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Early years · Report card

Little Ducklings Pre school The Old Ticket Office

Inspected 15 May 2026 · URN 2772128

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Amelia Joyner

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Achievement verified

    Expected standard

  • Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified

    Expected standard

  • Children's welfare and wellbeing verified

    Expected standard

  • Curriculum and teaching verified

    Expected standard

  • Inclusion verified

    Expected standard

  • Leadership and governance verified

    Expected standard

  • Framework verified

    Report card

  • Group verified

    Little Ducklings Nursery Devon Ltd

  • Inspection datesingle source

    15 May 2026

  • Inspectors verified

    Amelia Joyner

  • Postcode verified

    EX3 0EN

  • Name on report verified

    Little Ducklings Pre school The Old Ticket Office

  • Safeguarding verified

    Met

  • URN verified

    2772128

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

  • AchievementExpected
  • Behaviour, attitudes and routinesExpected
  • Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected
  • Curriculum and teachingExpected
  • InclusionExpected
  • Leadership and governanceExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+66Positivemore positive than 37% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisesafeeffectiveenjoypositivestrongsecurefeel safeenthusiastic
Criticismnot alwaysconcernslimiteddelaysnot confident

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings1241w+65
  • Leadership220w+80
  • Safeguarding51w−11
  • What needs to improve99w0

Strengths

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Concerns

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Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
9
Words of findings
1,611
about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 48, typical 43
Average sentence
18 words
Next steps
4
typical 3
Hedged sentences
3%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 57%Leadership 10%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 5%About the inspection 26%

Full report text

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

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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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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.

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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.

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Achievement Expected standard

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.

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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.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

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.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

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.

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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.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

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.

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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.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

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.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

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.

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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

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Inclusion Expected standard

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.

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Inclusion Expected standard

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.

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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.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

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.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

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.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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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

p.5

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.

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About this setting

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,

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About this setting

'We will see my sister there', knowing they will see their siblings.

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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.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents during the inspection

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About this 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.

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About this inspection

A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

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Address:

The Old Ticket Office Holman Way Topsham Devon EX3 0EN

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Little Ducklings Nursery Devon Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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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.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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 .

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Urgent improvement

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 .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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