Ash Park Childcare

Eight babies is the maximum in the Seedlings Room, where sensory play and familiar home routines shape the day. That gives Ash Park Childcare a clear starting point for families choosing care for a very young child: the baby-room limit is explicit, and moves between rooms follow development rather than a birthday alone. Books provide another thread, linking play with communication and emotional development.

Based at The Stables in Thirsk, the nursery accepts children from birth to three years and has 70 places in total. At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Ash Park Good and found its safeguarding arrangements effective. The same visit identified two priorities that matter directly to parents: more outdoor opportunities for younger children and sharper planning for language development.

Full days, morning sessions and afternoon sessions sit alongside flexible and term-time arrangements.

Rooms and Ages

The Seedlings Room takes up to eight babies from birth to 24 months, combining sensory experiences with the Seedlings curriculum, an age-specific learning framework, while a key person follows each baby's routines and room moves reflect individual development. The room cap is separate from whole-nursery capacity.

In the Daffodils Room, up to 12 children aged two to three build communication through stories, songs and conversation, practise social skills such as turn-taking, and develop independence through climbing and feeding themselves, with the Daffodils curriculum providing age-specific learning activities. Walking confidently and growing independence help determine the move into this room.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, children explore through play, conversation, stories and activities led both by adults and by their own interests. The Ash Park curriculum adds a book-centred structure, using Development Matters guidance to organise learning around communication, reading and personal, social and emotional development.

Calm surroundings are part of that approach. Natural and neutral environments and predictable routines are intended to reduce visual distractions and leave children room to choose. Resources are matched to children's developmental stage, while songs, dance and finger play bring movement into learning. Children also have opportunities to experiment and learn through trial and error.

Planning combines children's interests with topics linked to seasons and occasions. Staff use observations and assessments to identify what each child should work on next, and review development each term.

Outdoor and Community Life

Library trips extend the Daffodils Room's interest in books beyond the nursery.

In November 2024, older children spent much of the day able to choose outdoor play, and outings took children to nearby parks, the library and the local fire station. Children discussed a walk to the fire station; younger children practised language through police-car and fire-engine play. Younger children had fewer opportunities outside. That imbalance is significant for families choosing the baby room, even alongside the nursery's sensory and indoor learning offer.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides continuity across the nursery. For babies, that relationship is paired with attention to routines brought from home and responses to individual cues. The practical value is familiarity: care is organised around the child rather than expecting every baby to adopt the same timetable immediately.

Daffodils children generally move towards an afternoon sleep and later towards managing without naps, while individual routines continue to matter. Before starting, families complete registration documents and All About Me paperwork, giving staff a starting point for understanding the child.

In November 2024, parents received photographs and observations about their children's activities. The information was less precise about what to practise next at home, such as a particular word, sign or song. For a family working on early communication, the difference matters: knowing what a child enjoyed is useful, but knowing what to repeat can make home and nursery support more consistent.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised children who needed additional help, identified children who might need support from other agencies and introduced communication plans, including simple signing.

The current care arrangements include a designated safeguarding lead role, first-aid training and checks on staff.

A nursery cook prepares meals, with menus rotating over four weeks and changing during the year. In November 2024, children practised independence by preparing fruit and serving lunch, while handwashing and drinking water formed part of their routines.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at The Stables, Marage Road, Thirsk, YO7 1UN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm on weekdays. Families can enquire through the contact form, telephone 01845 526771 or email ashparkchildcare@outlook.com.

A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm. The Morning Session finishes at 1pm after a 7.30am start, while the Afternoon Session runs from 1pm to 6.30pm. Full-time arrangements cover five days a week. Flexible childcare and term-time-only contracts provide different attendance options, with a higher price attached to those contracts to retain the child's place during periods away.

Families are encouraged to request extra sessions early; these are added to the following invoice, and late requests may be difficult to accommodate. This is useful flexibility for an occasional change of plans, rather than a promise that any extra booking can be accepted.

Bank holidays are closure days.

Getting There

There is parking on site, with a council-run car park beside the nursery. The town centre is within walking distance, making the setting practical for families combining nursery attendance with errands in Thirsk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through term-time and stretched arrangements. The term-time option provides 30 funded hours a week across 38 weeks; the stretched option provides 22 funded hours weekly across the year. Eligibility conditions apply, and families using the funded arrangement must obtain an eligibility code and pass it to the nursery.

Food charges depend on the booking. Full-day, morning and afternoon session prices include the meals or snacks specified for that session; hourly bookings charge for food separately. Nappies, wipes and standard sun protection are included in the ordinary fee, while parents supply formula and may choose to bring a different sun cream.

For funded hours, meals and consumables sit outside the entitlement and attract a voluntary additional charge. Families declining the consumables charge supply nappies and wipes, and children do not take part in the additional activities covered by it.

A deposit is credited against the final nursery invoice, but is retained if the family cancels before the agreed start date. There is also a non-refundable registration charge. Fees are billed monthly in advance, and ending the contract after settling requires four weeks' written notice; during settling, either party can end it immediately. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and funding terms providing the charge structure.

• Baby-room outdoor time. Younger children had fewer outdoor opportunities in November 2024. On a visit, ask how the Seedlings Room now builds outdoor play into its day.
• Language practice at home. November 2024 feedback identified next steps that were not consistently precise enough for parents to reinforce. Ask how your child's current words, signs or songs will be shared with you.
• The funded package. Funded hours have a voluntary meals-and-consumables charge, with consequences for supplies and additional activities if it is declined. Have the written quotation separate entitlement, private hours and extras, and confirm the registration charge before signing.
• Christmas planning. The fees terms specify two weeks of Christmas closure, while the contract terms specify one. Confirm the actual closure dates in the contract so the annual attendance plan matches your family's needs.

Ash Park suits families seeking a small, explicitly capped baby room and a book-centred approach for children up to three. It serves parents needing morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days, with flexible and term-time contracts extending the choice.

The November 2024 Good judgement is balanced by specific improvement priorities. Younger children's outdoor access and the precision of language support deserve attention, while funded extras and Christmas contract terms are central to the practical decision.