First Steps Day Nursery
Good★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Ashford for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2022. Open since 2001, with 74 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
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
TW15 3AAWhat 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, 10 June 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are confident, happy and emotionally secure in this friendly setting. They receive a warm welcome from the caring staff team, which helps them to settle in quickly. Children are enthusiastic learners and show high levels of interest and engagement in their play. They are curious and imaginative. Children make independent choices from the activities and resources. For example, older children spend a long time making 'cakes' in the sand tray, talking with their friends about the different flavours they have made. Toddlers smile and clap with joy as they scoop sand to find hidden objects in the sand tray. Children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning.
Children have developed strong bonds with the kind and nurturing staff.
Expectations for all children are high. For instance, staff communicate with nonverbal children using visual prompts. This helps children to engage with the curriculum, which supports their learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from an inclusive and nurturing learning environment.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- continue to develop staff's knowledge of the intention behind educational programmes so that activities have a clearer focus n enhance teaching skills further to challenge older children and develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
- 10 June 2022Good
- 12 October 2016Good
- 2 May 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for First Steps Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? 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.