First Steps Nursery and First Steps Playscheme

Pirate hats made independently, breathing exercises guided by wall murals and learning packs for children away with medical needs give First Steps Nursery and First Steps Playscheme a recognisable character. At its August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated it Outstanding and found safeguarding effective.

Based at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter, the nursery accepts children from three months to 60 months and has 105 places in total. Its hospital setting is a practical consideration; the detail of children's learning and care deserves equal attention.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing play and everyday experiences into their education. In August 2025, a nursery-devised language programme added daily group work on vocabulary and early phonics. This gave communication a planned place in the day rather than leaving it solely to conversation.

Children also had opportunities to work things out themselves. That August, making a pirate hat involved judging how much card was needed, choosing materials and cutting it independently. Babies climbed and balanced with staff support, with counting woven into their movement. Different stages called for different experiences.

In August 2025, staff held babies' hands during movement activities, combining physical practice with counting. That connects a new physical skill with language in a manageable activity. For older children, the pirate-hat example involved decisions throughout: estimating the material, selecting what to use and handling scissors. The useful point is the child's part in the process. An activity can produce something to wear while also giving children practice in planning and carrying out their own ideas.

Outdoor play brought children together: in August 2025, they built see-saws from equipment, shared turns and invented songs. Indoors, mixing oats with shaving foam held their attention while staff introduced vocabulary through play. Cultural activities included countries of the month, helping children explore communities beyond their own.

Everyday tasks also became opportunities to practise independence in August 2025. After lunch, children cleaned their own plates with a sponge and soapy water while staff stayed close, offered pointers and praised their efforts. The task gave children a real responsibility connected to their meal. Alongside making hats and taking turns outdoors, it illustrates how practical skills and cooperation could develop through ordinary parts of the nursery day, rather than depending entirely on an organised group activity.

At the August 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with complex medical and learning needs received highly effective individual support, including learning packs during prolonged medical absences and coordinated work with other professionals. This is a substantial consideration for families whose child's care involves several services.

Practical emotional support also featured in August 2025. Wall murals prompted breathing exercises, while signs helped children communicate when they wanted space. These gave children concrete ways to express feelings.

Room changes were supported that August by detailed booklets covering staff, routines and learning. For families, that made the next stage more understandable. Staff development included weekly newsletters and monitoring of interactions, linking professional reflection to everyday practice.

In August 2025, that development work included reviewing practice and adapting the curriculum around individual children's needs. Weekly staff newsletters carried guidance on maintaining children's bonds with adults. This connects the planning behind activities with the relationships children depend on during the day. The room-change booklets served a different purpose: they brought information about the next room's adults, routines and learning together. For a family preparing for a move within the nursery, those subjects give a concrete starting point for understanding what will change for their child.

The address is Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Barrack Road, Exeter, EX2 5DW. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

In August 2025, the nursery offered government-funded childcare. Families should obtain a current written quotation for prices.

• Hospital-site childcare. The nursery is based at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. At a visit, discuss how attendance, funding and the overall cost would fit your family's routine.
• Moving between rooms. Detailed transition booklets were part of practice in August 2025. Explore how that preparation would work for your child.

First Steps suits families seeking year-round weekday childcare on the hospital site, including those who place particular weight on individual care arrangements. In August 2025, children practised independent tasks, used practical tools for managing feelings and received preparation for room changes. Those details give the judgement practical meaning.