Ashridge Day Nursery Latimer

A converted barn, farm animals and pastureland give Ashridge Day Nursery Latimer a recognisable character. At Blackwell Farm in Chesham, the nursery occupies a 15th-century building within 250 acres, with opportunities to explore woodland, fields and streams. Outdoor experiences are a substantial part of the offer, rather than a single play area beside the building.

Children can attend from two months to five years, and the nursery has 57 places in total. At its August 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, while calling for better preparation of learning resources and more challenge from staff. That judgement is dated; it should be read alongside the detail of what children experienced at the time.

Rooms and Ages

Ducklings, Lambs, Piglets and Roosters are the nursery's named rooms. The overall age range accommodates babies through to children approaching school age, allowing families to consider care across several stages of early childhood.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care: children's play, communication and growing independence belong together in their nursery day. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision, rather than an additional programme unique to Latimer.

In August 2021, younger children practised movement using soft-play equipment and learned how to climb slide steps with help from staff. Older children experimented with chalk marks and different writing tools. These were practical activities with a clear purpose: building movement skills and the hand control needed for later writing.

Language work was similarly concrete in August 2021. Staff named objects during younger children's play and repeated words for them to try. Older children selected songs and joined in singing and movement. Everyday play supplied opportunities to hear, repeat and use language.

Outdoor and Community Life

The farm setting adds experiences that depend on the surroundings. Children have opportunities to meet farm animals, including newborn calves during calving time, and to explore the land around the nursery. The seasonal detail matters: the animals and outdoor surroundings provide things to notice beyond indoor toys and activities.

In August 2021, children used a mud kitchen for scooping and mixing, invented pirate games and practised riding bicycles. The Meadow Safety Officer role involved children checking the meadow's ground, gate and fences before play, alongside learning rules for animal visits. It gave safety routines a practical meaning children could explain themselves.

Settling and room changes received deliberate attention in August 2021. Children had settling-in visits when starting nursery, while those changing rooms spent time in their next room beforehand. Staff also followed children's familiar sleep patterns. For a young child, these arrangements link an unfamiliar place with recognisable people and routines.

At the August 2021 inspection, Ofsted found that children formed positive relationships with their key person and that staff sought professional advice for children's health needs and involved speech and language therapists in support for children with SEND. The useful detail is the mechanism: advice from outside professionals informed children's support, rather than inclusion resting on a general statement of intent.

In August 2021, communication between home and nursery was regular, and staff helped older children practise dressing themselves, personal hygiene and joining group activities. These experiences supported the practical demands of moving on to school. Preparation included independence and listening, alongside activities involving letter sounds.

The nursery employed 22 staff in August 2021, with 21 working with children. Those figures describe the team at that time; they are separate from the nursery's total places and do not establish a room size or staffing ratio.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Blackwell Farm, Blackwell Hall Lane, Chesham, HP5 1TN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates for fifty-one weeks of the year. Closures include bank holidays and a week at Christmas.

The Latimer telephone number is 01494 300015. Applications use the Latimer registration form, giving families a branch-specific route rather than an application intended for another Ashridge nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2021, the nursery accepted funding for free education for children aged two, three and four. That describes its participation at the inspection date, rather than establishing a present entitlement or charging arrangement for an individual family.

• Farm routines. Woodland, streams and animal contact are part of the setting's appeal. On a visit, ask how outings and animal encounters are organised for your child's age.
• Challenge in learning. The August 2021 improvement points concerned preparation of learning resources and developing staff support so practitioners could extend children's learning further. Ask for examples of how staff now develop a child's self-chosen activity.
• Settling between rooms. Introductory visits and time in the next room were part of the August 2021 approach. Discuss how a room move would work for your child, especially alongside familiar sleep routines.
• Your care quotation. Ask for a written quotation covering your attendance pattern, funded hours, meals and non-food consumables, so the whole arrangement can be considered together.

Ashridge Day Nursery Latimer suits families who value a farm setting and want children to encounter animals, woodland and open fields as part of early childhood. Its broad age range also makes it relevant to families considering care from infancy towards school age.

The August 2021 picture combines purposeful practical activities and planned transitions with clear improvement points about resources and challenge. The strongest reason to consider Latimer is its outdoor setting.