Footprints Nursery, Buttershaw Christian Family Centre

A nursery within a family centre gives Footprints its clearest character: childcare shares a site with practical support for families on The Crescent in Bradford. The nursery takes children from birth to five and has capacity for 75 children. Its setting on the Buttershaw Baptist Church site connects it to a wider community building, rather than a childcare-only address.

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and reported very good developmental progress, including for children with additional needs or additional funding. The strongest practical examples were children doing things for themselves: serving food, choosing snacks and managing their coats. Two areas needed attention, however: teaching for two-year-olds and how children's different backgrounds were represented.

Weekday opening runs from 7.45am to 5.45pm, across 50 weeks each year. Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room, Toddler Room, Caterpillar Room and Butterfly Room are the named nursery rooms. These give families recognisable room identities within a setting accepting children from birth to five; the whole nursery's 75 places should not be read as the size of any individual group.

In December 2022, babies practised pulling themselves upright, while toddlers handled thick brushes. Children aged two explored dough through squeezing, flattening and rolling, and older children threaded pasta and pressed patterns with kitchen utensils. These were concrete opportunities to use hands and bodies at different developmental stages, rather than the same task offered identically to every age.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, this brings learning and everyday care together: conversation, stories, movement and becoming more independent all belong in a child's nursery day.

In December 2022, songs, homemade instruments and short stories featured in babies' and toddlers' experiences. Preschool children also tackled practical problems: while making a craft guitar, they worked out how to fix pipe-cleaner strings in place. That example gives a useful picture of learning through making, with an adult helping children think through a problem rather than simply completing it for them.

Social learning was equally concrete that month. Two-year-olds took turns stirring dough ingredients, while older children played lotto and acted out scenarios with dolls. A drum signalled tidying up. Such routines gave children opportunities to practise sharing, respond to a common signal and understand what happened next.

Outdoor and Community Life

In December 2022, older children climbed a grassy mound outdoors. This is a useful physical detail: the outdoor space offered a change in height and a climbing challenge, alongside the smaller hand movements practised indoors.

The Family Centre on The Crescent also hosts community activities led by volunteers. These belong to the wider centre, rather than being nursery sessions, but they help explain the setting's community character. Families can use the same site for support beyond their child's care and learning.

Relationships and Communication

In December 2022, staff gathered information from parents to support children as they settled, offered stay-and-play opportunities and visited the homes of children receiving two-year-old funding. The practical value was continuity: information from families helped staff support children's emotional wellbeing while they adjusted to nursery routines.

Communication that month included online contact and meetings about development. Activity packs gave parents something concrete to use at home, and a lending library extended access to stories beyond nursery. These were different ways to connect home and nursery learning, rather than relying solely on a brief conversation at the end of the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised emerging developmental concerns, sought help from other professionals promptly and used early intervention and additional funding effectively. That finding matters for families whose child may need support: it describes a response involving observation, referral and action, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

In December 2022, children practised brushing their teeth with a two-minute timer, and parents could take home healthy recipes. Children also served themselves food and poured drinks. Health habits and independence were therefore part of ordinary routines, with children taking an active role.

Staff development and reflection were part of the picture that month, including further training and regular evaluation of practice. The unresolved teaching point within that inspection was more specific: covering staff did not always know children's individual next learning steps, and some two-year-olds needed more adult help to participate and develop language.

CHAS @ St. Vincent’s offers welfare advice through appointments and drop-in sessions at Footprints on The Crescent, as well as other locations. For parents dealing with benefits, debt or housing questions, this adds a practical support route at the nursery's wider centre.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Buttershaw Christian Family Centre, The Crescent, Bradford, BD6 3PZ. Opening hours are 7.45am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, for 50 weeks a year. Closures include two weeks spanning Christmas and New Year, bank holidays and occasional training days; families need to accommodate these within their childcare calendar.

Childcare is offered on a flexible basis. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01274 690262 or by email to info@buttershawfootprints.org.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged two, three and four can receive funded childcare here. Eligibility remains a condition of the offer. Families arranging paid childcare should obtain a current written quotation from the nursery.

• Teaching for two-year-olds. In December 2022, some children needed more help to join activities and develop language, and covering staff did not always know their next learning steps. Ask how that information now reaches everyone working with this age group.
• Children's backgrounds. In December 2022, activities explored differences, but the environment did not consistently reflect the children and families attending. Ask how your child's family background would be represented in daily materials and activities.
• Annual closures. Two weeks over Christmas and New Year, bank holidays and occasional training days interrupt the weekday offer. Build those closures into work and family arrangements.
• Flexible booking and funding. The nursery offers flexible childcare and funded places for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds. What attendance pattern could be agreed for your child, and how would meals and non-food consumables be handled within that arrangement?

Footprints suits families seeking weekday childcare within a centre that also offers community activity and practical welfare support. Its December 2022 examples of self-service, stories shared with home and hands-on learning give its nursery day substance. The two-year-old teaching and representation points deserve specific discussion, while the annual closures require planning. The appeal is the combination of early-years care and wider family support on one site.