Ashcroft Nursery
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Blackpool for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 2023. Open since 2010, with 34 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 Blackpool
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Blackpool 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
FY3 9JLWhat 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.
- 13 March 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 3 November 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 21 August 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children have formed positive bonds with staff, who greet them with excitement and positivity. Children demonstrate that they feel secure as they approach staff to give them a hug and ask if they want to join in with their play. Staff provide a safe and nurturing environment, in which children feel valued and develop their confidence. For example, children take turns to sing songs in front of a large group. Children and staff cheer and clap at the end of each performance. Children feel happy and safe.
Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and have embedded clear routines, which children know well. Staff model to children how to take care of the resources they are using and teach them from a young age how to tidy up the toys. Staff enthusiastically engage children in purposeful play and support them to focus for extended periods. Children behave well and are developing positive attitudes to learning.
Children benefit from a curriculum that exposes them to new and exciting learning experiences. Leaders and staff reflect on children's interests and next steps in learning when planning activities. They consider how resources can be used differently to meet the individual needs of children accessing them. While exploring how green slime feels between their fingers, younger children learn about colours and textures. Older children discuss which animals might live in a swamp. All children make good progress in their learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to enhance the quality of their interactions with children, so that they consistently promote children's learning n enhance staff's use of questions, so that children have time to think and respond, to extend their thinking.
- 21 August 2023Good
- 14 March 2019Good
- 21 May 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Ashcroft 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.