About us

The Duckling Nursery aims to include all children and their families into a secure, supportive, learning and caring environment. We welcome and encourage diversity.

The Duckling Nursery School offers sessional and full day care (term time only) for children aged 2 to 5 years. Each session has up to twenty eight children.

The nursery operates in a demountable classroom on the Writtle Infant School grounds. We have our own fenced garden and use of the playground, school field and the school hall.

A large part of the garden has an all weather surface with a sensory roadway. There is also a large shingle pit, a wooden climbing wall, a wooden tree house, climbing area, tumble bare and mud kitchen. The garden offers natural shade with well-established trees. A great variety of equipment and resources are available for both indoor and outdoor play.

The nursery runs a key person system with four groups, rainbows, suns moons and stars. Each group has a key person with further support from nursery assistants. Key persons observe, monitor and assess their children and plan their own group curriculums. These are recorded and shared at weekly meetings and enable staff to decide what children are learning and how to develop and extend their learning. All curriculums and activities are designed to stimulate, motivate and challenge the children in exciting, fun and interesting ways.

All staff are happy to answer any questions or offer advice either at the beginning or end of a session. We aim to build strong and caring relationships with all children and families.

The nursery is OFSTED inspected (read the latest report here) and receives government funding. We work along the government guidelines and statutory requirements for The Early Years Foundation Stage, which runs from birth to the end of the reception year.