Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Footsteps Nursery & Forest school
Ofsted: Expected standard·
4.8(5 parent reviews)
·Sandy Hill Farm, Fradley Junction, Alrewas, DE13 7DW · Staffordshire
Number of places
114 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2026
Local authority
Staffordshire
About this day nursery
Footsteps Nursery & Forest School, established in 2020 in Alrewas, DE13 7DW, is a childcare setting for children aged 0-4 years, offering a curriculum based on the Early Years Foundation Stage and Forest School principles. The nursery operates year-round, from 07:30 to 18:00, Monday to Friday.
The dedicated team ensures a warm and inclusive environment where children feel secure and valued, with staff quickly identifying individual needs and providing prompt support. This approach fosters steady progress particularly in communication and language, supported by rich interactions and book-filled spaces.
The setting is committed to outdoor learning, with regular forest school sessions promoting physical confidence, resilience, and safe risk-taking. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children, and those facing barriers are fully integrated, benefiting from tailored adaptations like visuals, sensory tools, and quieter spaces.
The strong leadership team continuously works to improve consistency in interactions and routines across all rooms, ensuring a high-quality experience for every child.
Our ethos
Footsteps Nursery & Forest School's philosophy is rooted in fostering independence from the start. They are committed to nurturing, caring for, and inspiring each child through play-based activities aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) principles. Strong partnerships with parents are also considered vital for a supportive environment.
What it's like
Children across the setting arrive happy, settled and ready to explore, cared for by warm, attuned staff. They enjoy learning through sensory, physical and exploratory experiences, developing early confidence, independence and resilience. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those facing barriers access the same rich curriculum through well-judged adaptations.
Forest School approachStrong SEND supportOutdoor learning focusedFosters independenceEffective communication
Pricing & funding
Funding accepted
15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)Tax-Free Childcare
Pricing on request
This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.
Request pricing →Key facts
Food
Nutritionally balanced and varied menu made with fresh, quality ingredients.
Term time / All Year
All_year
Established
2020
Ofsted Inspection — new report card
Expected standard
Last inspected Feb 2026
Grade summary
Exceptional
—
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
—
Urgent improvement
—
Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.
Category grades
AchievementExpected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesExpected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
InclusionStrong standard
Leadership and governanceExpected standard
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Footsteps Nursery & Forest school
Last inspected 2 February 2026
What it's like to attend
Children across the setting arrive happy, settled and ready to explore, cared for by warm, attuned staff. They enjoy learning through sensory, physical and exploratory experiences, developing early confidence, independence and resilience. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those facing barriers access the same rich curriculum through well-judged adaptations.
Inspector highlights
- Staff identify children's individual needs quickly and accurately, providing prompt and targeted support.
- Children make steady progress, particularly in communication and language, supported by warm interactions and book-rich spaces.
- Children develop increasing independence and resilience through tailored strategies and additional funding.
- Children develop physical confidence and resilience through outdoor learning and forest school experiences, learning to manage risk safely.
- The strengthened leadership team has stabilised the setting and built capacity for improvement, rooted in children's best interests.
Areas to develop
- 1Leaders to ensure that highly effective teaching and high-quality interactions with children are consistently embedded across all rooms so that every child benefits from rich language development throughout the day.
- 2Leaders to support staff's professional development to establish consistently high expectations for children's behaviour throughout all their activities.
- 3Leaders to continue embedding consistent, high-quality interactions across all staff, especially during busy routines, ensuring that improvements become fully sustained and typical of daily practice.
Inspection #10388089 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
Staff identify children's individual needs quickly and accurately, and leaders act promptly to ensure children receive the right support at the earliest opportunity. Practitioners know children well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and make appropriate adjustments such as visuals, sensory tools, quieter spaces, and reduced ratio moments to help them overcome barriers and make secure progress.
Outdoor space
Children develop physical confidence and resilience through outdoor learning and forest school experiences, where they learn to manage risk safely. Regular forest school sessions promote safe risk taking, collaboration and resilience. Leaders have a clear vision of developing independent investigators, resilient resolvers and confident communicators evident across the setting and forest school.
EAL / language support
The nursery provides targeted support for children who receive additional funding, engaging them more readily in small-group activities and fostering growing assurance, suggesting an inclusive approach benefiting children with English as an additional language.
Parent Reviews of Footsteps Nursery & Forest school
4.8
(5)
Natasha Reddall
7 months ago
Footsteps Fradley have honestly been the best. I currently have an 18 month old attending and my eldest also attended but now goes to school. They’re so caring and considerate. They always make sure my children feel as though it’s a home from home. My eldest son went to a nearby nursery before here and it’s nothing in comparison. I don’t feel stressed or anxious leaving my kids in their care as I know they look after them so well and I have constant updates/pictures of their experiences. I want to do a shout out to the following staff members who I feel go above and beyond for all the children and have made a long lasting impact on mine with their love and understanding! Sophie in Toddlers room Amiee in Movers room Joel in Preschool room Harriet Baby’s room All the staff are amazing and I cannot recommend Fradley Footsteps enough! Thank you for everything you do!
Read on Google
Lucinda Ridley
6 months ago
Staff are lovely. Child loves nursery, and has thrived since starting
Read on Google
Jonathan Price
9 years ago
Have always been pleased with the service we received. There is certainly an emphasis on outdoor play, which is great, as they make the most of the the wonderful area they have. Similarly I feel they believe in allowing children to be children.
Read on Google
Kate Wisniewski
2 months ago
Carlos Emilio Matus del Valle
9 years ago
Reviews from Google for Footsteps Nursery & Forest school. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: March 2022
The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Good). We're re-checking it against the original report.
- April 2025Requires improvement
- May 2024Good
- April 2023Good
- March 2022Good
Frequently asked about Footsteps Nursery & Forest school
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