Stepping Stones Preschool
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Southampton for children from birth to 8+, open 08:30 to 15:30, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 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 Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire 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
SO45 2QGWhat 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, 11 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff give children a warm welcome as they arrive at the pre-school. Children happily wave goodbye as they confidently leave their parents and settle quickly.
Staff know the children extremely well. They prioritise building strong relationships with them and their families. This helps children to feel safe and develop a sense of belonging.
Staff take account of what interests the children and organise the environment in a way that supports their needs and next steps in development. For example, children enjoy digging in the sand for treasure. Staff hide different objects for them to find, such as gems and coins, which they count together. Furthermore, staff provide children with many opportunities to develop their creativity, such as building structures with different resources, painting and drawing. This helps children to make progress and develop a positive attitude to learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- embed the new curriculum, strengthening staff's understanding of the curriculum intent, so that their teaching is more consistently focused on what they want children to learn
- strengthen the daily routine so disruptions to children's play and learning are minimised.
- 11 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 11 November 2019Good
- 18 March 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Stepping Stones Preschool
- 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.