It has been an incredibly busy and exciting time at Puddle Ducks. We have some wonderful updates to share regarding our growth, our recent achievements, and the lovely activities the children have been enjoying.
Ofsted Inspection
We are proud to share that we recently had our very first Ofsted inspection. While it is usually unheard of to be inspected at just 7 months old, the opening of our second site triggered an early visit. We are happy with the results and felt it was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the hard work our team puts in every day. Thank you to all the parents who offered kind words to the inspector.
Puddle Ducks Hurst Green & Funding Updates
Our new site at Hurst Green is officially signed off by Ofsted, and it is such a beautiful space — we are so proud of both of our settings.
We have already been enjoying settling-in sessions with our new starters and will be continuing these over the coming days. We have welcomed children into the setting for their full sessions this week where they have enjoyed exploring the new space.
Regarding funding, we have some positive news:
We have officially secured funding for our children under two. We are currently awaiting the final sign-off for the over-2s funding. We are monitoring this closely and will update you as soon as the process is complete.
Growing Our Team
With the new site opening, we are evolving our team to ensure both settings have the best possible leadership and care.
A few familiar faces: Sarah, Megan, and Alice will be moving over to Hurst Green. We know that these three ladies have built wonderful bonds as key persons for some of your children. Please be assured that we are handling this transition with the utmost care. We are already conducting handover play sessions where children are spending extra time with their new key person while their current one is still right there beside them.
Heather and Summer will also be joining the Hurst Green team, while Claire, Jess, Nicola, Liz, and Tyler remain the heart of our Salehurst site. Our priority is ensuring that every child feels safe, secure, and happy. If you have any questions about your child’s key person, please don’t hesitate to chat with us.
Welcome to the Team
 | Maisie — Deputy Manager, Salehurst Maisie joins us as our Deputy Manager in Salehurst. She has a wealth of experience, having previously held a Deputy Manager role in Oxford. She has now moved back to the area where she grew up, and we are so pleased to have her local expertise and leadership on board. She is a fantastic addition to the team. |
 | Holly — Apprentice We are delighted to welcome Holly as one of our newest Apprentices. She comes to us with a lovely background in caring for children and a real passion for early years. |
 | Emily — Apprentice Emily also joins us as an Apprentice, bringing with her a wonderful caring nature and genuine enthusiasm for working with young children. |
Huge congratulations to all our new staff for completing their paediatric first aid training.
What We’ve Been Learning
We recently celebrated Book Week which the children enjoyed very much. We dove into the worlds of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Gruffalo, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Dear Zoo, and Paddington Bear. These stories sparked wonderful creative play, from building bear caves to hosting our very own tea parties.
We also had a special focus on oral health recently. The children enjoyed learning about why it’s so important to brush our teeth and even practised brushing pretend teeth in the messy area. We have added lots of information to our website around oral health for children — please see the link below for more information:
https://puddleducksnurseries.com/salehurst/important-information-for-parents-carers/#oralhealth
We are so excited to introduce the newest member of our team — Puddles our cooking duck! Each week, Puddles is sent home to a different child, bringing along cooking equipment and simple, tasty recipes. This is a wonderful way for you to enjoy some culinary fun at home with your child. We can’t wait to hear all about Puddles’ adventures in your kitchens.
We have been singing lots of songs and sharing poems and stories daily. These activities are vital for extending the children’s vocabulary, developing a natural sense of rhythm and rhyme, and helping them build the confidence to express their own ideas.
Every day we have a dedicated maths focus. The children have been busy with lots of counting games and shape-recognition activities, helping them to see that maths is all around us in our play.
We have been making the most of the spring weather with lots of Forest School activities in the field. The children have enjoyed making dens, a wormery, practising their balancing skills on our obstacle course and lots of water play.
Recent Events
A huge thank you to everyone who attended our recent parent events.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Room on the Broom event for the older children. It was lovely to see the children and their families making potions, bread making, and their own witches’ brooms.
We also loved seeing our younger children and their parents at the Owl Babies Forest School morning. The children had a wonderful time getting creative by making owls out of pine cones and feathers, and even tried their hand at bread making.
Spring Reminders
- If you would like more information about the Hurst Green site, please feel free to ask.
- Please pack a sun hat daily. We provide Tesco Soleil Factor 50+ suncream. If you prefer a specific brand, please provide a named bottle.
- As we head outside more often, please ensure all jumpers, coats, and hats are clearly labelled.
Nursery Closures & Bank Holidays
- Monday 4th May — Early May Bank Holiday
- Monday 25th May — Spring Bank Holiday
- Monday 31st August — Summer Bank Holiday
- Monday 21st – Friday 25th December — Christmas Break
- Monday 28th December — Boxing Day
Thank you for your continued support.
Best wishes,
The Puddle Ducks Team
