Stepping Stones Nursery LCN

Daily adventures around Lewes give Stepping Stones Nursery LCN its character: parks, nature reserves and libraries form part of nursery life, with two minibuses extending trips beyond the town. Outdoor learning here involves going out into the community. That makes the outings programme a central consideration for families, rather than an occasional addition to an indoor day.

Based at Southcourt House on Morris Road, the nursery has capacity for 38 children aged three months to five years. At its February 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged it Good overall and found safeguarding effective, while identifying a need for more consistent help for quieter children to contribute to activities. The balance matters: there was much to value in children's experiences, alongside a specific weakness in how some children were included.

Baby Steps, First Steps and Big Steps organise the journey from infancy towards Reception. Alongside nursery care, reception-aged children can attend the After School & Holiday Club, which combines school collections with holiday activities. These are different services with different booking arrangements, so families should distinguish their nursery needs from any later school-age care.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Steps welcomes babies from three months to around 18 months, combining sensory resources and opportunities for early movement and communication with quiet corners, sleep areas and care that follows each baby's familiar routine as closely as possible.

First Steps takes children from around 18 months to two and a half years, mixing adult-led activities with independent play through stories, music, messy exploration and outdoor experiences that encourage language, coordination and growing independence.

Big Steps welcomes children from around two and a half until Reception, bringing early number and literacy experiences together with science, imaginative play and outdoor learning, while emphasising conversation, cooperation and everyday self-care.

The age boundaries are approximate. This is a progression through stages, with the youngest room giving rest and familiar routines a clear place and the older rooms placing increasing emphasis on doing things independently. Families choosing for a baby have something concrete to consider here: sleep areas and quieter spaces are part of the room's arrangement, alongside resources for active exploration.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care. In daily life, that means play and ordinary routines help children practise communication, movement, relationships and independence; learning is not confined to a formal activity at a table.

In February 2024, children's interests shaped what happened next. An enthusiasm for building dens led to a woodland outing, where children considered how to attach ropes to trees. Another activity involved experimenting with a mixture of water, chalk, sand and stones, then finding a way to move it between containers using a ramp. These examples connect ideas with practical problems. Children had something real to work out.

The younger children's experiences were equally hands-on in February 2024. Babies explored instruments and physical play equipment, while toddlers searched through sand as adults supplied words for their actions. Songs and rhymes accompanied emerging speech. For a parent, the useful distinction is between merely setting out resources and having an adult take part in the exploration: these examples involved both materials and conversation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outings within Lewes include playgrounds, parks and nature reserves; libraries also feature in community visits. Two nursery minibuses support journeys further afield, and children travel on public buses and trains too. The transport itself becomes part of the experience, introducing children to ways of travelling beyond the family car.

In February 2024, outings included woodland walks and visits to a market, where children bought fruit to eat later. A trip could therefore connect outdoor movement, conversation and an everyday task. For families who value children becoming familiar with their town, this is a substantial part of the nursery's appeal. It also makes suitable clothing and a child's comfort with outings useful topics for a visit.

Relationships and Communication

Care in Baby Steps follows individual routines as closely as possible, and parents receive photographs and updates about development. That gives continuity between home and nursery a practical form: familiar rhythms are considered alongside the baby's changing needs, rather than treating every baby as ready for the same timetable.

Baby's Days Software gives parents a secure account for photographs, progress information, permissions and direct messages. It brings communication and administration into one system. Parents can use it to follow their child's experiences as well as respond to nursery information, which is useful when daily conversations need a written follow-up.

In February 2024, key persons accompanied children when they changed rooms. This kept a familiar adult involved in the move rather than making the transition wholly dependent on a new relationship. Children also practised everyday independence: toddlers handled cutlery and cleared away their plates, while older children used breakable tableware and served themselves at meals.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a designated safeguarding lead and SENCO roles, with child-protection and paediatric first-aid training represented among staff. Practitioners undertake continuing training and professional development. These are arrangements and roles families can discuss in relation to their own child, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement.

Support for quieter children deserves attention. In February 2024, adults sometimes missed the point at which a child needed help to take part, leaving fewer opportunities for that child to express an idea. This is a specific consideration for a child who watches before joining in or needs encouragement to speak within a group.

Toilet-training guidance encourages parents and the child's key worker to agree consistent language, routines and equipment, then share what works at home and nursery. The practical value is coordination. A child need not encounter a completely different approach in each place, and spare clothing is part of the preparation.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with closures on bank holidays and for a short Christmas break. Nursery enquiries can be made by telephone on 01273 477777 or by email to Info@steppingstonesnurserylewes.co.uk.

For reception-aged children, the After School Club runs until either 5pm or 6pm on weekdays, with tea included. It requires advance booking for a full term and a minimum of two sessions each week; fees are paid before the term begins. A booking deposit is credited against the first term's invoice. This is a regular commitment, rather than an arrangement designed around occasional guaranteed bookings.

Holiday Club offers all-day sessions beginning at 8am or 9am and ending at 4pm, 5pm or 6pm. Morning sessions start at 8am or 9am and finish at 1pm; afternoon sessions begin at 1pm and end at 4pm, 5pm or 6pm. Advance booking is required, with payment when booking unless another arrangement has been agreed. Activities include baking, sensory play, creative work, games and local trips, with quieter opportunities for reading or rest.

Getting There

The address is Southcourt House, Morris Road, Lewes, BN7 2AT. After School Club collections take place on foot or by nursery minibus according to the school's location, so the collection arrangement is part of planning that service.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered from nine months, subject to eligibility. The funding guidance covers universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, 30 hours for eligible working families, and 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds receiving additional support. Private childcare is also offered.

For paid nursery care, breakfast, snacks and light tea are included in the fees, and Zebedee's Lunch Box supplies the daily hot lunch and dessert. Holiday Club includes its meals and snacks, outings, activities and wet-weather clothing in its fee.

Funded hours cover early education rather than meals, snacks, consumable resources or extra services. These additions may attract optional charges, and funded hours can be taken without the additional services. Families should distinguish the funded education itself from the extras described in the fees and funding information.

• A quieter child's participation. The February 2024 improvement point concerned children needing more help to join activities. Ask how staff recognise hesitation and bring a child's ideas into the conversation.
• Daily trips from the youngest stage. Outings are a regular part of nursery life. During a show round, discuss how the day balances trips, sleep and your baby's familiar routine.
• Two different booking needs. Reception-age after-school care requires a full-term commitment and at least two weekly sessions, while Holiday Club offers all-day, morning and afternoon patterns. Which nursery attendance pattern and funded-hours arrangement would fit your family's week?

Stepping Stones suits families who want community outings to be a substantial part of early childhood, alongside room-based play and practical independence. Its baby provision makes room for familiar routines and rest; the older children's experiences bring conversation, experimentation and self-care into everyday activities. The quieter-child participation issue is the clearest point to explore before choosing.

For families also planning reception-age care, the offer serves both regular after-school attendance and holiday all-day or shorter morning and afternoon sessions. That breadth is useful, provided the termly commitment for After School Club fits the family's needs.