Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones
Unique reference number (URN): 2786932
Address: 80 lime pit lane, Stanley, WF3 4DF
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/05/2024
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Dobson, Claire Louise
Inspection report: 13 May 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children demonstrate the skills that they have learned. They are confident and independent.
They stop and listen outdoors, telling staff that they can hear vehicles or birds. They use
tongs, large serving spoons and jugs at mealtimes to help themselves.
Children are kind to each other. They play together, testing out their ideas and come up with
solutions to problems. They play co-operative games together, such as, throwing a ball back
and forth and taking turns. They typically make steady progress in all areas of learning. In
particular, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress in their
personal, social and emotional development. All children are well prepared for school.
By the time children leave the setting they generally have effective communication skills. A
very small number of children require additional attention to engage in learning opportunities
that help them to even further develop their vocabulary.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning
benefit from calming spaces where they receive support to regulate their own emotions.
Staff label their feelings to help them to understand and feel calm. This helps children to feel
safe and secure. They start to develop their independence and self-regulation skills.
Children learn important social skills. Staff are positive role models who help children to
learn what is expected of them. They provide opportunities for children to practise sharing
and to take turns. When children occasionally need additional support, staff ask thought
provoking questions that help children to manage conflict. For example, they prompt
children to consider how they can ask a friend to join in with a game or to have a turn with a
toy.
Children develop their independence in many ways. From an early age, they are
encouraged to have a go themselves at putting on their shoes or coats. Babies make
choices about songs they want to sing next. Children serve themselves at mealtimes,
skilfully pouring their own drinks and clearing away after themselves. Leaders promote and
monitor attendance so that, all children benefit from their available sessions.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
All children develop warm and positive relationships with the nurturing staff. Babies and
young children have their needs met, through sensitive care routines. Attention is given to
safer sleep and eating practises. Sleep times are calm and help children to feel secure.
Leaders work hard to provide information to families about healthy choices, when providing
their own lunches. This is an ongoing area of focus that is seeing significant improvement.

Children participate in tooth brushing. While doing so, they learn about why they need to
brush their teeth. They learn about healthy foods and that water hydrates them. Effective
hygiene practises further support children to keep themselves healthy as they regularly
wash their hands at key times and understand why.
Children are provided with an environment that engages them. Staff know them well and
what interests them, so that, they enjoy play. They feel welcomed and have a sense of
belonging. Children with barriers to learning benefit from calm and inviting spaces where
they are supported by staff who are sensitive to their needs and support their mental
wellbeing.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have a sound oversight of the curriculum for all children. They ensure that most
staff understand their role in helping children to learn. Across the setting, the curriculum is
generally taught well. It is adapted to meet the needs of the children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching.
A small number of children are not consistently supported to develop their language and
communication skills. Occasionally during focused group times quieter children are not as
engaged as children who need additional support. Leaders have started to make
improvements in this area. They support staff through additional training and development
opportunities, that are starting to have an impact as children move through the setting.
There is a clear focus on supporting children to develop a love of books and stories. From
an early age in the baby room, children enjoy listening to stories. Staff read with enthusiasm,
pointing out key characters and naming them. They name animals and the sounds that they
make. This engages children, who start to recall their favourite parts of the book as they turn
the pages.
Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Babies enjoy spending
time outdoors where the environment is organised so that, they can practise pulling
themselves up or to push wheeled toys. They become confident walkers. Older children are
supported to develop their small muscle skills as they use a wide range of utensils that
become increasingly challenging. They knead dough and push small seeds into plant pots.
Mathematics is typically introduced into different aspects of play, as well as being a specific
focus during small group time. Staff help children to learn to count, recognise shapes and
learn positional language. They make progress in their mathematical development.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders have a thorough oversight of children who need additional support. They ensure
that children's needs are identified at the earliest opportunity, so that, they can implement
strategies that help all children to make progress alongside their peers.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well supported by
staff. They work with other professionals such as, occupational therapists to ensure that they
are providing the right support for children. Staff adapt the environment to enable all children
to access learning. For example, resources and furniture are carefully organised to support

children who need extra help with their physical development. As a result, children make
progress from their starting points through receiving targeted support to develop their
muscle strength.
Funding is used appropriately to further reduce barriers to learning that children may face.
Leaders use what they know about children to effectively plan how funding is used. For
example, they purchase additional resources that compliment what staff do to help children
with their independence around self-care. They provide additional support that helps
children to regulate their emotions so that, they develop skills that help them to be prepared
for school.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders foster close, positive relationships with parents and other professionals. They use
these relationships to drive improvements in the overall care and learning for all children.
For example, they ensure that staff have targeted training to obtain the skills and knowledge
that they need for children who have medical needs. There are close links with other
schools and settings that children attend to support smooth transitions and ongoing
development. Leaders have a through oversight of all of the children at the setting and what
their key person is focusing on. This helps them to monitor and tackle any gaps in the
curriculum or focus on small groups of children.
Leaders have a clear action plan. They recognise the small inconsistencies in the quality of
teaching and support for children's language development. They are already taking steps to
address this through regular coaching, supervision and monitoring. Leaders have recently
revised risk assessment processes to enhance the safety of children when transporting
them to and from school. Leaders have regular support from the nominated individual to
help them to drive improvement.
Staff wellbeing is closely monitored. Leaders ensure that they have manageable workloads
and that feel valued and supported.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children enjoy their learning at the welcoming nursery. They develop positive relationship
with staff and each other, that help them to feel safe and secure. Babies benefit from
nurturing relationships that prioritise their safety and wellbeing. Children attend regularly and
develop their skills, in preparation for starting school. Effective transition processes and
communication help children with barriers to learning to be well prepared for the next stage
or room.
Children enjoy the wide range of engaging and interesting experiences that are on offer.
Learning is tailored to their needs and interests. This keeps them focused and eager to
explore further. For example, children use a water dispenser outdoors that has lemons
inside. They mix the lemons and water and dispense into cups. They say that they have
made, 'lemonade'. Staff use words such as, 'infuse' and children copy. Children enjoy this
imaginative and investigative play. Children enjoy further problem-solving opportunities as
they develop their relationships and play together. Staff provide ramps and stands and ask
children what they are going to do next. Children test out placing the ramps at different
angles and heights, to see which one makes their cars go faster. They show excitement and
pride each time they succeed in getting their car to go further along the floor from the ramp.
All children, including those with barriers to learning, typically achieve well. This is because
their key persons, plan learning that is based on what children already know and can do.
Staff consider what they want them to learn next and how they can build on existing skills
and knowledge. Children have access to a wide range of books and stories that are
embedded into daily learning. They use props to retell traditional stories that they know well.
They build on what they have previously learned. For example, when retelling the story of

Inspector:
Aimee Hill
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2786932
Address:
80 lime pit lane
Stanley
WF3 4DF
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/05/2024
Registered person: Dobson, Claire Louise
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00
'The Three Little Pigs', they say that the wolf can not blow the house down because it is
made of bricks and is too strong.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to increase staff skills and understanding to deliver the ambitious
curriculum consistently so that all children fully engage in what is offered.
Leaders should further develop staff confidence and skills to support all children to
develop their vocabulary alongside their peers.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, parents and the special educational needs
coordinator, during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years' foundation stage.

Local authority: Wakefield
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 13 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 10
Total number of places
63
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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