Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Stanley Road

A separate sleep room for babies, a library and a garden give Stanley Road a character that extends beyond its age-group rooms. Across the road sits North Park. Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Stanley Road, in Bootle, combines these spaces with play that includes nature activities, movement and stories.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 14 November 2024 inspection. The strongest practical detail is the separation of spaces: babies can sleep away from their play room, while older children have opportunities to explore the garden and communal areas. That gives parents something concrete to weigh alongside the grade.

The nursery accepts children aged four to 60 months and has 53 places in total. Its opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with operation across 51 weeks of the year.

Rooms and Ages

Babies, labelled for six to 18 months, has resources suited to differing stages of development and a separate sleep room, giving rest its own space.

Rising 2s, for 18 to 24 months, combines age-appropriate resources with exploration of other areas and garden play that emphasises large movements.

Toddlers, for children aged two to three years, uses a main room with free-flow access to the garden, allowing play to move between indoors and outdoors.

Pre-school, for three to five years, emphasises independence and challenging activities as children prepare for school.

These room descriptions make the progression clear: younger children have space for rest and exploration, while the older rooms place more emphasis on independence. For a parent comparing provision for siblings, the offer spans several developmental stages rather than treating every child’s day as the same.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Here, that means learning through play, stories, movement and everyday routines; it is the shared foundation of early years provision rather than an extra programme.

A garden, soft play area and zen room broaden the choice of spaces beyond the age-group rooms. Forest school-based activities add opportunities to explore nature, while yoga and baby ballet are also part of the activity offer. The nature element is concrete: forestry-based activities sit alongside outdoor exploration. These additions give families a useful picture of how the day can vary.

In November 2024, books featured strongly in daily learning. Staff used rhymes and encouraged children to remember new words, while more complex stories extended individual children’s listening and understanding. Physical play was equally tangible: children practised balance on steps and a soft-play trail, and chopping produce exercised their hands and fingers.

Communication was the important weakness in that November 2024 picture. Visual prompts and some signing helped explain changes of activity, but staff did not use these approaches reliably. Some children, including children with communication difficulties, were uncertain about what would happen next. The improvement required was consistency across ordinary routines, including clearing away and preparing for lunch.

Outdoor and Community Life

North Park is opposite the nursery, and St. Matthew’s Church is nearby. Within the setting, the enclosed outdoor space provides room to explore; the Toddlers room’s direct garden access makes outdoor play part of its room arrangement.

In November 2024, children also went on regular community outings, taking in a shopping centre, a community garden and the local library. These were opportunities to encounter everyday places and learn about nature beyond the nursery. Regular is the useful detail here: outings formed part of the experience, rather than being described as a single special occasion.

Settling periods are tailored to the individual child. That matters for a baby starting nursery and for an older child changing settings: the settling arrangement is shaped around the child rather than presented as one identical process for everyone.

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described successful early support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including work with occupational therapy teams and targeted help in the sensory room, library and soft-play area. The practical value was access to different spaces and specialist input, with support directed towards each child’s emerging skills.

In November 2024, family communication included translated information and discussions about children’s development in their home languages. Parents could therefore discuss next steps with staff in a language they used confidently. Daily care also included encouragement towards managing eating, washing hands and using the toilet independently.

The group-wide communication arrangement used here is an app carrying updates about daily care and activities, together with the child’s educational plan. This connects everyday information with learning, so parents can see more than a list of meals or toileting updates.

Seasonal lunches and snacks are prepared each day, with support for babies’ weaning and individual dietary needs. The group-wide menu arrangement described here alternates between Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer menus.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 418 Stanley Road, Bootle, L20 5AE. Opening hours run from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday; the nursery opens for 51 weeks and closes for bank holidays and Christmas. Families needing childcare through school holidays should weigh that annual pattern alongside the Christmas closure.

New-parent enquiries can be made through the nursery’s contact form or by calling 0800 699 00 44. The enquiry form includes a proposed start date and the sessions wanted, giving families a direct route to describe their intended attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2024, the nursery provided government-funded childcare. Families should obtain a current written quotation for prices before committing to an attendance arrangement.

• Communication between activities. In November 2024, visual prompts and signing were used inconsistently, leaving some children unsure about the next routine. On a visit, ask how the same communication support now follows a child between play, tidying and meals.
• The youngest room. Babies has a separate sleep room. Ask to see how rest and play are organised for your child’s stage, including how the room’s age grouping fits a baby starting at the nursery’s youngest accepted age.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window is 8am to 6pm, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Ask for a written outline covering your intended sessions, funded entitlement, and the arrangements and costs for meals and consumables.

Stanley Road suits families seeking weekday childcare across the year who value separate spaces for sleep, books, physical play and outdoor exploration. Its room progression gives the offer substance, from babies’ rest arrangements to older children’s independence. The Good judgement in 2024 provides a dated quality reference; consistent communication through daily routines is the specific issue families should weigh alongside those strengths.