First Steps First Marlow

The weekly Gardening Club gives First Steps First Marlow a practical thread running through its play-based day: children explore outdoors, while learning also takes place through stories, construction and creative activities. Cubs and Pandas provide separate areas for younger and older children. There are 26 places in total.

At the 25 March 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion to be Strong standard, with Achievement, Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines, Children's welfare and wellbeing, Curriculum and teaching, and Leadership and governance all at Expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. The important distinction for parents is between the stronger inclusion judgement and the improvements still needed in everyday teaching interactions.

The nursery's address is Hall 2 Marlow Air Scouts, Mill Road, Marlow, SL7 1PX, and its age range is 3 to 60 months. Attendance can be organised around a full day, morning or afternoon. Those choices make it relevant to families with different working patterns, rather than only those needing care throughout the day.

Rooms and Ages

Cubs serves children under two, with a bright environment arranged around cognitive development and activities refreshed weekly; Pandas serves children from two upwards, combining creative and social play with daily outdoor time, regular outings and weekly Gardening Club. The distinction is useful: the younger area emphasises exploration, while the older children's programme brings together shared activities and experiences beyond the room.

In March 2026, babies practised climbing on soft-play equipment, while older children worked on coordination by passing balls with their feet. These were concrete opportunities to practise movement, rather than physical development being confined to organised exercise. Activities took place indoors as well as outside.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for learning and care, with children developing through play, conversation, movement and practical activities. Here, play is supplemented by small-group work on reading, writing and number skills when appropriate to the children. That qualification matters: the approach connects those skills to children's needs rather than presenting the same tutoring routine for everyone.

Daily phonics activities and weekly Spanish lessons add language experiences, while music activities take place each day and dance sessions each week. These sit alongside imaginative play, puzzles and construction. For a child who enjoys expression through movement or sound, the day therefore includes more than seated activities.

Mathematics had a tangible place in play in March 2026. Younger children counted building bricks, and older children compared lengths while exploring mud. The learning came through handling and comparing things. However, adults sometimes answered children's problems too quickly or spoke at a pace that left too little time for a response. Waiting matters here: a child needs the chance to think before an adult supplies the solution.

Outdoor and Community Life

Pandas has outdoor play each day and regular trips away from the nursery. The weekly Gardening Club adds a recurring activity alongside daily outdoor play. It gives children another practical way to explore the world around them.

In March 2026, children were growing vegetables in the garden, and potatoes they had grown had been used at lunchtime. Local outings included the library, where children practised expectations for behaviour beyond the nursery. Staff also discussed keeping safe on outings, although explanations sometimes needed more detail to deepen children's understanding. The opportunity was there; the teaching needed to make fuller use of it.

Relationships and Communication

In March 2026, staff gathered information about children's home routines when they first started and used it to help them settle. A key person gave children a familiar adult to seek out for comfort. For families, those two arrangements connect the practical details of home life with the relationship a child builds at nursery.

Communication also covered changes such as potty training, alongside updates on children's routines and development. This is useful continuity: care can respond to a changing need, and parents can connect nursery experiences with what happens at home. Staff training and development form part of the nursery's working arrangements, giving practitioners opportunities to develop their practice.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that observations helped staff identify individual learning needs, adapt activities and work with families and other agencies to support children with SEND or other barriers to learning. The practical examples included storytelling props and additional resources that helped children participate. Support was tied to the activity and the child, rather than simply offering everyone an identical experience.

In March 2026, children practised toothbrushing through an activity involving pretend teeth and discussed why brushing matters. Staff also gave children resources and time to work through emotions. These examples bring wellbeing into ordinary activities, where children can practise rather than only hear instructions.

There were limits to the support for independence and behaviour. In March 2026, older children served their own food and managed personal-care tasks, but younger children sometimes had tasks completed for them despite showing interest in trying. When behaviour needed correcting, adults did not consistently explain the effect of a child's actions. Both points matter beyond keeping the day running smoothly: children need opportunities to attempt tasks and understand reasons for boundaries.

Food is cooked at the nursery, with breakfast, lunch and dinner alongside morning and afternoon snacks. That arrangement brings meals into the nursery day rather than requiring a packed lunch.

Sessions and Attendance

Three attendance patterns run Monday to Friday: a full day from 8am to 6pm, a morning from 8am to 1pm, or an afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. Morning and afternoon bookings offer genuinely different options from the full day, allowing attendance to fit around part-day commitments as well as a working day.

The nursery opens for 51 weeks each year. Enquiries and visit arrangements can be made by telephone on 01628 483 111 or by emailing info@firststepsfirst.co.uk. A visit includes an opportunity to meet the team, which makes it useful for discussing how a child's chosen session fits with their routines.

Getting There

The setting is at Hall 2 Marlow Air Scouts on Mill Road, Marlow, SL7 1PX. The full address matters when organising a visit, as the nursery occupies a named hall rather than a separate street address bearing only the nursery's name.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through 15 and 30 hours funding. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, keeping the cost of their chosen attendance pattern separate from the funded-hours arrangement.

• Thinking time and behaviour explanations. The March 2026 improvement priorities concerned problem-solving, adult interactions and explanations of behaviour. During a visit, explore how practitioners now give children time to respond, try a solution and understand a boundary.
• The youngest children's experience. Cubs serves under-twos, while the March 2026 findings highlighted adults sometimes completing tasks younger children wanted to attempt. Ask how settling and daily care preserve opportunities for a young child to try things independently.
• Funding and the full quotation. Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions are offered alongside 15 and 30 hours funding. Ask for the funded-hours timetable and a written breakdown covering additional hours, food and non-food consumables for the pattern you intend to book.

First Steps First Marlow suits families seeking morning, afternoon or full-day attendance, with separate younger and older children's areas and a play-based programme that includes weekly Gardening Club and Spanish lessons. The March 2026 inclusion judgement is a meaningful strength, supported by practical adaptations and work with families.

The balance lies in everyday teaching. Children had opportunities to count, grow food, move and explore, but adults needed to leave more space for independent thinking and explain behaviour more consistently. For parents, the decision turns on both the activities offered and how practitioners support a child within them.