Asquith Court Nurseries

[Dinny]

Still changing my mind about returning to work!Does anyone have experience of Asquith Court? Went to see one today - seemed quite nice.... Thanks, Dinny

Yes DS and DD went to the one in Tunbridge Wells - manager wasn't brilliant but I was very pleased with it and it is regarded as one of the best in the area.... Staff is underpaid so there can be a high staff turnaround which was the case for us in baby room but it was better in the 2yo room (we always had the same staff for 2 years)... so overall I'd say we were pleased (even if very expensive) !

Don't have personal experience of their nurseries but friends seemed happy with our local one. Our dd goes to one of their schools though and absolutely loves it.

DD (13 mths) goes to one in Teddington - loves it. So do we. After looking at others, the staff really impressed us. They are a mix of ages - not just young girls - and have obviously chosen childcare as a career, rather than just in it for the job. Their facilities are very good, have a chef who cooks lovely meals (I'm often jealous when I see DD has had roast turkey and all the trimmings for lunch!), give you a sheet at the end of every day telling you what they've eaten/activities/nappies/sleep etc, take them on little outings (like to the park to feed the ducks etc) and have regular parent/carer meetings with you. To me, they seem the right mix of warmth and professionalism. Fees are high but you get what you pay for with childcare. It is worth it to me to be completely confident when I leave DD there.

My son who is almost 2 has attended Asquith nursery in New Eltham for over a year now. He loves it there and we are really impressed with the staff. Very expensive though.....

Oh wow, Fairymum, another SE9 Mumsnetter. We live just down the road from the New Eltham nursery. We were very alarmed at the price but are considering it for our baby due in 6 weeks, so it is great to hear that you feel it is worth the outlay.

Hi Marina! I think the price is worth paying. I never worry about my son when he is in nursery as I know he is in capable hands and he is so happy there. In fact, it is difficult to persuade him to come home with me S. Let me know if you have any questions about that particular nursery!!

Had an absolutely dreadful time with one- still undoing the damage three years later. Like all things though probably depends on the manager and will vary from location to location. It wasn't the New Eltham or Teddington one though. If you want to know which one it was and what happened contact me off list.

DS1 has now been going to a fantastic nursery for over a year- I was VERY scared putting him in after our Asquith Court experience though. It wasn't just me either. I know personally of two other mothers who removed their children from this nursery within about 6 months of us removing ds1. I also heard of others who were unhappy (but don't know them personally so don't really know what they were unhappy about or whether they removed their children).

Ds goes to the Finsbury Park Asquith Court. The building is great, there's a garden, they have lots of good toys and their own cook. The 2 year olds have a music lady that comes round and farm animals visited recently. The atmosphere is generally very welcoming, although that is a bit room-specific as, again, the staff turnover is a bit high in some of the rooms and they keep losing their manager. Ds enjoys it but it can be hard to find out what he has done all day as he only gets a sheet once a week. There has also been a complaint about a child getting suspected sunstroke. However it is a lot better than some others I have visited which were very crowded.

DS1 (3.5) and DS2 (11 months) have both been in Asquith Court since they were 6 months old. On balance I've been pretty happy with the experience (or else I would have moved them by now...)
Broadly any issues I've had have been typical of a lot of nurseries - turnover of staff; ratio of young vs. older carers; nursery policies re colds/ spots/ conjunctivitis/ diahorrea etc.

I've had occasion to complain on a couple of occasions - once about cleanliness of toilets and once about damage to clothing and on both occasions the response / solution has been rapid & good.
I'm a firm believer in giving them constant and polite feedback - even just in a conversational sort of way... for example, one thing that was pi**ing me off was that every day both my sons were coming home in their 'spare' clothing, even if there were just a few crumbs or a juice dribble on their tops. Basically it meant that by the time they came home, had some more teas and played in the garden I had fours sets of clothes to wash from just one day. When I asked why they were always changed the superviser told me that one set of parents ahd commented that they liked to pick up their child 'clean & tidy' as they sometimes went out for a meal straightaway, so as a result they had started doing this for all kids - they'd never considered that it might actually annoy me! (now I happily pick up my dirty kids instead.....!)

I worked at AC for 1 1/2 years..loved the parents and children but wasn't impressed with the number of young college leavers they employed as most didn't want to be there at all. Not keen on big companies as they are all ££££££.expensive yes but NOT reflected on the staff's pay!! In fact i was never sure where they did spend all their monies??

Hi Fairymum

Thanks for the advice about New Eltham AC, me and the DH went to have a look at it a couple of weeks ago, it did seem rather expensive but had a lovely atmosphere.

I was a little concerned about the baby room though as my dd was 10 weeks prem so I am rather anxious about the issue of nurseries and whether they would be able to cope if something went wrong.

Any further info or advice would be greatly received.

I understand your worries. I was really worried too when I put my son in nursery. The first time I left him alone with them (for 1 hour only) I sat outside the nursery in my car shaking and crying. I was so upset. When I got back inside to pick him up, he hadn't even noticed that I had been away. Ah!
The first couple of weeks back at work I felt physically sick every single day and like my heart had been ripped out. I slowly got used to it and now I am so glad I did manage to leave him. He thrives in nursery and I thrive at work.
My point is that if you choose to go back to work and leave your child in care, you will always worry. Especially in the beginning perhaps, but I do think that there is a part of you who will always feel slightly uneasy and "What if something should happen when I am not there!!!"
I think the only thing you can do is to choose the best care for your child and I firmly believe that a child is better off in a nursery than at childminder. They are qualified to care for children and if your child is sick they can always dedicate one person to look after your child. When my son has been sick I have always found him cuddled up in the arms of one of the nursery teachers when I come to take him home, and I feel reassured that he is safe and cared for.
Good luck with your choice.

Both my little ones have been at Asquith since they were 6 months old. Yes very expensive, but also good quality. I guess you gets what you pays for!

FairyMum, Alicat, we might bump into each other come January. We have a place reserved for dd after visiting earlier this summer. We liked the people we met and the atmosphere very much. I was very touched that they made a big fuss of ds (who was too old to be a client but expressed his approval of the outdoor play areas and the sensory room) and they also remembered that we had originally contacted them about a baby we unfortunately lost and were very kind about it.
It is quite a bit bigger in scale than our old nursery, but we found the ambiance a good mix of the homely and the professional. It's always good to have personal recommendations as well!

Hi. Does anyone have any expereince of the Asquith nursery in Canterbury? It used to be the secrey garden nursery and is next to the chaucer technology college? TIA

that should read 'The Secret Garden Nursery'!!

DS spent a few months at AC near the Oval when he was tiny. I used to pop in at all times of the day, unnanounced, as DS was having so much trouble acepting abottle - and i never saw anything that unnerved me. If a worker had to leave the room, one of the managers would always come out of the office to cover, rather than use trainness to make up numbers, I always saw them disinfecting the toys every week (every day in baby room), saw the delivery vans from good local greengrocers / butchers etc, AND when we went round endless nurseries on visits, AC was the only one that actually practised the 'no shoes in the baby room' rule amongst staff, and asked visitors to do the same. Many of the staff were mature women and mums with children actually in the nursery.

Thanks Blu - that's really good to know. I guess I'm a bit worried as i don't know anyone who has children already there. Childcare in Canterbury seems pretty poor - this was the only nursery that would even put us on the waiting list as the others were so long and people have told me to look around but that's impossible if it's the only one with a space available!

rather appalled by the small, upstairs environment of AC in Windsor (backing on to hospital carpark overlooking main road), also tiny, tiny garden, seemingly disinterested staff yet v expensive. also heard worrying things about staff turnover & attitude from a couple of local mums. Having said that, ds went to a creche run by AC in London which was absolutely brilliant mainly due to the great manager...childcare here in windsor also v. difficult - we have only 2 full daycare providers - AC or Edith Rose (which ds is in), not brilliant and bad ofsted report but staff seem kind and enthusiastic, like others, we have little choice if I'm to work!

Hi, does anyone have any experience of the Eltham (not New Eltham) A. Court? I've been left without childcare and this is the only local nursery with any current space. I don't know anyone who has sent their child there and they are only holding a space until tomorrow. Have visited, seems a bit small but does seem very friendly. Am unsure and would welcome any feedback.

Happy with the AC I send ds to ? obviously, or he wouldn't be there. Committed, enthusiastic staff, good facilities, caring environment... only queries are yes, staff turnover can be higher than I'd like (but it's a low-paid industry despite the enormous fees, so what do I expect...) and food is sometimes not up to scratch - the cook is obsessed with providing 'cheesy mash' for supper and however much parents suggest might be nice to do something different she just comes up with 'cheese and potato pie' or any other variation on those two ingredients. Strange woman. Not very impressed that they fed the toddlers spaghetti hoops last week either - that's not what I'm paying nearly £1k a month for.

Happy with the AC I send ds to ? obviously, or he wouldn't be there. Committed, enthusiastic staff, good facilities, caring environment... only queries are yes, staff turnover can be higher than I'd like (but it's a low-paid industry despite the enormous fees, so what do I expect...) and food is sometimes not up to scratch - the cook is obsessed with providing 'cheesy mash' for supper and however much parents suggest might be nice to do something different she just comes up with 'cheese and potato pie' or any other variation on those two ingredients. Strange woman. Not very impressed that they fed the toddlers spaghetti hoops last week either - that's not what I'm paying nearly £1k a month for.

Thanks for the replies. We've got an appointment this week for a meeting about ds starting. It's just an hour. Apparently they don't do settling in periods for babies, just toddlers. At the meeting we tell them ds' routine (as much as there is one) and have another look around and meet the person looking after him. Is this what others have experienced with babies going to nursery 1st time?

Anyone got any experience with the Hounslow AC? We are thinking of putting our baby in that one. Sounds like there are a few that people can recommend. And I do think a personal recommendation is always going to put your mind more at rest, even though the decision is always your own about what you think when you see the place...

Puzzled by your post, Victoria. Settling in periods are just as important for babies. Ds was 7 mos when he went - first of all I stayed with him for an hour or so, then another visit where I left him in the room but stayed in the building, then a visit where I left him for a while while I went for a coffee nearby. I don't think any responsible childcarer would recommend that you just leave your baby there without any preparation!