Partou Ashmoor Day Nursery & Pre-school

A converted house and a garden with a mud kitchen, trampoline and mini climbing wall give Ashmoor a clear identity: indoor play in smaller groups, with space outside for children to stretch themselves physically. The wooded part of the garden provides shelter and shade, while the grassed area adds another setting for outdoor activity. This is a useful combination for families who value both manageable indoor groups and active play.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Partou Ashmoor Day Nursery & Pre-school Good overall, while calling for better questioning to develop independent thinking and more consistent staff practice. Those qualifications matter alongside the positive judgement. Warm relationships and interesting activities need to be matched by reliable support throughout the day.

The nursery accepts children aged 3 to 60 months at 17 Ashfield Road in Shipley. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different ways to use the setting, alongside term-time attendance and childcare across the year.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care, with play helping children develop communication, physical skills and growing independence. At Ashmoor, activities are shaped around children's interests. That gives staff a practical starting point for engaging a child, rather than expecting every child to be interested in the same thing at the same moment.

Bright rooms within the converted house are organised for smaller groups. The arrangement matters because a whole nursery's size tells parents little about the environment their child will actually use. Here, the indoor organisation is part of the offer, alongside the garden's more energetic possibilities.

In July 2024, stories, songs and puppets supported language development. Children discussed possible story developments and used puppets to remember the sequence of events. Mark-making also had a purpose: taking pretend ice-cream orders meant representing flavours and toppings, while drawing after a story linked pictures with the narrative. These were practical routes into communication and early writing.

Experiments encouraged children to revisit earlier learning that July. Sand and containers prompted them to recall a volcano activity using vinegar and baking powder. The limitation was how adults extended children's thinking: during bracelet-making, staff solved a problem with slipping beads themselves. Children needed more opportunities to work out a solution. That is a meaningful distinction between enjoying an activity and developing the confidence to tackle its difficulties.

Outdoor and Community Life

The mud kitchen, mini climbing wall and trampoline give the garden several different uses. Children can explore materials, attempt climbing and enjoy movement, rather than relying on one kind of outdoor play. A wooded area brings shade and seasonal shelter into the same space.

In July 2024, outdoor activities included ball games, chasing, balancing on logs and scooping sand. Children used bats and footballs, and practised bouncing basketballs. The examples show opportunities for both coordination and movement with friends, with younger children also taking part in physical exploration.

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised staff's work with families and professionals to support children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This cooperation supported continuity as children changed rooms and prepared for school.

Extended settling sessions in July 2024 gave staff time to understand children and recognise when extra help might be needed. Children sought reassurance from familiar adults before engaging with unfamiliar people. For parents weighing separation from home, the important detail is the time spent building those relationships, rather than expecting a child to adjust immediately.

Independence ran through daily routines that July. Older children prepared their places at lunch and poured drinks; babies used spoons to feed themselves. Children also chose their play activities. These small responsibilities made participation part of care, with adults supporting children to do more for themselves.

Health routines were equally practical in July 2024: children brushed their teeth, older children managed handwashing around meals and toileting, and babies practised cleaning their hands and faces after eating. However, staff deployment was not consistently effective. Some less confident or less experienced practitioners struggled with groups, leaving children's needs insufficiently addressed on those occasions.

Regular progress updates are included within the care charge. Food is prepared fresh on site from a seasonal menu, bringing meals into the nursery day rather than requiring families to organise them separately.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Full-day bookings run from 8am to 6pm; mornings run from 8am to 1pm and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. An early drop-off session runs from 7.30am to 8am. The earlier opening therefore has its own booking arrangement, which matters when matching childcare with a working day.

Attendance can be term-time only or across the year. Bank holidays are closure days, and Christmas Eve has a 4pm finish. Charges apply over 51 weeks, including bank holidays, so the billing calendar needs to be considered alongside the days children attend.

Ashmoor's address is 17 Ashfield Road, Shipley, BD18 4JX, and enquiries can be made by telephone on 01274 597558 or through its enquiry form. Saltaire train station is within walking distance, with Leeds and Bradford named as commuting destinations.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered to eligible families, with the applicable entitlement of 15 or 30 hours a week over 38 term weeks and a maximum of 10 funded hours a day. For year-round attendance, funding is stretched over 51 weeks: the corresponding weekly allocations are 11.17 or 22.35 hours. Term-time attendance uses the weekly entitlement over the term weeks instead. These are different ways of applying funding, so families should compare them against their intended attendance pattern.

Care, food and daily supplies are separate charges. Meals and snacks are charged separately, as are consumables such as sun cream, wipes and nappies; both categories remain chargeable during funded sessions. Funding covers the care element. The nursery fees and funding information explains this structure, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Joining involves either a non-refundable registration charge or a registration deposit to reserve the child's place, subject to the eligibility terms. Families need to distinguish these alternatives before paying, because the registration charge is explicitly non-refundable.

• Independent thinking. In July 2024, adults sometimes supplied a solution before children could work it out. During a visit, ask how practitioners now use questions and give children time to solve problems themselves.
• Consistency across the day. The July 2024 findings included occasions when staff struggled to meet group needs. Ask how room teams support less confident colleagues during busy routines and group activities.
• Funding and the final bill. Meals, snacks and consumables carry separate charges even within funded sessions. Compare a written quotation for morning or afternoon attendance with one for full days, using the funding pattern your family intends to use.

Ashmoor suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day care, with either term-time attendance or a year-round pattern. The converted house, smaller-group organisation and varied garden give it a recognisable appeal. July 2024 examples also show purposeful language work and everyday independence. The balancing point is consistency: strong relationships and engaging play were accompanied by clear concerns about questioning and staff deployment. Those are useful subjects for a visit, alongside the practical fit of sessions and separately charged extras.