Footsteps Wilmslow

A baby garden, a woodwork bench and an art studio give Footsteps Wilmslow a practical, hands-on character. Its purpose-built home on Tudor Road, Dean Row, serves children from 1 to 59 months. The emphasis is on making, exploring and spending time outside, with different rooms carrying children towards school.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found that children made good progress and judged support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to be good. That judgement needs to be read alongside the later regulatory position. In May 2026, Ofsted issued a welfare requirements notice covering recruitment checks, changing facilities, risk management, staff supervision, professional development and staff medication procedures.

The latest published follow-up records some completed actions and continued monitoring of the remaining response. This is a material consideration for families, rather than a footnote to the older grade.

Full-day care and specific funded sessions provide different attendance options. Beyond the practical arrangements, the strongest features are the baby room's connection with home routines, daily outdoor activity and creative spaces that give children something concrete to do with their ideas.

Rooms and Ages

Bunnies combines a quiet sleeping area with a play room and direct access to a separate baby garden; following each baby's home routine as closely as possible makes continuity the priority. An indoor nursery gym adds space for movement. For a baby, the useful distinction is between opportunities to explore and somewhere quieter to rest.

Around age 2, children move into Squirrels, where early communication, number activities and creative play sit alongside a nursery gym for physical development. Construction and messy play are part of the day. The room's language work includes listening, attention and understanding, so preparation for later learning begins with communication rather than formal lessons.

Foxes begins around age 3 and introduces more structured learning, with science and discovery, water experiments, literacy and numeracy. Owls extends the older preschool children's learning with Spanish classes and opportunities to solve problems, communicate and work together. Movement between stages takes account of the children attending and their individual attributes, with support through each transition.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, exploration and relationships. Here, adult-led activities sit alongside play initiated by children themselves, with observations used to shape what comes next. That makes the curriculum a sequence of experiences adapted to the child, rather than simply a timetable of activities.

Leuven scales are used to monitor children's wellbeing and involvement. Blossom is the online learning journey through which families can follow development. These have different jobs: one helps staff consider how a child is engaging, while the other gives parents access to the learning record.

Our Art Studio is an open creative space where children can select materials with their practitioners. A woodwork bench supports supervised construction with real tools, while a water and wet sand table, clay and dough offer other ways to experiment. The emphasis is on the process of making, so children can try an idea and change it as they work.

Weekly activity includes language, movement, music and sound. Rhythm Time is an additional class included in full-day prices, alongside Spanish classes. The two add experiences beyond the core programme, although funded attendance has its own charging arrangements.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor time happens daily and in different weather. Play Towers provide opportunities for balancing, crawling and climbing; the natural area and mud garden bring digging and investigation into the same setting. Nature kitchens, foraging trails and vegetable growing give outdoor play a purpose beyond exercise. Indoor nursery gyms also provide opportunities to move.

Regular local walks are supplemented by outings to parks, libraries and garden centres. Foxes trips include local nature trails and Stockley Farm, giving older children experiences beyond their room. These are practical extensions of learning about the world, with outdoor exploration continuing away from the nursery grounds.

In November 2022, visiting farmers, farm animals and firefighters were part of children's experiences, while older children visited care homes and garden centres. That dated picture adds substance to the community emphasis: children encountered people and places beyond their immediate family and nursery group.

Relationships and Communication

A child's key person contributes weekly photographs and observations to the online learning journey. Parents can add their own pictures and observations too. This gives the nursery a way to connect learning at home with what happens during childcare, rather than relying only on a brief daily conversation.

Families also receive an end-of-day update. At the start of attendance, staff and parents build a picture of the child's development together; in Bunnies, home routines help shape care. The combination is useful for families who want everyday information as well as a longer view of progress.

For children learning English as an additional language, staff work with families on familiar words from home, songs and aspects of home culture. Picture cards and individually tailored steps may also be used. These are specific support mechanisms, with the family's knowledge contributing to the child's nursery experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2022, staff worked with other professionals and used individual education and care plans, incorporating targeted support into shared activities. Key people also identified areas where children needed additional help and planned subsequent learning. These are inspection-era practices, rather than an assurance about today's provision.

The May 2026 regulatory visit identified unmet requirements. Recruitment checks and private, hygienic toileting and changing arrangements were among the required actions; further actions addressed recognising risks, effective staff supervision, professional development and procedures for staff taking medication.

By the follow-up visit on 26 May 2026, suitable toilet facilities and privacy covers for changing areas were in place, recruitment checks had been completed and a new staff-suitability recording system had been introduced. The latest published outcome states that monitoring would continue to secure completion of all actions. It does not establish completion of the whole notice.

Regular professional development forms part of the staffing arrangements.

Full-day care includes breakfast, lunch, tea and two snacks, with dietary options including vegan, dairy-free and weaning food. The nursery's allergy policy prohibits food brought from home, an important practical condition for families managing dietary needs.

Sessions and Attendance

Footsteps is open from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks each year. It closes during Christmas week and on bank holidays. Full-day care is a booking option; the opening window describes when the nursery operates.

Funded attendance is delivered through two daily sessions: 10.33am to 2.16pm and 2.16pm to 6pm. Six sessions across three days provide the stated stretched allocation of 22.35 hours each week. Families considering this pattern should distinguish the funded session timetable from a full-day booking.

General enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01625 521 345, and nursery viewings can be booked. The address is Tudor Road, Dean Row, Wilmslow, SK9 2HB. Access is along a private road: take the second right from Tudor Road and follow it to the end.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding includes a maximum of 30 hours for eligible working families with children from 9 months, universal 15-hour funding for 3- and 4-year-olds, and additional funded hours for some two-year-olds whose families receive extra support. Entitlements relate to 38 weeks, but Footsteps stretches funding over 51 weeks. Eligibility and the nursery's delivery pattern are separate questions.

During funded hours, food, snacks and specified consumables are excluded from the funded provision and charged separately when requested. Additional activities beyond EYFS delivery are also excluded; these extras are voluntary and supplied only at the family's request. Extra attendance beyond the funded allocation is paid separately.

For full-day care, meals and snacks are included, as are Rhythm Time and Spanish classes. Parents provide nappies and wipes for Bunnies and labelled sunscreen as part of the outdoor kit. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding arrangements explain the distinction between funded provision and requested extras.

• The May 2026 notice. The 26 May follow-up records completed recruitment and changing-facility actions, with continued monitoring of the wider response. Ask to see the subsequent outcome and how risk management, supervision and medication procedures now work in practice.
• Independence before school. In November 2022, adults sometimes completed tasks older children could attempt, and opportunities to practise new skills needed to happen more often. During a visit, look for children doing everyday tasks themselves and discuss how Foxes and Owls support this.
• Funded sessions and food. Funding follows specified sessions, while requested meals, consumables and additional activities sit outside the entitlement. Establish the complete attendance and extras arrangement in writing; allergy-affected families should also confirm current practice under the policy prohibiting food from home.
• Outdoor clothing. Daily outdoor and messy play require suitable kit, including spare clothes, waterproof clothing, wellingtons and seasonal protection. Families who value this approach should expect clothing and laundry to be part of the routine.

Footsteps Wilmslow suits families considering either full-day care or the specified funded-session pattern, with a preference for outdoor activity, creative materials and visible communication through an online learning journey. Bunnies' baby garden, the art studio's practical resources and older children's outings give the offer clear substance.

The decision also depends on the later welfare requirements notice. The May 2026 actions and latest published follow-up are material to assessing present care. A family choosing Footsteps should be comfortable with both the everyday offer and the nursery's response to those requirements.