Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Hertford

A listed townhouse, a garden and a sensory room give Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Hertford a recognisable character. Cecil House has three storeys, with different spaces for babies, toddlers and preschool children. The strongest practical feature is the preschool layout: children can move between their rooms and the garden, giving them choices about where to play.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 18 January 2024 inspection. The detailed picture was of close attention to children, encouragement of independence and thoughtful adaptations to activities, alongside improvements needed in toddler group sessions and the activities surrounding daily routines.

Children are accepted from three months to five years. Flexible sessions have a minimum booking of two sessions per child, while the weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Den, for three months to two years, combines a quiet, cosy space with a black and white area and learning experiences designed for the youngest children. That gives babies a room with different kinds of stimulation rather than simply a smaller version of the older children's provision.

Toddlers, for two to three years, occupies a spacious first-floor room, with an emphasis on independence and learning to interact with other children. Pre-school, for three to five years, extends across four ground-floor rooms, with movement between those spaces and access to the garden.

The building's layout is part of the choice here. Babies, toddlers and preschool children have separate age-related areas, while preschool children have several connected spaces to explore. The sensory room adds another physical resource alongside the garden.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and development: practitioners plan play and experiences across its areas of learning and follow each child's progress. Here, children's interests help shape the rooms and outdoor experiences, with planned enrichment responding to individual development.

Cooking club and yoga are available activities. Their practical value for a choosing family depends on how they fit into the child's attendance pattern, so they merit a specific discussion before booking.

In January 2024, babies chose books to share with adults, pointed to pictures and practised turning pages themselves. Singing and conversation also supported their early communication. These are small interactions with a clear purpose: babies participate in the exchange rather than merely listen.

Older children's curiosity led to investigation. In January 2024, children explored animal habitats and used a reference book to test an identification, discovering that an animal they had thought was an otter was a seal; an interest in swordfish prompted further information seeking. Adults helped children follow a question through to an answer.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden gives outdoor play its own space within the townhouse setting. Preschool children can move into it from their rooms, connecting indoor choices with outdoor activity.

In January 2024, local outings and community projects helped children learn about other people's lives and their own place in the community. A visiting dentist provided a concrete connection between nursery learning and looking after their health. These experiences took learning beyond the immediate room.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2024, adults helped children identify feelings and work through disagreements, with preschool children learning to negotiate and reach compromises. Everyday care also built independence: babies were told what would happen before a nappy change, and older children received consistent help with toileting, coordinated with their parents.

Relationships with key staff connected home and nursery during that period. For families, that continuity matters most in the ordinary details of care, where a shared understanding of a child's needs helps adults respond consistently.

The group-wide parent communication arrangement described for Hertford uses an app for daily care and activity updates, with the child's educational plan accessible through the same system. The group-wide settling approach is individual to the child. Together, these arrangements give parents a way to follow the day and a starting point for planning the transition into nursery.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and attentive SEND support, with staff working alongside families and outside services and adapting resources to children's needs. One example involved covering paint trays with film so children uncomfortable with touching paint could still mix colours using tools.

That January 2024 example is useful because it explains the mechanism of inclusion: the activity was changed so the child could participate. It gives families a concrete practice to discuss when considering how their own child's sensory preferences would be handled.

Seasonal lunches and snacks are served daily, with support for dietary requirements and babies' weaning. Food, milk, wipes and nappies are included in the fee package, reducing the everyday items families need to supply separately.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Flexible sessions carry a minimum of two sessions for each child; the minimum matters when matching attendance to working hours or arranging shorter periods of care.

The nursery opens for 51 weeks each year and closes for bank holidays and Christmas. Families needing care during those closures will need to build them into their annual arrangements.

Enquiries use the Hertford contact form or the new-parent telephone number, 0800 699 00 44. Visit booking is also offered.

Getting There

The address is Cecil House, 52 St Andrews Street, Hertford, SG14 1JA. Parent parking is on site, and the nursery is near the town centre, the A414 and Hertford East and Hertford North stations.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. The fee package includes food and milk, plus nappies and wipes; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Toddler participation. In January 2024, lively group activities sometimes made it difficult for less confident children to listen, absorb information and respond. During a visit, ask how Toddlers group sessions now give those children time to participate.
• The spaces between activities. In January 2024, children could become restless before meals or going home because activities at those points needed more planning. Ask how these parts of the day are organised now.
• Townhouse layout. Toddlers is on the first floor, while Pre-school occupies the ground floor. A visit should establish how the room locations and daily movements fit your child's needs.
• Activities within your booking. Cooking club and yoga are available alongside a minimum booking of two sessions. Ask what those activities involve and how they fit the sessions you are considering.

Hertford suits families seeking flexible attendance, separate spaces for different ages and a preschool environment that connects several rooms with a garden. Baby Den's quiet area and the sensory room add useful physical detail to the choice.

The January 2024 picture was strongest in individual attention, practical adaptations and independence. Toddler group participation and the organisation of routine transitions deserve equal attention when judging the fit for your child.