First Steps

Horses at the farm, outings to local woods and a garden with bicycle tracks give First Steps a recognisable outdoor character. In March 2025, children explored these surroundings alongside imaginative play, counting games and sensory activities. Everyday experiences supplied the learning material.

Ofsted rated First Steps Good at its 20 March 2025 inspection. The nursery has capacity for 22 children aged 0 to 59 months, at Cheshunt Park Farm in Waltham Cross.

In March 2025, children chose resources and activities indoors and in the large garden. Staff responded to an interest in superheroes with costumes and pretend play, helping children share equipment and take turns. That connected children's own interests with practising social skills.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, the March 2025 examples included learning through play, conversation and practical tasks. Staff planned around children's interests and developmental needs, using observations and assessments to decide what came next.

Counting games and recognising numerals helped older children prepare for school. Drumming explored differences in volume while giving children practice in listening to instructions. Outdoors, decorating seasonal tree pictures combined colour recognition with glue-spreading and sticking, giving younger children opportunities to practise hand control.

Bicycle tracks and large slides supported movement and balance. Sand, stones and toy diggers prompted conversation about children's actions. Trips to the woods widened their experiences, while watching farm horses introduced care for living creatures. These activities featured at the March 2025 inspection.

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding, inclusive staff relationships and effective communication with parents. These findings give families a dated assessment of care alongside the overall grade.

In March 2025, younger children chose fruit at snack time and older children poured drinks, making independence part of ordinary routines. Staff recognised children's efforts and supported their understanding of boundaries and manners.

Parents could review learning journals and received information about assessments and next learning steps. Staff development included tailored training, meetings and supervision, and leaders worked with local early years advisers. The improvement priority was more consistent adjustment of staff interactions to take children's learning further.

The address is 5 Cheshunt Park Farm, Cheshunt Park, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, EN7 6PZ. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

In March 2025, the nursery provided funded early education for eligible children. That is an inspection-time finding about participation, rather than a guarantee of an individual child's entitlement.

• Extending learning. More consistent staff interaction was the March 2025 improvement priority. During a visit, ask how practitioners now build on a child's ideas and responses.
• Outdoor experiences. Woods outings and watching farm horses featured in March 2025. Discuss how these experiences are organised for your child's age.
• Attendance pattern. The opening window runs from 8am to 6pm on weekdays. Which booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would fit your family?

First Steps suits families who value outdoor exploration and learning rooted in children's interests. Its March 2025 examples connect imaginative play, practical independence and early mathematical learning. The Good judgement is a useful foundation for choosing it; more consistent extension of children's learning through staff interactions was the March 2025 improvement priority.