Smartys Little Stars Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Stone for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2022. Open since 2014, with 46 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 and 30 hours, plus 2-year-old funding.
Worth knowing. Meal supplements for fully funded days: £8.50 full day, £7.00 school day.
What childcare usually costs in Staffordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Staffordshire 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
ST15 0AAWhat 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, 21 April 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happily at the nursery and separate from their families with ease.
They quickly settle into the routine of the day and become engrossed in their play.
Children develop very good relationships with staff. They feel safe and secure in the stimulating learning environment. The manager and staff make sure that they talk with families and children about what their lives are like outside the nursery, to help them to plan meaningful learning experiences.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on plans for professional development to identify ways to help to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level, including developing further staff's interactions with children.
- 21 April 2022Good
- 1 August 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Smartys Little Stars Nursery
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.