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Early years · Report card

Ashleigh Nursery School

Inspected 10 Dec 2025 · URN 309217

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Amy Johnson

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Achievement verified

    Expected standard

  • Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified

    Strong standard

  • Children's welfare and wellbeing verified

    Expected standard

  • Curriculum and teaching verified

    Expected standard

  • Inclusion verified

    Expected standard

  • Leadership and governance verified

    Expected standard

  • Framework verified

    Report card

  • Group verified

    Icedean Limited

  • Inspection datesingle source

    10 Dec 2025

  • Inspectors verified

    Amy Johnson

  • Postcode verified

    PR4 5ZJ

  • Name on report verified

    Ashleigh Nursery School

  • Safeguarding verified

    Met

  • URN verified

    309217

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

  • AchievementExpected
  • Behaviour, attitudes and routinesStrong
  • Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected
  • Curriculum and teachingExpected
  • InclusionExpected
  • Leadership and governanceExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+76Very positivemore positive than 57% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisethrivevery wellwell supportedsupportiveambitiousenjoysecureskilfully
Criticismconcernsnot consistentlylimitedgapsnot robust

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings1146w+91
  • Leadership175w+1
  • Safeguarding51w−11
  • What needs to improve82w0

Strengths

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Concerns

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Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
8
Words of findings
1,454
about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 49, typical 43
Average sentence
15 words
Next steps
3
typical 3
Hedged sentences
3%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 63%Leadership 10%Safeguarding 3%What needs to improve 4%About the inspection 21%

Full report text

Ashleigh Nursery School

Unique reference number (URN): 309217 Address: Ashleigh Nursery School, Marsh Lane, Longton, Preston, PR4 5ZJ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 15/02/1993 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Icedean Limited

p.1

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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and staff create a fun, but calm environment, where children thrive. Expectations are securely understood by children from the youngest age and children know what comes next in their day. This supports their confidence and sense of belonging very well. Staff adapt expectations to take account of children's development and to reduce barriers to children's learning where possible. Babies and children enjoy extremely secure attachments, which mean they settle very quickly in readiness for learning. Leaders work closely with parents and carers, and children to help them to understand the importance of regular attendance and timekeeping. This supports their learning and readiness for school very well.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children behave superbly as a result of the consistent strategies and time and effort staff give to supporting their emotional and social skills. Staff are quick to help children manage frustrations where they arise, supporting them to find the best ways to work things out and to collaborate with their friends. They learn how their behaviours affect others and why some children may not have as developed a level of understanding at times. Children understand why rules are in place. They learn to assess and manage risk in a safe environment, as a result of staff's consistently sensitive interactions and teaching.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make secure progress through the broad and balanced curriculum and gain experiences that they may not otherwise have. They benefit from outings in the local area to shops, parks and cafes, where they learn social skills and more about their community. Children develop confidence to chat with each other and with adults too. They are well prepared for their move on to other rooms in nursery and on to school. Children with barriers to their learning are supported well through staff's detailed understanding of their needs and circumstances. All children make appropriate progress from their starting points.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Care and hygiene practices support children's safety, welfare and wellbeing. Children learn to manage their own personal care needs well. They use the toilet, wash their hands and serve their own meals independently. Children with barriers to learning are well supported by staff to ensure they can access the same experiences as their peers. Relationships are supportive and sensitive between staff and children. Staff understand children's needs and respond well to their cues. For instance, staff understand when children become hungry and tired. They plan routines well to support children's learning and ensure children get the most from planned activities. Children learn how routines of the day support their good health and personal safety. They know where to line up and to wait for a member of staff to lead them before they go to play outside. They understand that rest and healthy food are important.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children's emotional health and understanding are well considered and promoted through play and directed activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a sound understanding of the quality of their curriculum and teaching. They are reflective and seek advice to support improvements. The curriculum is well sequenced, helping children develop the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in life.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff promote children's language skills well. Children who speak English as an additional language are well supported through staff's understanding of promoting their home languages. Staff teach children about different religions and family dynamics, celebrating their differences. Staff teach children about number and use mathematical language during activities. Leaders recognise this key area and have a focus on developing the teaching of mathematical development even further. Staff teach children specific physical skills and encourage them to practise their skills from the earliest age. Staff support children's emotional development and link this with movement and stillness through regular yoga sessions. This supports children to consider their emotions and those of others.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Where children have barriers to learning, staff skilfully adapt teaching to help them make secure progress. Staff are ambitious for all children. They use assessment well and tailor teaching to children's differing starting points and abilities. Staff know children well and pass this understanding on to colleagues to support children's transitions as they move between rooms.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff demonstrate a sound understanding of children's unique needs and changing circumstances. They understand how to identify and assess needs and how to access appropriate support to help all children thrive. Where children have specific needs, leaders and staff work hard to make sure barriers are reduced. This helps all children to access all activities, and staff are appropriately ambitious for all children. Staff training is effective in equipping them with the skills, and continually evolving knowledge they need, to support all children. Staff work closely with parents and carers to promote consistency of care and learning for all children. Leaders closely monitor staff's practice and interventions for children's specific needs to ensure that the support they receive continually reflects their changing needs and promotes their ongoing progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff understand that some children's progress is better measured in smaller steps. Staff engage with other professionals and seek advice to ensure children have the right support. Leaders use additional funding to support children's individual needs, such as to purchase resources in other languages. They monitor how effective this spending is and make adjustments to promote children's progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are supportive of staff, valuing their contributions and their wellbeing. They are sensitive to staff's individual circumstances and offer personal and professional support. Staff attend training to enhance and broaden their knowledge and skills. This is well focused to benefit the children in staff's care. For instance, leaders have further development underway to enhance the curriculum for mathematics.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand their provision and the families attending. They demonstrate positive attitudes towards continual reflection and improvement to benefit staff, children and families. They focus well on those families and children who face barriers to learning and challenges in life. For instance, leaders discuss plans to support families further through parenting classes. They value families' contributions and opinions.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work collaboratively with other agencies, parents, carers and the schools that children will move on to. However, communication with other early years settings that children attend or have previously attended is not consistently robust. This could hinder how well staff understand and plan for children's care and learning, particularly where there may be gaps in their learning.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children thrive, developing independence and confidence at the busy, but calm nursery. They learn through play and well-sequenced learning opportunities as they thoroughly enjoy their time. Children make friends and play together as staff support their individual needs and stages of development skilfully. Staff know children well and help them to settle quickly and feel a sense of belonging from the outset. Staff carefully build on what children know and can do, taking account of their individual circumstances and starting points. Children understand routines and staff's expectations especially well, from the earliest age. This helps them to feel secure and enhances their readiness for learning. Children build a solid foundation of skills and understanding in preparation for the next stage of their learning.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Staff welcome children and their families, and value their experience and opinions. Relationships with parents and carers are strong and supportive, and families feel valued and included. Children's and families' unique characteristics and circumstances are celebrated. Children learn about their friends and about different ways of life in other families. Children with barriers to their learning are well supported. Staff make every effort to ensure all children have the best experience possible and join in with their friends. Staff support parents to help their children attend and engage. This helps develop an understanding of the importance of timekeeping and regular attendance, in preparation for school. Transitions through the nursery, and on to school, are well managed and children are very well prepared, supporting the seamless flow of the children's learning.

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Address:

Ashleigh Nursery School Marsh Lane Longton Preston PR4 5ZJ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 17:30

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Next steps

Leaders should enhance communication with other settings that children attend or have previously attended to support consistency of care and learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to leaders, staff, a special educational needs coordinator, parents and children during the inspection.

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About this 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.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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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.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

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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Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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