Little Footsteps Nursery

Rock pools at Scarborough’s north bay and woodland adventures at Raincliffe woods give Little Footsteps Nursery a clear character. Outdoor learning reaches beyond the garden: Beach School brings children close to coastal wildlife, while Forest School uses stories, natural materials and woodland exploration to give play a purpose. For families who value learning outdoors, these are substantial parts of the nursery experience.

Little Footsteps has capacity for 60 children aged 1 to 60 months in Scarborough. At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and judged safeguarding arrangements effective. The practical strengths include separate spaces for sensory play, construction, imaginative play and creative activities, alongside an outdoor programme that takes children into contrasting environments.

Full-day, morning and afternoon attendance patterns serve different family routines, with both all-year and term-time options. The distinction matters: this is a nursery to consider for shorter sessions as well as a complete working day.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room centres on sensory exploration, with contrasting black-and-white resources, natural objects and musical instruments, plus a cosy corner and opportunities to move between rooms during free-flow play. Babies can encounter different textures and sounds rather than relying on one kind of toy. The combination of active exploration and a quieter corner gives the space more than one pace.

Within the Toddler Room, small-world and dressing-up play sit alongside construction resources, a cushioned book corner and creative materials, while free-flow access outside brings sand, water, bikes and tyres into the day. These are different ways to explore the same developing interests: a child can build, pretend, make marks or move. Resources rotate to sustain interest, and labelled water bottles remain accessible throughout the day.

Little Bigs combines construction, maths, music and technology with story character spoons, imaginative play and a creative room offering water, sand, painting and gluing. The story spoons give children something physical to use while acting out a book. Doctors, vets and dentist play can follow their interests, connecting familiar experiences with conversation and make-believe.

BIGS brings together a quieter reading space, role play, construction and messy activities, with Finger gym providing practical exercises for the hand movements used in early writing. Children choose resources for themselves, and the room also includes jigsaws, games and musical instruments. The emphasis is on doing and choosing, with several routes into an activity rather than a single task for everyone.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care, with play here involving language, physical exploration, relationships and early mark making. Forest School and Beach School extend that learning into woodland and coastal settings. They add environments and experiences to the framework rather than replacing it.

Forest School takes children to Raincliffe woods by minibus. Stories involving the Wizard and Hector the dragon set problems for children to solve using their surroundings, including building with natural materials. Streams, fallen trees and woodland creatures provide further opportunities to explore. Fiction and practical investigation work together: children have a reason to make something, test an idea or examine what they find.

Beach School includes rock-pool exploration, sand activities and paddling at Scarborough’s north bay. Minibus journeys also take children to Cayton bay, Flamborough north landing and Scarborough south bay, with the destination chosen to match the planned activity. That gives the coastal programme different settings rather than treating every beach visit as interchangeable.

In October 2023, children investigated insects during woodland sessions and explored textures through materials including feathers, jelly and pumpkins. Activities also addressed litter, using objects placed in the woods to help children distinguish things that belonged there from things that did not. These examples show how exploration could lead into language, observation and care for the environment.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Nursery Garden supports active play through climbing equipment, a slide, a trampoline and wheeled toys. A large sand tray and Mud Kitchen provide opportunities for handling and experimenting with materials. Books and creative resources also move outdoors, so garden time can include quieter activities as well as movement.

This is useful breadth for families attracted by the outdoor programme. Woodland and beach outings offer changing surroundings; the garden provides an outdoor setting within the nursery itself. The different spaces support different kinds of play, from imaginative cooking to physical challenges and reading.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2023, staff spent time getting to know children as they started and developing close relationships with them. Children approached adults for help and played alongside friends. For parents thinking about settling, the important detail is the attention given to understanding the child, rather than treating the start as simply a change of timetable.

Communication with families in October 2023 included daily conversations, parents’ evenings and photographs shared online. Staff also supplied ideas and resources for learning at home, including the book of the week. This gave parents a concrete way to pick up an interest beyond nursery hours, rather than receiving only a general account of the day.

Independence was visible in small routines in October 2023: children selected snacks, poured drinks and practised putting on coats and shoes with encouragement. Those tasks matter because they give children manageable responsibilities. Adults could support them while allowing them to attempt the task themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A chef adapts meals using information about children’s dietary requirements, and the menu runs on a four-week cycle. Families with dietary needs therefore have a specific arrangement to discuss, while the changing menu gives children opportunities to encounter different foods.

School preparation in October 2023 included information shared with receiving schools, visits in both directions and school uniforms available for dressing-up play. These were practical ways to make the next setting more familiar. The transition work concerned preparation and communication, rather than an admissions advantage.

Two teaching points also deserve attention. In October 2023, adults did not consistently repeat children’s words with the correct pronunciation, and distractions sometimes interrupted younger children’s planned group activities. Both concern the detail of everyday interaction: how clearly language is modelled and how well an activity holds a young child’s attention.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 30 Columbus Ravine, Scarborough, YO12 7JT. It opens Monday to Friday, from 7.45am to 5.45pm, across the year, closing for bank holidays and two weeks at Christmas. Families can contact the nursery by telephone or through its contact form.

A full day runs from 7.45am to 5.45pm. Ordinary morning sessions run from 7.45am to 1pm, while afternoons run from 1pm to 5.45pm. Both all-year and term-time prices apply to these attendance options, making the choice of calendar as relevant as the choice of session.

Funded half-day timings differ: mornings run from 8am to 1pm and afternoons from 12.45pm to 5.45pm. These differences deserve attention when arranging collection or combining nursery with work. A funded full day uses 10 entitlement hours; a funded half day uses five.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years Funding is accepted from ages 9 months+. Early Learning funding (2 years) and the universal 15 hours from 3 years old are allocated on a term-time basis. The 9 month + funding for working parents is stretched across the full academic year. The funding category therefore affects the attendance calendar, rather than every funded arrangement following the same pattern.

Private-session meals are included: full days include breakfast, snacks, lunch and tea, morning sessions include breakfast, snack and lunch, and afternoons include snack and tea. Funded sessions carry separate charges for meals and academic outings, including Forest School and Beach School sessions; a funded full day counts as two sessions for these charges.

The fees and funding page explains the charge structure. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Families weighing a funded arrangement should distinguish entitlement hours from the meals and outing charges associated with their chosen sessions.

• Outdoor routines. Forest School involves woodland exploration, while Beach School includes rock pools and paddling. During a visit, ask how outings are organised for your child’s stage and how staff manage supervision across these different settings.
• Language and attention. The October 2023 improvement points concerned pronunciation modelling and distractions during younger children’s group activities. Ask how staff now support these parts of the day, especially if your child benefits from quieter activities or extra language support.
• Funded attendance. Funded half-day times differ from ordinary morning and afternoon sessions, and funding categories use different calendars. Check that the proposed pattern fits your routine and that the written quotation separates meals and outings from entitlement hours.
• Dietary needs. The chef uses children’s dietary information to adapt meals. Families managing allergies should confirm current preparation and serving arrangements before agreeing attendance.

Little Footsteps suits families seeking outdoor exploration alongside indoor sensory, imaginative and creative play. Its woodland stories, coastal destinations and room resources give parents concrete reasons to consider it, while the October 2023 teaching priorities provide useful questions for a visit.

The attendance options suit families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days, across the year or in term time. The decision is about the whole arrangement: the environments your child will use, the session calendar and the additional charges attached to funded attendance.