First Steps Barley Croft
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Leicester for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 2016, with 40 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
What childcare usually costs in Leicester
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Leicester 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
LE4 0UUWhat 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, 19 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settle quickly at this inclusive and welcoming setting. Staff form strong bonds with children in their care. This is demonstrated, for example, by the way that children spontaneously hug staff as they leave the setting at the end of the session. Staff frequently praise children for their efforts and encourage them to 'have a go' at basic tasks. Children develop positive attitudes to their learning and confidently make choices in their play. All children make good progress in their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Staff make sure that children know what is expected of them. They regularly remind children about the routines of the day. For example, they use pictures and signing to indicate what will happen next. This helps children to move smoothly between, for example, free play and tidying up. Staff consistently support children to understand why they need to behave kindly to others. Staff are positive role models, who are caring, respectful and polite. Younger children use signs and symbols that staff provide to help them understand about their emotions and begin to self-regulate.
The carefully structured curriculum is based around individual children's interests and needs. Children eagerly take part in a range of age-appropriate activities that stimulate all of their senses. Staff motivate them to explore materials and resources, asking questions, such as 'What will happen if?' For example, during water play, children experiment with different objects to discover which sink and which float, developing their early scientific thinking and problem-solving skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to plan and engage even more effectively with children for group activities n strengthen the two-way exchange of information with parents to ensure a consistent approach to children's care and learning development.
- 19 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 1 October 2019Good
- 13 December 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for First Steps Barley Croft
- 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.