Stepping Stones Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Sturminster Newton for children from birth to 8+, open 08:45 to 15:15, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2023. Open since 2009, with 20 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 Dorset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Dorset 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
DT10 1BZWhat 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, 15 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children quickly settle on arrival and are happy and eager to engage in the activities. The new role-play area has had a positive effect, especially on young children new to the setting. They build friendships, feel secure, manage their emotions and act out familiar experiences. Older children also manage dressing-up clothes, which supports their independence and physical skills effectively.
The curriculum has a beneficial impact on children's learning and development.
There is a strong emphasis in supporting children's prime areas of development, which underpins all other learning. For example, staff help children who are nonverbal to hear language and develop their skills. They recast mispronounced words and add vocabulary. Staff sensitively help children to challenge their physical development. For example, they encourage them with praise and clear instructions to climb the small wall, using the foot and hand holds to reach the top. Children are then confident to try again. Every day, children take part in activities with dough, which strengthens their arms and hands, ready for writing. Staff know the children well and plan an exciting environment, using children's interests to motivate their learning. For example, children enjoy stacking wooden blocks; they work together, take turns, and carefully balance the blocks higher. This leads to staff helping children to measure themselves and see the difference in their sizes.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve the organisation of routines so that children can always listen and concentrate in group activities n help older children to consider ways of solving problems for themselves.
- 15 November 2023Good
- 8 March 2018Good
- 25 March 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.