Ashby Castle Day Nursery
Good★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Ashby-De-La-Zouch for children from birth to 8+, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 August 2022. Open since 1996, with 74 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 Leicestershire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Leicestershire 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
LE65 1HSWhat 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.
- 26 March 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 5 August 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy their time within this exciting and enticing environment. They readily choose from the variety of activities on offer. Children are keen to be active, for example young babies are encouraged to stretch and reach for toys to build up their core muscles. Older babies are supervised as they safely crawl up slopes and down steps. Toddlers gain confidence as they jump over hurdles. Staff create additional challenge for children and place the hurdles at different heights. This supports their growing muscle strength and coordination skills.
Children are kind. They learn to care for a variety of animals within the nursery, such as rabbits and tortoises. Children listen carefully to staff who explain the rules when handling animals. To this end, children are quiet and gentle as they feed and stroke the animals.
Children are becoming confident communicators, for example older babies babble back-and-forth with staff as they talk on toy phones. Younger babies hear staff sing familiar songs and they eagerly join in the actions. Toddlers freely talk to staff during their play. Children are listened to and asked questions to extend their thinking. This helps them share ideas and develop their conversational skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to gain a better understanding of how to help children strengthen their independence skills during mealtimes and self-care activities.
- 5 August 2022Good
- 22 February 2022Inadequate
- 14 May 2013Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Ashby Castle Day Nursery
- 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.