First Steps Nursery
Good★ 4.5 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Nr. Warrington for children from birth to 8+, open 07:15 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2024. Open since 2002, with 226 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 Wigan
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Wigan 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
WA3 2RDWhat 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.
- 27 July 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 26 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff greet children with a smile at the front door as they arrive full of chatter and excitement ready for photo day. Children separate from their parents with ease and go off to find the inviting learning environments staff have created for them.
Leaders and staff have designed an ambitious, well-planned curriculum to ignite children's imagination and curiosity. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children in receipt of additional funding, are well supported. The excellent key-person system and accurate use of assessment means that gaps in children's learning and any specific needs are identified early and acted on quickly. All children make good progress in their learning and development.
Staff model expectations for children's behaviour and routines. For example, following the five-minute warning for tidy-up time, children vigorously work together to tidy up their classroom. They ensure that the inspector is aware that she too must tidy up. Additionally, younger children remind the inspector that they are to be rewarded with a sticker for their good work. Children know what is expected of them. Consequently, they are well behaved and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve deployment and organisation of staff at lunchtimes to meet children's needs n monitor more closely the implementation of the curriculum when routines change to ensure that all children's learning needs are met.
- 26 November 2024Good
- 2 September 2022Good
- 17 November 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for First Steps 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.