Stepping Stones Childcare (Cornwall)
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in St Austell for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. £8.80 an hour for under 2, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2023. Open since 2015, with 50 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2birth to 2y | £8.80Under 2 | |
| 2-4yrs2y to 4y | £6.602-4yrs | |
| All ages | £5.50Late Finish (5:00 – 5:30 pm) £6.60Early Start (7.30am – 8.00am) £11.00Late Finish (5:00 – 6:00 pm) £13.20Early Start (7.00am – 8.00am) |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £10.00 a term snack provision contributionvoluntary if fully funded
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Nursery Education Grant Funding for 3 and 4 years olds, 15 hours 2 year old funding, free 30 hours funding.
Worth knowing. Funding can be used between 8am and 5pm at Scol Kensa, and anytime between 8am to 4pm at Mount Charles. £10 additional contribution each term toward snack provision (voluntary if fully funded).
What childcare usually costs in Cornwall
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cornwall 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
PL25 3AGWhat 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, 12 April 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily arrive and enjoy their time at this nurturing nursery. Staff are warm and caring towards children and adults. They welcome children and parents as they arrive and give children their full attention. Children settle quickly in the nursery and immediately become engrossed in their play. Staff use their knowledge of children's interests to provide stimulating activities which children clearly enjoy.
Children develop positive attitudes to learning. They show high levels of engagement and motivation in their play. Children of all ages are independent and confident in their choices. They choose activities by themselves and ask adults to help them if needed. For example, children take books to staff and ask them to read to them.
Leaders and staff strive for children to build positive relationships with others. They support young children's understanding of turn taking and sharing. For example, they play 'catch' with children, saying whose turn it is next. They play alongside children talking to them and model good social skills and manners. Children behave well and show respect for adults and other children. For example, they ask other children and staff if they want to join them when playing, and offer toys for them to play with.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help children to learn about the benefits of eating healthy foods to further promote their ability to make healthy food choices n develop children's understanding of how they can keep themselves safe when using technology online.
- 12 April 2023Good
- 16 August 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones Childcare (Cornwall)
- Youngest age taken
- 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
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.
- Is £8.80 an hour still the rate? 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.