Little Ducklings Pre school The Old Ticket Office

Little Ducklings Pre school The Old Ticket Office
Unique reference number (URN): 2772128
Address: The Old Ticket Office, Holman Way, Topsham, Devon, EX3 0EN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 10/01/2024
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Little Ducklings Nursery Devon Ltd
Inspection report: 15 May 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children make progress from their different starting points on transition into the setting. They
are prepared well for the next stage in their learning journey, gaining the skills needed for
their move to school. Children are confident and ready to learn as soon as they arrive. They
relish the praise they receive for their individual achievements, from an interest in writing
letters to building a bridge with a friend, which helps them succeed.
Children, including those with barriers to learning, develop effective communication and
language skills. They move from babble and single words, to holding conversations and
fine-tuning speech sounds through regular reviews into their next steps in learning. Children
respond to questions during the story and share their ideas. Children are enthusiastic
learners, exploring the blocks and building bridges independently. They confidently share
ideas and talk to their friends to share the cars and play collaboratively. Children focus well
on completing their structures and make sure the car fits underneath, testing their ideas.
Children play well together and use their motor skills to move their car through the tunnels,
counting to complete the game.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders have high expectations for all children's behaviour and ensure staff manage these
efficiently, such as the 'traffic light system'. Structured routines and an effective key-person
system support children's learning and understanding of expectations. Children excitedly
prepare for their walk to the outdoor space and clearly understand how to keep themselves
safe and interact positively with staff. However, preparations are lengthy and children are
not always engaged in purposeful learning.
Children know the routines of the setting and leaders create an environment that positively
supports behaviour and managing emotions. Children are reminded to take care with the
tunnels in the tough tray, to move their cars carefully so that the tunnels are not broken, and
others can enjoy the activity. They collaborate well, playing in groups, working together to a
shared goal and show a positive attitude to their learning.
Children's attendance is monitored well. Staff follow up any absences with parents. Key-
person relationships are secure and staff model kindness and are positive role models,
checking in with each other as well as with the children. They tune in to children's questions
and ideas, modelling listening skills and treating children with respect.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders place high importance on their relationships with families and ensure all families
feel welcome and involved. They have settling-in sessions, attend a lunch then add in a nap,
if relevant, supported well by an effective key-person system. This means children start at
the new site with confidence and are ready to keep learning. Staff comfort children who are
unsettled in a warm and caring manner, using bubbles to redirect. Staff are at the children's

level, offering a cuddle if needed and time away in a quieter area to calm and regulate their
emotions.
Children feel safe and secure in this setting and leaders have created an environment that is
well laid out for learning, overall. Leaders share policies, such as safer eating, and
procedures with parents and implement them well across the setting. Children enjoy a
healthy diet prepared on site. They independently access their water bottles, hand out cups
at snack time and take their bowls back to the chef, gaining independence. Children
remember to thank the staff, and do so independently. Mealtimes are sociable and staff sit
alongside the children, keeping them safe while eating. Risk assessment is robust and
leaders and staff adapt quickly when accidents occur, putting measures in place to ensure
resources are safe.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders develop an ambitious, sequential curriculum, using a topic of interest and children's
next steps. They weave the 7 areas of the early years foundation stage into the planning to
encourage a balance of experiences. Children engage in purposeful play with the road
safety tray. They use language, such as over and under, to describe the cars moving over
the bridges that they have built. Children talk to staff about the pictures on specific cards
matched to the topic, such as reminders to wait and stop, look and listen and the zebra
crossing. Children are enthusiastic when describing the skills they have learned, 'we do not
stand in the road.' Staff build children's learning and talk about being safe, integrating the
new word and picture cards into their daily walks.
Staff are responsible for planning and competently share ideas for adapting an activity, for
example, to encourage explorations and to build on previous learning. The impact is that
staff teach well, adding concepts, such as traffic lights, new vocabulary and repeat single
words for younger children that build their communication and language skills well. In
addition, staff create a free-flow environment that is quieter. Staff are able to interact in small
groups in children's chosen play. Leaders and staff plan for progress in all areas for all
children, looking at emerging skills and planning support to sustain progress towards those
skills becoming secure, particularly in the prioritisation of children's communication and
language skills in readiness for school.
Leaders consider the outdoor environments and enable children to access these on a daily
basis, when space is limited on site. However, staff do not always consider what children
need to learn next when organising learning experiences and staff interactions do not
always support children's learning.
Inclusion Expected standard
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Staff
monitor, review and implement achievable targets for children with speech and language
delays. Children receive support from outside agencies that is delivered by skilful staff for
their personal, social and emotional development. This results in children having the skills
needed to access all areas of the curriculum and all experiences, such as visits to the local
care home once a month. Children with SEND successfully regulate their behaviours,
enabling them to join and enjoy this experience.

Leaders have adapted their staffing at a senior level to meet the increasing needs of
children across their setting. Staff quickly identify children's barriers to learning and
emerging needs. Staff conduct observations and assessments in a timely way, which
underpins clear targets. Children receive the right level of support in a sustained way and
staff know who is eligible for additional funding and use this for inclusion staffing. Overall,
staff have relevant training and conduct accurate assessments of the emerging skills for all
children.
Leaders share observations with parents and make onward referrals. Their commitment
improves the achievement of children with SEND. For the most part, children with SEND are
included in all the setting offers, using skilled staff during transition times, using visuals as
reminders and a whole team approach in this safe setting.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders work closely together to ensure the best for children in their care and to sustain the
ethos of a home-from-home setting. They have high standards for themselves, promoting
wellbeing, keeping children safe and they have a clear vision for improvement. They are
aware of strengths in their setting and areas for improvement, building staff skills in
managing behaviour.
Staff feel well supported and listened to during supervision meetings. They receive well-
planned training opportunities, such as enrolling in a requested college course or starting
the special educational needs and/or disabilities qualification. Leaders run training days for
all staff across settings, and these recently covered safer sleeping and safeguarding,
highlighting a passion for keeping children safe. Staff explained that the management team
support mean they feel settled at work.
Parents feel involved and that the staff know their children well, resulting in timely
interventions. Leaders and staff offer advice, which parents explain has had a positive
impact in the home and to children making progress. Parents feel listened to and supported.
Leaders work closely with other professionals to secure the best outcomes for children in
their care, using additional funding for inclusion work and focus on training opportunities for
all staff. Leaders have a strong relationship with the local college resulting in winning a
'Small Employer of the Year' award.

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children settle quickly into their day in this unique setting on a train platform. Children
benefit from a home-from-home setting and build a strong sense of belonging. Children and
families receive a warm welcome from nurturing staff. Children are pleased to arrive, quickly
joining activities that are set using the theme and learning objectives planned by staff.
Children have secure relationships with staff and peers. As they arrive through the morning,
friends greet each other, hug and move eagerly to join a story on the carpet. Less confident
children receive support to separate from parents. The focus on children's personal, social

Inspector:
Amelia Joyner
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2772128
and emotional development results in children developing meaningful friendships and
contributes to their feeling of wellbeing, boosting their ability to progress in their learning.
Children thrive and make progress through carefully planned activities and experiences.
Overall, children's next steps inform planning. This means all children make progress from
their starting points. Children enjoy story time and 'circle time', learning their sounds,
chattering about the story and sharing their own ideas about what might happen next.
Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are all included
and listened to and experience a sense of belonging. Children share their knowledge about
the dinosaurs in the story, repeating tricky dinosaur names back to develop new vocabulary,
and filling the gaps at the end of sentences. Children are independent. They kindly collect
shoes for their friends and put on their own coats for the walk to the partner setting. Children
follow the rules and routines that will keep them safe on their walk and gleefully express,
'We will see my sister there', knowing they will see their siblings.
Next steps
Leaders should maintain consistency in delivering the curriculum and using children's
next steps to guide learning, particularly in outdoor play.
Leaders should review transition times from the indoor to the outdoor environment to
maximise children's engagement in learning.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents during the inspection
We carried out this inspection under the sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.
A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

Address:
The Old Ticket Office
Holman Way
Topsham
Devon
EX3 0EN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 10/01/2024
Registered person: Little Ducklings Nursery Devon Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Devon
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 15 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
16
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,
please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.
You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium,
under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy
Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email:
psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk.
Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information
and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
T: 0300 123 1231
Textphone: 0161 618 8524
E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

© Crown copyright 2026
© Crown copyright