Little Monkeys Day Nursery and Preschool

Little Monkeys Day Nursery and Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2857181 Address: 18 London Road, Horsham, RH12 1AY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 27/08/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders rigorously monitor children's attendance, working with parents and carers to ensure that they recognise the importance of regularly attending. Leaders understand the importance of children's attendance and help parents to address any barriers they may face. Parents understand the reasons why leaders need to follow up any non-attendance. Children have a very secure attitude to their learning and demonstrate high enthusiasm and engagement in activities that staff have planned for them. Staff work hard to build highly positive relationships with children, which begins with the babies and continues throughout the nursery to the pre-school. Children have warm and friendly interactions with each other. They are considerate and polite and have formed meaningful relationships with other children.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff have high behavioural expectations for all children and adapt these expectations to meet the age and stage of development of each child, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Any minor altercations are dealt with swiftly and sensitively by staff. Children know what is expected of them. Older children demonstrate mature personal, emotional and social skills, and younger children transition between activities and rooms smoothly, as they are extremely well supported through these transitions. Staff are warm and kind and are excellent role models for all children.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders create a reflective culture across the leadership and staff teams. They know their strengths and constantly strive to make improvements to provide better outcomes for children and provide a supportive working environment for staff. Leaders recognise areas where some staff need more support and have planned future training to enable those newer or less-confident staff to gain the skills to help them progress. Those who hold governance responsibilities ensure that leaders and staff have the resources and training needed to continue to progress the setting to provide the very best high standards of care and education. Leaders are thoroughly committed to families who have children who face barriers to their learning, such as children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All important decisions are taken with care and consultation with staff and are always made in the very best interest of children.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff feedback that leaders are kind and sensitive and provide personal and professional support and guidance when needed. They appreciate the opportunities for ongoing professional development and to be able to progress through the company. Staff feel supported, valued and listened to.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Parents and carers appreciate leaders' consistently well-thought-out involvement that they have in their child's early education. They receive regular progress reports, daily updates and invitations into the setting to engage in planned events with staff. Parents value the

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Expected standard

support that their children receive to help transition to school and say this is of the highest standard and very effective.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop confidence in their language and social skills and typically achieve well in all areas of learning. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress from their starting points. Children are articulate and confident talkers. They demonstrate high self-esteem and know that their thoughts and opinions are valued by others. They quickly become independent during routines, such as to self-serve at mealtimes. Babies use cutlery to feed themselves, under the watchful eye of staff.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children enjoy taking part in extra-curricular activities, such as music and physical activity sessions. They have lots of fun, and older children listen to instructions well. Babies and younger children quickly learn the nursery's routine, which supports them to feel safe and secure. They squeal with delight as they chase balls around the floor, eager to collect them and feed them to a character from the book 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. All children demonstrate pride as they complete tasks for the first time. Such learning means they are ready to progress to moving on to older rooms and on to school.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff nurture children and provide a high level of care. This enables children to form secure attachments and positive relationships with their key person. Parents and carers speak very highly of the emphasis that is given to children's emotional wellbeing, especially for children who face barriers to their learning. Staff encourage children to work collaboratively and join in each other's play, inviting others to join them. Leaders and staff ensure that children are strictly monitored when sleeping, and all staff have completed training to ensure that they are fully aware of safer eating practice. Staff plan daily trips into the community and use these times to teach children about road safety.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are provided with plenty of fruits and vegetables and enjoy nutritional and tasty home-cooked meals. Staff are aware of children's dietary and medical needs and effectively use strategies, such as using coloured plates and photos, to identify different food types that some children cannot eat. Children learn about how and why they must brush their teeth, learning the importance of developing healthy habits. Children of all ages enjoy the staff joining in their play. They seek cuddles from their key persons, which strengthens their emotional wellbeing and security.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

There is a clear curriculum intent that reflects leaders' aims for children's development and learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, access a broad range of learning experiences that cover all areas of the curriculum. Staff skilfully use songs and rhymes to teach babies about numbers. They provide an ongoing narrative and break down sounds and words to support the youngest children's emerging vocabulary.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Generally, staff understand how well-considered activities that are carefully linked to the curriculum aims support children's learning and development. They promote children's engagement in being physically active indoors and outdoors. This helps children to be physically capable and supports a healthy lifestyle. Staff read books both with and to the children and use these times to support children's imaginations, language and literacy skills. Babies delight in using soapy water to wash dolls. Staff show them how to squeeze sponges, which helps to develop muscle strength in their hands. Staff can adapt activities effectively to support children who face barriers to their learning or who have a different starting point.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Members of the staff team are at varying points in their professional development. On occasion, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, which means that there are times when the curriculum is not delivered as well as it could be.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff who are responsible for providing inclusive support for children who face barriers to their learning work hard to make adaptations and individualised learning programmes. They support other staff to work effectively with parents and carers and external agencies so that any adjustments have a positive outcome for children's learning. Staff are provided with training so that they can identify children who are at risk of falling behind. This ensures that referrals to specialist advisers to secure additional help are made swiftly. Leaders and staff know all children well and understand that all children have a different way of learning. They use observation and assessment to identify what children can do and what they need to learn next. Generally, staff have the skills to apply children's individual learning plans well, such as to use visual cues and timelines. This supports children's understanding of what will

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Inclusion Expected standard

happen next and provides them with a tool to communicate.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders understand how additional funding supports disadvantaged children. For example, they use funding to support children to access calm spaces when feeling overwhelmed. Leaders regularly monitor the impact of resources that provide targeted support for some children. This helps them to improve outcomes for children who receive extra support.

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

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this setting. They are keen to arrive and are confident as they separate from their parents and carers. Leaders and staff ensure that all the children are welcomed. They provide a wide variety of activities during which children are motivated to learn. Children who face barriers to their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with a bespoke curriculum that enables them to make progress from their starting points. All children, including babies, are warmly nurtured and made to feel valued by staff. This helps them to quickly develop a sense of belonging and to feel safe and secure. Babies are soothed and cuddled by staff to support their wellbeing. Older children demonstrate a secure bond with their friends and staff.

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

Children are confident and well settled into the routines of the day. They develop independence in their play and during self-care routines, such as dressing and toileting. Staff know the children well and have an insight into each child's life outside of the setting. This enables them to have discussions about the topics that are important to children, such as what they like to play with at home and their current interests. This approach helps staff to plan meaningful learning activities, knowing that children will be interested and engaged.

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

Leaders and staff find ways in which to help children make sense of the world around them and the community in which they live. All children, including the very youngest, have daily trips into the local area to explore parks, libraries and local places of interest. This provides children with opportunities that they may not have had before and helps to close the gaps in children's experiences, including for those children who face barriers to their learning.

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

Leaders monitor children's attendance effectively. They share policies and work with parents to ensure that children attend regularly and on time. This helps children achieve better outcomes and prepares them well for the next stage in learning, such as going to school.

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen support for staff who are at an earlier stage of professional development to deliver leaders' intended curriculum consistently well.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to leaders, staff, children and parents and carers 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:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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. 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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