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1st Step Pre-school

Ofsted: Good
(Oct 2023)
·
5.0(1 parent reviews) ·Unit 9d, Cowley Road, Blyth, NE24 5TF · Northumberland
Number of places
24 places
Age range
1–3 yrs
Last inspected
Oct 2023
Local authority
Northumberland

About this day nursery

1st Step Pre-school in Blyth, Northumberland, is a childcare facility established by Pauline and Hannah Lazenby, a mother and daughter team. Their personal experiences with finding suitable childcare for Hannah's child informed the nursery's unique approach, which prioritises a holistic early learning environment where each child feels valued and secure.

The pre-school aims to be a "home from home" for children aged birth to 5 years, focusing on fostering happiness, security, and care to help children reach their full potential. They are Ofsted-registered and work closely with the local community, including Timestep Activity and Dance, to offer additional activities and holiday provisions.

All staff members are DBS-checked and possess extensive experience in early childhood education. The setting provides consistent operating hours from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, offering complimentary nutritious snacks to children throughout the day.

The facility is thoughtfully designed with three distinct rooms, each tailored to cater to the developmental requirements of various age groups, ensuring a safe and engaging atmosphere for all children.

What it's like

Children are happy, settled and secure, forming close bonds with caring staff who support personal, social and emotional development, for example using a 'feelings tree' to help children express emotions. Staff provide strong support for independence, model good behaviour, praise efforts, and children are confident, curious and busy in their play.

Ofsted-registeredFamily-foundedCommunity-focusedHolistic approach

Pricing & funding

Fees are charged at an hourly rate per session. The setting offers funded early education places in line with local authority arrangements, with options to split funded hours between multiple providers if required.

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
  • Hourly session fee£5 / hour

Good to know

  • Government funding codes must be provided to the pre-school prior to the child starting.
  • Funded hours are offered during normal operating hours in line with local authority arrangements.
  • Parents have the option to split funded hours between multiple early years providers.

Key facts

Food

Nutritious snack provided at no additional cost

Opening hours

7:30am and 5:00pm

Age range

Birth to 5 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

2022

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for 1st Step Pre-school

Last inspected 6 October 2023 · Julie Foers

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children are happy, settled and secure, forming close bonds with caring staff who support personal, social and emotional development, for example using a 'feelings tree' to help children express emotions. Staff provide strong support for independence, model good behaviour, praise efforts, and children are confident, curious and busy in their play.

Inspector highlights

  • Children are happy, settled and form close bonds with staff
  • Staff provide strong support for personal, social and emotional development (use of 'feelings tree')
  • Staff support children's independence and physical development
  • Staff provide strong support for communication and language; children enjoy singing, stories and sign
  • Senior staff provide strong support for staff development and continuous improvement

Areas to develop

  • 1review the structure of the daily routine and deployment of staff to provide more targeted support for children's learning
  • 2develop strategies to settle and prepare children at the beginning of small-group times so that they are ready to listen and learn.
Inspection #10312784 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provisionPositive

Staff have experience in caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and work closely with education and health professionals to provide a consistent approach to support children's learning.

Outdoor space

Children use an enclosed garden to explore and play — for example looking for bugs and emptying and filling containers with water and sand. Staff plan good support for physical development during outdoor play where children balance, stretch and climb.

Parent Reviews of 1st Step Pre-school

5.0
(1)
Danielle Yavuz
2 years ago

my daughter attended this nursery and she loved it, always went in happy always came out happy and clean!! the nursery was so good,that when my daughtwr attended full time state school i applied to work for them :)

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Inspection history

Most recent inspection

6 October 2023

Good

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

Frequently asked about 1st Step Pre-school

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