First Steps Day Nursery

Children choosing resources from open shelves, babies exploring sand and a curriculum built around growing independence: First Steps Day Nursery in Pitsea has a recognisable emphasis on children doing things for themselves. At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in the challenge of learning, transitions between activities and outdoor provision.

The nursery is at Rokescroft, Basildon, SS13 3EA, with capacity for 64 children aged six months to five years. That whole-setting figure is separate from the number attending any particular room or session. Morning, afternoon and full-day booking patterns give families different ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care, with play, communication and growing independence forming part of the day. Children contribute their interests to topic planning, practise sharing and take turns making decisions. These are practical experiences of being part of a group, rather than rules explained only by adults.

First Steps uses BRITISH as a way to organise its work on British values, covering boundaries, respect, individuality, tolerance, influence and voting by a show of hands. Helping distribute snacks and tidying play spaces give children responsibilities they can understand. Encouraging parents to sing or read in their home language brings family knowledge into nursery activities.

In March 2025, accessible shelving allowed children to choose resources and begin activities themselves. Adults added vocabulary while children played, and planned activities around their interests and seasonal topics. The limitation was challenge: children who already understood an activity did not consistently receive enough extension to take their thinking further.

Rooms and Outdoor Life

In March 2025, babies played in a light, comfortable room, explored textures through sand and other sensory experiences, and joined familiar songs. This gives a concrete picture of early experiences centred on touch, sound and relationships, rather than simply a list of equipment.

The garden supported active play with hoops in March 2025. However, outdoor learning happened too infrequently and needed better planning, especially for children who preferred learning outside. The garden's existence and the way it was used are separate considerations for families choosing an outdoor emphasis.

A key person supports each child's individual needs. In March 2025, settling arrangements and conversations with parents helped staff get to know children before attendance began. Children then sought familiar adults for comfort, help and shared stories. For families, that links the settling process to an ongoing relationship rather than a single introductory visit.

Babies' individual routines shaped their care in March 2025, including bottles, soothing and preparation for sleep. Staff responded to their needs rather than treating the room's day as one timetable for everyone. Children also practised everyday health habits, including handwashing, drinking water and disposing of used tissues.

Parent questionnaires gathered views annually in March 2025, giving families a route to influence nursery life. Learning was also planned with the move to school in mind, with independence and emotional development receiving attention. This preparation concerns children's readiness for a new routine, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, across 52 weeks, excluding bank holidays. Full-day and full-week bookings sit alongside shorter sessions. The nursery also makes special arrangements for shift workers, which may be useful where working hours do not follow the same pattern each day.

For children aged under two, session choices include 7am to 1pm, 1pm to 7pm and 9am to 3pm. The two-to-three and three-to-five age bands offer the morning and afternoon six-hour sessions. Play sessions run from 9am to noon or 1pm to 4pm across those age bands; hourly bookings provide another pattern.

The afternoon session ending at 7pm extends beyond the 6pm opening time. That discrepancy matters when organising collection and belongs in a visit discussion before agreeing a booking. Full-day attendance is also a separate booking option, rather than a clock time to infer from the shorter sessions.

Funding and Getting There

The nursery accepts 15 and 30 hour funding and free-entitlement funding for children aged two, three and four. Funded entitlement and privately paid attendance are separate parts of the booking decision. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Show-arounds can be arranged by telephone or email. The address is Rokescroft, Pitsea, Essex, SS13 3EA; Pitsea Rail Station is within walking distance. That gives rail users a named transport connection to weigh alongside their working day.

• Afternoon collection. The afternoon session runs to 7pm, while opening hours end at 6pm. Confirm which finish time applies to the proposed booking before arranging collection.
• Challenge and continuity. In March 2025, learning needed more extension for confident children, and temporary preschool refurbishment disrupted play during transitions such as lunch preparation. Ask how activities now stretch children and how these changeovers are organised.
• Outdoor learning. In March 2025, the garden needed more frequent use and stronger learning opportunities. Families prioritising outdoor play should ask how it fits into the current day.
• The funded-hours package. With 15 and 30 hour funding accepted, ask for the proposed attendance pattern and a written explanation of meals, consumables and any additional paid hours together.

First Steps suits families looking for a choice between morning or afternoon sessions, shorter play sessions and full-day attendance. Its emphasis on children's choices, practical responsibilities and key-person relationships gives the offer substance beyond the timetable.

The March 2025 position was positive overall, but the learning challenge, interrupted transitions and use of the garden deserve attention when choosing. For a family weighing shorter sessions against a longer working day, the strongest next step is to compare the proposed booking with the nursery's daily arrangements and written terms.