Stepping Stones Pre School Play and Learn
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Burton-On-Trent for children from birth to 8+, open 10:00 to 11:30, 1 day a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 1992, with 26 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 Staffordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Staffordshire 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
DE13 7HBWhat 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, 7 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children develop strong emotional security in a calm environment with a consistent routine. To celebrate achievements, staff place encouraging notes in children's lunch boxes for parents and carers to read. They use one-to-one support and additional funding to ensure disadvantaged children achieve well and access the same experiences as their peers. A portable growing area enhances children's cultural capital, giving them the opportunity to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Staff consistently model good manners and respectful behaviour by actively listening to children and valuing their contributions. They praise acts of kindness, helping children to recognise what positive behaviour looks like. Positive interactions boost children's engagement throughout the day. For example, staff encourage children to conduct their own headcounts before going outside and appoint daily helpers to carry out purposeful tasks, such as giving out name cards at lunchtime. These opportunities help to build children's confidence and strengthen their self-help skills.
Children learn the importance of good hygiene through well-established routines.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- continue to develop staff practice to improve the already good level of teaching so that children further benefit from the desired curriculum intentions n develop partnerships with other childcare settings that children attend to promote continuity in their learning.
- 7 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 30 September 2019Good
- 17 October 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones Pre School Play and Learn
- 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.