First Steps Nursery
First Steps Nursery is a day nursery in Peterborough for children aged 0 to 4, with 73 registered places. Ofsted report card, 10 February 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.
West End Road, Maxey, Peterborough, PE6 9HA
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 0 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 73 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 10 May 2011 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 10 February 2026
Who runs it
First Steps Nursery is run by First Steps Nursery (Maxey) Limited (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
- Achievement: Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
- Leadership and governance: Expected standard
- Safeguarding standards met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 10 February 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children enjoy their time in the nursery and develop a sense of belonging. They separate easily from parents and carers and are eager to play. Children settle quickly because staff offer gentle reassurance and sensitive support. Babies experience warm, responsive interactions from their key person, helping them to develop secure attachments and early communication skills. Staff promote children's attendance, working in partnership with parents to ensure that children's individual needs are met.
Leaders have recently made changes to the children's learning environments, including changing base rooms to support better transitions as children move through the nursery. These changes have had a positive impact on children's play and learning. Children have adapted well to their new playrooms and the increased opportunities for independent play. Children play together and learn the importance of sharing and turn-taking. They form close friendships and are kind and helpful towards others. For example, children hold each other's hands to support and steady themselves as they walk across a balancing beam.
Leaders and staff design an effective curriculum and generally implement it well. There is a focus on helping children to be independent and to be able to communicate confidently. Children enjoy active play that helps to promote a healthy lifestyle, and all children spend quality time in the outdoor environments. They develop good attitudes to learning and achieve well across the curriculum. Since the last inspection, staff have improved their understanding of the intent for children's learning during activities, and there is a focus on making learning inviting and exciting. Where children, including those in receipt of additional funding, need extra support, staff recognise and respond swiftly to help meet their needs.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Expected standard
Leaders and staff demonstrate that they understand how to build on children's knowledge and skills. Staff specifically trained to coordinate the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are new to the role and continue to develop their knowledge and experience. However, they demonstrate a clear overview of the children needing extra help in their learning and development. They understand how to meet their needs. Staff make links with outside professionals when required. They follow advice and guidance to help devise and support children's individual learning targets and review these regularly. Staff implement appropriate strategies to support children's learning needs. For example, they use visual pictures or objects of reference to help children understand what is coming next as part of the daily routine.
Leaders are aware of those children in receipt of additional funding. They use these funds to help enhance the nursery experiences for children, such as providing more staff support within the rooms and targeted resources that meet children's interests and learning needs. Staff work closely with parents and carers throughout children's time in the nursery and hold regular discussions about their child's progress. They discuss how they can work together to meet children's needs both in the nursery and at home.
Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
Staff know their key children and their families well and form close bonds. The curriculum focuses on children gaining the skills they need for moving on to school, including their language skills, social development and independence. Staff plan activities that cover all areas of learning. Staff work hard to promote the importance of books and a love of reading throughout the nursery. Staff weave mathematics into everyday routines, such as snack time. They encourage children to count how many children are present and how many plates they need. There are daily opportunities for all children to be physically active. Staff monitor children's learning closely and identify next steps that consider children's individual needs and starting points.
Teaching during most activities is purposeful and enables children, including those who face barriers to their learning, to achieve well across all areas of the curriculum. Staff generally demonstrate clear intent for children's learning, such as naming the different parts of a plant and understanding their function when exploring spring flowers. Staff engage children in conversation to help build language skills. Routine activities, such as mealtimes, are promoted well as a social occasion. However, at times, staff do not model language effectively or make the most of incidental teaching opportunities to extend the older children's learning beyond what they already know.
Achievement: Expected standard
Overall, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face additional barriers, typically progress well. They are suitably prepared for their next stage of education. Children build their confidence and follow the daily routines with ease. They are keen to take part in the activities, such as jelly play and creating objects with dough. This helps them to gain skills for the future.
Babies and young children's communication, language and literacy development benefit from singing nursery rhymes, and they enjoy exploring books. Children learn a variety of new words, such as the names of animals. This helps to build their vocabulary and language skills. Older children spend time exploring books independently and listen well in group story sessions. They remain engaged and confidently follow the narrative.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
Staff understand the importance of building valued and positive partnerships with parents. They gather essential information about children to help them settle and explain the benefits of regular attendance. Children and staff have responded positively to recent changes made to children's learning environments. Leaders have monitored the impact on children. They find the changes have resulted in calmer environments and increased adult engagement in activities. Staff are warm and kind and encourage children to develop a positive attitude to learning. The structure of the day helps children to become familiar with the daily routines and behaviour expectations. Staff model the behaviours they expect of children, such as being polite. Children learn how to share and take turns. In group activities, the older children demonstrate that they can understand and follow instructions. For example, they move parts of their bodies into different positions when asked as part of a game.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported by staff to manage any difficulties they may face during changes in routine. Staff consistently monitor routine activities so that they meet the needs of all children. Recent changes to lunchtime routines in the pre-school mean that children spend less time waiting to serve their own food. Leaders have identified further improvements to develop children's independence during this time, but these are yet to be embedded.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
Leaders and staff create a safe, welcoming space. Key-person relationships are positive. Babies smile and approach staff for cuddles, and children giggle when staff make them laugh. Staff ensure that new children spend time with their key person to help them feel safe and settled. Staff generally encourage discussions about feelings and emotions, which helps children to recognise and begin to understand these. Care routines meet all children's needs effectively. Nappy changing areas afford children their privacy, and staff are respectful of children when asking them to have their nappy changed. Staff embed positive hygiene practices, such as handwashing. Children participate in planned activities that promote the importance of brushing their teeth.
Staff promote children's physical skills, and children have daily opportunities to be active. Leaders have further enhanced opportunities to promote a healthy lifestyle. They have recently introduced focused dance and movement sessions and a cooking club to help promote healthy foods. At mealtimes, staff help children learn about foods that make them grow 'big and strong'. Young children are encouraged to be independent. They prepare their own food at snack time. Children are supported to handle the safety knifes correctly to help them gain an understanding of how to keep themselves safe.
Leadership and governance: Expected standard
Leaders generally understand the strengths and areas of development in the nursery. They evaluate and implement changes that have a positive impact for children. Leaders have reflected on the areas to develop since the last inspection, and a continuous programme of professional development has helped to improve staff's knowledge and skills in childcare. Engagement with children in activities is now more purposeful and supportive. Leaders also give staff the time they need to support children who face barriers to their learning. However, there have been recent changes to the ownership of the nursery, and some staff members are new. Leaders are aware of some of the small inconsistencies in teaching. They have appropriately placed an area of focus on helping staff to develop their confidence and recognise the need to embed high-quality teaching consistently into staff's everyday practice.
Staff speak highly of leaders. They appreciate and value the regular team meetings and supervision sessions, which focus on additional training and on their wellbeing. This helps to ensure that the nursery continues to develop and improve. Parents speak highly of the setting. They find staff approachable and caring and appreciate the support and advice they receive.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should continue with plans to build the confidence of staff to deliver high-quality interactions.
- Leaders should embed high-quality practice that enables staff to consistently adapt and respond to children's thinking during their play.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 10 February 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
- 10 February 2026: Full inspection, report card: Expected standard in 6
- 6 November 2025: Actions after a concern (report)
- 29 September 2025: Full inspection, Inadequate (report)
- 21 January 2020: Full inspection, Good (report)
- 24 January 2019: Full inspection, Requires improvement (report)
- 31 May 2018: Inspection (report)
- 17 September 2015: Inspection (report)
- 16 November 2011: Inspection (report)
Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)
Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.
Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.
Source: Ofsted reports
Funded childcare hours in England
All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.
Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.
The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.
Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)
Other nurseries nearby
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- Carousel Day Nursery - Day nursery, Peterborough PE6 8HA, ages 0 to 4, 46 places, 1.6 milesOfsted report card, 8 July 2026: Strong standard in 2 areas, Expected standard in 4 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Madcaps - Day nursery, Peterborough PE6 8JE, ages 2 to 11, 62 places, 1.7 milesOfsted, 14 March 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Carousel Nursery - Day nursery, Peterborough PE6 8EY, ages 1 to 4, 36 places, 1.8 milesOfsted, 4 May 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Sunflower Seed Preschool - Day nursery, Peterborough PE6 9BN, ages 2 to 4, 49 places, 1.8 milesOfsted, 24 June 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective