Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Upton Meadows

One large Rainbow Room, doors that divide it when needed, and access to a primary school's wild area give Upton Meadows a recognisable character. This Northampton nursery combines a shared indoor space with areas tailored to toddlers and preschool children. Its garden and covered outdoor space extend the possibilities for play beyond the room.

Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Upton Meadows has capacity for 60 children, with a current age range of two to five. At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. That dated judgement sits alongside practical strengths such as outdoor access and contact with the host school, with improvement points concerning emotional understanding and recognising risks.

Rooms and Ages

The Rainbow Room accommodates the children together, with different areas arranged for age-appropriate learning and bi-fold doors allowing staff to split the space. For parents, the useful distinction is between a shared room that can change configuration and separate, permanently divided rooms. Toddlers and preschool children have areas tailored to their stages within that arrangement.

Children can move between indoors and the covered outdoor area through free-flow play. A garden and sensory area add different settings for exploration. Access also extends to Upton Meadows Primary School's outdoor facilities, including its trim trail, wild area and ramble trail. Monthly outdoor adventure workshops provide another recurring outdoor activity.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides children's learning, development and care, with play and experiences supporting different areas of development. Practitioners track individual progress and use it to plan further experiences. The room's learning areas and outdoor access give that planning different spaces in which to take shape.

In June 2022, construction play involved joining pieces to build towers, while guessing games encouraged children to listen to descriptions and put their ideas into words. Pretend camping prompted conversations about family holidays and the differences between children's experiences. These examples connected language and problem-solving with play rather than keeping them as separate tasks.

Outdoor role play had a practical setting in June 2022: a mud and herb kitchen. Children invented meals and assigned jobs to one another, giving their imaginative play a social dimension. Chasing games also involved taking turns and moving around other children. These are useful examples of how the space was being used at that time, alongside today's free-flow outdoor arrangement.

Settling periods are tailored to the individual child. That makes the transition a matter of the child's response rather than one identical timetable for everyone. All staff are undertaking paediatric first aid training; this describes the training arrangement rather than a claim that every member of staff has completed it.

A group-wide communication app carries daily updates, including activities and toileting, and gives parents access to their child's educational plan. It provides a way to follow both everyday care and planned learning. If a child becomes unwell or has an accident, the nursery contacts parents to discuss what happens next, including collection where needed.

In June 2022, oral health was part of children's play: toothbrushes and timers supported conversations about cleaning teeth. Everyday independence also received attention, with children carrying snack items and putting their aprons away after water play. Books could be borrowed for reading at home, including books containing words in children's home languages, linking nursery experiences with family reading.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff needed to respond more consistently when children struggled to recognise their emotions, and to develop children's understanding of hazards, including online risks. Those points matter alongside the positive examples: practical independence and cooperative play need support with feelings and judgement too.

During June 2022, teachers from the host school visited children ahead of their move to school. Meeting the adult who would teach them made the transition more concrete. This was preparation for the change, rather than an admissions entitlement.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. The nursery closes for Upton Meadows Primary School holidays. Attendance choices include Full Day, School Day, Half Day Morning and Half Day Afternoon, alongside flexible sessions. These choices allow families to consider a shorter nursery session as well as a longer day within the term-time calendar.

A separate Wraparound Care Club serves children aged five to eleven, rather than nursery-age children. Breakfast Club runs from 7.45am to 9am or from 8am to 9am; Afterschool Club runs from 3.20pm to 5pm or from 3.20pm to 6pm. Those arrangements belong to the older children's provision and should be kept separate from preschool attendance.

Getting There

The address is Barring Street, Upton Meadows, Northampton, NN5 4DD, within the grounds of Upton Meadows Primary School. Enquiries and visit bookings use the nursery's contact form or new-parent telephone contact.

The nursery describes itself as a feeder for Upton Meadows Primary School. Attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. Sharing a site and preparing children for school are useful practical connections, but the school place remains a separate decision.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Term-time calendar. The nursery closes during Upton Meadows Primary School holidays. Families whose work continues through those breaks need to weigh that calendar alongside the choice of full-day, school-day and shorter sessions.
• Shared Rainbow Room. Bi-fold doors can divide the main room, and different areas serve toddlers and preschool children. On a visit, ask how the layout works when children of different ages are playing at the same time.
• Emotions and risk awareness. The June 2022 improvement points concerned recognising feelings and understanding hazards, including online activity. Ask how staff now support an upset child and introduce safe choices during play.
• Funded attendance. Funded early education formed part of the June 2022 provision. For your intended attendance pattern, what funded entitlement applies, and how are meals, consumables and additional hours charged?

Upton Meadows suits families seeking term-time nursery attendance through full days, school days or morning and afternoon sessions, with a shared room and substantial outdoor opportunities. The school grounds, adaptable Rainbow Room and monthly outdoor workshops give parents concrete reasons to consider it. The June 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, while the emotional-support and risk-awareness improvement points deserve attention when assessing how the nursery works now.