First Steps
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.7 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Redhill for babies from 6 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2021, though that is 5 years ago now. Open since 2000, with 60 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All eligible children aged from 9 months to school age will receive 30 hours of funded childcare a week, which adds up to 1,140 funded hours per year. All 3-year-old plus children are eligible for 15 hours per week, for 38 weeks per year of funded childcare and education from the term following their 3 rd birthday of 570 hours per year.
Worth knowing. Whilst the Government funding is structured for 38 weeks of the year (term time), our places are for 51 weeks of the year and so the funding is ‘stretched’. When stretched, 15 funded hours become 11.18 hours per week, and 30 funded hours become 22.35 hours per week. Normal fees apply for any private hours attended over the funded hours and you will still receive a monthly charge even when claiming funding, this will be for of the additional hours your child attends that is not covered by the 38.
What childcare usually costs in Surrey
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Surrey from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
RH1 3LSWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 26 July 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at the setting, are collected by staff and settle into their age group room quickly. They promptly engage in the activities set out by staff to capture their interest, which enables learning opportunities to start immediately. Children develop good relationships with staff. There is an effective and well-established key-person system that enhances their emotional well-being and enables them to feel safe and secure. For example, babies receive warm cuddles when they wake from their sleep, allowing them all of the time they need on an individual basis.
Children develop good friendships with each other and spend large amounts of their time playing imaginatively. For example, older children took great delight in sharing and trying on the clothes and resources they may need for different holidays, such as swimming goggles. Children receive effective support to help them to understand when they may need to bring their chosen play to a close. For example, staff give them advanced notification throughout the day for routine changes and when they will need to stop and tidy up. This helps children to listen to and follow instructions well. Children learn to understand and value differences.
For example, staff recalled previous discussions and children were able to explain that they are all different and unique and are not the same. Staff celebrate children's family heritage and cultures effectively and fully engage with family members to achieve this.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- embed the new system of planning for children's interest and learning needs to ensure that all staff are secure in their knowledge of the process n provide further opportunities for young children to develop their large-muscle and climbing skills n evaluate and revise the areas used by babies to allow staff to explore further ways in which to provide more interest and intrigue for babies in their environment.
- 26 July 2021Good
- 18 February 2020Needs improvement
- 6 September 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for First Steps
- What it costs
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.