Stepping Stones Pre-School

Thursday Forest School gives this village pre-school a clear identity: children in their final preschool year explore the playing fields outside Clipston, building shelters, watching wildlife and learning about plants. Back at the setting, outdoor play continues through the seasons. This is a preschool experience with a substantial outdoor thread, rather than an occasional excursion.

Stepping Stones Pre-School shares a building with Clipston Primary School and has 24 places in total. At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective, with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), making good progress. Children attending at that visit were aged two to four. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered during term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning and care here: play, conversation and everyday routines help children develop their communication, physical abilities and understanding. Choosing play materials, getting dressed and solving problems with other children are part of the current emphasis on independence. These are useful opportunities to practise doing things for themselves, rather than treating independence as a separate lesson.

In June 2022, counting and language came together through pretend shopping, while small-world cars and a road map gave children another way to organise their play. A programmable robot introduced direction and movement. Art included colour mixing and making rainbows with tissue paper, giving children scope to experiment with materials and explain what they had created.

Those examples also reveal an important limit. In June 2022, enthusiasm sometimes drew too many children into a group activity, making it difficult for staff to manage the session. Supporting practitioners to organise group learning more effectively was an improvement priority. Engaging equipment matters, but so does making sure each child can participate.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds practical exploration outdoors to the everyday programme. It runs each Thursday for children aged three and over who are in their final preschool year, using space made accessible by the Clipston Playing Fields Association. Shelter construction, plant identification, wildlife observation and outdoor safety give the sessions concrete content. The age and year-group conditions matter: this part of the offer is for the oldest preschool children.

Daily outdoor play extends beyond that weekly session. Seasonal experiences include puddle play and snow angels, with outdoor learning continuing throughout the year. In June 2022, a large tray containing compost and water supported discussion about animals children had encountered during a visiting animal company's session. Toy creatures helped them recall the experience and find words for what they remembered.

A key person supports each child, giving families an identifiable practitioner connected to their child's care. Tapestry, the online learning journal, shares learning experiences with parents; monthly newsletters cover forthcoming topics and practical reminders. Together, these provide different kinds of communication: individual learning updates alongside information about the group.

The manager holds the designated safeguarding lead and SENCO roles. Additional-needs support can involve changes to the physical environment, specialist staff training and liaison with other professionals. These are concrete mechanisms for adapting provision to a child's needs, rather than a general promise that the same approach will suit everyone.

Independence deserves attention alongside that support. In June 2022, children could put on coats and aprons and use the toilet themselves, but adults sometimes intervened in tasks children could attempt, such as preparing snack fruit or wiping their noses. Giving children more consistent chances to complete everyday tasks was the other improvement priority. The current daily programme's emphasis on dressing, choices and responsibilities addresses the same practical territory.

Parents can also contribute to how the setting operates. A voluntary parent committee oversees policy, practice and staff employment, with its election taking place at the September annual general meeting. Fundraising supports equipment, staff training, IT and Forest School staffing. For families who enjoy involvement, the role reaches beyond helping at an occasional event.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Clipston School, High Street, Clipston, Market Harborough, LE16 9RU. Opening hours are 8.40am to 3.10pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning sessions run from 8.40am to 11.40am; afternoons run from 12.10pm to 3.10pm. Lunch Club occupies the interval from 11.40am to 12.10pm and can extend a morning session or form part of a longer day.

Full days are also offered, with many children taking longer days during their final preschool year to become accustomed to spending more time in a school setting. Changes to attendance can be accommodated where possible, and advance notice helps the setting organise them. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01858 525113.

Term dates follow Clipston Primary School in Northamptonshire, despite the LE16 postcode, and can differ from Leicestershire's calendar. The shared building does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered on a term-time basis. The arrangements include 15 hours each week for 38 weeks of the year for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday and up to 30 hours for eligible working families, including eligible parents of two-year-olds. Eligibility conditions apply; funding is claimed at the beginning of a term, and changes to that claim wait until the following term.

Additional hours attract a session charge, with session fees payable in advance each half term. Lunch Club has a separate charge, while contributions towards snacks and Forest School are voluntary and requested half-termly. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees information explains the charge structure.

Children bring their own packed lunch and eat together under staff supervision. Lunchbox choices support the setting's emphasis on healthy eating and consideration for others at the table.

• Independence and group learning. The June 2022 improvement priorities concerned adults taking over everyday tasks and managing crowded activities. A visit is a useful opportunity to ask how children now complete tasks themselves and how group participation is organised.
• The Thursday condition. Forest School is for children aged three and over in their final preschool year. Its practical value depends on your child's stage and attendance pattern.
• The local calendar. Terms follow Clipston Primary School rather than the Leicestershire calendar. Compare those dates with siblings' arrangements and your own holiday cover.
• Starting preschool. What is the current starting-age requirement for your child?

Stepping Stones suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full days within a term-time preschool routine. Its clearest attractions are the Thursday outdoor programme, daily opportunities to practise independence and communication through a key person and Tapestry. Parent involvement also has a formal place in how the setting is run.

The Good judgement dates to June 2022, and its improvement priorities remain useful questions for a visit. Families should weigh the final-year restriction on Forest School and the Northamptonshire term calendar alongside the appeal of a village setting sharing premises with a primary school.