Footprints Child Care

A secret garden, vegetable growing and a duckling egg-hatching experience give Footprints Child Care a practical, nature-led thread. These were part of children's learning in June 2025, with opportunities to explore living things rather than only hear about them.

Footprints Child Care, in Bamber Bridge, Preston, has capacity for 62 children from birth to five. At its 26 June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. The strongest reasons to consider it are the concrete learning experiences and support tailored to individual children; the teaching improvements deserve attention too.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday routines help children build language, understanding and independence.

In June 2025, children hunted for bugs in the garden and grew vegetables they could later harvest. Babies recalled the duckling egg-hatching experience through duck sounds. The secret garden added another outdoor area for exploration, giving the natural-world learning a physical setting.

Mathematics also appeared in everyday movement that June. Children counted their steps between areas and identified shapes around them. Speaking and listening opportunities accompanied these activities, although staff questioning did not consistently stretch children's thinking or reveal how much they understood. Some group teaching also needed better adjustment to take learning further. These are specific teaching weaknesses, rather than a criticism of the activities themselves.

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children made good progress and that support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities was especially effective, with assessments, parent discussions, timely referrals and work with other professionals.

In June 2025, staff gathered information from parents about children's existing skills before planning their next learning steps. An online portal carried updates home, while families borrowed activity packs and storybooks. This gave parents practical ways to continue learning beyond nursery hours.

Health and independence featured in routines that June. Older children carried their lunch plates and washed their hands themselves; babies practised tooth brushing with staff and a song. Going to the Dentist was among the stories used to introduce oral care. Staff explained behaviour expectations, and children practised manners and taking turns. Team meetings, supervision and behaviour-management training supported staff practice.

The address is 10 Brindle Road, Bamber Bridge, Preston, PR5 6RQ.

In June 2025, the nursery operated throughout the year, Monday to Friday, with session times running from 7.30am to 6pm. It also provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children at that time. Those dated arrangements give families a useful starting point for considering attendance.

• Stretching children's thinking. June 2025 teaching sometimes stopped short of exploring children's ideas or extending group learning. Ask how staff now develop questioning and adapt activities for children ready for more.
• Planning attendance. The June 2025 session window spanned the working day. On a visit, discuss which booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would fit your family.

Footprints Child Care suits families who value hands-on exploration and practical links between nursery and home. The June 2025 picture combined nature-based experiences, growing independence and targeted support. Its teaching needs to stretch children's thinking more consistently, making that the most useful point to explore when choosing it.