Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Leavesden

Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Leavesden
Unique reference number (URN): 2720154
Address: Leavesden Green Junior Middle & Infant School, High Road, Leavesden, WATFORD, WD25 7QZ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 10/02/2023
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Ashbourne Day Nurseries Limited
Inspection report: 27 March 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Typically, children achieve well from their starting points. Gaps in children's learning are
closing, often quickly, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
However, progress is less rapid for children who are bilingual or speak English as an
additional language. All children gain important skills that prepare them for their move to
school. Children show a love of books. They eagerly choose a book from the setting's
lending library to share with their family. Children also look at books independently and with
staff and peers from a young age. They point and talk about the characters they see on the
pages. All children have a secure level of understanding and confidently express their
needs.
Older children develop their motor skills, strength, and spatial awareness effectively.
Outdoors, they push themselves around on tricycles, jump, and reach up high to pop
bubbles. Babies develop core strength and coordination as they negotiate steps and
balance on equipment. All children are independent according to their stage of development.
Older children confidently manage their own self-care, and younger children have a secure
understanding of the importance of a good oral hygiene routine.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders and staff are positive role models for children. They provide reassurance, praise,
and encouragement during children's play and learning. This helps to raise children's self-
esteem and confidence as they develop a positive attitude to their learning. Some staff have
completed targeted training to strengthen their understanding of age- and stage-appropriate
behaviour. They use this knowledge proactively to adapt their practice and redirect
behaviour positively. For example, when babies throw objects, staff channel this into
purposeful water play. Babies have a wonderful time as they throw pieces of citrus fruit into
a shallow tray of water. They smile and laugh with delight as they splash themselves and the
staff. As a result, behaviour is supported, and babies remain engaged in their learning.
Staff follow embedded routines for tidying away resources. All children actively take part with
enthusiasm. This fosters respect for their environment. Overall, children enjoy playing
together, especially during role play. Staff calmly intervene during children's minor
disagreements and remind them of the setting's rules, such as using 'kind hands'. Although,
during these moments they are yet to support older children's awareness of their own and
others' feelings to prepare them to regulate their own behaviour. Children enjoy playing
together, especially during role play. Leaders work collaboratively with parents to help them
understand the importance of attendance. They adjust children's arrival times when possible
to support them with changes in their lives. This has a positive effect, and children have
good levels of attendance.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Care practices meet the individual needs of children. Staff support children in independently
managing their self-care from an early age, such as wiping their own nose. Secure
relationships are established through the robust key-person system. Children receive
nurturing cuddles from staff who know them well as they become tired or need a little
reassurance. Mealtimes are a particular strength. They are calm, social occasions where
staff and children of all ages eat together. This supports a sense of community. Children
make independent, healthy choices from nutritious and well-balanced meals. They develop
strength and coordination as they persevere to use cutlery. Staff enhance children's learning
through meaningful conversations about nutrition. They talk about the benefits of eating
vegetables and where food comes from. This increases children's understanding of a
healthy lifestyle, supporting their wellbeing. Staff provide children with gentle reminders
about safe behaviours, such as sitting carefully on their seat to develop an early awareness
of risk.
Routines such as sleeping are individualised where staff conduct regular checks for safety.
Staff typically support children to recognise and express their emotions through stories and
props at specific times during the day. However, staff do not consistently support older
children to recognise and manage their emotions, in the moment, during minor
disagreements, to help them understand how their actions may affect others. As a result,
opportunities to develop emotional understanding and self-regulation are sometimes
missed.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders ensure staff provide a curriculum that is carefully thought out and that embraces
children's interests and preferred ways of learning. It focuses on teaching children important
life skills. Leaders closely monitor the curriculum's effectiveness and make informed
decisions for improvement. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
are well supported by staff. Although the same level of teaching for children who are
bilingual or speak English as an additional language is not always consistent. Staff's regular
assessments of children clearly identify what children need to learn next. However, staff do
not consistently provide parents with specific ideas to support their children's learning at
home.
Staff make adaptations to their teaching. For instance, they recognise that some younger
children prefer to make marks using their senses. They demonstrate how lines and shapes
can be made in foam or cornflour mixed with water. This motivates children to copy, and
they develop the small muscles in their hands. Babies learn in a calm and purposeful
environment. Staff recognise the importance of not interrupting babies' inquisitiveness. They
give time and encouragement to build stability and strength while pushing a small chair to
explore the sounds it makes. Staff support older children to understand quantities and
weight as they make their own dough. Children show kindness and respect for their peers.
They make sure they have enough flour. All staff speak clearly to children and introduce
them to new words in context.

Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff regularly monitor children's progress through ongoing assessments. They
typically identify children who may need additional support. However, there are
inconsistencies in the quality of practice for children who are bilingual or speak English as
an additional language. As a result, gaps in these children's language and social skills do
not always close as quickly as they could.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective, swift,
targeted support from staff. Staff work in collaboration with parents and professionals to put
in place interventions to help bridge gaps in development. These are consistently reviewed
and adapted to ensure that children with SEND continue to make progress from their
starting points. Leaders and staff complete specific training, such as sensory processing, to
increase their understanding of how to meet the individual needs of children with SEND.
This has strengthened their understanding of how sensory needs impact children's
behaviour, engagement, and ability to learn. Interventions such as personalised sensory
resources and planned regulation opportunities in the sensory room are now embedded in
daily practice. This has a positive impact on children's sustained engagement in activities
and routines. Leaders and staff gather the necessary information and evidence needed for
referrals to help secure specialist intervention or an education, health, and care plan, in time
for children starting school.
Staff work collaboratively with parents to agree on how additional funding is used effectively
to assist eligible children. For instance, children grow in confidence and benefit from new
experiences as they participate in sports sessions delivered by an external professional.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
The newly appointed leadership team has worked tirelessly since the last inspection to
successfully address the actions raised. They are committed to their roles and are highly
reflective of the provision they provide. Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the
setting's strengths and take decisive action to continue to address areas for improvement.
They regularly seek input from staff and parents. This ensures that decisions are always in
the best interests of all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged or have special
educational needs and/or disabilities.
Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing, regular supervision meetings, and opportunities for
professional development. Generally, training is impactful. Staff complete relevant courses
and apply new knowledge to their practice. Staff report feeling well supported by leaders,
who foster a positive, collaborative working environment. However, leaders have not yet fully
developed staff practice to a consistently high standard. Parents are warmly invited to
organised events throughout the year. These provide an insight into their children's
experience at the setting and build even stronger bonds with staff and leaders. Parents
comment on how they feel valued and that their children adore attending the setting. A
positive partnership with the local children's centre is fundamental in supporting families.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive at this welcoming and friendly nursery with enthusiasm. They swiftly build
happy and nurturing attachments with leaders and staff. The robust key-person system and
effective settling-in processes help children to feel safe. Babies demonstrate a secure sense
of belonging. They fondly look at the photos of their family and eagerly share these with the
staff. Information gathered from parents before children start enables staff to understand
children's unique needs, interests, and any barriers to their learning. Generally, activities are
adapted so that all children feel included and benefit from relevant and individual learning
experiences. For example, children benefit from time in the inviting sensory room with staff,
where they engage in tailored activities that support their individual needs, and time to reset
their emotions. This enables them to return to activities more focused and ready to engage
with a larger group of children. All children flourish, thrive, and make progress from their
starting points. This prepares them for their next stage in learning.
Children confidently make independent decisions about what they would like to explore from
an enticing range of experiences. Younger children make collaborative decisions about what
songs they would like staff to sing. They thoroughly enjoy joining in with the words and
actions. Children celebrate each other's achievements by clapping and cheering. This helps
to boost their self-esteem and strengthens positive relationships with their peers. Older
children demonstrate an understanding that words carry meaning as they engage in role-
play. For example, when pretending to be baristas, they show staff the drinks menu, listen
carefully to orders, and return to prepare and serve the drinks, demonstrating purposeful
communication and understanding. Leaders support parents in understanding the
importance of attendance and the impact poor attendance can have on children's outcomes.
Next steps
Leaders and staff should continue to build on partnerships with parents to provide specific
ideas to support children's individual learning at home.
Leaders should consider ways to target professional development more precisely to staff's
needs so training strengthens practice and improves consistency.
Leaders should build on staff practice to support older children to understand their own
and others emotions in preparation to self-regulate their behaviour.

Inspector:
Lorraine Pike
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2720154
Address:
Leavesden Green Junior Middle & Infant School, High Road
Leavesden
WATFORD
WD25 7QZ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 10/02/2023
Registered person: Ashbourne Day Nurseries Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30
Local authority: Hertfordshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 27 March 2026
Children numbers
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
72
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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