Ashton House Nursery, Ashton Hayes

Woodlands, ponds and bike paths give Ashton House its character. At Ashton Hayes, children explore natural materials, practise physical skills and encounter outdoor challenges that change as they grow.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 31 August 2022 and found safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement, but the detail beneath it matters: the inspection described children exploring vegetables, working with wood and developing language through their interests.

Ashton House Nursery, Ashton Hayes has capacity for 242 children, with a current nursery age range of one month to five years. That whole-setting figure should be understood separately from the children sharing an individual room. The address is Church Road, Ashton Hayes, Chester, CH3 8AB.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the statutory basis for learning and care: children develop their communication, physical skills and understanding through play and everyday experiences. Alongside it, the group-wide Ashton House Way puts outdoor exploration and practical encounters with nature into the nursery day. Ashton Hayes supplies the physical setting for that approach, including woodland, ponds and cycling paths.

Forest School, the group-wide outdoor learning programme, uses on-site woodland for shelter making, wildlife exploration and woodland art. Practical skills are introduced progressively, giving children opportunities to experiment with materials and work together.

In August 2022, babies explored sound using sticks and pinecones, while toddlers painted outdoors with oversized brushes. Vegetable harvesting brought counting and comparison into play: children examined carrots and opened pods to count their contents. Older children acted out stories and made wooden models using tools. These examples connect early learning to objects children can touch, investigate and change.

Language also ran through those August 2022 activities. Children learnt signs from infancy, and conversations about flowers introduced words for their parts. Books were used outdoors too, with children reading in the woodland. The combination matters: speaking, listening and reading could accompany an experience rather than being confined to a separate indoor activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

The rural Ashton Hayes setting includes ponds as well as woodlands and bike paths. These are different kinds of outdoor resources, giving children opportunities to observe nature and practise movement within the nursery grounds. The group-wide cycling approach introduces balance bikes before pedal bikes, with an emphasis on coordination and confidence.

During August 2022, toddlers used a demanding bicycle track and older children climbed trees. Tool work involved checking protective gloves before using equipment, while children could explain rules about fire. The important distinction is between simply offering adventurous equipment and teaching children how to approach it: the activities involved instructions, boundaries and practical precautions.

Growing and preparing food added another dimension in August 2022. Children harvested apples, visited the nursery animals and explored how plants develop. Older children heated apples and teacakes over a fire, noticing what happened as the food warmed. These were concrete encounters with food production and change, linking the outdoor setting to conversation, observation and everyday independence.

Gradual settling sessions are free and become longer over time. Children can build familiarity with staff, routines and surroundings in stages. For a baby or toddler starting nursery, that makes settling a process rather than a single handover followed by an immediate full routine.

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with SEND and funded places, made excellent progress, supported by staff who understood their emotional needs and worked effectively with parents and external professionals. In August 2022, everyday independence included babies using spoons, children putting away belongings and older children persisting with their shoes. These small tasks gave children opportunities to do things for themselves throughout the day.

Current SEND arrangements include a SENDCO role and collaboration with families and, where appropriate, other professionals to organise support around an individual child.

Accidents and incidents are recorded through the Famly app, with parents asked to acknowledge the information. Most staff hold paediatric first aid qualifications. Access arrangements include facial recognition for authorised parents and carers, while visitors require staff admission; these are operational arrangements rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement.

Outdoor rest is part of the group-wide offer, supported by weatherproof clothing and fleece-lined suits for babies. The clothing also supports outdoor play across the seasons. Families considering this approach need to understand how it fits their child's sleep habits as well as their enthusiasm for being outside.

Meals and snacks are cooked on site each day using seasonal ingredients sourced locally, and the kitchens cater for dietary requirements, allergies and cultural preferences. Mealtimes give children opportunities to practise independence. In August 2022, children also served themselves food.

School preparation was part of the August 2022 curriculum, with links to schools and cooperation between staff, families and external professionals. The useful emphasis is on helping children approach their next stage of learning with familiar skills, rather than promising an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Earlier starts and later collections can be arranged within the wider 7.30am to 7pm opening window. This distinction matters for families planning work commitments: the longer window requires an advance arrangement.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks each year, closing on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year; those closures are excluded from fees. Additional sessions are subject to availability and must be requested by email at least one week ahead.

Before- and after-school care serves Ashton Hayes Primary School. During school holidays, the Holiday Club at Ashton Hayes caters for children aged 4 to 11 who are enrolled in primary school. These services are separate from the nursery's early-years age range and may matter to families coordinating childcare for siblings.

Getting There

Church Road places the nursery in the village of Ashton Hayes, with road links including the M53 and M56. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01829 751353 or by email at enquiries@ashtonhousenursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through Universal Entitlement, Working Family Entitlement and 2-Year-Old Funding (Disadvantaged Families), with the relevant age and eligibility conditions applying. The nursery stretches funded hours across its 51-week year, spreading the same funded amount across monthly accounts. This is a year-round delivery arrangement rather than concentrating the entitlement into term time.

On privately paid hours, meals and snacks are included in the fee. Daily consumables, including nappies, wipes and suncream, are also included in the fee on privately paid hours. Funded hours have a different structure: meals, consumables and the Outdoor Activities Programme are optional extras charged separately, and parents can use funded hours without buying them. That distinction is central to understanding a quotation.

Funding requires a parental declaration each term; working-family eligibility must also be reconfirmed every three months. The information and fee details include enrolment paperwork and terms and conditions. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, requested through its information and fees page.

• Outdoor life and rest. Woodland activity, cycling and outdoor sleeping are part of the offer. On a visit, ask how outdoor rest and progressively more demanding activities are adapted to your child's age, temperament and sleep routine.
• Room arrangements. The nursery has capacity for 242 children across the setting. Ask which room your child would join and how that room's daily group and settling arrangements work.
• Funded-place extras. Meals, consumables and the Outdoor Activities Programme sit outside funded entitlement and are optional purchases. Ask for a written quotation separating funded hours, private attendance and any extras you choose.
• Workday planning. The usual opening window is 8am to 6pm, with earlier and later attendance arranged beforehand. Establish that arrangement before relying on the extended window for regular work commitments.

Ashton Hayes suits families who want outdoor learning to occupy a substantial place in early childhood. Woodland, ponds and bike paths give that preference a concrete setting, while the August 2022 examples show how nature, language, physical activity and practical independence were connected.

Its practical reach includes early-years care with pre-arranged earlier starts or later collections, alongside before- and after-school care and a primary-age Holiday Club. The key decisions are the fit between this outdoor approach and the individual child, the room arrangements, and the difference between an inclusive private fee and optional extras attached to funded hours.