Stepping Stones Pre School Willerby

A cricket-club setting and parents reading stories give Stepping Stones Pre School Willerby a recognisable community character. Based at Kirk Ella Cricket Club on Well Lane, it has capacity for 26 children. Book time, a recurring parent-led storytelling group, gives families a practical part in the children's learning.

At its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good, found safeguarding effective and reported good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children attending then were aged two to four. That age range describes the children at that visit rather than a current admission limit.

Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside a term-time calendar. The strongest reasons to consider this preschool are its family participation, opportunities for independence and the outdoor teamwork seen in December 2024; the important reservation concerns indoor resources for independent problem-solving.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: everyday play and interaction support skills such as communication, movement and learning to manage alongside others. In December 2024, planning addressed seven learning areas and was adapted around individual children's development. Activities were planned around each child's learning and developmental needs.

Language, music, physical activity and preparation for school are emphases here. The small library gives books a physical place in the setting, while space for movement and creative activities supports different ways of learning. These are useful details for parents who want stories, active play and making things to share the day.

Book time brings parents onto the premises to read to children of different ages. It runs regularly, with new helpers welcomed. Family involvement therefore includes a concrete activity children can enjoy, alongside cooperation over parties and excursions.

Outdoor and Community Life

In December 2024, children worked together outdoors to construct things from large cardboard tubes. They exchanged ideas and enjoyed what they made. That example shows the value of materials children can rearrange together: the activity involved conversation and cooperation as well as building.

In December 2024, planned outings included a neighbouring farm as well as the local library. Events during the year introduced children to differing cultures and customs, including those represented among their own families. Together, the planned visits and events connected learning with the people and places around the children.

Independence was practised through ordinary tasks. In December 2024, children put on outdoor clothing and poured drinks at snack time, with help for those who needed it. Indoor exploration was less convincing: resources gave children too few opportunities to work out solutions for themselves. That distinction matters when judging how well the indoor and outdoor experiences balance each other.

Relationships and Communication

In December 2024, children had close relationships with staff, especially their key person, and understood familiar routines. They reminded one another about sharing and moving safely indoors. These small examples make the social expectations tangible: children were learning how to manage a shared space as well as feeling comfortable in it.

Communication with families included newsletters each term in December 2024. Staff also exchanged information with other settings children attended, helping care and learning remain consistent across different places. For a child spending the week with more than one provider, that coordination has a clear practical purpose.

The current approach encourages continuing conversations with parents and shared planning of activities. Book time gives that relationship an additional route through stories, rather than leaving parent participation entirely to discussions between adults.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In December 2024, staff helped children who needed extra support with personal care. Preparation for moving to school involved parents and receiving schools, with children helped to understand the change ahead. This was transition work around children's needs, rather than a claim to an admissions advantage.

There were five childcare staff at the December 2024 visit. Today, staff undertake further training regularly, giving the team a means of developing its practice. Neither that inspection-time headcount nor the whole-setting capacity should be read as the number of children or adults in a particular session.

Illness arrangements affect family routines. Children who are unwell stay at home, and a fever must have been absent for a full day before they return. For an infectious illness, the preschool requires a doctor's note confirming the child is no longer contagious.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Kirk Ella Cricket Club, Well Lane, Willerby, HU10 6HB. Attendance follows local school terms, with summer holidays beginning in July and continuing through August. Families need a term-time childcare plan that accommodates those breaks.

Morning and afternoon bookings are offered. Additional patterns depend on demand: Friday-morning half days and full days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are described conditionally. Those conditions matter when comparing an intended weekly pattern with what the preschool can agree to provide.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01482 658020 during opening times or through the contact form. Appointments are arranged by telephone.

Funding and Paid Extras

In December 2024, the preschool offered government-funded childcare places. Families arranging paid childcare should obtain a current written quotation before committing to their attendance pattern.

• Indoor problem-solving. The December 2024 improvement point concerned resources that let children investigate and solve problems independently. On a visit, ask to see how indoor materials now support that kind of exploration.
• Weekly timetable. Opening-hour information conflicts: one version gives 9am to 3pm Monday to Thursday with Friday closed; another gives those hours on Monday and Tuesday, then 9am to noon Wednesday to Friday. Resolve the intended days and session times before organising work around them.
• Term-time fit. Attendance follows local school terms and includes a summer closure. This suits families whose childcare needs follow that calendar; others will need to plan separately for the breaks.

Stepping Stones suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, a term-time rhythm and direct involvement in children's learning. Book time makes parent participation concrete, while the December 2024 examples of outdoor construction, self-care and coordination with other settings give useful substance to the Good judgement. The decision turns on two practical checks: whether the agreed timetable fits the family week, and how indoor opportunities for independent problem-solving have developed.