First Steps Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Basildon for babies from a few weeks old up to school age, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £58.28 a day for 2-3 Years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2025. Open since 2016, with 64 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
52 weeks a year, price list dated 18/12/2025.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | Weekly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-2 Yearsbirth to 2y | £65.00 | £23.00Subject to nursery availability £38.756 hrs | £8.65Less than 6 hours | £285.00Full Week | |
| 2-3 Years2y to 3y | £58.28 | £19.85Subject to nursery availability £36.656 hrs | £7.60 | £264.00Full Week | |
| 3-5 Years3y to 5y | £56.18 | £18.80Subject to nursery availability £34.556 hrs | £7.00 | £250.00Full Week | |
| All ages | £27.00 | £18.006 hrs | – | £75.00Full Week Both £98.00Full Week |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £1.70 a day DinnerDinner extra or provide packed lunch from home
- £7.00 a week Dinner all Week
- £8.00 a day Single Day Breakfast
- £10.00 a day Single Evening
- £14.00 a day Individual Days breakfast and Evening
- £47.50 a week Full Week Evening
Funded hours
Registered for 2, 3 and 4 year old free entitlement funding.
Worth knowing. Funding – ‘Voluntary chargeable extra’ please be aware that we do not charge for extras currently.
What childcare usually costs in Essex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Essex 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
SS13 3EAWhat 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.
- 30 July 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 27 March 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are warmly welcomed by attentive staff who are genuinely pleased to see them. A settling-in process, along with good partnerships with parents, mean staff know the children well before they attend. Therefore, children demonstrate they are settled, confident and excited to attend. They leave their parents with ease and get busy with the activities provided. The management team is committed to providing good-quality teaching. The curriculum is planned to support children for a smooth transition to school. Activities support what children already know and their interests, along with seasonal themes, such as spring time. An inclusive environment and a variety of resources that are easily accessible on open shelving, help children self-select and initiate their own learning.
Children have established close and trusting bonds with their key person. For example, they are keen to sit with staff as they enjoy interactive stories at group time. They confidently approach staff when they want reassurance or help. The staff are nurturing and reassuring role models, and offer children praise for their efforts. Children understand the rules and expectations of the nursery and play well together, showing kindness and concern for their friends. Therefore, children's behaviour is good.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- plan more opportunities within the curriculum to challenge children's thinking to consistently build on what they already know and can do n improve the organisation of transition times to ensure that all children are fully engaged, and play is not interrupted at these times n strengthen learning opportunities and frequency of outdoor play to support those who prefer to learn outdoors.
- 27 March 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 23 May 2019Good
- 24 May 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for First Steps Day Nursery
- 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.
- Is £58.28 a day still the rate? 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.