Stepping Stones Day Nursery

Weekly visits to the Abbey, library reading challenges and a shared preschool space give Stepping Stones Day Nursery a recognisable Pershore character. Everyday experiences supply much of the learning: choosing fruit, making food, exploring outdoors and becoming more independent. This is a nursery with a practical emphasis on what children can do for themselves.

At its 27 September 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. That judgement gives families a dated assessment of its education and care, alongside two concrete improvement points: explaining the reasons behind behaviour rules and helping less-confident practitioners sustain children’s interest in activities.

There are 35 places in total, for children aged three months to five years. Babies have their own Teddies room, while the older age groups learn in a shared space with activities adapted to their developmental stage. Full-day and half-day attendance are both offered.

Rooms and Ages

Teddies, the room for children aged 0–2 years, gives each baby a key worker and emphasises responsive care, familiar relationships and gentle routines within a small room.

Cubs and Big Bears share the preschool room for ages 2–4: Cubs, aged 2–3, have sensory exploration, early mark-making and spaces to regulate emotions, while Big Bears, aged 3–4, practise name recognition, early phonics, taking turns and self-care. Sharing the room allows interaction across ages; separately planned activities keep the expectations appropriate to each group.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care, with children developing communication, social skills and other areas of learning through play and guided experiences. It is the common foundation for nursery education. Here, child-led exploration sits alongside direct teaching, adult modelling and conversations that help children extend an idea.

Planning follows monthly themes, seasonal experiences and cultural celebrations. Monthly observations inform planning for key groups, with targeted intervention where needed and reports each term. For families, this creates a sequence from what staff notice to what they plan next, rather than leaving an observation as an isolated entry.

Library Visits include a reading initiative in which children earn certificates for exploring different genres. Cooking and food exploration brings regular opportunities to make sandwiches, prepare fruit salad and bake, connecting language and early maths with something children can handle and use.

In September 2023, children investigated a bucket containing chalk as rainwater collected in it, discussing what might happen before discovering the result. Another activity involved gathering garden objects to make dough animals. Both examples show how a simple material or change in the weather can become a starting point for conversation and investigation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free-flow outdoor access gives children opportunities to move between indoor activity and a space equipped for construction, sand and water exploration, climbing and reading. A climbing frame, scooters, bikes and balancing resources bring physical movement into the day; gardening and nature exploration provide a different pace.

Community Walks include weekly visits to the Abbey, alongside local parks, shopping for fruit and vegetables, and nature trails. Daily community outings form part of the nursery’s offer, extending children’s experiences beyond the building. Forest School sessions involve exploring nature, making dens, looking for bugs and experiencing seasonal changes, with outdoor risk-taking included in the activities.

In September 2023, outings included walks to the duck pond, where adults discussed staying safe while feeding ducks. That is a useful example of learning attached to a real situation, rather than safety instructions delivered in isolation.

Relationships and Communication

Parents receive a detailed handover about their child’s day, supported by Ovivio, an app for sharing care updates, photographs and learning records. Its diary covers eating, nappy changes, sleep and activities; families can also contribute moments from home. The practical benefit is continuity: staff and parents have ways to exchange information beyond a brief conversation.

Room doors carry the weekly menu, activity plans and parent notices, as well as information about the staff working there. Termly reports sit alongside those everyday exchanges. A parent can follow both the small details of care and the longer view of development.

In September 2023, adults helped children who felt uncertain during a painting activity by speaking calmly and accompanying them to wash their hands. Children also practised independence by serving lunch and putting on coats. These dated examples give substance to the nursery’s emphasis on reassurance and self-care.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described developmental concerns being acted on promptly, with the special educational needs coordinator keeping parents and other professionals informed to help children receive support and make expected progress. The current approach includes targeted intervention within planning, giving additional support a place in the learning programme.

In September 2023, children learning English alongside another language were supported with familiar words from home as well as English, while stories and songs introduced vocabulary. Before children moved on to school, staff exchanged information with schools to help maintain continuity. That describes transition work, rather than an admissions advantage.

Current safeguarding arrangements include designated lead and deputy roles, regular safeguarding training and two coded intercoms controlling access to the building. Paediatric first-aid training is part of the staffing arrangements, with new staff obtaining it within one month of starting. These are practical arrangements for families to understand.

Food is freshly prepared on the premises each day, with children and parents contributing ideas to menu planning and a fruit station supporting independent snacking. The kitchen has an area reserved for allergy-related preparation, and staff receive allergy-awareness training.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery operates Monday to Friday, with opening hours of 8am to 6pm and an Early Start option from 7.30am as a flexible addition when needed. Full-day and half-day patterns give families different ways to use the nursery; the early addition extends the opening window for those who need it.

Enquiries can be made by email or telephone through the nursery’s contact details. A full fee sheet sets out costs and session choices, and the nursery discusses individual attendance needs. Families should obtain a current written quotation when arranging care.

Getting There

The address is Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, WR10 1PT. A drop-off bay serves the building, which is away from main roads.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government funding is accepted for all ages, and workplace childcare vouchers are also accepted. This establishes participation in funded childcare; the attendance arrangement and charges still need to be considered together when choosing a pattern.

Fees rise annually. Charges continue during nursery closures and when a child misses attendance through sickness or holidays, so the financial commitment extends beyond days actually attended. Bank holidays and a week at Christmas are closure periods, which families need to accommodate in their childcare plans.

• Behaviour and engagement. In September 2023, adults sometimes reminded children of rules without explaining their purpose, and less-confident staff sometimes struggled to keep children involved in activities. During a visit, ask how staff now explain consequences and adjust an activity when a child disengages.
• Annual calendar. The opening information gives both 50 and 51 weeks a year, while fees continue during closures. Confirm the annual calendar before planning leave or alternative childcare.
• Your attendance pattern. Full-day and half-day care sit alongside the flexible Early Start addition. Discuss how your intended pattern works with the shared preschool space and the daily outings, so the booking fits the experiences you value.
• Funding and everyday costs. Funding for all ages and a detailed fee sheet are part of the offer. Ask for a written breakdown covering funded attendance, meals and non-food consumables; families managing allergies should also confirm current food-preparation practice.

Stepping Stones suits families choosing either full-day or half-day attendance who value practical learning, community outings and regular information about their child’s day. Weekly Abbey visits, library reading challenges and cooking give that approach substance. The shared preschool room will appeal to parents who like interaction across ages alongside age-adapted activities.

The September 2023 Good judgement is a useful reference point, with specific questions about behaviour explanations and engagement still worth taking into a visit. The decision also rests on practical details: the annual calendar, continuing charges during closures and the arrangement for funded attendance. Those deserve the same attention as the activities.