The Duckling Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Writtle for from 2 years up to school age, open 07:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2024. Open since 2016, with 28 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All children can claim government funded hours from the term following their third birthday. The Nursery also offers working parents funding and 2 year means tested funding.
What childcare usually costs in Essex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Essex 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
CM1 3HZWhat 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, 3 December 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The provider has a clear vision of what she wants children to learn and achieve and has high expectations for all children. There is a well thought out key-person system in place. This ensures that staff know the children and families well and can plan appropriate next steps for children. Staff provide a varied curriculum that follows children's interests and developmental needs. Staff engage with children during their play and adapt their approach to meet the needs of all children.
Children can make choices about where they play and what they engage in throughout the day.
Staff are effective in engaging with other professionals when required. They communicate with other settings and professionals involved with families to ensure continuity of care and learning. Funding is well used to provide additional opportunities for children to make progress. This ensures that all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children in receipt of additional funding, make good progress from their starting points.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the quality of staff's interactions with children to help them consistently challenge and extend children's learning as they play and during planned activities n encourage staff to implement appropriate hygiene procedures in relation to handwashing after nose wiping.
- 3 December 2024Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 27 June 2024Inadequate
- 19 September 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Duckling Nursery
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.