First Steps, Bath Twerton Children's Centre

A sensory room used daily, a covered outdoor play space and support that reaches beyond childcare give First Steps Twerton its character. This is a nursery where practical help for families sits alongside children's learning: the local SEND offer includes targeted activities, communication support and planning for the move to school.

At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress, with support coordinated through the SENCo. Those findings matter more than a curriculum label. They describe how support was working for children at that visit.

Based on Woodhouse Road in Bath, BA2 1SY, the nursery has 71 places and accepts children from six months to five years. A purpose-built setting separates different age groups, while the garden and covered play area give children space to be active through changing weather. Full-day, working-day and shorter sessions provide different attendance options.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides children's learning through play, including communication, physical development and relationships. At Twerton, observations and learning summaries help staff identify what children can already do and where they need support. This connects assessment to the next activity, rather than treating it as paperwork separate from the nursery day.

Wellcomms speech and language assessment helps identify communication needs. The BANES Strengths based approach to SEND (Pen Green) starts with a child's abilities when planning support for emerging needs. Both give families a more concrete picture of the learning approach than a general promise of individual attention: staff have named tools for assessing development and deciding what to try next.

During April 2024, children explored materials in science activities, and older children collaborated on a pretend boat journey using a map. These examples bring different kinds of learning together. Experimenting invites questions; shared imaginative play gives children reasons to negotiate, explain ideas and listen to one another.

The April 2024 inspection also identified two improvements: making busy routines less overwhelming and helping some staff recognise when children needed encouragement to join activities. These are practical concerns about the experience of the day. A child who finds noise difficult, or hangs back from an activity, needs adults to notice and respond.

Outdoor and Community Life

A garden and covered play space make outdoor activity part of the setting's physical offer. Children can use the covered area whatever the weather, giving families a useful alternative to a day spent entirely indoors when conditions change.

In April 2024, outdoor play included climbing, running with friends and sliding on a hill. Children also helped care for chicks, with adults prompting gentle handling. Movement and animal care offered different experiences: energetic play on one side, patience and careful actions on the other.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with two free introductory sessions, each lasting approximately one to two hours, arranged over one or two weeks according to the child's needs. Parents can remain with their child and increase attendance gradually. That makes the start a period of building familiarity, with room to adjust the pace for age and development.

A key person works with each family, and children also build relationships with other practitioners. The First Steps Key Buddy system supplies another familiar adult when the key person is absent. Its practical value is continuity: care does not depend on a single adult being present every day.

An electronic learning diary brings together photographs and observations, with notifications through the Parent App. Parents can contribute comments and observations of their own, and progress discussions with the key person give space to agree next steps. Parents' observations help staff understand the child and plan what comes next.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Twerton's SENCo coordinates support plans, referrals and targeted staff training. Pictures and Makaton signing are used daily as communication aids, while the sensory room provides individual and group sessions for sensory activity and calm time. These are specific mechanisms families can discuss in relation to their child's needs.

Support can follow the Graduated Approach, a cycle of assessing, planning, trying support and reviewing its effect. Depending on the child, this can involve individual targets, group work, additional adult help, meetings with professionals and referrals. Nursery inclusion funding may be sought with parental permission. The process allows support to change as staff and families learn more about what helps.

The team includes a practitioner trained in the Thrive Approach, which supports social and emotional development. School transitions include a handover for children, with additional meetings and visits tailored to those already receiving support. Preparation therefore extends beyond practising school routines to passing on information about the individual child.

Sleep arrangements distinguish younger and older children. Under-twos usually rest in a sleep room beside the play area; older children usually use a quiet part of their room, with home routines followed unless considered unsafe. This gives parents a concrete starting point for understanding how rest fits into attendance.

Vegetarian choices and individual dietary arrangements are part of meal planning. The nursery's food policy excludes nuts from food it supplies and asks families to avoid them in packed lunches.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays, Christmas and staff training. Booked attendance must follow the agreed hours; the opening window does not mean children can attend at any time.

The All Day Session runs from 8am to 6pm, while the Working Day runs from 9am to 5pm. Morning sessions are 9am to 1pm and afternoon sessions 1pm to 5pm. After-school attendance runs from 3pm to 6pm during term time, and hourly top-ups cover 8am to 9am or 5pm to 6pm. This allows families to choose between a longer day and a shorter session, with extra time at either end where agreed.

Daycare attendance is across the year unless a child attending only for funded entitlement takes the term-time option. Registration interest goes through the Nursery Enquiry Form. Paid session changes or cancellations normally require one month's notice.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, working-family funding for eligible children from the term after they reach nine months, and support for eligible two-year-olds. Eligibility conditions apply. Universal and eligible two-year-old funding can cover 15 hours over 38 weeks or 11 hours stretched across 51 weeks; working-family funding can cover 30 hours over 38 weeks or 22 hours across 51 weeks.

Meals are included in some session prices and charged separately in others. Funded entitlement does not include meals: snacks and lunch are charged separately, with the option of bringing packed food instead. Fundraising supports free meals for low-income families, and the terms provide free meals, snacks and extra activities for low-income families whose child qualifies for Early Years Pupil Premium.

Parents supply nappies and wipes, and feeds for children under two. The nursery applies sun cream, with families able to supply their own suitable cream for sensitive skin. These arrangements mean the items brought from home form part of the daily care plan.

The optional Opportunities for All Fund contribution supports trips and activities and can be removed from invoices by emailing finance. A deposit is part of booking, with refund conditions depending on attendance and outstanding fees. The funding and fees page sets out the charge structure.

• Busy transitions. In April 2024, some children became frustrated when routines were noisy and crowded. During a visit, ask how returning from the garden is organised and how quieter children are helped to participate.
• Support across the day. Twerton uses daily communication aids and a sensory room. Discuss how these would fit your child's booked hours, and how individual targets would be shared between home and nursery.
• Funded attendance and food. Funded hours exclude meals, although packed food and qualifying free-meal support are options. Ask for a written quotation covering your chosen pattern and discuss current allergy arrangements before choosing nursery food or packed meals.

First Steps Twerton suits families seeking either all-day or working-day attendance, as well as those choosing morning or afternoon sessions. Its strongest practical features are the covered outdoor space, daily sensory provision and named methods for identifying communication and support needs.

The Good judgement from April 2024 sits alongside concerns about busy routines and uneven encouragement to participate. For families weighing inclusion and everyday care as heavily as opening hours, Twerton offers concrete support arrangements worth exploring through those specific questions.