Stepping Stones Nursery - WA4 6LG

Stepping Stones Day Nursery was inspected on 18 March 2022 under the legacy four-area OFSTED framework (Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management), with an overall rating of Good. This analysis maps those findings to the November 2025 seven-area framework. The nursery demonstrates strong practice across most areas, with particular strengths in children's personal, social and emotional development, physical development, and safeguarding arrangements. The inspection identified two key areas for improvement: (1) staff do not consistently allow sufficient thinking time when asking children questions, limiting the development of higher-order thinking skills; and (2) the manager does not systematically monitor the impact of professional development on staff practice, meaning training is not targeted effectively enough. The nursery maintains a calm, nurturing environment where children thrive, show positive attitudes to learning, and develop good independence and self-care skills. Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a knowledgeable designated safeguarding lead and rigorous recruitment procedures.