Stepping Stones Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Reading for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:45 to 16:45, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2003, with 60 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
The universal early years offer of 15 hours a week (less hours if stretched) is only available the term following a children 3rd birthday. Funding will only be provided to children who have a valid funding code. Children under the age of 3 years old cannot claim more than 15 hours of funding a week.
Worth knowing. Children under 3 years old will need to meet set criteria to be eligible to claim early years funding. Funding will only be provided to children who have a valid funding code. Parents will need to reconfirm their codes every 3 months.
What childcare usually costs in Reading
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Reading 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
RG30 4NPWhat 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, 25 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children learn about Chinese culture and New Year celebrations. They have fun exploring chopsticks, food and dressing up in traditional Chinese clothes. These activities teach children about the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Children feel safe. They are confident to approach staff at the preschool for help and reassurance. They explore plenty of fun activities inside the pre-school. Children take turns pretending to be a shopkeeper. They pack their shopping into bags and then pay for it. Staff help children to learn new words, such as 'squash' and 'sweet potato.' Children learn to take turns during their games.
Staff encourage the use of sand timers to help children share when certain toys and games are popular.
Specially trained staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children enjoy an accessible room, which helps them to explore their senses and learn to communicate their needs. For example, children use picture timetables and exchange pictures with staff to communicate what they would like to do next. Children enjoy activities that encourage them to explore a range of fun items in a bucket. These activities are shared with parents to extend children's learning when they go home. Children form close bonds with staff. Staff make sure that all children integrate at the nursery and develop skills from carefully planned activities.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review the organisation of resources and group opportunities, indoors and outdoors, to support children to concentrate and engage further with their learning n consider further ways to work in partnership with parents to support children to eat a nutritious diet and develop healthy lifestyles.
- 25 January 2023Good
- 10 March 2017Good
- 12 January 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones Pre-School
- What it costs
- 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
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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.