Little Stars at First Steps
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Accrington for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2022. Open since 2014, with 32 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 Lancashire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lancashire 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
BB5 1SPWhat 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, 8 July 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settled. They have strong relationships with all the staff in the setting. This helps children to feel secure and confident. Younger children enjoy time with their key person for cuddles and reassurance. Children take part in activities which follow their interests. For example, they play with firefighter dressing-up resources and use cardboard tubes in their role play, after a child recently showed an interest in this. Children are supported in their behaviour by staff using positive reinforcement and praise for good behaviour.
Children arrive excited to begin their day. They find their friends and begin to play, with the support of welcoming staff. Children work together with peers in the construction area, pretending to be builders and building houses. Children display high levels of self-confidence and self-esteem. Older children confidently greet new people and are happy to talk to them about their experiences at nursery. For example, children in the pre-school room talk about how the sand needs to be wet to build sandcastles.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, parents do not come into the building when dropping off and collecting children. However, staff use methods, such as online learning journals, to ensure that parents are kept up to date with their children's learning and development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop adult-led activities further to have a sharper focus on the learning intent and consider the knowledge and skills each individual child needs to acquire n strengthen peer observations and supervisions to ensure that training needs are identified which link to each staff member's individual goals.
- 8 July 2022Good
- 19 September 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Stars at First Steps
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.