Stepping-Stones Pre-School

Small-group language work and practical preparation for Reception give Stepping-Stones Pre-School its clearest character. Based in the grounds of Monksmead School in Borehamwood, it combines a large main room, a smaller learning room and a fenced garden. Children have space for shared play alongside more concentrated activities.

The current age range is two to five. At its 12 December 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. The useful detail beneath that judgement is a day involving exploration, stories, movement and growing independence, alongside clear improvement priorities around teaching challenge, vocabulary and communication with parents.

Attendance is term-time only, with flexible sessions and breakfast and afterschool clubs extending the opening day. This is a preschool organised around the school calendar.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care: here, children choose activities, join adult-led groups and practise completing tasks with others. A visual timetable helps make the sequence of the day understandable. Child-chosen play and organised activities both have a place indoors and outside.

The Busy Bee Group prepares children for Reception through practical activities that develop confidence, listening and cooperation. Counting and number recognition use materials such as pompoms, tweezers and board games; work on shape, weight and size gives mathematical ideas something tangible to attach to. Sharing equipment and taking turns bring social practice into the learning.

Stage 1 of Jolly Phonics introduces alphabet sounds through songs and matching sounds to words and pictures. That gives early reading work a specific method. Busy Bee projects also include growing plants, cooking and model-making, while experiments with floating, sinking and colour mixing give children concrete things to investigate rather than only explanations to hear.

Language support has its own structure. The Chatterbox Group meets twice daily, with up to six children, to support speech and language development, including children learning English as an additional language and those with educational needs. Children use signs alongside a visual sequence, take turns with puzzles or games, listen to animal and everyday sounds, and choose instruments for group music. Listening and participation are built into the activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fenced garden extends the play space beyond the two indoor rooms. Outdoor sessions include both activities children select themselves and those led by adults, so physical play sits alongside opportunities to explore the world around them.

In December 2023, children investigated water moving through wheels and used rolling pins and cutters with play dough. The activities brought cause and effect and hand control into ordinary play. Music sessions involved skipping, galloping and moving to a beat; stories prompted conversation about emotions and recognising the first sound in children's names.

There was also a limit to the teaching at that point. In December 2023, some opportunities to extend learning were missed, especially for younger children and those needing additional support, and vocabulary work needed more consistent attention. Those priorities matter alongside the appealing activity list: participation and sufficient challenge are separate questions.

Each child has a key worker responsible for their education and welfare. This gives families a particular practitioner to connect with their child's experience. The daily visual timetable adds another layer of continuity by making routines visible, rather than relying entirely on spoken instructions.

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that activities took account of children's interests and abilities, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. One example involved revealing resources and using clear, simple language to sustain children's attention. The current Chatterbox provision adds a defined small-group mechanism for children who need help with communication.

Practical independence is part of the day. Children are encouraged to manage outdoor clothing and toileting, and protective clothing is provided for messy play, with waterproof trousers for wet weather. These are opportunities to practise looking after themselves while still having adult support.

Communication deserves attention too. In December 2023, some parents were less clear about what their children were learning, and improving the explanation of learning to families was an action for the setting. A key worker relationship is useful, but parents also need a clear account of what happens beyond the activity itself.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Monksmead School, Hillside Avenue, Borehamwood, WD6 1HL. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with fully flexible sessions. Breakfast club starts at 7.30am and afterschool club runs until 5pm, extending care on either side of the preschool day.

These patterns give families different ways to use the setting, but the term-time calendar remains central to planning. Contact is through the online enquiry form or by telephone on 02089532310.

Funding and Paid Extras

In December 2023, the preschool received early education funding for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Families are asked to bring nutritious snacks and lunches from home, and children and adults eat together in small groups. Food therefore needs to be planned as part of the child's day.

Moving on to School

The Busy Bee Group provides preparation for Reception through everyday independence, early learning and working with others. Being based at Monksmead School does not guarantee a Reception place. School preparation and school admission are separate decisions.

• Teaching challenge and language. The December 2023 improvement priorities included extending learning and developing vocabulary, especially for younger children and those needing extra support. On a visit, ask how practitioners adjust an activity when a child needs either more help or a harder task.
• Understanding your child's learning. Communication with parents was another December 2023 improvement action. Ask how the key worker explains what your child is practising and the next steps, rather than simply describing the day's activities.
• The term-time pattern. Flexible sessions, breakfast club and afterschool club operate around the preschool's term-time offer. Families whose care needs extend into school holidays need to account for that calendar.
• Meals and the written quotation. Kitchen-prepared snacks and lunch are described alongside a request for families to bring snacks and lunches from home. Ask which arrangement applies to your child's sessions, which funded entitlements can be used, how funded hours are arranged, and how food, consumables and additional paid hours are handled in the quotation.

Stepping-Stones suits families seeking flexible preschool sessions or breakfast and afterschool care during term time, with practical preparation for Reception and structured language support. The Busy Bee Group and Chatterbox Group give those aims concrete activities and routines.

The December 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with teaching challenge, vocabulary and parent communication as the balancing points. For families considering this preschool, the decisive question is how those activities are adapted to their own child's stage and explained through the key worker relationship.