First Steps Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Shepton Mallet 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 July 2025. Open since 1993, with 42 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 Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Somerset 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
BA4 5QTWhat 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, 2 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are enthusiastic, motivated learners who flourish from the care and learning opportunities staff provide to support their development. The newly implemented curriculum is ambitiously designed. Leaders thoughtfully work with local schools to select educational programmes that deliver their curriculum effectively. For example, children join in with daily literacy sessions that build phonological awareness. They learn rhymes, sounds and visuals of letters in the alphabet through games that provide familiarity when children transition to school.
Staff skilfully deliver this well, both playfully and energetically helping children to have a go and keep on trying to meet important milestones in their learning and development.
Leaders deploy staff well. Children have ample support during the day to meet their needs. For example, during mealtimes, staff sit with children and have meaningful conversations and read books. Staff are attentive and actively promote children's independence, helping them to cut their own fruit and serve their own lunch.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop assessment procedures to provide early intervention for children to support their communication skills.
- 2 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 30 June 2021Good
- 13 February 2017Good
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.