Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington

Asda Distribution Centre, Staithes Road, Pattinson Industrial Estate, Washington NE38 8NW
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9.9 33 Reviews
  • Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington, Washington
Stepping Stones Washington opened in 1998, and is well-established in the community. Located just outside Washington town centre, it was awarded Good by Ofsted in 2023.

The nursery's warm, homely environment has age-appropriate equipment and resources to create stimulating surroundings where the dedicated team can help your child develop through a wide range of creative and sensory activities.

The large outdoor space is especially popular, with a mix of grass and rubber surfaces and activities from sand pits to mud kitchens and vegetable patches to bug gardens.

Fundraising events throughout the year bring nursery and community together, and the popular stay and play sessions help parents get a flavour of nursery life and the activities your child enjoys.

The nursery also extend children's learning beyond nursery, with homework bags and activities to help their development at home.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Terri Fos (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 29

Total Places for Children

  • 98

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • Available Sessions
    Full Day (10 Hours)
    Option 1; 7.30am to 5.30pm
    Option 2; 8.00am to 6.00pm
    Short Day (7.5Hours)
    9.00am to 4.30pm
    Morning (5 Hours)
    8.00am to 1.00pm
    Afternoon (5 Hours)
    1.00pm to 6.00pm

  • Funding is available for children aged from 9 months, subject to availability.
    A full list of our fees is available in our nursery prospectus.

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:00-18:00
    Tuesday 07:00-18:00
    Wednesday 07:00-18:00
    Thursday 07:00-18:00
    Friday 07:00-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays

Parking

  • Free Parking Onsite

Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington Reviews (33)

9.9

Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.861) out of 10, based on 24 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington has 33 reviews.

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Total of 33, showing 21-33
Review from Dan R (Father of Child) published on 15 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A fantastic nursery with great, friendly and knowledgeable staff who really do care about the kids they look after. My son's development has been brilliant since he started going to Stepping Stones Washington. Would highly recommend to any parent and would give more stars if I could.
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Review from E H (Mother of Child) published on 15 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
They have amazing staff who are very helpful and understanding, they’ve made my child and myself feel settled and safe. I have had no problems and have had great communication between myself and them.
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Review from E S (Mother of Child) published on 15 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Daughter has been going here since she was 14 months old in 2021 and I can’t thank this nursery enough for how much they’ve brought her on. She absolutely loves attending Stepping Stones and I’ll be sad to see her move on in September. The staff are all lovely and very attentive and it shows on my daughter’s
face when I pick her up. They’re always doing something different and creative and we love the range of activities offered from this nursery, including parent breakfast etc.
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Review from T E (Mother of Child) published on 13 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has attended the nursery since October 2023 The staff are very welcoming.
Our daughter goes running in the morning and it takes some time to get her to come home. You're always told about their day on pickup. Regular updates on the app and emails about upcoming events.
I feel happy and
confident in leaving my daughter each morning, knowing she is in such safe hands and she loves it there.
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Review from Adam P (Father of Child) published on 7 September 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I couldn’t rate the nursery highly enough. They have fantastic staff who really care about the children, great facilities and a lovely open space outside which my son loves! They have a wide variety of activities for the kids and make a real effort with their development, we owe so much to Stepping
Stones.
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Review from Amy C (Mother of Child) published on 29 August 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child has loved every minute of attending this nursery. He first started aged eleven months and settled very quickly. His development has really impressed me and it’s all thanks to the staff at this nursery. His key workers have been amazing and he has had a really close bond with them.
This nursery
has exceeded my expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend this nursery to other parents.
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Review from Billiejean B (Mother of Child) published on 25 August 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have two children attending Stepping Stones Nursery in Washington, both our son and daughter have Autism. All of the staff at Stepping Stones have worked very hard to ensure our children are accommodated for, included in all activities and go above and beyond to make our children safe and comfortable
within the nursery environment.
All staff are very understanding and have a high knowledge of our children's needs including restricted diets, routines and sensory aversions. As a nursery they keep us updated daily on their progress and continue to work hard to ensure our children receive the much needed support and inclusion.
We couldn't have chosen a better nursery and will continue to recommend it.
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Review from Stephanie D (Mother of Child) published on 22 August 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Very helpful at dealing with situations that at times are out of their control. My child enjoys nursery and has a good time when she is there. We are happy with the nursery and feel our child is looked after well.
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Review from Laura J (Mother of Child) published on 21 August 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our little boy has attended Stepping Stones Washington for over a year, and in that time we have seen fantastic development. From his key workers setting goals, and achieving them such as increasing his interest in reading and improving his range of vocabulary, to nurturing his confidence and encouraging
his love for playing outside. Stepping Stones allows the children to flourish in the areas they show an interest in and quietly encourages them in areas which will benefit them. Our son has gone from a shy, quiet little boy to a confident, chatty little man with a love for books. The care, attention and love the staff at Stepping Stones show the children (and by extension the parents/carers) is unbridled. I cannot speak highly enough of the staff, facility and their practices. I would recommend and if we were to ever have further children in the future, we would not hesitate to send them here.
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Review from Sarah B (Mother of Child) published on 21 August 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We couldn’t be happier with the nursery we chose for our daughter! She joined in March 2022 at 11 months old and went into the baby room. She was upset at first being left but she settled quickly thanks to all of the staff who are so lovely and friendly. Her key worker, our daughter was very happy to
go to and spend time with, we could tell they spent time together as her key worker started to know all of the things our daughter liked and then our daughter started talking about her at home. Our daughter has now moved to the toddler room and again all staff are lovely! Our daughter asks if she’s going to nursery she wants to see her new key worker and another lady (who works in the toddler room) It’s so lovely to see our daughter so happy going into nursery and then tell us all about her day when she gets home. She’s so happy there and that’s thanks to all of the staff! I also feel they offer great support for SEN children as we have raised concerns about our daughter and they are helping any way they can.
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Review from Jade H (Mother of Child) published on 21 August 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has been attending Stepping Stones since April having moved from a previous nursery. Within just a month it was amazing to see what a difference Stepping Stones had made to our child’s development and confidence. We are so glad we made the change in nurseries and have continued to see our son
develop. He has developed great relationships with his key worker, his speech has developed greatly, he can count to 10 and he is being less picky when eating at home. They do a great job with all the little ones in their care.
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Review from C P (Mother of Child) published on 21 August 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fantastic nursery, our daughter has been attending for a year now. Every staff member has been amazing, so caring and enthusiastic. Our daughter always has lots of fun, we get updates on each pick-up as well as lots of updates via her folder. Any queries we have had were dealt with quickly. The nursery
has been excellent in catering for allergies which has really put our minds at ease.
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Review from Claire M (Mother of Child) published on 21 August 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has attended the nursery since she was nine months old. The staff are very welcoming and we are always greeted with a warm and friendly 'hello', making her excited for the day ahead. With our private social media page, we are able to see what activities the children have been doing each
week, as well as being told about their day on pickup. The children are encouraged with outdoor play in the lovely garden and my daughter has had several trips down to the duck pond, which she loves.
I receive regular updates on my daughter's progress. When she was learning to walk, her key worker would check in with me to let me know what activities she had been practicing with her for encouragement. At two, my daughter’s communication is very good and she is able to count to ten, sing the alphabet and name most colours with ease, through the games and activities played at nursery as well as home.
I feel happy and confident in leaving my daughter each morning, knowing she is in such safe and loving hands.
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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.861)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.861) out of 10 for Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 24 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 24 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.861 for Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington is calculated as follows: ( (249 Excellents x 5) + (38 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 288 Ratings = 4.861
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington is based on 24 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 98 number of registered child places is 19.6, which has been reached with 24 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (2)

Meet the Team (2)

Terri

Terri Fos

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2019

Hello


My name is Terri and I have been at Stepping Stones as Manager for the last 5 years.


I am an early Years Teacher and hold a wide range of early years qualifications and experience in working with children.


Our team at Washington aim to create a warm, caring, home-from-home environment for your child to thrive and feel safe as they learn and develop with us!

Lisa

Lisa

Job Title: Deputy Manager Joined: 2013

Hello there,


I have been at Stepping Stones for 11 years, starting as a supply and quickly working my way up through the roles to Preschool Senior and Deputy Manager of which I am very proud!


I have a level 4 SENDCo qualification and am trained in strategies to support and develop children’s early speech and language.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Stepping Stones Day Nursery - Washington has an Enhanced Service - more info.