Ashdon Childrens Nursery

Herbs in the mud kitchen and fruit harvested for cooking give Ashdon Childrens Nursery a practical, hands-on character in its July 2024 account of daily life. At its 3 July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective.

Based at Hill Farm, Radwinter Road, Saffron Walden, the nursery has capacity for 79 children, with an accepted age range of 3 months to 5 years. The strongest detail is about children doing things themselves, from experimenting outdoors to learning how to handle their own meals.

In July 2024, activities followed children's interests and built on what they already knew. Children could choose resources and tools to develop their play, while adults listened to their ideas and encouraged conversation. This made play an opportunity to practise expressing needs as well as exploring something new.

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff adapted learning to individual children and introduced challenge through the play children chose. Children used language confidently to share what they thought and needed. For parents, the useful connection is between choice and adult involvement: children pursued their interests, with staff using their knowledge of each child to take the learning further. The examples describe adults responding to children, as well as planning activities for them.

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the July 2024 examples included learning Spanish, visiting a local garden centre and watching eggs hatch into chicks: experiences that gave children concrete things to discuss and investigate.

Outdoor learning had substance. In July 2024, forest-school sessions involved climbing and exploring natural materials; children also investigated height by making marks on trees with wet brushes. Herbs added to water in the mud kitchen prompted discussion about smells. These were practical opportunities to compare, experiment and use language.

In July 2024, settling arrangements were tailored to each child. A move between rooms included time with the child's key person in the new space, giving them a familiar adult while they learnt a different routine.

Independence extended to meals. In July 2024, babies practised feeding themselves with spoons, toddlers worked on fork control, and preschool children served their own food. The progression gave everyday care tasks a learning purpose. Preschool children also handled knives and forks, so the examples covered serving food as well as eating it. For a parent weighing the care of different ages, this is a concrete illustration of how an ordinary routine could give each child something appropriate to practise.

Cooperation was visible in everyday jobs too. In July 2024, children helped put resources away and worked together when an item was heavy. Tidying therefore involved helping another child, rather than simply completing an adult's instruction. Alongside the individual practice at meals, this gives the account a social dimension: children were learning to do things for themselves and to contribute to a shared task.

Parent workshops in July 2024 addressed ways to support learning at home, alongside social events. Staff also had supervision and opportunities to observe colleagues, with professional development directed towards children's learning needs.

These arrangements connected the adults around a child in two practical ways. Workshops gave families guidance for learning beyond nursery, while colleagues' observations and training addressed staff practice. The important detail is the link to children's learning needs, rather than training described as an activity in its own right.

The address is Hill Farm, Radwinter Road, Saffron Walden CB10 2ET. Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year except Bank Holidays.

In July 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated funding position, rather than a promise of a funded place for a particular child.

• Outdoor exploration. The July 2024 activities included climbing, natural materials and a mud kitchen. Consider how well this practical style matches your child's interests.
• Settling and attendance. The July 2024 approach included personalised settling and key-person support during room changes. At a visit, ask how those arrangements would work alongside your intended attendance pattern.

Ashdon suits families who value practical exploration and increasing independence. Its July 2024 examples connect outdoor investigation, conversation and everyday self-care rather than treating them as separate parts of the day. The Outstanding judgement gives that account weight, while the year-round opening pattern offers a useful practical starting point for working families.