First Steps Childcare (Cambridgeshire) LTD
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Wisbech for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2022. Open since 2010, with 76 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Working Parents funding for eligible children from 9 months, the Free Two-Year-Old Government Funded Scheme for eligible children, and flexible Government Funded Early Years Education for eligible children from the term after their third birthday.
What childcare usually costs in Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
PE13 3DDWhat 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, 9 August 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children feel safe and secure as they confidently greet visitors with a welcoming wave and a beaming smile. Staff prioritise supporting children's physical, social and emotional well-being. The forest school offers a natural environment, with freedom and space, where children develop strength and resilience, while learning through their senses. From an early age, children confidently express their feelings and develop a positive self-esteem. The grand piano and real-life role play resources further develop children's understanding of the world they live in. Children delight in visiting the role play cafe for a cup of tea, while their peers serenade them with a gleeful tune on the recorders.
Children's love of reading is clear to see throughout the setting. Additionally, children benefit from opportunities to draw and write with a purpose. Relationships with young children are sensitive, stimulating and responsive. As a result, children form secure attachments, which promotes their independence and a love of learning. Young children learn through meaningful sensory experiences. They giggle alongside the staff as they clap 'gloop' between their hands and revel in being splashed.
Children are motivated to learn and keen to persevere. There are opportunities to interact with children of different ages. This has a positive impact on children's early social development and supports smooth transitions to the next stages of their learning. Children make solid friendships and are supported effectively to understand and respect the feelings of others. If a child is upset, staff offer them comfort and reassurance. Staff praise good manners. Children's behaviour is good and they understand what is expected of them. Staff consistently use highly effective action to support children who struggle to regulate their behaviour.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on already good teaching to further support and develop children's individual learning goals, and to challenge and deepen children's knowledge and understanding across the seven areas of learning.
- 9 August 2022Good
- 11 September 2015Outstanding
- 23 June 2011Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for First Steps Childcare (Cambridgeshire) LTD
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- 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.
- Is there a place for my child's age? 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.