Ashfield House Day Nursery & Pre-School

A pirate ship gives outdoor play a recognisable setting at Norman Lane; a key-person system gives each child's care a familiar point of contact. Ashfield House Day Nursery & Pre-School in Eccleshill, Bradford, combines those practical details with an Outstanding judgement from Ofsted's 5 January 2022 inspection. The date matters: that judgement describes the nursery at that visit.

Children aged three months to five years are accepted. Norman Lane has a Baby Room, Toddler Room, Tweenie Room and Pre-School.

Full-day care is offered, alongside funded early education for eligible children. For parents, the useful combination is individual planning, an outdoor play offer and communication that includes both daily feedback and a digital account of learning.

Rooms and Ages

The Norman Lane rooms are Baby Room, Toddler Room, Tweenie Room and Pre-School. Each child has a key person whose observations inform activities planned around their interests and development.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the statutory learning and care framework: children's days include communication, physical development and relationships, alongside early literacy, mathematics, creativity and exploration of the world. Ashfield's group-wide approach uses Development Matters, guidance about children's development that helps practitioners plan learning alongside that framework.

Activities grow from what the key person notices about a child. Observations inform planning and record significant moments, so a fascination or a developing skill can shape what comes next. The daily programme leaves room for children's choices as well as activities led by adults, with stories, singing, creative work, construction and pretend play among the experiences offered.

In January 2022, babies practised climbing on small foam steps and slides indoors, while toddlers matched shapes to drawings and were prompted to consider their sides. Older children experimented with the initial sound of their name and attempted its letter on an electronic board. These examples show the learning behind apparently simple play: movement, mathematical language and the beginnings of writing.

Conversation also had a substantial place in January 2022. Children discussed food and transport during meals, and toddlers brought vocabulary from stories into painting and other creative activities. Pretend play involved children exchanging ideas about imaginary characters and journeys. For families, these dated examples make the educational approach easier to understand than a list of areas of learning alone.

Outdoor and Community Life

Norman Lane's pirate ship provides a specific setting for outdoor play. Across Ashfield's two settings, outdoor provision includes planting containers, a mud kitchen and surfaces intended for use in different weather conditions. Waterproof clothing is supplied for wet days, helping outdoor play remain part of the routine when the weather changes.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person, regardless of attendance frequency. That member of staff develops the main caring relationship and provides parents with a regular contact, while observations help connect care with the child's interests and development. The system gives families someone to talk to about the detail of their child's day.

Initial settling sessions last approximately two hours, and parents can remain while their child becomes familiar with the surroundings and key person. Additional settling days can be arranged for children who need longer. This recognises that separation happens at different speeds; the practical question is how those sessions will work for the individual child.

Daily feedback covers such matters as eating, rest, toileting, mood and activities, using written or spoken updates according to age. Ashfield's group-wide ParentZone app adds photographs, videos and accounts of learning recorded through iConnect, the electronic recording system. Parents can contribute photographs and significant moments from home too, giving staff information beyond what happens during nursery hours.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, highlighted responsive care for babies and found that staff recognised additional needs promptly and worked effectively with families and other professionals. Those findings remain tied to that inspection date.

Current support arrangements include a SENCO role serving both settings and individual play plans developed with parents and other professionals. These are specific mechanisms for discussing a child's needs and organising support. They do not replace the need to understand how a proposed plan fits a particular child.

Young babies' sleep follows the home routine discussed with parents. Children who stay for the day are usually offered rest after lunch, with quiet alternatives for those who do not sleep. Parents can bring a familiar comforter or dummy, helping connect the nursery routine with something their child already knows.

A cook is employed at Norman Lane, and Ashfield's meals are prepared on site, using a three-week menu cycle with seasonal changes. The nursery publishes a nut-free food policy and arrangements to accommodate dietary requirements and allergies; affected families should confirm the practical arrangements for their child.

Sessions and Attendance

The Norman Lane setting is at 72 Norman Lane, Eccleshill, Bradford, BD2 2JZ. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01274 643431 or by email to info@ashfieldhousenursery.co.uk. Private tours are offered, giving families a way to discuss the setting in person.

Full-day bookings are offered. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. The Christmas closure begins at 2pm on Christmas Eve and continues through New Year's Day inclusive. These closures need to fit the family's childcare arrangements as well as its usual working week.

Fees are spread into equal monthly payments across the year, with standing order the preferred payment method. Booked sessions remain payable when a child misses nursery because of illness or a holiday, and bank holidays before Christmas week are charged normally. Late collection also attracts an additional charge. The financial commitment therefore follows the booking, rather than attendance on each particular day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged nine months and over can access early education funding for up to 15 to 30 hours per week. Private childcare is also offered. Families should obtain the nursery's current written quotation, keeping funded entitlement and any privately paid attendance separate when considering the overall arrangement.

Private fees include meals and non-food essentials: nappies, wipes and nappy cream, plus milk and formula unless it is prescribed. A personalised nursery bag is included too. This reduces the everyday supplies parents need to organise, while preserving the stated exception for prescribed formula.

A non-refundable registration charge applies. Tax Free Childcare is accepted, providing another payment route for families who use it.

• The youngest children's room. Norman Lane has a Baby Room, and every child is allocated a key person. During a tour, ask how many children usually share your child's room and how familiar care is maintained when the key person is away.
• Funded attendance. Funding is offered from nine months for eligible children, while private fees include food and everyday care supplies. Ask for a written breakdown of how funded hours fit your proposed attendance and how meals and consumables are treated within that arrangement.
• Closures and paid absences. The nursery closes for bank holidays and its Christmas break, while booked sessions missed through sickness or holidays remain payable. Factor those terms into the family budget and cover arrangements.
• Allergy arrangements. Ashfield publishes a nut-free policy and caters for dietary needs. Families affected by allergies should confirm their child's current meal preparation and serving arrangements before joining.

Ashfield House suits families seeking full-day bookings with individual planning and regular communication, including those combining eligible funded hours with privately paid care. The Norman Lane pirate ship gives the setting a recognisable physical detail; the key-person system and ParentZone make the care and learning arrangements easier for parents to follow.

The January 2022 judgement gives valuable context, while today's decision rests on the child's room, settling arrangements and the booking's written terms. Families comfortable with payment continuing through missed sessions will find an offer that brings learning, care supplies and parent communication together in practical ways.