Little Steps Nursery & Pre-School

Treasure baskets for babies, an interactive computer table for preschool children and a speech-and-language toolkit give Little Steps Nursery & Pre-School a recognisable character. This Acocks Green setting combines practical independence with play that follows children's interests. Its current capacity is 70 children, with an accepted age range of 3 to 60 months.

At its 7 February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, while asking for more opportunities for children to develop their own creative ideas and for toddlers to extend their language. Those priorities matter alongside the strengths: families should weigh the resources and support mechanisms against how practitioners use them in everyday interactions.

Baby Room, Toddler Room and Pre School have separate arrangements: home-routine discussions for babies, a separate toddler garden and practical school preparation for preschool children.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room caters for children aged 0 to 2, with a maximum of 15 at a time, and combines sensory exploration using natural objects with garden access. That room band sits within the nursery's overall accepted age range, which starts at 3 months. Its stated ratio is one adult to three babies. This is the statutory minimum for children under two, rather than an additional staffing benefit.

Treasure baskets are aimed at babies aged 3 to 10 months, while heuristic play, meaning exploratory play with objects, serves children from 10 months to 2 years. Music, water, sand and opportunities to make marks give babies different ways to investigate materials. The practical emphasis is exploration before formal tasks: children can handle objects, experiment and become more mobile.

For children aged 2 to 3, Toddler Room has a stated maximum of 40, with messy play, construction and role play alongside a separate artificial-grass garden. Its usual published staffing is one adult to four children, better than the statutory minimum of one to five for two-year-olds. That distinction concerns adult deployment, not a promise about the number attending on a particular day.

Pre School has a stated room maximum of 65 and access to the main garden, with learning through maths resources, mark-making, construction and computer activities. These room maxima are separate from the whole nursery's capacity; they do not describe how many children attend together. Older children have opportunities to choose their activity, while some parts of the day bring them together for stories and group work.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for planning across seven areas of learning, so play supports children's communication, physical development and other developing skills. It is the common early-years foundation, rather than an extra programme unique to Little Steps. Here, children's interests shape the activities chosen within it.

The preschool maths area includes calculators, tape measures and counting blocks. An interactive computer table and programmable toys add opportunities to experiment with technology. A separate mark-making area gives children access to writing and drawing tools, while marks can also become part of sand play or an imagined situation. These are different routes into learning, rather than a day organised entirely around adult-led tasks.

In February 2024, babies explored board and cloth books, toddlers heard stories after lunch, and older children retold We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Movement activities combined balance challenges with attention to breathing and heartbeat, connecting physical play with bodily awareness.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can play outdoors in all weathers. Babies and toddlers use the garden at least once each morning and afternoon; preschool children also have daily access. Scooters, bikes and messy-play equipment extend older children's movement and exploration outdoors.

The District Language Champion role extends beyond the nursery to support relationships between nurseries working on children's speech and language. Within Little Steps, the Wellcomm programme is a toolkit that links language screening with intervention, helping identify children who need support. Makaton adds symbols and signs alongside speech as another means of communication. These named arrangements have clear functions; they should be considered alongside the February 2024 priority to give toddlers richer language opportunities.

Relationships and Communication

Baby settling discussions cover dietary requirements, sleep and individual preferences. Staff aim to maintain home routines where possible, giving parents a direct role in shaping their baby's care.

In Toddler Room, the dedicated key person discusses what a child enjoys and how they respond when upset. The two-year progress check creates a further opportunity to discuss development with that practitioner once the child is settled. Baby-to-toddler transitions also involve a parent meeting with the key person, with mobility, confidence and developmental readiness informing the move.

A parent app shares nursery experiences with families, and parents of babies are encouraged to telephone for an update. In February 2024, communication also included termly reports and informal conversations, with parents invited to share learning from home. That creates a useful exchange: staff hear about interests beyond nursery, while families hear about their child's day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2024 inspection, Ofsted found strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with the special educational needs coordinator working closely with parents and staff and additional funding supporting targeted help and resources. Current support arrangements include SENCO liaison with families, external agencies and relevant professionals. Parents are asked to share information and documentation early so that support can be planned before a child starts.

Wellcomm and Makaton complement individual support planning. A practitioner trained to teach English to children and families learning it as an additional language adds another route to communication support.

Rest and personal care are built into the room arrangements. Toddlers use beds with individual bedding, laundered weekly in non-biological detergent; preschool children who still need sleep can also rest on beds. Toilet training is coordinated with parents, progressing from potty use to toilets, and preschool children have toilet steps to help them manage more independently.

Weaning begins with puréed vegetables and fruit before other foods are introduced, and dietary requirements are displayed for staff in the rooms, office and kitchen. Babies eat alongside toddlers, using suitable low seating or highchairs as they move towards eating with utensils.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's address is 1229 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham, B27 6PX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It operates throughout the year and closes on bank holidays. These are the opening arrangements; they should not be confused with a particular child's booked attendance.

Applications use a registration form, followed by contact from staff. Families can also use the contact form, email info@littlestepscc.co.uk or telephone 0121 707 7330. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Moving on to School

Preschool preparation includes putting on coats, dressing, bathroom routines and consideration for other children. Children spend allocated periods in their school-year groups, giving preparation a place within the wider play-based day. The emphasis is practical: managing personal tasks and joining shared activities, rather than presenting school readiness as early formal lessons.

• Toddler language and creative freedom. February 2024 improvement priorities concerned richer language opportunities for toddlers and more scope for children's own ideas. On a visit, ask how Wellcomm support connects with everyday conversation and how adults make room for children to direct creative play.
• Room scale and staffing. Baby Room's maximum is 15, while Toddler Room's is 40; the toddler ratio is one adult to four children. Ask how the rooms organise smaller activities and key-person contact within those arrangements.
• Attendance and the full cost. Opening extends from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with bank-holiday closures. Before committing, ask which booking patterns and funded arrangements fit your week, and how meals and non-food consumables are treated in the written quotation.

Little Steps suits families who value sensory play for babies, practical independence as children grow and specific communication-support tools. Treasure baskets, Wellcomm and Makaton give that proposition substance, while the room arrangements show how activities and personal care change with age.

The February 2024 Good judgement is a useful foundation, but its language and creativity priorities deserve attention. For families whose schedules fit weekday, year-round opening, the strongest reason to consider Little Steps is the combination of interest-led play, key-person involvement and concrete support mechanisms.