Footsteps Atherstone Nursery & Pre-School

In January 2024, independence took practical form at Footsteps Atherstone Nursery & Pre-School: handling cutlery, getting dressed and managing personal care. At its 23 January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and highlighted children's independence and language development, while asking for more precise individual learning plans and a fuller understanding of children's starting points.

The nursery has capacity for 74 children aged 2 to 60 months, at Ashleigh on Old Watling Street in Atherstone. Age-appropriate rooms, outdoor play areas and a sensory room are provided, alongside spaces for play, rest and exploration. Meals are prepared on site. These are practical features for families weighing the whole nursery day, rather than just its activities.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings serve different working patterns, with an early-start option alongside the main sessions.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning through play, including stories, creative experiences, communication and opportunities to become more independent. It is the educational framework here; the daily experiences are how children encounter it. Rooms are arranged around developmental stages, with spaces for playing, resting and exploring.

Alongside that framework, the group-wide Confident Communicators commitment emphasises helping children express themselves, while Explorers of Our World connects learning with outdoor experiences. These describe the group's priorities rather than a separate timetable of specialist sessions. For parents, the useful distinction is between the educational framework and the emphasis placed on language and outdoor exploration.

In January 2024, babies linked pictures and spoken words with animal toys, searching for a zebra or giraffe to match what they had recognised. Doll-washing introduced water play and conversation. Older children experimented with wooden hammers and paint, then discussed the colours and shapes they produced. These examples show how play brought language into practical activity, rather than keeping conversation separate from making and exploring.

The Enrichment Programme may include baking, gardening, celebration days, graduation events and creative or cultural activities led by nursery staff. Those are possible experiences, rather than a promise of a fixed weekly schedule. During funded hours, enrichment belongs to the separately charged, optional Essentials Package.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor areas provide regular opportunities for movement and exploration. In January 2024, children took part in sack-jumping games, encouraged their friends and waited for a turn. Physical activity was also a social experience: following instructions and joining a shared game mattered alongside the jumping itself.

That outdoor provision sits beside indoor spaces for rest and play. Families can therefore weigh both active experiences and the layout supporting different parts of the day, rather than treating the garden as the whole offer.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2024, children sought comfort from familiar practitioners, sitting close to them or receiving cuddles. Staff gathered information from parents to help children settle, and families described receiving care and learning updates online as well as conversations at collection. Together, these examples connect everyday reassurance with communication between nursery and home.

There was a specific limitation to that initial information gathering. In January 2024, staff needed to learn more about what children could already do, so that learning could build on their abilities from the beginning. Enjoyable activities also needed a closer match to each child's next learning step. Settling comfortably and planning precisely are different tasks; both matter.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities supported to progress, with the special educational needs coordinator working with families, professionals and staff. That describes the position at that visit, rather than a promise about an individual child's support today.

In January 2024, practitioners used familiar home-language words alongside English to help children understand. Older children practised dressing and fastening clothing, while babies handled feeding utensils. These everyday tasks gave independence a practical form and supported preparation for the eventual move to school.

Meals are freshly made on site each day with seasonal ingredients. Food preparation is part of the daily care offer, while its charging arrangements differ between private and funded hours.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year, closing on public holidays and for a week at Christmas. Its address is Ashleigh, Old Watling Street, Atherstone, CV9 2PA.

Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm; Morning is 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon is 1pm to 6pm. Full Week covers Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, while Early Start covers 7.30am to 8am. The opening window therefore includes an earlier paid addition to the main booking patterns.

A booking must include either four morning or afternoon sessions, or two full days each week, and include a Monday or Friday. This has a direct bearing on families arranging care around a shorter working week. An enquiry route and tour booking are provided through the nursery's contact options.

Permanent session changes and cancellations require one calendar month's notice. Fees are paid monthly in advance, and charges continue for bank holidays; sickness and holidays do not attract exchanges, credits or refunds. Families should build those terms into the attendance decision as well as the weekly timetable.

Getting There

Onsite parking supports collection and drop-off at the Old Watling Street address. Secure entry and CCTV are also provided.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered from 9 months to 4 years, including the 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements and 2 Help funding. The standard arrangement stretches entitlement across the nursery's operating weeks. Funded hours can be used alone or combined with additional paid care, within day, morning or afternoon sessions between 8am and 6pm, subject to availability.

Private-session fees are all inclusive, covering meals and consumables. During funded hours, food, consumables and enrichment are charged separately through the optional Essentials Package; consumables include wipes, nappies, nappy bags, cream and suncream. Parents can opt out by contacting the manager before term begins, with suitable alternatives or arrangements for disposing of consumables potentially required under the nursery's policy.

A registration charge and deposit apply, both waived for fully funded places; the deposit is credited against the final invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Keeping funded hours, additional care and the optional package separate makes the overall commitment easier to assess.

• Individual learning. January 2024's improvement points concerned children's starting abilities and how precisely activities matched their learning needs. On a visit, ask how information from home now shapes your child's first learning plans.
• Minimum attendance. Four morning or afternoon sessions, or two full days, must include a Monday or Friday. This matters if your preferred care days fall in the middle of the week.
• Funded extras. The Essentials Package is optional during funded hours, with an opt-out deadline before term starts. Review the alternative food and consumables arrangements alongside your intended sessions.
• Allergy arrangements. Meals are prepared on site. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling practice and how their child's requirements are communicated to staff.

Footsteps Atherstone suits families seeking full-day care or morning and afternoon sessions across the year, provided its minimum booking pattern fits their week. Outdoor areas, a sensory room and freshly prepared meals give the daily offer substance beyond its timetable.

The January 2024 judgement supports a positive assessment, balanced by specific questions about individual learning plans. The decision rests on both sides: whether the care pattern works for your family, and how clearly practitioners can connect your child's existing abilities with what comes next.