Sign up free
Skip to main content

Stockton Lane Pre-School

Stockton Lane Pre-School is a pre-school in York for children aged 2 to 4, with 25 registered places. Ofsted report card, 19 May 2026: Expected standard in 3 areas, Needs attention in 3 areas; safeguarding standards met.

Christ Church, Stockton Lane, York, YO31 1JG

Key facts

Type
Pre-school (Sessional day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Ages
2 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered places
25 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered
5 April 2024 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)

Opening hours

Monday,Thursday : 08:30 - 12:00,Tuesday,Wednesday : 08:30 - 15:30,Friday : 08:30 - 15:00

Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 19 May 2026

Who runs it

Stockton Lane Pre-School is run by Stockton Lane Pre-School CIO (Ofsted register).

Latest inspection

  • Inclusion: Needs attention
  • Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
  • Achievement: Expected standard
  • Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention
  • Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
  • Leadership and governance: Needs attention
  • Safeguarding standards met

Source: Ofsted, inspection on 19 May 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are not consistently taught how to behave. Staff do not have fully effective strategies to manage children's behaviour and as a result, some poor behaviours escalate, causing children to become distressed at times. There are occasions where children demonstrate a lack of care for equipment and the environment. For example, they sometimes use their feet to move equipment and throw toys on the floor. At times, children do not follow what is expected and staff are not quick enough to react to or prevent these situations.

Staff foster warm and caring relationships between themselves and children at this pre-school. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Children know who they can go to if they need help and staff respond to requests for help promptly. Children that are new to the pre-school frequently go back to familiar adults for reassurance as they develop their confidence to try out new things. Staff calmly and sensitively support children to become more independent as they show them how to use equipment. In general, children quickly settle into activities of their choosing and concentrate for long periods of time.

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged children, achieve well for their age and communicate using complex words and sentences. They demonstrate that they are happy as they learn, singing quietly to themselves as they play. They talk about their favourite story books and thoroughly enjoy listening to staff read. This quiet reading time further embeds the bonds between staff and children. Children's attendance is monitored well and this helps them to make suitable progress in their learning. Children's individual needs are met as staff share information with parents well.

What Ofsted found in each area

Inclusion: Needs attention

Staff do not demonstrate they have strategies to manage some children's behaviour effectively. This results in staff ignoring inappropriate behaviours. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged children sometimes find it difficult to follow the expected standards of behaviour as they are not always supported well enough by staff.

The pre-school has developed a culture of swift identification of any emerging needs. Leaders work with parents to ensure that any concerns are discussed, investigated and monitored. Where children require additional support, leaders put individual plans in place and agree outcomes with parents. Leaders at the pre-school are supported by the local authority to make external referrals. When children have speech and language delay the staff team follow guidance from speech and language therapists. Leaders use additional funding for children with SEND to buy resources that support children's communication skills. They use symbols and single words to help children understand what is happening next. This supports children with SEND to understand the routines in place. Leaders use funding for disadvantaged children to promote their communication and literacy skills. They foster attachment for children known to social care and prioritise embedding familiar routines to aid their emotional security.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff continually talk to children as they play, repeating words and promoting a wide range of vocabulary. They make adaptations for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and simplify language to ensure understanding. The pre-school holds parents evenings to share key information about progress and next steps. Staff support children to develop well physically through a well-thought-out curriculum. Children's physical skills are promoted well through the use of resources, such as tweezers, blocks and toy saws. Staff provide climbing equipment and obstacle courses to develop balance and gross motor skills.

Leaders have suitable oversight of the curriculum plan. Although the curriculum is suitable, leaders recognise that teaching in mathematics is less effective than other areas of learning. Staff use mathematical language with children, but this is sometimes at levels that are too basic for the children they are working with. For example, as staff support children using shape stencils, they do not talk about the properties of the shapes or use the shape names. This means that children do not extend mathematical thinking as well as they could.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known to social care and disadvantaged children, demonstrate a competent grasp of communication. Children frequently use language containing more complex words, such as, 'carriage' and 'passengers'. They hold long, back-and-forth conversations on a variety of topics. Children demonstrate proficient use of writing equipment and they give meaning to marks they make. They create lines and circular shapes with ease. Children can sing some simple number songs and some children can count to 10 and beyond accurately, although, they are not supported as well in other areas of mathematics.

Children point to the images in books and comment on what they can see. They sustain their attention during reading and show a genuine interest in books. Some children can recite repeated phrases from books and describe the characters. Children demonstrate they are developing the skills they need to move on to the next stage in their learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Behaviour is not well managed. Staff are not swift enough to act and intervene as some children's behaviours begin to escalate to an inappropriate level. Staff have received some training in managing behaviour, but this is not impacting on current practice. Staff do show respect for children and praise them for doing the right thing. For example, they congratulate children for lining up well and they encourage children to keep on trying. Children know the routines and generally follow them well. They mostly wait patiently for lunch and they know where to put equipment when it is time to tidy up. However, staff do not teach children well enough to respect the equipment and resources they use.

Children generally listen well to staff as they give instructions. However, staff do not insist that rules are followed, which results in an unpredictable environment for children. For example, some children get up and leave the group during a group-time session and staff are slow to react to this and set out the expectations. Children sustain their attention for suitable periods of time as they play and become engrossed in activities. They demonstrate they have friendship groups and play together, sharing the toys and ideas. Children attend well and leaders quickly contact parents if a child does not attend as expected.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children demonstrate they are becoming independent in managing their personal hygiene. They wash their hands between activities and before eating without being prompted. They approach staff to ask to go to the toilet and staff support children to become more and more independent as they transition from nappies to underwear. Staff often support parents as they carry out potty training and parents say how helpful this has been.

Staff greet children warmly as they enter and support them to find their name cards. They chat to parents and gain important information from home, such as disruptions to usual routines. Staff bear this in mind as they sensitively welcome children into the pre-school. Children show affection towards staff and this is reciprocated. Staff use distraction techniques to help settle children who have arrived a little upset. Children concentrate for long periods and demonstrate pride in their work as they hold it up and talk about it.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders know the strengths and areas for development of the setting well and have already begun to take some action to address behaviour management. However, this is at an early stage and needs more work to ensure that children's behaviour is managed more effectively. Although staff have received some training around behaviour, it is not yet impacting the pre-school environment.

Staff have access to a variety of online training materials and they say they feel well supported by leaders. They feel the pre-school has a family feel and they can raise any worries or concerns with leaders. Staff have weekly opportunities to meet and this supports staff wellbeing. Leaders act with integrity and take swift action to ensure all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known to social care and disadvantaged children, get the support they need. They liaise with external professionals to ensure they have up-to-date information and keep parents informed. This ensures that children can thrive. Parents say they are happy with the progress their children make at this pre-school. They particularly appreciate the good communication and the support they receive from staff around toileting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

  • leaders must improve staff knowledge and practice in managing children's behaviour and monitor this to ensure staff are confident to intervene swiftly and maintain high expectations for all children (by 31 December 2026)

Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 19 May 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Other nurseries nearby

  • Straylands Day Nursery - Day nursery, York YO31 9LT, ages 0 to 4, 24 places, 0.4 miles
    Ofsted, 23 November 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Let's Thrive - Day nursery, York YO31 0PE, 0.5 miles
  • Burnholme Day Nursery - Day nursery, York YO31 0HA, ages 1 to 4, 30 places, 0.6 miles
    Ofsted report card, 9 July 2026: Strong standard in 3 areas, Expected standard in 3 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • The Little Gym York - Pre-school, York YO32 9AF, 0.7 miles
  • Daisy Chain Day Nursery - Day nursery, York YO31 7TP, ages 0 to 4, 54 places, 0.9 miles
    Ofsted, 27 September 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Schools nearby

Stockton Lane Pre-School on the Ofsted website