The Early Years Academy Stone

A Home‑from‑Home Setting, centred on a Grade II listed former school, and a preschool vegetable garden give The Early Years Academy Stone a recognisable character. The building has spacious indoor play areas and secure outdoor space, while the garden project brings growing into the older children’s routines. This is a nursery with a practical emphasis on play, relationships and increasing independence.

At its 9 November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and identified improvements needed in conversations that develop children’s language and questions that deepen their thinking. Those teaching details matter as much as the overall grade: children need adults who extend an activity, rather than simply keep it moving.

The nursery has capacity for 62 children, accepting ages from one month to five years. Morning, afternoon and several lengths of day are offered, giving families more than one way to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Babies (0–18 months) have a cosy room, a dedicated key person and care aligned with routines from home, helping families carry familiar patterns into nursery life. For the youngest children, that continuity is a more useful detail than a broad promise of individual attention.

Activities in the toddler and preschool rooms build on children’s developing concentration and creativity. Preschool combines group activities and structured routines with its vegetable garden project. Growing adds something tangible to the day: children have a garden connected to their learning, alongside activities indoors.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS framework guides learning through play across seven areas, including expressive arts and personal and social development. It provides the educational foundation; the preschool garden is a concrete addition to that everyday learning. The emphasis is on children developing skills through what they do, rather than formal lessons.

In November 2023, toddlers explored paint, while older children used drawing and artwork to express ideas. Sensory experiences also included investigating smells and textures. These examples give parents a clearer picture of learning than a list of curriculum headings: children were using their hands, noticing differences and finding ways to communicate what interested them.

Reading and early writing were part of the day in November 2023, with stories read aloud and children making marks on paper and boards. Songs accompanied routine activities too. However, conversations sometimes stopped before children could respond and expand their vocabulary, and questioning did not consistently help them work through their own ideas. The next step was richer interaction, not simply more activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Secure outdoor areas complement the indoor rooms. In November 2023, outdoor play included digging in sand, riding bikes and playing games together, giving children opportunities to move as well as practise playing alongside others.

The preschool vegetable garden provides another reason to spend time outside. It connects the outdoor space to an ongoing project, making the garden part of the learning environment rather than only a place for exercise.

Relationships and Communication

Group-wide unlimited settling-in sessions are offered at Stone, allowing the start to be paced around the child, with a personalised plan for becoming familiar with nursery. Baby care follows home routines and uses a dedicated key person. Together, these arrangements give families a practical starting point for a transition that can take time.

Parents receive newsletters and updates through meetings, while an open-door approach supports personal communication. That combination gives families both regular information and opportunities for a fuller conversation about their child.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that babies developed close relationships with their key persons, staff identified additional needs and sought specialist help where needed, and safeguarding arrangements were effective. These are dated findings about care and support, rather than guarantees about every child’s future experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2023, staff used books to help children understand feelings, and supported sharing, taking turns and considerate behaviour during play. Emotional learning was therefore linked to situations children encountered with their friends, rather than treated as a separate topic.

Independence also featured in everyday routines that November: children practised handwashing, poured drinks and served food for themselves. These small tasks gave them opportunities to manage parts of their own day and prepare for greater independence at school.

Practitioners include both qualified staff and trainees, with training in safeguarding, food hygiene and paediatric first aid. Freshly cooked meals are developed with input from cooks, children and parents, and adapted to individual dietary needs.

School transition work includes liaison with local schools. Its practical value is communication between the adults supporting a child as they move into their next setting.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Meaford Nursery School, Meaford, Stone, ST15 0PX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Stone offers the group-wide arrangement of no minimum booking requirement.

Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm; afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. A full day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Ten-hour days can be booked from 7.30am to 5.30pm or 8am to 6pm.

Nine-hour options start at 7.30am, 8am, 8.30am or 9am, ending at 4.30pm, 5pm, 5.30pm or 6pm respectively. Eight-hour days start at 7.30am, 8am, 8.30am, 9am, 9.30am or 10am, with corresponding finishes at 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm, 5pm, 5.30pm or 6pm. This gives families specific shorter-day choices alongside the morning and afternoon sessions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare starts from nine months for eligible children. The offer includes the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds and an additional 15 hours for those who qualify; funding can be spread across 51 weeks. Funded-only sessions are also offered.

Meals are charged separately, as are nappies and other consumables on funded hours. Additional private hours are charged, and a non-refundable registration charge applies to bookings. Fees are paid monthly in advance, with payment due on the first of the month. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation; the Stone fees and funding page sets out the session and charge structure.

• Teaching conversations. In November 2023, language development and questioning were the areas needing further work. On a tour, ask how practitioners now extend children’s answers and ideas during ordinary play.
• Starting with a baby. Care in Babies (0–18 months) follows home routines and unlimited settling-in sessions are offered. Discuss how feeding, rest and the settling plan would work for your child.
• Funding and extras. Funded-only sessions sit alongside separately charged meals, nappies and consumables. Consider the whole written quotation against the attendance pattern you need.

The Early Years Academy Stone suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those choosing shorter or full days. Its former-school building, secure outdoor areas and preschool vegetable garden give the setting substance beyond a general play-based description.

The Good judgement from November 2023 provides a positive inspection position, with specific teaching improvements to weigh alongside it. Home routines for babies, unlimited settling-in and a broad choice of session lengths make the practical offer worth close consideration.