Stepping Stones Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Cleckheaton for children from birth to 5, open 07:00 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2005, with 48 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 Kirklees
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Kirklees 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
BD19 4JXWhat 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 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children develop their curiosity as they play and explore at this warm and welcoming nursery. For example, they take part in activities that encourage them to use their higher level thinking skills. Older children observe what happens when carbon tablets are mixed with water in a tube. They use their knowledge about what they have already learned to predict that the lid will pop off, and they giggle with excitement when it does. These experiences support children to develop positive attitudes to learning.
Children develop their physical skills in a variety of ways. For example, they learn how to safely climb on wooden play equipment or balance across a plank of wood.
Older children delight in swinging on a rope swing in the outdoor area. This helps children to begin to understand how to manage risks as they play. Opportunities for children to build their independence skills are well thought out. For example, babies use slanted open-top cups to drink from at mealtimes. This helps to develop their mouth and tongue muscles in readiness for learning how to talk. Toddlers serve their own meals. They use real plates and glasses and take responsibility for looking after them. Children carry out special jobs, such as setting the tables for snack and mealtimes. As a result, their confidence and self-esteem grow.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance the learning environment and the ways in which staff plan for times when children are engaged in independent learning to support children in making further progress as they play and explore n consider the organisation of group activities to ensure that quieter children are further supported to join in and all children are able to fully focus on their learning.
- 12 January 2023Good
- 24 May 2022Needs improvement
- 14 March 2017Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones Day 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.