Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School

Sandy Hill Farm, Fradley Junction, Alrewas, Burton-on-Trent DE13 7DW
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9.9 67 Reviews
  • Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School, Burton-on-Trent
Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School, rated Good by Ofsted (March 2023), offers children an exciting environment to grow and develop. The nursery is located in a converted barn set in a stunning rural location surrounded by fields.

The large outdoor play environments give children excellent opportunities to explore and experience the world around them and develop in all areas while having fun.

The nursery offers forest school sessions as well as a variety of extracurricular activities.

Meals are prepared on-site from fresh ingredients to give the children the energy they need to play and learn all day.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Nicola Riley (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 24

Total Places for Children

  • 114

Age Range

  • from 0 years 6 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • Explore the wide range of childcare funding options tailored for children aged 9 months to 4 years over on our website.
    https://footstepsnurseries.co.uk/childcare-funding

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:30-18:00
    Tuesday 07:30-18:00
    Wednesday 07:30-18:00
    Thursday 07:30-18:00
    Friday 07:30-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays

Parking

  • The nursery has on-site parking for easy drop off/pick up.

Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School Reviews (67)

9.9

Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.904) out of 10, based on 34 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School has 67 reviews.

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Date Published
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Reviewer Connection to Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
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Total of 67, showing 41-60
Review from C R (Mother of Child) published on 22 June 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This nursery setting and all of its staff are nothing but outstanding. My son has thrived from day one and all staff even outside of his class have taken time to get to know him - which shows because he is so happy to see them! I drop him off with no worries, and picking him up is lovely because the
staff are happy to take time out to discuss their day. I can’t recommend it enough. It has been life changing for us as a family taking away so many worries and knowing my son is number 1 priority like he is at home!
Reply from Nichola Riley, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are so pleased that we have made the transition into nursery life a positive one. Many thanks
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Review from Emma B (Mother of Child) published on 14 June 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending this nursery for over 2 years and it is a wonderful place which he loves attending. After a couple of months of staffing issues (along with the whole childcare industry) and management changes (original management returning from maternity leave), the nursery has turned a corner
and these issues seem to have now been resolved.


The management are happy to listen to any issues or changes that may be suggested to help the care of the children, including having a parent forum in which parents can take part to listen to management and provide positive feedback and changes on the running of the nursery.
The current staff genuinely care about the children and have different activities planned every day including forest school, sports activities and tiny ducks. Room leaders are approachable and take on board any issues/advice you give them and a lot of outdoor time is encouraged which is great.

Reply from Nichola Riley, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for your review! We are continuously making improvements to our setting and your feedback as parents is really valuable to us.
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Review from Charlotte L (Mother of Child) published on 14 June 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son loves going to Nursery and happily goes to the staff member, he is always so smiley and happy when we go and pick him up. We've only had positive experiences with the staff at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School.
They even had a breakfast morning in the car park one day which was very welcomed!
Highly recommend this nursery!
Reply from Nichola Riley, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for the kind words! Many more breakfast-on-the-go events to come!
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Review from Imogen W (Mother of Child) published on 13 June 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We are extremely pleased with Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School. The staff are excellent and have really got to know my son. There always seems to be a wide range of activities, and I love that they try to spend as much time outside as possible. The transition between rooms is also really good.
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Review from Chris W (Father of Child) published on 13 June 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Overall our experience has been very positive. The nursery is in a lovely location with excellent facilities catering for both indoor and outdoor play and learning. The staff are caring and attentive to the children at all times. There have been some staffing shortages especially during winter when
you expect increased absences. However this has been reported nationally as an issue in the nursery community post pandemic. There are some things which could be improved like having 2 apps for parents rather than 1 app which does everything as we have experienced in other nurseries. However any criticisms are minor annoyances. Overall I would highly recommend this nursery to others in the area.
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Review from B L (Father of Child) published on 20 March 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 2.0 out of 5
An extended period of poor communication, “first come first served” care provision, staff negativity and a lack of structured learning resulted in us removing our child from this nursery. A real shame considering the setting and location, but since Family First took over the Footsteps chain this nursery
has been run into the ground. Over subscription of children, chronic understaffing (resulting in the admin assistant and cook having to provide care!) and endless logistical challenges (including forgetting to top up the gas!) are just some of the issues we faced in our time there. The lack of ability to enter our child’s setting, and lack of updates on his learning and development (2x EyLOG updates in 4 months), were also disappointing especially when you consider the day rate for this nursery is for a premium setting.
I hope for the sake of the other children in the setting that the nursery can get back on track. Don’t let yourself be sold by appearances!
Reply from Harjit, Digital Marketing Executive at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Hi, your feedback is important to us and a member of the team will be looking into your comments further.
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Review from Steph D (Mother of Child) published on 19 January 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My sons have attended here since January 2022, and we're so impressed with the setting. Staff know children by name, are trained well and provide not just care but educational support for your children. They learn independent skills like hand washing too. Kids are fed a great balanced diet and have
access to soccer tots, forest school and more. They work well to get kids into the community through projects and visits.


My other son, who left in September 22, has SEN, and the nursery went above and beyond to support his needs as well as provide documentation and support for his onward move to school. I really couldn't fault them. A beautiful, modern setting that's well-maintained.

Reply from Sian Smith, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for your review, were really pleased to hear you have felt supported by the staff team.
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Review from Alyson B (Mother of Child) published on 11 January 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Since visiting various the nurseries at the start of 2022 I knew Footsteps Fradley was where I wanted my son to spend his days. He has settled in really well since he joined in August 2022 and the team have really helped his personality come out while with them. His key worker has been amazing, keeping
us updated with his day to day achievements and looking after him when he has been poorly, which is every mums worst nightmare! He loves all the activities the team plan, especially the weekly music lessons that come in. According to his daily diary he loves the food too! Plus the communication is really good between management around any additional sessions needed, invoices etc.
Reply from Sian-Louise Smith, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for your kind words, we're pleased you have found the management team helpful in supporting extra sessions. We think the music sessions are great to!
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Review from Emma H (Mother of Child) published on 11 January 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has attended since September 2022, he loves it there! The staff are amazing, always provide feedback and are extremely welcoming, due to his age he has changed rooms a few times, but he has settled in great! Would recommend it to everyone!
Reply from Sian-Louise Smith, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for your review, we think our staff team are amazing too!
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Review from G R (Mother of Child) published on 11 January 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I chose to consider enrolling my daughter at Footsteps after some good feedback from local parents, and after visiting the nursery during the october ('21) open day, we chose to enrol her. We're really happy with the nursery - my daughter loves attending, she loves her key workers and is always happy
when I drop her off. She has come along incredibly in terms of confidence. The staff are always really helpful and happy to answer any questions I might have. The app is very useful to ensure I have all the information about eating/sleeping etc. I would like to have an idea of what she's done throughout the day on the app though, similar to how we used to get a little description of today's activity on the paper diary slips we used to have before the new app was introduced. Overall I'd definitely recommend Footsteps to any parent considering enrolling their child.
Reply from Sian-Louise Smith, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for your review; we're glad to hear you're enjoying the app which gives you an insight into your child's day at our nursery. Our teams are always on hand to help and answer questions.
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Review from Fiona D (Mother of Child) published on 11 January 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery itself is great, upon first viewing we knew that this was the nursery we wanted my daughter to attend. The nursery is very informative with updates, events, daily activities etc. Staff are always happy, friendly and accommodating. My daughter absolutely loves this nursery and the staff.
Reply from Sian-Louise Smith, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for your review. We think the staff teams work incredibly hard to create environments for the children the enjoy and learn in.
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Review from Liz R (Mother of Child) published on 29 April 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son absolutely loves coming to nursery, to the point where he’s mentioning the staff at home all the time. All of the team in the toddler room are amazing, so friendly and caring, nothing ever seems too much trouble for them.
It is so reassuring my little one is in the best hand when dropping him
off and he always comes out with a big smile on his face!
Reply from Jane Barber, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
I totally agree our Toddler staff are absolutely fantastic. Thank you for such a glowing review.
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Review from Isa R (Mother of Child) published on 29 April 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Lovely staff.
My daughter loves the toddler room staff, they support her a lot.
She is learning two languages at the same time, one at the nursery and another one at home, and they help her a lot.
I just want to say thank you so much for all the support.
Reply from Jane Barber, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for taking the time to review us and for your kind comments, we really do appreciate it.
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Review from J B (Grandmother of Child) published on 28 April 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Beautiful nursery with lovely outdoor areas. Great and friendly staff that go out of their way. My Grandson is so happy here and I am so glad we moved him here. Thank you to all the staff, you are amazing and you can see that you genuinely care about the children.
Reply from Nichola Riley, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you so much for your kind words, we are so happy you chose us too.
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Review from Rachael M (Mother of Child) published on 19 April 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Absolutely amazing nursery with brilliant facilities. My son is in toddlers at the moment and the care he has received is outstanding. The staff are so lovely and he always comes out with a big smile.
Reply from Jane barber, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you Rachael for such a lovely review thank you for taking the time to acknowledge the wonderful Toddler team they are truly touched.
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Review from Amy F (Mother of Child) published on 3 August 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Footsteps in Fradley is an excellent nursery. The staff are very friendly and my son absolutely adores them. The communication is excellent and they do everything they can to ensure all his needs are met. He always has a big smile when I drop him off and a big smile when I pick him up.
Reply from Nichola Riley, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for the review, your comments mean a lot to our team and we are thrilled that you are so happy with the care that we provide. Many thanks!
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Review from Natasha J (Mother of Child) published on 3 August 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff are amazing. Always very supportive and friendly. Good communication when dropping off and picking up. Easy to approach. My little boy moved to the toddler room in May and has been welcomed by the staff. He really loves going to nursery.
Reply from Nichola Wigley, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you so much for your lovely comments - I have passed these onto the team. Many thanks!
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Review from Lana S (Mother of Child) published on 15 July 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Great nursery and staff always communicate effectively with parents. My daughter hated her previous nursery and cried constantly for 2 months but the team at toddlers really helped her settle in so well!
So happy I chose this nursery and there are so many outdoor activities that makes the kids happier
too. My daughter is a picky eater and somehow she even manages to eat at nursery!
5* from me!
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Review from N S (Mother of Child) published on 15 May 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The fact that both of my children are happy and excited to go to nursery highlights how lovely this setting is and how well cared for they both are. There has been a lot of turnover of staff the past year as the nursery has fully transitioned to Footsteps Nursery & Pre School (Fradley) and in difficult
times with Covid-19 too. This has been a real shame as my daughters key person has changed a lot more than we would have liked it to. That being said, she has been more than happy with all of her key people and has still grown in confidence and flourished under the Early Years Foundation Stage criteria. Things do seem to be settling now which should help her further. We would certainly recommend the setting to other parents based on all of the above. We also particularly love the amazing outdoor spaces that they have which other settings just can’t compare to and having a Forest School was a key thing we wanted when looking for a nursery. This one is fabulous!
Reply from Nichola Riley, Manager at Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for your lovely comments, we are pleased that your children are happy with us and thriving in our care.

Kindest regards
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Review from L M (Mother of Child) published on 11 May 2021 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
A recent high turnover of staff and various re-structures have been concerning making it difficult for children to build relationships. Not much thought is put into alternative meal options when a child has a food allergy, particularly at tea times.
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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.904)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.904) out of 10 for Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 34 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 34 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.904 for Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School is calculated as follows: ( (368 Excellents x 5) + (39 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 407 Ratings = 4.904
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Footsteps Fradley Nursery & Pre-School is based on 34 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 114 number of registered child places is 22.8, which has been reached with 34 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

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