Asquith spends 300,000 on nursery refurbishment

The money has been used to create a baby suite and pre-school area -  increasing the number of children the setting can care for, as well as an adventure garden.

The new garden includes a race track, two state-of-the-art climbing frames and a stage area where children can put on their own plays. Additionally there is a dedicated reading and plant growing area with a water feature.

Nursery manager Shandel Dubois said, ‘A local baby boom has meant that our baby room which could previously only accommodate 16 babies simply couldn’t cope with the demand. Now our new suite caters for 24 babies. Our new-pre-school room, complete with latest computer equipment, specially crafted wooden furniture and a kitchen that enables children to make their own snacks, can now also cater for 24 children in a superb new ‘outdoor adventure’ environment.

‘Parents just love it. We’ve registered 17 new families in the past couple of weeks. And one of our regular mums jokingly enquired last week if she could lie about her son’s age so he could stay at the nursery longer.’

She added, ‘This really is a hidden gem in London. If you look at the size of the nursery from the front you would never believe the size of the garden at the rear. Children learn through fun, and our new-look nursery is all about our children having a great time in an outstanding environment while they are in our care.’

West Hampstead Day Nursery and Pre-School has an Ofsted rating of Good and has the highest Environmental Health Office rating for food safety and hygiene. The setting is registered to look after 84 children.

Asquith Day Nurseries runs 78 nurseries nationwide. Last year the group spent over £4million refubishing and refitting some of its settings.

• Asquith Day Nurseries is supporting the Pre-School Learning Alliance's Rewind on Ratios campaign and petition.