First Steps To Learning Pre-School & Day Nursery

Sensory play, supermarket fruit turned into smoothies and nature trails at a local park give First Steps To Learning a practical, curious character. This is an Early Years Register day nursery at the Cadet Centre in Tyrells Close, Upminster, with capacity for 36 children from two months to five years. Ofsted rated it Good in January 2023, an improvement from Requires Improvement in February 2022.

The setting divides children between three named rooms. Its Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum shapes learning around children's interests. For children, this means play and daily routines build communication, physical skills, relationships and early concepts. Families can choose full days, half days or term-time attendance, with an early-start option for a longer day.

Rooms and Ages

Explorers is the baby room, published for children aged six months to two years. Its soft play mats, colourful toys, sensory objects and tuff trays make exploration concrete: pushing and rolling train pieces works on fine-motor control, while ice play and posting activities invite children to describe, test and repeat. Two- to three-year-olds are placed in Mini Jetsetters and three- to five-year-olds in Jetsetters.

The overall age range begins at two months, while Explorers starts at six months. The youngest-baby arrangements are therefore a decision point.

Learning and Named Experiences

The EYFS is the framework for children's learning, development and care from birth to age five. In parent terms, it means play and daily routines are used to build communication, physical skills, relationships, early literacy, mathematics, understanding of the world and expressive arts. Children's interests shape a mix of child-initiated activity, planned play and adult-led work, so staff can start from what a child enjoys and extend vocabulary, coordination, confidence and early concepts.

Babies used sensory play to investigate and build fine-motor control. Toddlers decorated plant pots while discussing sunlight and water. Pre-school children recalled We're Going on a Bear Hunt and developed language and imagination through a related small-world tray. Staff knew children's starting points and interests, planned accordingly and shared progress with parents.

Outdoor and Community Life

Community learning is more than an occasional outing. Children visited a local supermarket to learn about fruit and money, and then made smoothies from what they bought. Forest School activity at a local park included nature trails and collecting leaves for art. Super Star Sports is a coached programme using games such as football, basketball and tennis to develop coordination and teamwork.

The nursery was asked to broaden the curriculum in its own outdoor space, even while recognising the local-park Forest School work. The current breadth of daily outdoor learning remains a useful decision point.

Warm relationships were a clear strength. Children settled quickly, staff knew them well and parents described staff as kind and supportive. Staff tracked each child’s development carefully and kept families informed about what they were learning. The nursery's registration process also includes settling-in sessions after a place is confirmed.

In 2023, children with special educational needs and disabilities received thoughtful individual support. Staff used specialist input to shape suitable next steps for each child. Safeguarding arrangements were effective, and staff understood their responsibilities. Recruitment and vetting procedures supported staff suitability.

Food information is clearest for privately paid hours. Private fees include meals, snacks and refreshments, and its parent page describes fresh fruit twice daily, balanced menus and alternatives for allergies or cultural needs. Funded-hours food and consumables belong in the provider-specific quotation.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery publishes a full day from 08:00 to 18:00. An early-start session runs from 07:15 to 08:00 and can extend that day, as a separate extension to the full day. Two half-day sessions and term-time attendance are also advertised, with exact half-day times to establish before joining. The setting says it opens on weekdays for 50 weeks and closes over Christmas.

Joining begins through the waiting-list form or by telephone. Registration documents follow, then confirmation and settling sessions. Four weeks' written notice is published for withdrawal. This describes the process, not current place availability.

Funding and Paid Extras

The fees and funding page publishes funded provision for eligible two-year-olds and the 15- and 30-hour entitlements for three- and four-year-olds. It also accepts Tax-Free Childcare. Eligibility and the pattern for funded hours depend on the family and chosen attendance schedule.

No numeric fees are reproduced here. Private fees include meals, snacks and refreshments. A written quotation should separate funded hours, private hours, food, consumables and any registration payment.

The address is Cadet Centre, Tyrells Close, Upminster RM14 2QA. Telephone and email contact routes are available. Travel and drop-off practicalities are another visit-day decision.

• Outdoor curriculum. Forest School activity at a local park was praised, but learning in the nursery’s own outdoor space needed broadening. Ask to see the current outdoor plan and how often each age group uses it.
• Questioning practice. Some staff did not always use questions that fully extended children's thinking in January 2023. Ask how coaching has addressed this and what staff now do during sustained play.
• Session detail. Full-day and early-start times are clear, while half-day clock times require clarification. Check exact times, minimum attendance and whether the desired pattern runs across 50 weeks or term time.
• Youngest babies. Registration begins at two months, while Explorers is described for ages six months to two years. Families with a younger baby should confirm the room, staffing and sleep arrangements that apply.

First Steps To Learning combines a well-observed EYFS curriculum with memorable practical experiences. The evidence is strongest on warm relationships, individual planning, SEND support and community activity, and the move from Requires Improvement to Good is meaningful. The remaining questions are specific rather than vague: the breadth of the on-site outdoor curriculum, consistency of staff questioning, and the exact half-day and funded-hours arrangements.

It should suit families seeking full days with an early start, shorter half-day attendance or a term-time pattern, especially those who value sensory play, Forest School and community-based learning. The youngest-baby provision and complete cost structure remain the final points to settle for a chosen schedule.