First Steps Private Day Nursery, Pennington

Separate outdoor areas, rooms organised by age and food cooked on site give First Steps Private Day Nursery, Pennington a clear practical character. Its purpose-built premises are in Leigh, with capacity for 73 children aged two months to five years.

No Ofsted inspection has been published for this setting yet. The nursery offers full-day care alongside morning and afternoon sessions.

Rooms and Ages

Tinies room, for approximately 12 to 24 months, combines sensory play with music, painting and toys for imaginative exploration. Early Learning room, for approximately 24 to 36 months, adds child-led work on shapes and numbers, alongside support with handwashing and toilet training. Pre School room, for approximately three to five years, uses themed areas for early maths, reading, mark-making and imaginative play.

The EYFS guides learning through play, with activities developing language, movement, relationships and later skills such as literacy and maths. It is the shared early-years framework; here, preschool learning also uses monthly topics and children’s interests to shape activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor areas connect directly to the rooms, with younger children playing separately from preschool children. Soft artificial grass, slides and push-along vehicles serve babies and toddlers; preschool children have climbing equipment and a messy kitchen incorporating sand and water. Sensory gardens and vegetable patches add opportunities to explore growing things. This gives outdoor play several forms, from movement to hands-on investigation.

A key person acts as the family’s main contact, supports settling and shares progress. Parents can contribute observations from home and look through their child’s portfolio, helping staff connect nursery learning with life beyond it. Class Dojo, newsletters and conversations provide further communication routes.

Sleep routines are worked out with parents around the child’s needs. Safeguarding arrangements include staff DBS checks and a policy preventing unvetted adults from being alone with children; these are arrangements rather than an inspection judgement.

Cooks prepare food in the nursery kitchen using fresh, locally bought ingredients, with weaning food adapted to individual babies. Paid-session fees include meals according to attendance, with vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free diets catered for; allergies and food preferences are discussed when children start.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Kirkham Road, Pennington, Leigh, WN7 3UQ. Pennington opens Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6pm; morning sessions run from 7:45am to 12:45pm and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. Full-day and half-day bookings also form part of the offer.

Term-time and year-round places are offered, with preschool funding spread across the year for year-round attendance. Bank holidays and the Christmas-to-New-Year period are closures; bank-holiday fees remain payable, while one Christmas week is free of fees. Enquiries use the Pennington contact form or telephone 01942 679509.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds and 15 or 30 hours from the school term after children turn three, subject to entitlement. Term-time and year-round arrangements are offered. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation and fees information.

Paid-session fees include meals appropriate to attendance, plus nappies, wipes and creams; breakfast is excluded for morning-only sessions and free places. Parents supply formula and sun cream. A deposit is held during attendance and credited against final fees with four full weeks’ leaving notice.

The nursery describes a link with Green Meadow Independent Primary School. Attendance does not guarantee a school place: families use the school’s own admissions process.

• The youngest children. Tinies room’s approximate age band begins at 12 months. On a visit, discuss the daily routine and feeding arrangements for a younger baby.
• Funded attendance. Breakfast is excluded for free places. Request a written breakdown of meals and consumables for the funded pattern you are considering.
• Dietary needs. Food is cooked on site and dietary requirements are discussed at joining. Confirm current allergy procedures before agreeing a feeding plan.

First Steps suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with term-time and year-round options. Its outdoor spaces, age-based rooms and parent communication give families concrete points to weigh alongside their child’s feeding, sleep and attendance needs.