Kids 1st Ashbrooke Sunderland

Small acts of independence give Ashbrooke its clearest character. In October 2023, toddlers helped themselves to water, while older children progressed to pouring their own drinks. Staff built these skills into the nursery day, making ordinary routines part of learning rather than tasks adults simply completed for children.

Ofsted rated Kids 1st Ashbrooke Sunderland Outstanding on 27 October 2023, finding strong relationships, carefully developed independence and excellent language progress. On Gorse Road in Sunderland, the nursery has capacity for 108 children and accepts children from six months to five years. Morning and afternoon attendance options sit alongside full-time childcare.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, that brings learning and everyday care together: conversation, movement and becoming more independent are part of education, alongside play.

In October 2023, staff organised learning as a progression through the nursery. Babies had opportunities to practise taking their first steps; toddlers learnt to manage their drinking cups; older children poured water themselves. The practical value is clear. Children practised skills they could use throughout the day, with the next step building on something already familiar.

Language followed a similar progression in October 2023. Babies copied simple farewell vocabulary, while preschool children encountered the idea of decomposition and used descriptive words when exploring pumpkin flesh. This gave conversation a concrete subject: something children could examine and describe, rather than vocabulary detached from an experience.

Outdoor play also involved investigation in October 2023. Two-year-olds experimented with water and paint to discover different colours, and children worked on winding and unwinding a giant spring. These examples brought together experimentation and persistence. The spring gave children a physical problem to solve, while colour mixing let them explore the effects of their choices.

Outdoor and Community Life

A garden formed part of the nursery environment in October 2023. After storms damaged branches, staff stopped children using it while addressing the hazard. Outdoor access therefore sat alongside decisions about when the space could safely be used.

By October 2023, parent feedback had prompted a lending library, outings and stay-and-play sessions. The library extended access to books beyond nursery, while the shared sessions gave families a way to participate in nursery life. These were practical responses to parents' views, rather than consultation with no visible follow-through.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2023, staff gathered information before children started, including parents' worries about the move into nursery. Children needing extra comfort received stories and cuddles. Babies had a key person, with staff working to establish close relationships across the baby team as well.

That combination matters for a first nursery experience: information from home informed how staff supported the child, and comfort remained part of the day. Older children also sought affection from staff in October 2023, showing that these relationships continued beyond the baby stage.

Learning information was shared with parents in October 2023, and families could borrow resource packs covering developmental stages such as toilet training. This connected nursery routines with challenges families were handling at home. Managers also supported practitioners when they moved between rooms, using training and guidance to help them adapt their practice.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support exceptionally strong, with staff using local-authority and outreach advice to build individual targets into daily routines. For families needing additional support, the useful detail is the mechanism: specialist advice was translated into what children did each day.

Personal care was taught progressively in October 2023. Staff helped toddlers learn to clean their noses and explained handwashing; preschool children managed these routines independently. Care routines therefore offered repeated opportunities to practise self-care, alongside adult help when needed.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Kids 1st Ashbrooke, Gorse Road, Sunderland, SR2 7BX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year except bank holidays.

Full-time childcare, morning sessions and afternoon sessions are attendance options. The branch enquiry form allows families to specify weekday morning or afternoon requirements, making the distinction between those patterns useful when planning attendance around work or other commitments.

Enquiries can be made through the Ashbrooke contact form or by calling the central enrolments team on 0330 333 8133. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. The funding options include 30 Hours working families funding, 15 Hours universal funding for children aged 3 and 4, and 15 hours for 2-year-olds receiving support. Eligibility determines which scheme a family can use; selecting an option on an enquiry form does not establish entitlement or secure a funded place.

• Your child's starting group. Ashbrooke accepts children from six months and has 108 places in total. During a visit, ask about the size and daily organisation of the group your child would join; the whole-nursery figure is not a room size.
• Morning or afternoon attendance. Both patterns are offered alongside full-time childcare. Establish the exact session boundaries and how your preferred days would work before agreeing a booking.
• Funding and everyday costs. Several funding schemes are offered. Request a written quotation separating funded hours, additional paid hours, food and non-food consumables, so the attendance plan and its costs can be considered together.

Ashbrooke suits families considering morning sessions, afternoon sessions or full-time attendance who value practical independence and close relationships with staff. Its October 2023 assessment provides a strong basis for considering it, with concrete examples of language learning, individual support and parent communication. The next decision is personal: how the child's group and the chosen attendance pattern fit family life.