Stepping Stones Nursery School

A children's cookery room, a listening centre and lessons that reach into Wendell Park give Stepping Stones Nursery School a character beyond its four classrooms. This W12 nursery combines a familiar classroom base with shared spaces for reading, movement and specialist activities. Children have reasons to explore different parts of the building, rather than spending their whole day in one room.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The practical starting point is equally clear: children can join from their second birthday and remain until primary school, with capacity for 89 children in total. The address is 7 Gayford Road, London W12 9BY.

Morning attendance, extended days and full-time daycare serve different family routines. The strongest thread across them is preparation for the next stage: gradually longer activities, growing independence, communication with parents and a structured approach to moving on to school.

Rooms and Ages

The Caterpillar Class welcomes children after their second birthday, with readiness discussed individually and a key person helping them settle. That makes the start a conversation about the child, rather than simply a birthday threshold.

A move to the Butterfly Class normally happens during the term of the third birthday, although parents and staff can agree to another term in Caterpillar; activities gradually demand longer concentration, with more adult-led table tasks and educational software. Progression therefore allows some flexibility around readiness.

The Dragonfly Class serves children aged three to four, typically those with birthdays from March to August, and combines early-years learning with preparation for primary school. Ladybird Class follows the same curriculum for the preschool children whose birthdays fall from September to February. These are two preschool groups, rather than contrasting educational routes.

Children retain their own classroom base while using communal areas at scheduled times. The Library/Quiet Room supports small-group reading and time with an adult, and its listening centre adds spoken stories. A large Outdoor / Indoor Playroom provides daily movement time for each class and connects to a small playground at the front. The layout gives quiet listening and energetic play separate spaces.

Learning and Activities

Planning follows the EYFS: children learn through activities spanning language, physical development, relationships, early mathematics, literacy, creativity and understanding the world. Activities are adjusted to age and developmental stage, with themes sometimes continuing beyond a week. Weekly emails explain the learning being covered, giving parents something concrete to build on at home.

French lessons take place weekly in each class, using songs, puppets and role play. Drama and movement sessions also happen weekly and incorporate yoga, while interactive storytelling uses props to draw children into the story. Music is taught each week, but participation depends on attending on the teaching day. That detail matters for a child coming only for selected mornings.

Cookery has its own designated room. Regular lessons introduce food hygiene, cooking processes and recipes, so preparing food becomes a practical learning activity rather than just a conversation about healthy eating.

In September 2025, toddlers practised describing their faces and body parts before learning more precise vocabulary; preschool children explored bones and how their bodies function. Staff revisited goals before introducing the next step. The sequence linked familiar experiences to more complex ideas, rather than treating each activity as an isolated task.

Outdoor and Community Life

Each class has weekly outdoor learning in a local park. Friday-morning PE takes place in Wendell Park when the weather allows, and the summer Sports Day uses the same park, with families invited. Outdoor space therefore extends beyond the nursery's small playground.

In September 2025, toddler activities included ball games at a local park, crawling through tunnels and moving around others. These experiences practised balance, coordination and control in different ways.

Dressing-up days happen once a half term, with children choosing their own costumes. The annual Christmas Nativity Play includes every child, with speaking roles for older children. Both create opportunities to express ideas and take part alongside other children, although families should recognise that the costume days bring a practical expectation from home.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated when a child joins Caterpillar Class, with a particular role during settling. Readiness for the initial start and for the move into Butterfly is discussed with parents. The emphasis is on a gradual change of expectations, with room progression allowing a further term where that benefits the child.

Communication has several forms. Weekly class emails explain forthcoming learning, while individual assessments inform future activities and are discussed at consultation appointments or informally after a session. Each child's profile moves with them through the nursery and ultimately to primary school. The two-year progress check is completed with parents, who receive a copy.

Parents can also see learning directly. Open Week takes place each spring in Ladybird and Dragonfly, while Butterfly and Caterpillar have termly Stay and Play sessions for adults to join activities. Workshops cover literacy development and behaviour management. These are useful alternatives to relying solely on written updates.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND participated fully, supported by targeted work, external specialists, Makaton and visual aids, and that children made excellent progress. Current support arrangements include a SENCO role, individual teaching approaches or education plans where needed, collaboration with external agencies and parent involvement throughout.

Extended-day children can nap after lunch in a darkened room with staff supervision. Parents guide the length of the nap and decisions about stopping it, so afternoon attendance does not require a child to have outgrown daytime sleep.

Kidz Clean Kitchen supplies the hot lunches and cold high teas for extended attendance. In September 2025, staff shared children's allergy and dietary information across the nursery and used food and drink routines to teach healthy choices.

Preparation for school is practical as well as educational. A primary transition evening is held each November to explain applications, with former parents returning to discuss their children's schools. The transfer of individual learning profiles also gives the next setting information about the child, rather than asking the family to start the account again.

Sessions and Attendance

Caterpillar and Butterfly mornings run from 9am to noon; Dragonfly and Ladybird mornings run from 9am to 12.30pm. For children aged two to three and a half, part-time attendance has a minimum of two sessions each week. In the preschool classes, the expectation is attendance every morning so children can access the full curriculum.

Bumble Bee Class provides the extended-day arrangement, adding afternoon attendance to the morning and finishing at either 3pm or 6pm. After lunch and a nap if needed, activities can include dance, art, cooking or park visits. It offers a way to lengthen attendance as a child becomes ready.

Full-time daycare runs from 8am to 6pm, and full-time care also operates outside term time. An 8am early start is offered each morning. Term-time attendance follows three terms, each with a half-term break, so families should distinguish that calendar from the full-time care arrangement.

The online application puts a child on the waiting list without an application charge. Contact is through the nursery office or admissions@steppingstonesw12.co.uk. The nursery is based at 7 Gayford Road, London W12 9BY.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. Private childcare is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the relevant funding reduction considered separately from the attendance pattern.

Term-time fees are invoiced at the start of each term; full-time care is billed monthly in advance. Once a place is confirmed, a deposit and a registration charge apply: the registration charge is non-refundable, while the deposit is returned after the child's final term. This distinguishes the free initial application from accepting a place.

The November transition evening helps parents understand primary-school applications and hear from former parents about their children's schools.

• The preschool morning commitment. Ladybird and Dragonfly aim for attendance every morning. Consider how that expectation fits your intended pattern, especially if starting with only selected sessions.
• Weekly lessons and chosen days. Music participation depends on attendance on its teaching day, while Friday mornings include PE. At a visit, discuss how your proposed sessions line up with the activities your child would enjoy.
• The complete funded-place quotation. Funding and private attendance sit alongside different billing arrangements. Ask how funded hours would fit your proposed attendance pattern.
• Seeing the nursery in use. Prospective Parents' Mornings include a tour and questions, but the application must be completed before an invitation is arranged. Use the visit to discuss settling and the progression from a morning to Bumble Bee attendance.

Stepping Stones suits families seeking a classroom-based nursery with specialist weekly activities, regular cookery and outdoor learning beyond its own playground. Morning sessions and extended attendance to 3pm or 6pm offer different starting points, alongside full-time daycare and care outside term time.

The preschool expectation deserves weight in the decision: this is an approach built around regular morning participation as school approaches. For families comfortable with that rhythm, the named classrooms, direct parent involvement and practical transition work give the nursery a clear identity and a coherent path through the early years.