We are expanding
We wanted to let you know we are expanding our nursery by opening a new additional site in April this year.
Since launching in September we’ve already reached our capacity here at Puddle Ducks in Salehurst. With a growing waiting list, continued enquiries, and a great team, we are well placed to open this additional site, just a few minutes up the A21 in Hurst Green.
Subject to Ofsted and county council sign off, we’ll be opening the new nursery after the Easter break on Monday 13th April.
Nothing will change over the next few months here at Puddle Ducks, but we wanted to let you know before we advertise.
We’ll likely move a few team members over to Hurst Green, and will look to share resources and practices across the two sites. In time we’ll let you know who from the existing team will be moving.
Our nursery in Hurst Green is set back from Station Road, offers a good sized wrap-around secure garden space, open plan large inside space, and in time, access to acres of countryside, where we’ll be developing a forest school and outdoor learning space.
Our plan is to occasionally offer visits to these facilities for all children at Salehurst, but there is also the opportunity for all parents to explore the new site if you would like to consider it as a permanent option in the future.
Get in touch if you would like to find out more or ask any questions.
Welcome to the team
We are delighted to announce that, due to the continued growth of our nursery, we have three wonderful new educators joining our existing team. Please join us in giving a warm welcome to:
Alice – Early Years Educator Apprentice
Alice joins us primarily to support our youngest learners. She has a very calm, patient approach, focusing on providing consistent care and support for our youngest children during their daily routines.
Nicola – Early Years Educator
Nicola is a highly experienced practitioner with a particular interest in child-led learning. She excels at observing where a child’s curiosity lies and building creative activities around those interests to help them develop naturally.
Liz – Outdoor Learning Lead
Liz joins us with extensive experience in forest school settings and previous charity work focused on nature-based education. As our Outdoor Learning Lead, she will be overseeing our garden and woodland activities to ensure the children get the most out of their time outside.
New outside space now in use
Over the festive break we added a shelter and some initial activities in the new outdoor space on the farm alongside the nursery. It’s been a big hit already with plenty of exploring and activities.
Children are now enjoying Zebedee’s lunch and teas
We have now been using Zebedees for our lunch and tea service since the beginning of January. Overall, the feedback has been very positive, and most children are enjoying the new variety of meals on offer.
The menus are designed by a nutritionist to ensure all meals are healthy, balanced, and age-appropriate. While some children have cleared their plates from day one, others are still adjusting to new flavors. If your child is currently eating a little less than usual, please be assured this is a normal part of the transition. We encourage the children to keep trying new things at their own pace, as regular exposure usually leads to more confident eating over time.
To view the Zebedee menus click here:
If you would like to sign your child up for our meal service, you can do so via the link below:
https://puddleducksnurserysalehurst.com/catering-registration-form/
Annual price increase in April 2026
Our paid for morning, afternoon and full day sessions will be increasing from 1st April.
We take careful consideration in reviewing our prices on an annual basis, assessing inflation, and our real costs, while we also benchmark this against other local nurseries to ensure we are offering great value to our customers.
The main factor this year is the government’s increase in wages. We truly value the role our team plays in our organisation, so we promise to always pay all qualified staff above the minimum wage and the ‘Real Living Wage’, which will be increasing by 6.7% in April.
Our new fees from April will soon be published on our website and will be an increase of 3.8%. These prices will then be fixed to at least the end of March 2027.
Even with these price increases we still believe we offer great value against other local nurseries compared to their current prices, as well as not charging any additional fees. See our recent benchmarking.
Note: Robertsbridge Children Services has been scaled up to a full day as they only open until 17:30 while Parsonage Farm includes lunch and tea within their daily price.
Nursery Closures & Bank Holidays
- 2026 Bank Holiday Closures:
- Friday, 3rd April (Good Friday)
- Monday, 6th April (Easter Monday)
- 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)
If you have any questions about these updates, or anything else regarding your child’s time with us, please feel free to speak with us during drop-off or pick-up. Alternatively, you can always reach us via email or phone.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Puddle Ducks Team
