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First Step Day Nursery

Ofsted: Good
(Jan 2024)
·
4.4(5 parent reviews) ·11 Harold Road, LONDON, SE19 3PU · Croydon
Number of places
90 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jan 2024
Local authority
Croydon

About this day nursery

First Step Day Nursery, a well-established, family-run facility since 1992, provides a nurturing and stimulating environment for children aged 3 months to 5 years. Located in Upper Norwood, London, the nursery is designed to be spacious and homely, accommodating up to 91 children.

The nursery's philosophy centres on valuing each child as an individual, fostering their emotional, physical, and educational growth to help them reach their full potential. They aim to build self-esteem and confidence while instilling respect for others and an appreciation for the environment.

The nursery also offers extracurricular activities like football and music classes to enrich the children's learning experience. They actively support families in navigating childcare costs by participating in government funding schemes, including both 15 and 30 hours of funded childcare, and the Tax-Free Childcare scheme.

Our ethos

The nursery's philosophy centres on valuing each child as an individual, fostering their emotional, physical, and educational growth to help them reach their full potential. They aim to build self-esteem and confidence while instilling respect for others and an appreciation for the environment.

What it's like

Staff, leaders and managers work well as a team to provide a welcoming environment for children and their families. They support children well to build positive relationships with others and to make friendships. Children are happy as they share play experiences with others, for example, making a cake with play dough, singing the birthday song and pretending to blow candles.

Family-run since 1992Spacious 91-place facilityFocus on individual child developmentAccepts government funding schemes

Pricing & funding

This nursery operates on a three-term academic system, offering funding over 38 weeks of the year. Charges outside of term-time revert to standard rates. Funded-only children are charged for meals and snacks unless they choose to bring their own under a specific agreement, and extracurricular activities are billed separately.

Funding accepted

Tax-Free Childcare15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
  • Meals and snacks charge (15 Hours funding)£15 / week
  • Meals and snacks charge (30 Hours funding)£25 / week
  • Extracurricular class (football/music)£3 / session

Good to know

  • Funding is offered during term-time only for 38 weeks per year; standard rates apply during holidays.
  • Meal and snack fees apply to funded-only bookings unless parents opt to provide their own food.
  • Meal and extracurricular charges are payable on the first day of term.
  • Extracurricular football and music classes are charged separately per lesson.
  • Fixed bookings are available for consistent days both during and outside of term times.

Key facts

Opening hours

each weekday from 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year

Age range

3 months to 5 years old

Established

2004

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for First Step Day Nursery

Last inspected 30 January 2024 · Geetha Ramesh

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

Staff, leaders and managers work well as a team to provide a welcoming environment for children and their families. They support children well to build positive relationships with others and to make friendships. Children are happy as they share play experiences with others, for example, making a cake with play dough, singing the birthday song and pretending to blow candles.

Inspector highlights

  • Self-evaluation is effective and has led to achieving good standards in children's learning and care.
  • The management team supervises staff effectively and supports their training needs, which has strengthened practice in behaviour management.
  • Leaders and managers support staff to plan and implement a curriculum that meets individual children's needs.
  • The management team works closely with schools to support smooth transitions for children and plans transitions between rooms within the setting to support emotional well-being.
  • The management team has improved the curriculum for children's outdoor play and learning, motivating children to be physically active.

Areas to develop

  • 1enhance opportunities for babies to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others and what makes them and their families unique
  • 2consider ways to fully support young children to express their preferences, particularly with regards to exploring activities to their satisfaction before moving on to another.
Inspection #10284060 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from effective partnerships between staff, parents and professionals.

Outdoor space

The management team has improved the curriculum for children's outdoor play and learning. Children are motivated to be physically active and staff teach them to keep themselves safe, including older children who learn to manage space effectively while steering trikes.

EAL / language support

While reading to the children, staff pause at the end of a sentence allowing them to complete it. They use picture cards to support young children's understanding of the meaning of words. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points.

Parent Reviews of First Step Day Nursery

4.4
(5)
Robert Sutherland
a year ago

Our son has attended First Steps for some time now and we only have positive things to say about the nursery. You want to know that your child is cared for when you entrust them to a nursery and we can see that his wellbeing is paramount. Our son is always greeted with a smile at drop off, has learned valuable skills and is always smiling when we pick him up in the evenings. He has also built strong relationships with his key workers who clearly care for his development and growth. We have also found that the carers and management are always accessible should any minor concerns be raised. We’ve found First Steps to be a hugely valuable part of our son’s upbringing. Finally, the support we have received through matters such as potty training and developmental changes has been excellent. They have been supportive in providing our son with the foundations needed for further growth as he develops through early childhood.

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Fatima Gulamhusein
7 years ago

A Great Environment for Children to Learn and Explore under the guidance of Friendly and Co-operative teachers.

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Ousmane Barrie
a year ago

My daughter love the nursery, it’s very spacious and clean.

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Has
7 years ago

Outstanding nursery Lots of fun activities and healthy foods Wonderful place for children

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Amna Sadaqat
8 years ago

Not enough staff and staff is not friendly

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Reviews from Google for First Step Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history
Improved from Requires improvement → Good in 2024

Date: September 2013

  • January 2024Good
  • February 2023Requires improvement
  • July 2017Good
  • September 2013Good

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