Stepping Stones Childcare, Carclaze

Conversation, independent choices and learning to get along with other children give Stepping Stones Childcare, Carclaze its character. In April 2023, children brought books to adults when they wanted a story, invited others into their games and chose activities for themselves. These are useful foundations for nursery life: asking for help, expressing an interest and making room for somebody else.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 12 April 2023 and found safeguarding effective. The setting has capacity for 50 children, with a current age range of two to five years. Its address is Scol Kensa, Carclaze Road, St Austell, PL25 3AG.

Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside flexible hourly bookings. That gives families a choice between a shorter preschool session and childcare arranged around a longer working day.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillar Room serves the younger stage, while Butterflies Room takes children from age three through to leaving for school. The move between them is based on readiness, giving the nursery a progression between its two rooms rather than treating the whole preschool period as one undifferentiated stage.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: in everyday language, play and interaction are opportunities to practise communication, physical skills and growing independence. Here, the April 2023 examples make that connection concrete. Children experimented with weighing toys, compared their weight and used vocabulary introduced by adults. A playful activity became a chance to connect language with quantities.

Adults also allowed time for answers rather than filling every pause themselves. In April 2023, they planned words to introduce during activities and encouraged children to use them. For a child building confidence in speaking, the useful detail is the combination of an invitation to talk and time to formulate a response.

Learning extended into social habits. In April 2023, staff used a game of catch to demonstrate taking turns, played alongside children and modelled polite interaction. Children offered toys to others and invited them to join their play. Sharing was practised through an activity children were already enjoying.

Outdoor and Community Life

In April 2023, children had outdoor play and physical activity each day. They also explored festivals celebrated by families in the town, linking learning about similarities and differences to the people around them. The emphasis was on everyday encounters and familiar community life.

Preparation for school included counting, recognising names and following instructions in April 2023. Staff maintained links with local schools and Reception teachers. These are practical transition skills: understanding an instruction and recognising one's name can matter alongside confidence in joining a new group.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2023, each child had a deputy key person as well as their key person. That arrangement offered another adult with a defined responsibility for the child, making continuity of relationships part of the organisation of care.

Parent communication had a practical element too. In April 2023, staff held regular meetings with families of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), discussed development and demonstrated simple signs that parents could use at home. The value lay in sharing a usable technique, rather than only describing what had happened during a nursery session.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used observations to identify additional needs, sought specialist advice and used support funding effectively for children with SEND. Planning began with what individual children needed to learn next, rather than assuming the same next step for everybody.

In April 2023, medication was managed through established procedures and nursery risks were assessed. Children also practised a concrete safety skill when using knives to prepare fruit for snack. Learning how to handle a tool safely gave them a manageable responsibility, with adults teaching the technique.

Sessions and Attendance

Core opening hours are 8am to 5pm. Morning bookings run from 9am to 11.30am or from 8.30am to 11.30am; afternoon bookings run from 12.30pm to 3pm or from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Flexible childcare is subject to numbers and availability.

Hourly bookings have a two-hour minimum and require at least 48 hours' advance booking. Early Start options run from 7am to 8am or 7.30am to 8am, while Late Finish options cover 5pm to 6pm or 5pm to 5.30pm. These extensions are charged separately, so a core-hours booking and an extended booking have different cost structures.

The nursery operates throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Enquiries can be made through the contact form by selecting Scol Kensa, or by calling 01726 71294.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted through Nursery Education Grant Funding for three- and four-year-olds, starting in the term after the third birthday, alongside 15 hours of two-year-old funding and 30 hours funding for eligible families. Funded hours can be used between 8am and 5pm. Additional private hours are charged hourly.

Children attending between 11.30am and 12.30pm bring a named packed lunch and a drink from home. A separate contribution towards snacks is requested each school term; it is voluntary for fully funded children.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding page explains the hourly structure, extensions and funding arrangements.

• Younger children's starting age. The current age range is two to five, while Caterpillar Room is designed for children from nine months to three years. Which starting age applies to your child at this setting?
• Teaching healthy choices and online safety. In April 2023, children needed more explanation of why healthy foods benefit them and how to stay safe with online technology. At a visit, ask how both topics now feature in activities.
• Short bookings need planning. The two-hour minimum and 48-hour booking rule suit planned attendance. They matter if your working hours change at short notice.
• Lunch travels from home. Attendance during the lunchtime window requires a named packed lunch and drink. Include that preparation, and the separate snack contribution, in the weekly routine.

Stepping Stones Childcare, Carclaze suits families choosing morning preschool sessions, afternoon attendance or flexible hourly childcare with early and late extensions. Its strongest April 2023 examples concerned conversation, independent play and everyday social skills, with practical communication between staff and parents.

The booking choices are useful, but they come with clear boundaries: advance notice, a minimum session length and lunch supplied from home. For families comfortable with those arrangements, the combination of shorter sessions and longer attendance is the central practical attraction.