Ashgate Nursery School: nursery life and the next step

Outdoor learning spaces, friendly staff and a curriculum being redesigned sit alongside serious concerns about children’s learning at Ashgate Nursery School in Derby. The provision serves children aged two to five. Its nursery classrooms and outdoor area are the school itself, rather than a nursery department within a primary school.

Ofsted’s inspection dated 3 March 2026 placed Ashgate in special measures: achievement, attendance and behaviour, and leadership and governance required urgent improvement. Curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing needed attention. Safeguarding standards were met. For families, this means weighing children’s enjoyment of the setting against substantial weaknesses in their education.

Children use classrooms and outdoor learning spaces, and enjoy the resources and activities available to them. Musical instruments, visiting drumming sessions and dancing have featured among the additional experiences. Trips have included Cleethorpes and Matlock. These offer experiences beyond the classroom, but their contribution to children’s learning has not been planned consistently.

The central concern in March 2026 was the teaching of essential early knowledge. Children knew too few rhymes, songs and stories, while weaknesses in mathematics, writing and spoken language limited their learning. Progress was slight, and children were insufficiently prepared for primary school. Many also struggled to persevere, solve problems or sustain motivation.

Acting leaders had set out a sequenced curriculum spanning the learning areas, intended to prepare children for their next stage. Some staff working with two-year-olds modelled language successfully. However, opportunities to extend vocabulary were still missed, and identifying a next step did not reliably lead to children catching up. The effect of the curriculum changes on achievement remained uncertain.

Behaviour also interrupted learning. Children frequently resisted adult guidance, and systems for encouraging positive behaviour remained weak. Priorities included helping children concentrate, regulate feelings and respond to instructions, alongside more deliberate teaching through books, stories, rhymes and songs.

Kind staff take an interest in children, and those working with two-year-olds know their allocated groups well. Adults support conversations about feelings. At meals and snacks, staff help children eat safely and discuss healthy food, linking everyday care with learning about health.

Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) was uneven in March 2026. Some received effective individual help, but staff training and early identification needed strengthening. Acting leaders were introducing daily attention to individual barriers and using assessments to support disadvantaged children’s communication. Families should distinguish this developing work from consistently effective inclusion.

Personal development needed more careful planning too. Activities about faiths, cultures and safety did not consistently build knowledge in sequence. Some use of storybooks risked reinforcing stereotypes about women’s roles, and teaching about privacy needed attention, including toilet-door routines. A redesigned programme was planned, with participation and its effect on children’s wider skills still requiring scrutiny.

Attending Ashgate does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately for Reception through the normal admissions process.

Preparation for primary school was a pressing educational concern in March 2026. The curriculum redesign aimed to build readiness, but essential knowledge and learning habits remained weak. Choosing a nursery and securing the next school place are separate decisions; children also need teaching that prepares them to take part successfully in that next stage.

Ashgate’s address is 18 Stepping Lane, Derby, DE1 1GJ. The school telephone number is 01332371769.

Attendance. Acting leaders were checking attendance patterns and working with parents to encourage regular attendance. This matters because children need consistent opportunities to learn. Leadership capacity. A local-authority interim board was overseeing governance, while reliance on external expertise remained a concern. Sustained progress depended on developing staff skills and leadership capacity within the school.