Smartys Pre-School Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Stone 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 February 2022. Open since 2006, with 40 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 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 8QBWhat 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, 10 February 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arriving at the pre-school nursery are welcomed by the warm and caring staff. They quickly become engaged in a range of interesting activities. For example, children manipulate play dough and use a variety of resources to form construction models. Staff identify that using tools enables children to develop hand-to-eye coordination. They also use these opportunities to strengthen hand muscles. This lays the foundations for handwriting later on. Children are eager to learn new skills because staff have high expectations of them.
Staff provide a curriculum that gives clear focus to children's interests and helps all children to make good progress. Children benefit from stimulating learning activities outdoors. They have opportunities to develop their physical skills and use their imaginations well in their play. For example, children become engrossed using bricks and straw to build houses for 'The Three Little Pigs' and delight in acting out the story together. Staff help children to learn simple descriptive language. For example, they say 'strong', 'weak' and 'scary' to challenge children to develop their emerging language. Children behave well. They interact easily with their friends and learn from a young age about sharing with others in their play. Children of all ages learn about emotions, including through stories, rhymes and role play.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to use consistent and effective questioning techniques to further extend all children's communication and language skills n help staff to identify further opportunities to develop children's understanding of numbers, counting and mathematical concepts as they play.
- 10 February 2022Good
- 3 June 2014Outstanding
- 17 June 2010Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Smartys Pre-School Nursery
- 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.