Stepping Stones Community Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in London for babies from 3 months up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 2009, with 14 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
What childcare usually costs in Lambeth
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lambeth 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
SW8 1BAWhat 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, 22 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily separate from parents and carers and they are warmly welcomed into this small, homely and safe nursery. The curriculum is well designed, considering children's interests and stages of development. Children quickly find something that captures their imagination, they play with purpose and show good levels of concentration.
Staff are positive role models for children and, as such, behaviour is good. Sharing and turn taking is reinforced with children beginning to understand the impact their actions can have on others. Children develop strong friendships. They smile and greet each other enthusiastically. Children seek others out to share experiences with. For example, children set up a pretend picnic on the table outside and call for others to join them.
Staff have worked hard since the previous inspection in promoting children's independence. For example, as children come in, they take off their own shoes and put on slippers. Children serve their own breakfast cereals, butter their own toast, and scrape their plates at the end of the meal.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review how questions are used with children to provide them greater opportunity to use their widening vocabulary and share their ideas and opinions - look at the way routines are managed to ensure children are not waiting for prolonged periods of time.
- 22 May 2023Good
- 14 September 2017Good
- 28 January 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones Community Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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.
- 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.