Westside Day Nursery at Footsteps

A room dedicated to additional support gives Westside Day Nursery at Footsteps a clear point of interest for families in Marfleet. Alongside separate spaces for babies, toddlers and preschool children, the sunshine room provides extra help and early intervention. All rooms have access to a large outdoor space, so the nursery's physical offer combines age-specific rooms with somewhere to provide additional support.

Based within Marfleet children centre on Preston Road in Hull, the nursery accepts children from three months to five years. At its 21 October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, with early reading activities and sharper targets for staff development identified as areas to improve.

Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year except bank holidays. That broad opening window is useful for parents whose working day extends beyond conventional office hours.

Rooms and Ages

Separate baby, toddler and preschool rooms organise the main nursery spaces. The sunshine room has a different purpose: additional support and early intervention for children who need extra help. Its value lies in having a dedicated space for that work, alongside the main age-based rooms.

Outdoor access belongs to every room. That makes the large outdoor environment relevant to families choosing care for babies as well as those with older children, rather than being a facility attached only to the preschool space.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, this brings learning and care together: communication, growing independence and exploring through play form part of the nursery day.

In October 2021, children used a box to indicate which activity they wanted next. This gave them a practical way to express a preference and influence their play. Older children also explored dough with staff, discussing how rolling changed its shape. These were small, concrete opportunities to make decisions and test ideas.

Language learning extended into outdoor exploration. In October 2021, children talked with staff about worms, spiders and slugs they discovered, connecting new vocabulary to something they could examine. Babies encountered animal books alongside singing. For toddlers and preschool children, however, opportunities to build enthusiasm for books needed further development. The distinction matters: conversation during play and a sustained interest in reading are related, but both deserve attention.

Outdoor and Community Life

In October 2021, toddlers and preschool children shared garden play, waiting for turns with a water pump and counting before making it spray. The activity brought physical exploration and turn-taking together. It also gives a more useful picture of the outdoor day than the size of the garden alone.

At the October 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making excellent progress through support involving parents and other professionals. Those findings are dated judgements, while the sunshine room remains part of the nursery's current physical provision for additional support.

In October 2021, a baby's key person stayed nearby during early attempts at walking, offering encouragement and being ready to help. For a parent, that example explains the relationship in practical terms: a familiar adult responded to a child's developing confidence, rather than simply supervising the room.

Support for additional needs also had specific teaching content in October 2021. Children practised exchanging turns with an adult while building a tower, using short phrases to communicate whose turn came next. A local outreach service visited to support children with additional needs, and staff shared information with local services when parents consented. The combination connected nursery activities with help beyond the setting.

Everyday independence received attention too. In October 2021, preschool children served themselves at lunch using tongs when staff recognised they were ready for that step. Assessment therefore informed an ordinary care routine, giving children a manageable responsibility.

Families using English as an additional language received help to understand their children's learning in October 2021. This is a useful distinction from simply sending information home: the work included helping parents understand what their child was doing and learning.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Sure Start Marfleet, 359 Preston Road, Hull, HU9 5AN. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7am until 6pm, all year apart from bank holidays. Parents planning regular attendance need to account for those closures when arranging childcare around work.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01482 613851 or through the Marfleet contact form, which offers telephone or email as the preferred response method.

Funding and Paid Extras

In October 2021, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families weighing funded care alongside paid attendance should obtain a current written quotation before agreeing their booking.

• Reading beyond conversation. In October 2021, toddlers and preschool children needed more opportunities to develop enthusiasm for books. On a visit, ask how stories, book choice and reading activities now feature in those rooms.
• Staff development. The October 2021 improvement point concerned clearer targets for strengthening teaching. Ask for an example of how staff development has changed an activity or interaction with children.
• Support and the attendance agreement. The sunshine room provides additional help and early intervention. Discuss how it would fit your child's day, and request a written breakdown of the attendance pattern, funded hours, meal charges and consumables before committing.

Westside Day Nursery at Footsteps suits families seeking care from infancy through the preschool years, with separate age-based rooms, outdoor access throughout and a dedicated room for additional support. Its weekday opening window can accommodate early starts and later finishes.

The October 2021 Good judgement provides a dated assessment, supported by concrete examples of communication, independence and individual support. Reading opportunities and staff development deserve attention when choosing it. The sunshine room is the clearest current feature to explore for a child who needs extra help.