Puddleduck Day Nursery, St Martins Church, Ascot

Children’s wellbeing is considered throughout the nursery day at Puddleduck Day Nursery. Our spacious playrooms provide opportunities for active play alongside quieter areas for reading, rest and sleep, allowing children to experience different types of activity throughout their day.

Time outdoors is also an important part of nursery life. Children have daily access to our generously sized garden, with opportunities to move, explore, play and experience the natural environment in the fresh air.

Our practitioners take each child’s individual routines and needs into account, including time for meals, rest and sleep, helping to provide consistency between home and nursery as children grow and develop.

Children at Puddleduck Day Nursery enjoy a varied mix of experiences throughout the week, including Forest School, cooking, sport, music, gardening, yoga and language learning, with activities shaped around their interests, ages and stages of development.

Forest School is an important part of our Early Years curriculum, with sessions led by a qualified and experienced practitioner. Children have opportunities to explore the natural environment, investigate their surroundings and take part in hands-on outdoor experiences that encourage problem-solving, creativity, working together and growing independence.

We also come together to mark cultural and seasonal events throughout the year, including harvest festival, Halloween and Christmas.

Puddleduck Day Nursery offers two spacious playrooms, thoughtfully arranged to provide opportunities for learning, play, rest and familiar daily routines.

Across the nursery, children have access to a varied range of age-appropriate spaces and resources, including creative areas, role play, quiet reading spaces, physical play equipment and comfortable areas for rest and sleep.

Children are grouped according to their age and stage of development, with spaces for babies and older toddlers. This allows practitioners to adapt care, activities and learning experiences around children’s individual routines, interests and needs.

As children grow, transitions are carefully supported by the team, taking into account their individual development and readiness for their next stage.

Outdoor space

Our outdoor space is an important part of nursery life at Puddleduck Day Nursery. Children have daily access to our generously sized garden, with a range of outdoor play equipment and plenty of opportunities to explore, move and learn in the fresh air.

The garden provides space for active play, exploration and discovery, while giving children opportunities to experience the natural environment, interact with others and enjoy different ways of playing and learning outdoors.

Care at Puddleduck Day Nursery starts with getting to know each child as an individual. Our team take time to understand their routines, interests and needs, noticing how these may change and adapting the care and support around them.

We take an inclusive approach to supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), with practitioners working closely with families to understand each child’s individual needs and the support that is right for them.

Families are an important part of nursery life too. We share information and build familiar relationships throughout each child’s time with us, helping our team and families work together to provide consistent, responsive care.

Our curriculum at Puddleduck Day Nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), supporting children’s learning and development across all seven areas. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, our approach puts children’s interests, ideas and curiosity at the heart of their learning.

Play is an important part of this approach, with our team responding to what interests each child and creating opportunities to explore ideas, investigate, solve problems and make choices. Experiences are adapted to children’s individual needs and stages of development, giving them time and support to learn at their own pace.

Forest School extends these opportunities outdoors, making the most of our spacious grounds and natural surroundings. Through hands-on experiences in nature, children can investigate, use their imagination, take on new challenges and develop growing independence.

At Puddleduck Day Nursery, our ethos is centred around knowing each child as an individual and working in partnership with families throughout their Early Years journey. We recognise that every child develops differently, with their own interests, ideas, routines and needs, and these help shape the care and experiences we provide.

Open communication with families is an important part of our approach. Through the GrandirUK App, families can receive updates about their child’s activities, experiences and development, helping them stay connected with nursery life.

We also create opportunities for families to become involved in the nursery through drop-in sessions, stay-and-play mornings and talks covering topics such as toilet training and emotional development. These provide opportunities to spend time with the team, experience nursery life and share information that can support consistency between home and nursery.

By listening to children and working closely with their families, we aim to create an inclusive and welcoming nursery community where children have plenty of opportunities to explore, make choices and learn at their own pace.

For families with more than one child, having siblings at Puddleduck Day Nursery means one drop-off and pick-up, while each child can enjoy the experiences, routines and friendships suited to their own age and stage.

Brothers and sisters may spend their days in different areas of the nursery, but they remain part of the same nursery community, with opportunities to see each other and share parts of nursery life.

Sibling places are subject to availability, but where we have space in the appropriate room, we will always look at the options for welcoming brothers and sisters together.

Our experienced Early Years team at Puddleduck Day Nursery take time to get to know each child as an individual, working closely with families to understand their routines, interests and needs.

The team bring a broad range of Early Years knowledge and experience, including two SENCos who provide additional expertise in supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), alongside a qualified Forest School practitioner who leads outdoor learning.

Building positive, consistent relationships is an important part of our approach. By getting to know each child, our team can provide individual care and support while giving them plenty of opportunities to communicate, explore, play and develop growing independence.