Childcare @ Stepping Stones
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Luton for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2023. Open since 2011, with 15 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Luton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Luton from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
LU1 2BWWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 24 April 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff welcome children warmly into the setting. Children are well settled and are confident to separate from their main carer. Children have established good bonds with the staff team. They seek them out for comfort as they notice a visitor. This demonstrates how safe and secure they feel in the setting. Staff work closely with parents. When children arrive at the setting, parents share information about their child's day so far. This enables staff to adapt their practice to support children.
Children behave well. The setting has clear values, which children follow from a young age. Therefore, children have a good understanding of staff's expectations.
For example, children know to tidy away toys before they get something else out to explore. Children create good friendships with each other. Regardless of age, children seek out each other to play with. Children are kind to each other. They take turns with their friends and work together to create different things. For example, children take turns with staff to build a tower out of cotton reels. They delight as the tower gets higher and higher, laughing as it finally falls.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- implement effective procedures for sharing information with other providers that children attend n strengthen the planning of activities to allow children time to embed learning before moving on.
- 24 April 2023Good
- 6 September 2017Good
- 21 February 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Childcare @ Stepping Stones
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.