pepper and other fruit to see what is inside. Staff praise children for willingly sharing cutting equipment and trying hard to cut fruits that are more difficult. Children take turns to confidently share their ideas. They talk to staff about similarities in the fruits, for example that 'they all have seeds'. Children pull funny faces while taste testing the food, including lemons and limes. Staff motivate children to try new things and teach them new words, explaining the taste of the lemon is called 'sour'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen how staff use observations of children's learning to identify what children need to learn next n provide staff with further support to set clear and consistent behaviour boundaries for children.
- 20 June 2022Good
- 21 September 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Puddleducks 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.