Stepping Stones Nursery School

Inspection of Stepping Stones Nursery School 7 Gayford Road, LONDON W12 9BY

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is outstanding

Children are happy and confident learners, who thrive at this nurturing nursery. Staff create an enriching and ambitious curriculum with the vision that all children will reach their full potential. They share a deeply inclusive culture that enables every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to be at the heart of all activities. Highly skilled staff react to children's needs and adapt their teaching methods accordingly. All children make excellent progress.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff support children across the nursery to be immersed in the world of books. Toddlers learn to hear stories and start to plan their own. Pre-school children are captivated by stories from different cultures. They deepen their understanding by exploring atlases, learning about different continents and the wildlife that live there. Staff in every room of the nursery understand the progression of children's skills for all areas of learning.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff celebrate the unique and diverse backgrounds of all children. Children feel proud to share their experiences and achievements at home and in the nursery. Staff give children responsibilities and encourage them to be highly independent. Children are well mannered and kind. They cooperate with each other in their play and share a strong understanding of the expectations of their behaviour that keep themselves and others safe and happy.

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need to do better?

n Staff collaborate effectively to embed a curriculum that considers closely the needs of individual children. For example, in the toddler room, there is a strong focus on physical development. Staff build on children's core strength and balance skills. Children feel excited to learn to throw, catch and roll balls at the local park. They crawl through tunnels and negotiate space with others. These exciting experiences start children on a journey to building physical strength and coordination. n Staff successfully sequence their curriculum. The detailed planning across the nursery ensures that children obtain and build on fundamental skills. For example, toddlers excitedly describe their faces and body parts. Staff teach them more complex vocabulary to describe how they look. Pre-school children build on their understanding by examining what is inside their bodies. They learn about their bones and how their bodies work. Staff want to see children achieve goals

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need to do better?

more than once before moving on. This ensures that children gain a deep understanding and remember what they have learned. n Staff monitor all children's progress meticulously. They build strong links with external agencies that offer additional support for children with SEND. Leaders

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need to do better?

19 September 2025 ensure that staff are trained to deliver targeted interventions. For example, staff use Makaton and visual aids to promote children's communication skills. They make links with experts to deliver targeted support to help children to express their needs. Children with SEND feel highly confident and able to access the curriculum in its entirety. n Staff are highly successful at engaging parents and carers in their children's learning. They plan a wide variety of opportunities for parents to take part in learning with children at the nursery. Leaders ensure that communication with parents is two way. This helps them to reflect on who children are and what they need to be successful. Parents value the strong relationships that staff build with their children. They say that the fluid communication helps them to feel deeply involved in nursery life and extends their children's learning. Parents remark on

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need to do better?

children's excellent progress. n Staff provide children with healthy and nutritious foods. They teach children to make healthy choices to help them to grow and become physically strong. Staff ensure that any dietary requirements and allergies that children have are shared and understood by everyone in the nursery. Children learn that staying hydrated and eating healthily helps them to be healthy. n Leaders ensure that highly focused supervision sessions enable staff to identify potential growth for their own practice. Staff have opportunities to take the lead on areas of the curriculum that they feel passionate about. For example, staff have recently attended training on mathematics. They have conducted a whole nursery audit of resources. Leaders and staff evaluate the impact of training as they enhance children's learning experiences.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY448901 Local authority Hammersmith & Fulham Inspection number 10398938 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 89 Number of children on roll 54 Name of registered person Dodd, Bryony May

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reference number

Telephone number 0208 811 1646 Date of previous inspection 14 November 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Stepping Stones Nursery School registered in 2012. It is situated in the Stamford Brook area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The nursery is open for 46 weeks of the year, from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday. There are 16 members of staff, of whom 13 hold an early years qualification at level 3 or above. The nursery provides government funded childcare.

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Inspection activities

n Leaders and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n Leaders showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

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.

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Inspection activities

19 September 2025 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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