First Step Day Nursery

A garden that children can explore freely, support for home languages and a flexible start with parents give First Step Day Nursery its character. At 11 Harold Road in Upper Norwood, it cares for children aged three months to five years and has 90 places in total. That is whole-nursery capacity, rather than the size of any child's daily group.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its January 2024 inspection. The useful detail behind that judgement is ordinary childhood done thoughtfully: conversation around books, shared pretend play and activities shaped around individual interests. There are also practical choices to make. Year-round bookings and term-time funded sessions sit alongside morning and afternoon sessions, with different hours and charging arrangements.

For families choosing here, the strongest combination is continuity of care and flexibility in attendance. A child's key worker provides a regular link with home, while settling and room changes are approached gradually. The funding timetable needs close attention, especially for parents whose working day extends beyond the funded session.

Rooms and Ages

Children move through baby, toddler and preschool provision. The transition from the Toddler Room to Pre-School includes brief periods in the next room before the move, with information passed between key carers. Parents receive advance information and can participate in the process. Moving rooms is therefore treated as a change to prepare for, rather than simply a new allocation.

The toddler timetable combines stories, shared group time, independent play and adult-led activities, with outdoor play and a quieter period for rest. It is a guide rather than a rigid sequence. That distinction matters for younger children, whose energy, sleep and interest in an activity do not necessarily follow the clock.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: children learn through play, developing language, movement and relationships alongside early reading, mathematics, creativity and knowledge of their surroundings. Activities are planned using practitioners' observations of each child's interests. The practical intention is to start with what engages a child, then extend their learning from there.

Language receives clear attention. Children are encouraged to retain their home languages as they become ready to learn another, supported by a multicultural staff team. For a family using more than one language, this gives home and nursery a shared starting point rather than treating the home language as something to leave behind.

Optional Ballet classes run on Tuesdays, Football classes on Wednesdays and Music and Movement classes on Fridays. These are voluntary additions with separate charges. Their different days make the attendance pattern relevant: a child attending only certain days will have a different choice of sessions from one attending throughout the week.

In January 2024, practitioners used gaps in familiar sentences and visual cards to encourage communication. Older children also worked out which ingredient was missing from a play-dough activity. These examples show two useful forms of participation: finding words and contributing an idea. Book borrowing extended reading into time with parents and carers at home.

Outdoor and Community Life

The refurbished garden operates with supervised free flow, allowing children to follow their interests outdoors. That gives outdoor play a place within the day, rather than making it solely a scheduled group activity. The toddler routine also includes garden periods alongside indoor play.

In January 2024, toddlers experimented with sand passing through sieves, while older children practised steering trikes around obstacles. Both involved movement with a purpose: coordinating hands and eyes, or judging space while travelling. Those concrete examples are more useful than a broad promise of outdoor learning.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker who links the nursery's understanding of the child with their parents' knowledge of home life. Familiar routines can be incorporated into nursery care, and observations help shape activities. This gives communication a practical purpose: sharing what helps a particular child settle, take part and learn.

During the first two settling sessions, parents can remain for some or all of the time, or leave for a period if that suits their child. Frequent telephone calls are welcomed after the child starts. If a child becomes very distressed, staff contact the parent and discuss how to help. The approach leaves room for different children to need different starts.

Preparation for primary school includes conversations with children and parents, activities about the change and opportunities to discuss worries or excitement. Developmental and educational information is shared with schools through transfer sheets. This is preparation and communication, rather than a claim to an admissions advantage.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A nursery SENCO works with external agencies, including speech therapy support. Admission for a child needing additional support involves discussion with parents and medical professionals about the child's needs; extra funding may be needed for equipment, resources or staffing. Families can therefore discuss the actual support required, rather than relying on a general welcome alone.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with SEND effective through collaboration between families, practitioners and professionals. Current arrangements include a designated safeguarding role and first-aid-qualified staff on site. These are arrangements for care and protection, separate from the dated judgement about their effectiveness.

The same January 2024 assessment identified two improvements: babies needed more opportunities to explore their own identity and family differences, and younger children needed greater freedom to decide when an activity had finished for them. These are useful points for parents assessing how individual choice works alongside the daily routine.

Rest features in the toddler day, and nappy changes take place as needed. Staff also undertake regular training. The practical calendar reflects that investment, with recurring early closures and full training days that families need to build into their childcare arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 8am to noon and afternoon sessions from 2pm to 6pm. Fixed bookings can cover the same days throughout the year, including time outside funded terms. The nursery day runs from 8am to 6pm, allowing a different arrangement from the shorter sessions.

Funded attendance has its own timetable. For 15 hours, families can use 9am to noon or 2pm to 5pm across five days, or 9am to 2pm or noon to 5pm across three days. The 30-hour pattern is 9am to 3pm across five days; it cannot be taken as three full days. These distinctions matter when matching childcare to work rather than simply counting funded hours.

Christmas closure can extend to two weeks. There is also a 4.30pm closure once a month for staff meetings and training, plus five full training days each year. Dates are communicated ahead of time and displayed on the parent notice board. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 020 8771 7727 or by email at info@firststepdaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can access 15 or 30 hours of funded childcare, delivered during term time over 38 weeks. Families must provide their funding code before each term begins; the nursery cannot obtain it for them. Additional booked hours and attendance outside funded terms attract private charges. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the arrangements explained on its fees and funding page.

For term-time-only funded bookings, nursery meals and snacks are charged separately; parents can instead supply food after agreeing the nursery's food-safety and allergen requirements. Consumables, including baby wipes and educational supplies, carry no additional charge. Voluntary activity classes are separately charged, with payment due at the beginning of term.

Tax-Free Childcare payments and most childcare vouchers are accepted. Joining involves an application form and a registration charge, followed by entry onto the waiting list. That step records interest and does not guarantee a place, so it should not be mistaken for a confirmed booking.

• The funded timetable. Thirty funded hours mean five 9am-to-3pm days, rather than three full days. At a visit, discuss how the chosen pattern and any paid extensions fit your working week.
• Time to finish playing. January 2024 improvement points concerned children's choices and babies' understanding of family identity. Ask how these are reflected in activities and transitions now.
• Planned closures. Monthly 4.30pm finishes, annual training days and the Christmas break affect year-round arrangements. Build these interruptions into the family's childcare plan.
• Food and additional support. Funded-only meals have a separate charge or an agreed food-from-home alternative, while additional support may require extra resources. Discuss any dietary needs, current allergen practice and support arrangements before committing.

First Step suits families wanting a gradual start, support for home languages and play shaped around individual interests. It serves both year-round attendance and shorter morning or afternoon sessions, as well as defined term-time funded patterns. The key decision is whether those patterns and planned closures fit family life. For parents who value continuity between home, nursery rooms and the move to school, its key-worker and transition arrangements give the offer a clear practical shape.