Cinder Ash

Age boundaries do not divide the day at Cinder Ash. Babies and preschool children share a mixed-age environment, with a quieter area for the youngest and opportunities for siblings to stay connected. Free-flow play lets children choose between indoors and outdoors. This is the central choice for parents: a shared nursery community rather than separate age-based rooms.

At its 3 July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Cinder Ash Good overall. Based at The Pavilion in Long Sutton, it has capacity for 31 children, with a current age range of 2 to 60 months. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different ways to use the setting.

A volunteer committee works alongside staff in running the nursery, and parents can take part in that committee. Family involvement therefore extends beyond conversations about an individual child's day to a practical role in how the setting operates.

Rooms and Ages

The shared room has a quieter section for children under two, equipped with soft furnishings and resources suited to their stage. Older children can also use this quieter area. For a parent choosing this model, that distinction matters: babies have somewhere calmer while remaining part of the wider group.

For two-year-olds, sensory play, language and learning to manage feelings shape the provision; preschool children have circle and story times that practise listening, attention and social interaction. These are different emphases within the shared environment. Children do not have to move into a separate room to encounter resources and play alongside older or younger peers.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play opportunities indoors and outside. At Cinder Ash, free flow means children choose where to play, while staff plan activities around their interests. That gives the day a combination of adult preparation and children's own decisions, rather than making every activity a whole-group task.

Development matters and birth to five are the documents used to shape planning and consider children's development. Planned invitations to play draw on children's current interests, giving practitioners a starting point for extending an activity. Our Snug Story Corner adds a specific place for books and stories to the play environment.

The music man visits termly to encourage listening and participation. These sessions complement the circle and story times used with preschool children, including those preparing to start school. The nursery currently pays for music man sessions from its own budget and will tell parents if that arrangement changes.

In July 2023, children's interest in familiar television characters prompted imaginative storytelling. Books also fed into dinosaur play, while an outdoor story activity encouraged children to think about where a bear might hide. These examples show how a child's enthusiasm could become the starting point for conversation, information and pretend play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor choice is part of the daily model, with movement and games encouraged alongside indoor play. Children can make decisions about their environment and practise physical skills through activity. The emphasis is on having opportunities to move, rather than spending the day mainly seated.

In July 2023, the garden included a slide and a balance beam, and children took part in obstacle activities. They also dug up potatoes they had previously planted, linking growing with a hands-on discovery. At that time, walks into town and visits to a nearby care home brought children into contact with the wider community, including singing alongside residents.

Relationships and Communication

Children help determine their key person through the relationships they form with staff. For younger children, the key-worker bond is central to the care approach, providing a familiar adult within the mixed-age room. The model also allows sibling relationships to continue during nursery time, which can help make the move from home feel more familiar.

In July 2023, practitioners knew about their key children's home circumstances and discussed development and next steps with parents. That included conversations about children receiving additional support. The useful detail is the connection between home knowledge and learning plans: family circumstances were part of understanding the child, rather than separate from nursery learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCo leads support for children with additional needs, combining individual work with small-group interventions where extra help has been identified. The staff team also includes a designated safeguarding lead and practitioners with paediatric first-aid training. These are identifiable arrangements and roles, giving families concrete points of contact for care and support.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with SEND making good progress. In that month's observations, staff used puppets to help children explore emotions and supported children through minor disagreements. Emotional learning was therefore connected to both planned resources and everyday interactions.

Parents send a packed lunch; snacks are charged separately, and breakfast carries a separate charge. Snack choices include fruit and vegetables, and children are encouraged to pour drinks and prepare snacks where appropriate, with adaptations for dietary needs and allergies.

Sessions and Attendance

Cinder Ash opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm, with morning, afternoon and full-day booking patterns.

Fee-paying attendance runs for 51 weeks of the year, with closures for bank holidays and the Christmas break. Funded attendance can follow a term-time pattern or be stretched across the year. The difference matters for families planning childcare around school holidays and those wanting their funded hours distributed more evenly.

The nursery operates a waiting list for new admissions and recommends booking at least a year ahead where possible, especially when particular hours or days are needed. Its waiting-list form collects the requested weekdays, morning, afternoon or full-day pattern, and preferred start date. General enquiries can also be made through the contact form or by telephone.

Getting There

The address is The Pavilion, Park Road, Long Sutton, PE12 9DJ.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes support-based entitlement from the term after an eligible child's second birthday, working-family entitlement from the term after an eligible child turns nine months, and universal entitlement from the term after a child turns three. The support-based offer is 15 hours weekly in term time or 12 hours weekly across 47.5 weeks; working-family funding is 30 hours weekly in term time or 24 hours weekly across 47.5 weeks. Universal funding is 15 hours in term time or 12 hours spread across 47.5 weeks.

Additional private hours are charged beyond the funded allowance. For funded attendance as well as paid attendance, families provide lunch, snacks are invoiced termly and breakfast is charged separately. Parents also supply wipes, nappies, wellies and sun cream, with no consumables charge. This makes the distinction between childcare hours, food and supplies important when comparing the overall arrangement.

Tax Free Childcare and Universal Credit Childcare payments can be used here. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page explains how funded hours and extras are structured.

• Shared-age care. The youngest children have a quieter area within the mixed-age room, accessible to older children too. During a visit, ask how quiet time and babies' routines work alongside older children's play.
• Understanding new language. In July 2023, staff sometimes introduced words and facts without checking that children understood them. Ask how practitioners now give children opportunities to explain or demonstrate what they have learnt.
• Planning attendance. A waiting list operates for new admissions, with advance booking recommended when particular days or hours matter. Discuss your intended morning, afternoon or full-day pattern early in the joining process.
• Food and supplies. Packed lunches and consumables come from home, while snacks and breakfast are charged separately. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling arrangements and the adaptations their child needs.

Cinder Ash suits families seeking morning, afternoon or full-day attendance in a mixed-age setting, especially those who value sibling contact and children's freedom to choose indoor or outdoor play. A quieter area for under-twos gives the shared-room model an important practical qualification.

Termly music man visits, interest-led activities and a parent-involved committee give the nursery a recognisable character. The decision is chiefly about fit: whether shared-age play, free flow and the division between funded hours, food charges and supplies from home match the child's needs and the family's routine.