Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Bricket Wood
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in St. Albans for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2025. Open since 2023, with 28 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
AL2 3PJWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 17 April 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are eager to arrive and explore the wealth of exciting learning opportunities in this small and friendly nursery. Enthusiastic leaders and staff are waiting to greet families on arrival. They use this as an opportunity to catch up with children and parents about key events at home and discuss upcoming events.
These warm interactions support children to feel secure and settle well in their learning environment.
Staff have a flexible approach to planning children's learning. They create a wealth of exciting activities and learning opportunities based on children's ever-changing interests. Children play an active role in determining what they learn. They discuss topics of interests that staff skilfully incorporate into their planning. For example, children are excited about creating 'potions' with flowers and plants based on their current favourite story book.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- reassess staff deployment at key times during the day to ensure children are engaged with staff who are able to fully support their learning and behaviour
- further promote staff skills and knowledge by establishing effective means of coaching and mentoring.
- 17 April 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
Still missing for Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Bricket Wood
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.