Small Steps Early Years Centre

Real-life objects, child-chosen activities and learning beyond the building give Small Steps Early Years Centre its character. At 108 Banks Road in West Kirby, the emphasis is on children investigating, making decisions and following an interest far enough to discover something new. Its capacity is 45 children, with a current age range of 36 to 60 months.

At its 12 December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the centre Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical thread is independence: accessible materials, opportunities to manage everyday tasks and adults who judge when to intervene. Those details matter more than a collection of branded activities.

Term-time attendance includes both shorter preschool sessions and longer day-care patterns. That gives families different ways to fit early education around their week.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) connects the centre's learning observations with children's development; in daily terms, children build language, understanding and practical skills through play. Alongside that framework, a Montessori Teaching Environment allows children to select activities according to their interests and development, with adult guidance. Choice has a concrete place in the day.

The centre is working towards the group-wide The Curiosity Approach, using everyday objects as resources for exploration. This is work towards the approach, rather than a claim of completed accreditation. Planning also responds to what children are doing and wondering about, so an interest can shape the next activity rather than being set aside for a fixed task.

In December 2023, a train layout became a prompt for conversation: objects around the track gave children something to notice and discuss. Counting developed through another familiar object, an advent calendar, with tactile resources used to explore numbers beyond ten. These examples show how ordinary play can carry deliberate teaching, while leaving children time to practise.

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that carefully chosen stories, patient questioning and close attention to language development supported children's progress, including children learning English as an additional language. Books were accessible throughout the setting, and story resources helped children sequence familiar narratives or invent their own. The educational emphasis was on using language, rather than simply hearing it.

Outdoor and Community Life

The group's Beach Explorers project introduces children to their local coast and marine environment. The centre's brochure connects it with West Kirby Beach and explains that it adapts Forest School principles. The practical attraction is learning about a nearby environment through exploration, rather than treating outdoor activity solely as a break from indoor play.

Little Rakes Gardening, another group programme included in the centre's provision, involves sowing, planting and harvesting. Lavender and herbs add sensory interest alongside growing produce. Children can follow what happens to a plant over time, with caring for living things becoming part of the activity.

In December 2023, children also regularly visited older residents at a nearby care home to sing and take part in shared activities. These visits gave respect for other people a practical setting. Inside the centre, the brochure describes cushioned reading spaces and neutral-coloured rugs: quieter places sit alongside more active investigation.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a designated key person. Information from home informs planning and the resources chosen for that child, while conversations with parents extend learning beyond the centre. This gives the relationship a purpose: family knowledge helps shape what happens during the nursery day.

The group's Tapestry online learning journal brings photographs and observations together with links to the EYFS. Parents can view their child's journal and contribute their own photographs and observations. It creates a shared account of development across home and nursery, rather than a one-way update.

Parent and Partnership Bags offer practical help with topics including Oral Hygiene and Welcoming a New Arrival. These are specific points at which nursery support can connect with family life, from everyday routines to a change at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In December 2023, family photographs and children's artwork helped personalise the surroundings, while calm spaces gave children somewhere to pause. Staff used story characters and images to discuss feelings. The combination helped children talk about emotions and use quieter spaces to relax.

Everyday independence was also visible that month. Children could reach art materials, find tissues and choose suitable outdoor clothing; dressing practice formed part of imaginative play. These are useful foundations for managing more of their own day as they grow.

Children bring packed lunches, with fruit snacks offered through the day and access to a Hydration Station. The centre has a nut-free policy, so lunch preparation needs to follow that policy.

Sessions and Attendance

The centre opens from 7.45am to 5.45pm during term time. Its day-care patterns are a full day from 8am to 5.45pm, a morning from 8am to 1pm and an afternoon from 1pm to 5.45pm.

Sessional preschool has a 9am to 3pm full day and a 9am to noon morning. Afternoon preschool timings differ between the brochure's session list and its fee table; the calendar and afternoon booking details deserve attention before committing to a pattern.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered, including sessional provision for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The centre's funded preschool patterns are term-time arrangements, and hours beyond a child's funded allocation carry an additional charge. Private day-care sessions are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Packed lunches come from home; breakfast and light tea are included in the relevant private day-care sessions. Funded sessions carry a separate charge for consumables and utilities. Nappies, wipes and creams come from home until the child is toilet trained.

A deposit is reimbursed on receipt of a month's notice. Ending a place requires a month's notice or fees in lieu, and changes to agreed sessions require a month's written notice. These terms matter if a family's working pattern is likely to change.

Getting There

The address is 108 Banks Road, West Kirby, CH48 0RE. The enquiry form includes an Early Years Centre option, keeping contact directed to this location.

Rise and Shine provides before- and after-school care for children attending St Bridget’s Primary School. It is a separate attendance purpose from preschool, with after-school teas following a two-week menu that changes seasonally.

• Age of entry. The current age range is 36 to 60 months, while the centre describes provision for ages 2 to 5. Families seeking a start at age 2 should establish which provision applies to their child.
• Calendar and afternoon sessions. The centre's two location descriptions give 39 and 42 weeks, while preschool afternoon sessions are listed as both noon to 3pm and 1pm to 3pm. Obtain the calendar and afternoon pattern in writing before booking.
• Lunches and funded extras. Packed lunches come from home, and funded sessions have separate consumables and utilities charges. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice around the nut-free policy.
• Learning through choice. Montessori activity selection and real-life resources shape the offer. On a visit, ask how staff help a child who needs encouragement to choose an activity or join others.

Small Steps suits families seeking either shorter morning or afternoon preschool attendance, or a longer day-care pattern, within a term-time setting. Montessori choice, coastal exploration and gardening give the offer a recognisable character, while the December 2023 judgement provides a strong dated assessment of quality.

The practical decision rests on matching the exact calendar and session to family needs. For children who enjoy investigating everyday materials and building independence through ordinary tasks, the centre's approach has clear appeal.