One Small Step Day Nursery

Treasure baskets for babies and produce grown at Green Lane Allotments give One Small Step Day Nursery a recognisable character: hands-on learning starts with things children can touch, explore and use. This Horbury setting has capacity for 37 children, accepting ages from 3 months to 5 years. Its single-level, open-plan layout is divided into activity areas, giving younger children different spaces for different kinds of play.

At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The practical strengths are specific: home routines guide settling, a key worker provides daily communication, and children have opportunities to explore beyond the nursery through library visits and growing food. February 2022 teaching priorities concerned helping children join play and giving developing speakers more time to respond. Both deserve attention alongside the positive judgement.

Attendance choices include Short Day, Half Day and Full day bookings, with a minimum of two days of childcare. Their timings, and a conflict between the Full day finish and opening hours, matter when planning collection.

Rooms and Ages

The 0-2 year’s room combines home routines with sensory exploration: Heuristic play uses natural materials in treasure baskets, while messy play introduces textures through jelly, pasta, ice and beans. Babies and younger toddlers investigate through touch, with familiar routines guiding settling.

In the 2-5 Room, a more structured routine brings group activities alongside music, sensory experiences and opportunities to choose, with planned learning about colour, numbers, shapes and size. Informal teaching helps children participate together and make their own decisions.

Activity areas divide the open-plan indoor space, with age-appropriate resources and displays of children’s work. Younger children have separate spaces for different kinds of play.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the statutory foundation for the day, covering communication, physical development, relationships and early learning through play. Room activities make this concrete through textures, shapes and choices; Heuristic play adds exploration of natural objects.

In February 2022, babies investigated dough and foam, toddlers tried different painting tools, and older children used early writing during play. Group stories, songs and rhymes complemented younger children’s mark-making and recognition of written language.

That February, preschool children built a garden walkway together using tyres and planks, combining construction with cooperation.

Outdoor and Community Life

A carpeted outdoor area accommodates scooters, bikes and children’s cars. A climbing frame, slide and swings provide another kind of physical challenge, with safety matting beneath the equipment. These are different opportunities for movement, allowing children to practise riding as well as climbing and balancing.

Regular visits to Green Lane Allotments connect planting and harvesting with food used at mealtimes. That gives growing a practical endpoint: produce becomes something children can eat, rather than an isolated gardening activity. Horbury Park is another named local space, with climbing walls and swings among its equipment.

The youngest children visit the local library for stories and choose books to share back at nursery. Attendance at the community-centre playgroup also introduces different toys and resources. Together, these outings broaden the places in which children play and learn, rather than making all experiences dependent on the nursery’s own rooms.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key worker who discusses settling and existing routines with parents. Detailed forms in the youngest room help keep care consistent between home and nursery.

Daily conversations with the key worker cover activities, the child’s day and progress. Communication also extends beyond handovers: My child's star achievements, Marvellous me book, My child's interests and Parent feedback forms give parents ways to contribute to the learning journey. These make home experiences part of the conversation, rather than leaving communication entirely to staff updates.

Staff take part in ongoing development, with internal training and regular team meetings. Enhanced DBS checks are part of the staffing arrangements, and a coded front gate controls access. Those are operational measures; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the relevant assessment of effectiveness.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified learning gaps early and worked with parents and other professionals to obtain support, helping children progress. This describes how support worked at that visit, rather than promising a particular outcome for a child joining now. In February 2022, additional funding also supported resources for cooperative play, helping quieter children build friendships.

During February 2022, staff used strategies to help children manage frustration and feelings, and children learnt about caring for their teeth. The picture was of practical support within everyday activities. However, some children needed more help entering purposeful play, and developing speakers sometimes needed longer to answer and practise words. These are specific teaching points, especially relevant to families whose child is quiet or hesitant in groups.

Meals and snacks are included in the service and freshly prepared at nursery, with menus rotating over three weeks. Dietary requirements can be requested, and weaning follows parents’ lead, using fruit and vegetables suitable for purées or finger foods.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 1-2 Northfield Lane, Horbury, WF4 5DW. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday; the nursery closes on bank holidays, for a week in August and over Christmas, with closure dates communicated through newsletters.

The booking choices are Short Day from 9am to 3pm, Half Day from 8.30am to 4.30pm, and Full day from 7.30am to 5.45pm. Those are the nursery’s labels, so the Half Day option is a substantially longer booking than its name might imply. A minimum of two days applies at any age. Wraparound care and part-time places are also offered.

Enquiries can be made by form, telephone or email, with an application form providing a separate joining route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for three- and four-year-olds and qualifying two-year-olds. For three- and four-year-olds, the stated entitlement is 15 hours term-time or 11 hours stretched each week, starting from the term after their third birthday. Qualifying working families have options of 30 hours term-time or 22 hours stretched. Additional paid hours can be booked subject to availability within the setting. Eligibility conditions remain important when choosing a pattern.

Meals and snacks are included in the service. Funded childcare carries a separate warning that additional charges may apply, so families should obtain a current written quotation showing their chosen hours and associated charges. That makes the distinction between the funded entitlement and the complete childcare bill clear before booking.

There is no registration charge, and nursery holidays and bank holidays are not charged. Every child receives two weeks of holiday at half price during the year. Payments are due monthly in advance on the first, and withdrawing a child requires a month’s written notice. These terms matter alongside the session choice: regular commitments and departure arrangements shape the cost of changing plans.

• Collection times. The Full day booking ends at 5.45pm, while opening hours end at 5.30pm. Confirm the agreed finish before building work or collection arrangements around either time.
• Support during play. February 2022 priorities included helping children join self-chosen activities and allowing more time for speech. On a visit, ask how staff support a hesitant child and leave space for them to answer.
• Your childcare bill. Funded hours may attract additional charges, while meals and snacks are included in the general service. Request a current written quotation showing your chosen hours and any additional charges.
• Planned closures. Bank holidays, an August closure week and Christmas closures interrupt attendance. Match the newsletter dates to your own childcare arrangements before committing to the two-day minimum.

One Small Step suits families seeking a choice between Short Day, Half Day and Full day attendance, with familiar routines for babies and practical activities as children grow. Treasure baskets, library visits and Green Lane Allotments give the offer substance. Daily key-worker conversations and ways for parents to contribute to learning are useful parts of the care model.

The Good judgement dates to February 2022, and the teaching priorities from that visit should inform a conversation about present practice. The collection-time conflict also needs a clear answer. For families comfortable with the minimum attendance and planned closures, this is an option with concrete learning experiences and an established system for sharing children’s routines.