Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Mawsley

A garden reached directly from the preschool room gives Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Mawsley a clear practical attraction: older children can move between indoor activities and outdoor play. Separate spaces for babies and toddlers give the younger age groups their own base. This is a nursery where the layout matters as much as the activity list.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 18 February 2025 and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The judgement came with two useful qualifications for parents: staff needed to develop their questioning, and the play provision needed to keep younger children interested more consistently. Those points deserve attention alongside the strengths.

At 14 Barnwell Court in Mawsley, Kettering, the nursery has 52 places in total and accepts children from three months until they are ready for school. Flexible sessions have a minimum booking of two sessions per child.

Rooms and Ages

Babies have a cosy room, Toddlers occupy a large room, and Pre-school opens directly onto a large garden with free access between the two spaces. The arrangement separates stages of development while giving preschool children scope to take their play outdoors. Baby provision allows flexibility according to each child's age and stage.

The enclosed outdoor space gives children opportunities to explore freely. Indoors and outdoors, children's interests help shape the activities. For parents, the useful distinction is between spaces organised for different ages and experiences planned around the individual child: both are part of the offer here.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and development, with play and planned experiences supporting children's progress across its areas of learning. Practitioners monitor development and use that information to plan enrichment for individual children. The framework is the foundation of the day; the practical question is how well activities build on what each child can already do.

In February 2025, children experimented with colour by combining paints and making artwork together. They shared equipment and talked about their discoveries. Adult-led exploration also included examining mud and natural materials through magnifying glasses. These examples show how creative and investigative play can create opportunities for conversation, cooperation and close observation.

That same February, staff introduced vocabulary during babies' dinosaur play and demonstrated pronunciation. Their questions, however, often invited a single word rather than a fuller response, and were not always matched closely enough to the play. The improvement needed was specific: better questions that helped children explain, think and extend their ideas.

For younger children, the activities available during independent play were another weakness in February 2025. Some became restless or lost interest. Enjoyable adult-led activities therefore did not tell the whole story; the choices children could use between those activities needed further work.

Relationships and Communication

Settling arrangements are adapted to each child. That makes the transition a personal process, with the child's responses shaping how it proceeds. Parents receive updates through an app, including care routines and activities, and can view their child's educational plan there. It brings everyday information and learning plans together in one place.

In February 2025, babies sought comfort from staff when tired or upset, and adults responded promptly to their signals. Books and stories were shared in a cosy corner. These are concrete examples of the attention given to emotional comfort at the time, rather than a promise that settling will follow the same timetable for every child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff and parents worked together to arrange timely SEND support, with planned interventions and outside professional advice where needed. For families whose child needs additional help, the significant detail is the combination of work within the nursery and access to specialist expertise.

Daily routines also provided opportunities to practise independence in February 2025. Older children managed aprons and handwashing, while younger children received patient help with removing clothing before sleep. Outdoors, running, balancing, climbing and jumping gave children opportunities to develop strength and stamina. Everyday care and physical play both contributed to what children practised.

Seasonal lunches and snacks are served daily, with support for dietary requirements and babies' weaning. Menus change between Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer, allowing the food offer to follow the seasons.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Flexible sessions are offered, with at least two sessions booked for each child. The opening window and the booking rule serve different purposes: one defines when the nursery operates, while the other sets the minimum attendance commitment.

The nursery opens for 51 weeks each year and closes for Bank Holidays and Christmas. Families planning care across the year need to allow for those breaks. The address is 14 Barnwell Court, Mawsley, Kettering NN14 1FG.

New-parent enquiries can be made on 0800 699 00 44 or through the Mawsley enquiry form. Visit booking is also offered. These provide a direct route for discussing a child's intended start and attendance pattern.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2025, the nursery provided funded places for children aged nine months to four years. This is a dated account of its funding participation. Families comparing the total cost of their intended sessions should use a current written quotation that separates childcare from any additional charges.

• Younger children's independent play. In February 2025, some younger children lost interest in the activities available between adult-led experiences. On a visit, ask how those choices have changed and how staff respond when a child disengages.
• Language beyond single words. Questioning needed further development in February 2025. Ask for an example of how practitioners now help children expand an answer or explore an idea during play.
• The full cost of flexible attendance. A minimum of two sessions applies. What would your intended pattern cost, including the treatment of funded hours, meals and non-food consumables?

Mawsley suits families seeking flexible sessions across the year, with separate spaces for younger children and direct garden access for preschool children. Individual settling and app communication add practical value for parents keeping track of care and learning.

The Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the two February 2025 improvement points sharpen the decision. For a baby or toddler, the quality of independent play deserves close attention; for children developing language, the way adults extend conversation matters just as much as the resources around them.