1 week Ago
A NEW children’s nursery is due to open in Ryedale following a £1.2 million investment to meet demand as the Government boosts funded childcare support. Renovation work is being carried out to transform the former Beansheaf Hotel and Restaurant, on the A169 outside Pickering, into Puddleducks Children’s Day Nursery Pickering.
Eighty children have already been registered at the nursery which will have separate areas for babies, toddlers and preschool children as well as expansive gardens for outdoor learning and up to 40 parking spaces. Owner and mother-of-three Sarah Kelly, who trained as a primary school teacher, opened her first Puddleducks nursery in Sheriff Hutton where she was born and raised, followed by a second site at Malton Enterprise Park two years ago. Both are rated Outstanding and have consistently ranked among the top 20 rated nurseries in Yorkshire and Humber in the annual Nursery Awards, run by daynurseries.
co.uk, based on reviews from parents and carers. A recruitment campaign is underway for the new nursery for roles ranging from apprentices to managers.
This third site will take the whole Puddleducks team up to 100 employees. Sarah said the latest venture was being driven by demand - the existing nurseries in Malton and Sheriff Hutton have waiting lists, with many families travelling to them from Pickering. A number of those families may switch to the new nursery when it opens, freeing up places at the other two sites.
Sarah said: “We have been renovating since January. It is a £1.2million project, including the purchase and refurbishment work, and has turned into a bigger job, with a lot of structural work.
We are on schedule and we’re hoping to open in September.” By September 2025, working parents will be able to claim 30 hours of government-funded childcare a week, over 38 weeks of the year, from when their child is nine months old up to starting school. The scheme is currently being rolled out in stages.
Sarah said: “The demand for childcare will rocket when people have access to more childcare, and we know there’s a shortage of places. It would be crazy not to do this. It is a labour of love, and I am really excited about it.
"It has only been possible thanks to having the support at home, including my husband Darren, two incredible managers and a great team across the sites. “We will take 75 children a day, from babies at three months old to school-starting age children. We are taking registrations, and we have more than 80 on the roll already which is a really good start.
We have 180 on roll at each site.” Some staff from Malton and Sheriff Hutton will relocate to support the new nursery alongside the new recruits. Sarah said: “We will take on six apprentices at our new site.
They are our next generation of early year practitioners, and this gives our school leavers employment in the local area.” Puddleducks follows the Curiosity Approach which creates a calm and secure ‘home from home’ environment allowing children to be naturally curious about their surroundings and learn through play and by exploring all of their senses..
