Stepping Stones Nursery Coventry

Vegetable chopping, woodworking and caring for pet tortoises give Stepping Stones Nursery Coventry a practical character. These were features of daily life in August 2022, with children trying real tasks rather than simply watching adults demonstrate them.

At its August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, found rapid developmental progress including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, not a description of a recent visit.

The nursery accepts children aged 2 to 60 months at 12 Stoney Road, Coventry.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday routines contribute to their development alongside planned activities.

In August 2022, babies explored oranges and flour through squeezing and making marks. Younger children used bubbles to investigate wind direction, while older children wrote a pancake recipe. These examples connected hand control, language and reasoning to something children could actually do. The activities differed with the children's stage of development: babies experimented with their hands, while older children connected writing with preparing food. Writing had a purpose beyond practising on paper.

In August 2022, staff developed children's vocabulary through conversation and encouraged them to solve problems and try out ideas. The bubble activity made this concrete: children anticipated where bubbles would go as the wind changed direction. It combined observation with prediction. Children also had freedom to pursue their interests, giving them a part in shaping their learning rather than only following an adult's instructions.

Practical tasks also brought responsibility. In August 2022, young children chopped vegetables for Irish stew, and older children worked with hammers and wood. Caring for pet tortoises prompted conversation about shapes on their shells. Outdoor exercise was part of each day.

Children's interests influenced outings in August 2022: an enthusiasm for transport led to travelling by train to an airport to watch aircraft. The journey itself connected their interest with a real form of transport, followed by watching planes land and depart. This was an outing built around something children already wanted to understand, extending an interest beyond the nursery.

Books, action rhymes and painting while listening through headphones offered quieter ways to explore language and creativity in August 2022. Familiar rhymes gave children words and movements to join in with; painting alongside music brought sound and image into the same activity. Together with cooking, woodwork and outdoor exploration, these examples show the variety within that inspection-era day. Learning involved hands, voices and movement, as well as watching and listening.

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted found strong relationships with key people and sensitive help for children learning to recognise and communicate their feelings. For families, the important detail is the connection between familiar adults and emotional support.

In August 2022, home visits before starting helped staff learn about family routines and plan familiar care. Relationships began before a child's first nursery day, and information from parents shaped both experiences and care routines. For a child adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings, that connection between home and nursery matters: staff could plan around something already familiar rather than treating settling as a separate exercise.

Social gatherings and a parent committee gave families ways to contribute beyond everyday conversations in August 2022. These offered different routes for parents to be heard, through shared events and a committee. Family involvement therefore extended beyond passing on information at the start; it also had a place in nursery life and children's learning.

Respect for different cultures and children's own heritage formed part of nursery life in August 2022. Preparation for school included visits to children's future schools and sharing assessments with teachers, helping new adults understand the children they would welcome.

The address is 12 Stoney Road, Coventry, CV1 2NP. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with year-round operation except bank holidays and a week at Christmas.

In August 2022, funded early education was provided for children aged two, three and four. This describes participation at that date.

• Practical learning. The August 2022 examples included knives and woodworking tools. On a visit, discuss how staff introduce these tasks and support children as they develop confidence.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm. What booking patterns, funded arrangements and charges for food or consumables would apply to your child's attendance?

Stepping Stones merits consideration for families seeking weekday childcare across the year and an emphasis on hands-on exploration. Its August 2022 assessment gives a strong basis for considering it, while the practical examples make the educational character easy to understand: children investigated, made things and took responsibility.