Welcome to Footsteps Maple Cross

Footsteps are thrilled to offer the children of Maple Cross and surrounding areas a caring and nurturing setting, where children thrive.

Based in the grounds of Maple Cross JMI School, this freshly renovated, flexible and welcoming space, alongside the use of our own garden, the school field and large open spaces, ensures that your children have plenty of exercise, fresh air and opportunity to enjoy a healthy life style.

This site adopts a Reggio Emilia approach to learning. This inspiring child-led style is an innovative approach 

to early childhood education which values the child as strong, capable and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge. Every child brings with them deep curiosity and potential and this innate curiosity drives their interest to understand their world and their place within it.

Key principles include:

• Children search out knowledge through their own investigations into what interests them
• A strong emphasis on collaboration with their peers
• Using language as play to explore ways of communication and to be listened to with respect
• Providing an environment to inspire learning and open-ended materials and tools to explore surroundings
• Activities are planned based on children’s interests and adults take the role of guides and mentors to facilitate learning experiences
• To discover how each individual child learns and not separating learning and play

With 24 places this pre-school values the opportunity to really understand each and every child.  Places are available for children aged 18 months to 5 years and will be open from 8am – 4pm. Footsteps can provide a healthy cold packed lunch if required.

Our experienced Forest School leader and Manager Kathy Reynolds, is a dedicated practitioner who will lead our professional and passionate team to provide a home from home for your child.

Our staff

Kathy (Manager)

Meet Kathy – Kathy is our amazing manager at Maple Cross. She has been at Footsteps from day one and opening the nursery back in 2012.

Kathy is a very experienced SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) and a fully qualified EYFS Practitioner.

“As well as, running the nursery, I am also the Forest School and Reggio Emilia co-ordinator. I have a huge passion for child-centred education and maximising learning opportunities from the world around us.”

Zoe Brett (Deputy Manager)

Zoe is our fantastic Deputy who will be very ably assisting Kathy at Maple Cross. Zoe, who is level 3 qualified, brings over 6 years’ experience from within pre-school settings. This experience in providing professional leadership and management, as well as helping to ensure that all children receive the highest standards of care and education, will be a fantastic addition to our dedicated team. Zoe is committed to understanding and ensuring the requirements of the EYFS and Ofsted are met, but is also a keen advocate of outside child-led learning and experience through free-flow play.

“I am excited to get to really know all of the children at Maple Cross and always strive to make sure they leave with huge smiles at the end of the day.”