Stepping Stones Playschool
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Crawley for children from birth to 5, open 08:30 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 2005, with 52 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 West Sussex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West Sussex 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
RH11 8HWWhat 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 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff are friendly and welcoming as children arrive ready to start their day. Children know their routines well. They confidently find their belongings, open their own containers during mealtimes and get themselves dressed. Children demonstrate high levels of focus when engaging in activities. They are resilient when facing challenges, such as using scissors with increasing control to cut tape into pieces to make musical shakers. This enables children to develop their independence and not be highly reliant on staff to complete tasks for them.
Opportunities for outdoor play are plentiful. Children demonstrate good physical dexterity as they navigate the secure and purposeful outdoor area, developing their large-muscle skills through activities such as climbing and balancing. Staff teach children to take appropriate risks and challenges as they learn to climb small trees.
This builds children's confidence and resilience and gives them a sense of achievement when they succeed.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen strategies for children to share their own thoughts and ideas n support staff to help children understand how their behaviour impacts others so that they begin to resolve conflicts independently.
- 10 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 30 January 2020Good
- 15 December 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones Playschool
- 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.