Stepping Stones Pre-School
OutstandingBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Canterbury for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 1967, with 24 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 Kent
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Kent 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
CT1 3JNWhat 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, 30 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff welcome children at the start of the day, and children hurry excitedly to their activities. Children fully understand the routines of the day, which staff enable through repetition and visual timetables. Children's engagement and enjoyment are at the heart of all planning. Staff go above and beyond to provide children with exciting, high-quality experiences. For example, children visit the cathedral, library and parks and help to plan how they will travel to their destination. Children are extremely well behaved and develop wonderful bonds with their friends and with all staff.
Staff implement an ambitious and broad curriculum, which incorporates all areas of learning. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement and thrive through their play. For example, children play happily together in the home corner and use herbs they have grown, pretending to flavour their cooking. The outdoor area is excellent and has been superbly planned by staff to offer a wide range of learning opportunities. For example, children thoroughly enjoy wandering through the wild grass and constructing towers with the wooden blocks. Staff consistently extend children's vocabulary and they fully understand the importance of communication and language. For instance, staff ask children questions about how materials feel as they engage, through messy play, in making potions. Even the younger children use new vocabulary and communicate effectively.
- 30 June 2023Outstanding
- 4 December 2017Good
- 20 April 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones Pre-School
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.