Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Chesham

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Chesham

Unique reference number (URN): 2804408 Address: Monkey Puzzle Nursery, Fullers Hill, Chesham, HP5 1LR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 18/09/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Creative Cubs Limited

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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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face other barriers to their learning, make steady progress across the areas of learning. Typically, most children demonstrate communication and social skills that are broadly in line with expectations. Pre-school children generally show good levels of collaboration, negotiation and turn-taking with their friends. These developing skills support them as they prepare for their eventual move to school. Despite this, staff in the toddler room are yet to consistently develop children's ability to be more cooperative with their peers. Minor disputes sometimes arise, particularly when more than one child wants the same toy.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children, including those with SEND and other barriers to learning, make progress from their starting points. Leaders' work with staff is helping to close gaps in these children's learning. Children with SEND make sustained progress alongside their peers. For example, they proudly share new words they have learned with their parents on collection. On occasions, such as during group times, staff focus heavily on supporting children with SEND. As a result, other children occasionally become restless or disengaged.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders and staff use sign language effectively to support children's understanding and communication from a young age. Children, including those with speech delay and ones who speak English as an additional language, typically use signs and visual prompts to express themselves. For instance, when they see the picture representing the 'good listening' rule, children point to their ear lobe, mirroring staff's earlier role modelling.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for all children. Staff model kind and caring behaviour and gently remind children about the importance of being kind to their friends. For example, with babies, staff use clear single words alongside matching signs to support understanding. They also help older children to consider each other's feelings. As a result, children generally respond well, as they frequently use resources safely and play collaboratively with their friends. While staff do intervene to give reminders, sometimes they do not fully take full account of children's age and stage of development when setting expectations, particularly for toddlers. For instance, when there are not enough wheeled toys for the number of children who want to use them, staff sometimes tell them to share rather than using techniques that are more developmentally appropriate.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff and children form warm, responsive bonds and develop relationships that are happy and trusting. For example, babies climb on the knee of a familiar adult, seeking comfort and reassurance. Older children quickly form friendships with their peers. They eagerly look out for their friends arriving and begin to make plans about what they will play together.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders encourage parents to visit the setting and talk about their jobs, helping children learn about the wider world beyond their immediate experiences. Staff also organise community events where children can share their creativity with parents. Through art, music and imaginative activities, children showcase their learning and celebrate different cultures. These experiences help to develop children's respect for others and broaden their understanding of the world. Leaders also work collaboratively and flexibly with parents to prioritise and support regular attendance, helping children to benefit fully from the experiences the setting provides.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children demonstrate that they are keen and enthusiastic learners. They show their perseverance at tasks, often involving their friends in their play. For example, while pretending to make 'soup' in the role play kitchen, they invite friends to help stir, reminding them to be careful because it is 'hot'.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Typically, the key-person system works well. Children form secure relationships with their key person and other staff who care for them. Most staff demonstrate a detailed knowledge of children in their group and speak confidently about their interests, preferences and care routines. For example, staff work closely with parents of babies who are weaning, ensuring pureed foods offered at the setting reflect what babies have already been introduced at home.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff work in close partnership with parents to support children's wellbeing, welfare and progress. They communicate regularly with parents, and, when needed, liaise with external professionals to agree plans to support children when they gaps in learning or changes in their behaviour are identified. This helps to create a more consistent approach for children. Although there are times where staff in the toddler room do not consistently address minor conflicts between children, which can occasionally lead to children becoming upset.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children develop growing independence and manage a range of self-care tasks. For instance, older children confidently use the 'nose stations' to wipe their noses, dispose the tissues appropriately and apply antibacterial gel. As children grow, staff help them to understand and manage risks they may face appropriately. For example, children are encouraged to eat manageable portions of food and chew carefully to reduce the risk of choking.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Partnerships with parents also enable staff to gather comprehensive information about children's individual needs. Where children have allergies or medical needs, this information is shared so that children are supported safely. For example, robust systems ensure that children with allergies are only offered foods that are suitable for them. Children thoroughly enjoy the home cooked, nutritious meals provided and often ask for more.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is broad and designed to support all areas of learning with opportunities available indoors and outdoors. Overall, staff understand the aims of the curriculum. Leaders recognise that newly appointed and less experienced staff require ongoing support to make suitable adaptations so that all children, including those who face barriers to their development, can learn at their own pace and make steady progress. There are ample opportunities to promote physical development. Children benefit from space to run, jump and balance. They also enjoy scooping different materials and filling containers. Staff use these opportunities to introduce mathematical language, helping children learn concepts such as 'full' and 'empty'. Typically, teaching is effective and interactions between staff and children are positive and largely meaningful. However, there are occasions when the implementation of the curriculum is less effective. For example,

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

some staff have less secure knowledge of how to respond to children's existing and emerging learning. Their teaching skills are not yet sufficiently embedded to consistently provide the same high-quality interactions that other staff demonstrate.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Throughout the day, staff plan opportunities for children in each room to participate in group sessions to promote their communication and language skills. For instance, toddlers enjoy singing and acting out familiar songs where they 'stomp', 'walk' and 'jump' as they move through a 'jungle'. In addition, staff typically teach children the rules and boundaries expected of them to help maintain a safe and comfortable environment. However, strategies used by staff in the toddler room to help children's understanding of the settings rules, are not applied consistently in a developmentally appropriate way.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a collaborative approach to supporting children and their families. Typically, staff identify and implement ways to overcome potential barriers to learning. For example, they create quiet, cosy spaces where children can retreat when needed. This helps some children to feel calm, settled and able to remain engaged.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff show a sound understanding of individual children's needs and the actions required to support progress, particularly for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face other barriers to their learning. Observation and assessment are used to monitor children's development and identify any gaps in learning. Where needed, additional support is put in place under the watchful eye of leaders, and staff consider ways to adapt and support engagement. Leaders play an important role in monitoring that these systems are implemented and progress to help close gaps happens. For example, staff have received training and make effective use of visual cues and sign language to aid children's communication and understanding.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders with responsibility for SEND attend meetings and collaborate with other professionals, such as local authority advisers and health visitors. In general, they work closely with staff and parents to ensure a coordinated approach to support provided. This includes identifying appropriate training for staff, such as introducing signs to aid communication. There are times where children who need support in learning to share and take turns do not receive consistent and suitable guidance from staff. This is particularly evident in the toddler room where children can become overexcited and minor disputes arise such as when more than one child wants the same resource.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision to support continual improvement. They demonstrate a secure understanding of the strengths of the setting and any areas for development. For example, leaders are currently working with staff to strengthen babies' care routines and implement a more focused curriculum. These developments have improved practice since the last inspection and positive impact is already evident.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders recognise that several members of the staff team are new and, as a result, the quality of teaching is currently variable. They observe staff practice, provide feedback and set targets to support their professional development. However, this work is still in its early stages and consistently high-quality interactions are not yet fully embedded. For instance, staff do not always use age-appropriate strategies to support toddlers in developing positive behaviour, particularly around supporting them to play cooperatively with their peers. Staff's professional development is not yet fully personalised to consistently embed high-quality teaching across the setting. Staff report that they feel valued and supported by leaders, who carefully consider their wellbeing and pressures with workload and have appropriate systems in place.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide a curriculum that encourages children to become independent and confident, learning through creativity and exploration in the setting's well equipped indoor and outdoor environments. They know each child's family circumstances and understand the local community well. Leaders work closely with parents, staff and external professionals to strengthen communication and language teaching across the setting, particularly for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and others who face barriers to their learning.

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

Children develop into sociable, confident and inquisitive learners at this vibrant nursery. Warm and affectionate bonds between staff and children are established from the outset, helping children to feel safe and secure. Typically, children demonstrate high levels of collaboration as they share ideas and play together. For example, older children communicate effectively, using problem-solving techniques to move resources around to create a drum kit. They gleefully beat on each piece of equipment, experimenting with the different sounds they can make. Children clearly enjoy learning and take pride in celebrating their achievements with friends and staff members.

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

Staff know children well and are keen for them to succeed. In general, teaching supports children's progress. For instance, staff show babies how to roll a ball forwards and backwards in the garden, encouraging early physical skills and interaction. Even the youngest children are supported to manage their self-care tasks. For example, babies begin to use a spoon to eat their meals, later progressing in the next room to using a fork, while

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Inspector:

Sonia Panchal older children practise using a knife and fork. When a sequenced approach is followed across the rooms it clearly proves successful for children's outcomes.

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Inspector:

Overall, staff's knowledge of each child and their families helps them to adapt the environment and plan experiences that all children can access. They provide a range of stimulating sensory activities which, for example, help to strengthen the small muscles in children's hands in preparation for early writing. All children happily engage in these experiences, including those who have gaps in their learning. When children have special educational needs and/or disabilities or where children are not making expected progress, staff identify this quickly. Leaders proactively support staff to offer targeted support and work with specialists where necessary. As a result, children typically thrive and make progress in preparation for their next stage in learning.

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Inspector:

In the main, the setting prioritises children's communication and language as well as their personal, social and emotional skills and positive behaviour. Staff introduce signs from an early age to support communication. Children, including those who face barriers to learning, use these signs to express their needs and preferences such as signing for 'more food please' at lunchtime. This helps them become confident communicators as they continue to develop their spoken English.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that teaching during group activities is accurately focused to match all children's stage of development to enable younger children to fully participate and extend their learning. Leaders should continue to build on staff's knowledge and skills so that all staff offer consistent high-quality teaching. Leaders should carefully monitor the impact of staff's knowledge and skills to support younger children's behaviour, particularly when sharing and taking turns.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents during the inspection.

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About this 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.

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Address:

Monkey Puzzle Nursery Fullers Hill Chesham HP5 1LR

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Creative Cubs Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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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.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

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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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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