Stepping Stones
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Grantham for babies from 9 months up to school age, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2022. Open since 2009, with 125 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All 3 and 4 year olds & Early Learning Funding for 2-year-olds: 15 hours per week (termtime only over 38 weeks), or 12 hours per week (stretched over 47.5 weeks); Working families: Available for children aged 9 months and above. 30 hours per week (termtime only over 38 weeks), or 24 hours per week (stretched over 47.5 weeks).
Worth knowing. Funded hours are available between 8.00 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday.
What childcare usually costs in Lincolnshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lincolnshire 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
NG31 6QPWhat 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, 26 January 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children show spirit and confidence. When they arrive, they know the routine and instantly play and explore independently. Children approach visitors and invite them into their play, they say, 'come on, come see'. Babies' bonds with their key persons are exceptionally good. When their key person returns from a break, they greet her with a beaming smile. This demonstrates secure emotional attachments.
Children enjoy being physically active. Outside, pre-school children show they enjoy taking risks as they climb a low wall and jump off into the arms of staff, who offer praise and encouragement. When children say, 'I can't do it', staff say, 'yes you can'. This helps develop children's physical skills and encourages them to have a positive attitude to completing tasks on their own.
Children receive support from staff to help them progress, both at the setting and at home. Although parents no longer enter the nursery, due to the COVID-19
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: - adapt and enhance support for staff to focus on raising the quality of education to the highest level n support staff to further improve the organisation of routine events to enhance learning experiences during these times.
- 26 January 2022Good
- 20 August 2015Outstanding
- 15 July 2010Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones
- What it costs
- Nappies
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.
- 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.