Munchkins Nursery & Pre-School Dunton Fields

A picket gate between the youngest rooms and direct garden access for preschool children give Dunton Fields a clear progression from baby care to more independent play. Makaton signs begin in the baby room, while older children practise choosing activities, serving food and preparing for Reception. The physical layout matters: growing independence has practical places to develop.

Munchkins Nursery & Pre-School Dunton Fields caters for children from three months to four years in Laindon, Basildon. Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its inspection on 4 July 2022. That judgement provides a dated assessment of its education and care, rather than a description of every aspect of today's nursery day.

Full days and half days are both part of the attendance offer.

Rooms and Ages

The Nest accommodates babies in a calm room with natural styling, age-appropriate activities and Makaton signs introduced from the start to help children communicate before speech develops. This gives language a practical role during the earliest stage of nursery life, rather than leaving communication work until children can already talk.

The Burrow serves toddlers beside the baby room, with a picket gate between them, stations for self-care and managing feelings, and opportunities to serve themselves at meals and snacks. The neighbouring layout makes the next room a familiar part of the setting; the activities then give toddlers manageable responsibilities as their independence grows.

The Den is the preschool room, combining direct access to the garden with child-chosen activities, early writing, mark making and number work. Children can choose indoor or outdoor play throughout the day.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play supports communication, physical development and the skills children use with other people. Dunton Fields adds concrete practices to that shared foundation. Natural play materials encourage exploration, while preschool activities include questions, experimentation and following children's interests.

Ready, Steady, School is Munchkins' group-wide programme for developing independence, confidence and social skills before Reception. At this branch it sits alongside The Den's writing and number activities. Its purpose is broader than practising letters: managing oneself and joining in with others are also part of preparing for the next stage.

In July 2022, children baked banana bread together, taking turns to mash fruit and combine ingredients. Another activity involved tapping golf tees into watermelons with a hammer and removing them with its claw. These were concrete opportunities to practise handling tools, waiting for a turn and following safety instructions, rather than simply watching an adult demonstrate.

Outdoor play also carried learning in July 2022. Children made potions in the garden, choosing flowers and transferring water between containers, while staff supplied words for the materials they explored. The activity connected sensory exploration with conversation. Older children also used tweezers to move pom-poms beside wooden numbers, bringing careful hand movements into number play.

Relationships and Communication

Makaton continues beyond The Nest, with further signs and language introduced as children grow. Here, signs support communication before children can express everything through speech. The continuity across rooms means the approach accompanies children through their nursery experience, rather than belonging only to the baby room.

In July 2022, staff used songs and rhymes during routines and spontaneous play, listened to children's ideas and sustained conversations through questions. Babies had opportunities to practise feeding themselves and explore materials suitable for tasting. These examples show how communication and increasing independence were woven into ordinary care at that time.

Parent communication had a clear limitation in July 2022. Staff exchanged information about daily activities and care, but some parents did not understand their child's learning or how to help at home. Strengthening that connection was an improvement priority. For families, a useful update explains what a child is practising as well as what they ate or played with.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and effective SEND support, with two special educational needs coordinators identifying needs, working with parents and arranging tailored help with external professionals. These are dated findings about the support in place then, including how adults coordinated help around individual children.

The Burrow's self-care and emotional regulation stations give wellbeing a physical place within the toddler room.

A separate July 2022 improvement priority concerned staff development. Peer observation, supervision and feedback needed greater precision so practitioners could improve their individual teaching. This matters alongside the positive care findings: warm relationships and purposeful activities still depend on adults receiving useful feedback about their work.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Unit 4, Sharp House, Hemmells, Laindon, Basildon, SS15 6UJ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates for 51 weeks each year. Full days are sold alongside morning half days from 8am to 1pm and afternoon half days from 1pm to 6pm. The half-day windows are separate from the wider opening hours.

The usual minimum booking is two full days or two half days. Children eligible only for the universal 15-hour funded entitlement have a one-day attendance option, subject to availability, staffing ratios and operational requirements. That exception matters for families whose funded entitlement and preferred routine do not fit the usual minimum.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01268 646 250 or by email to duntonfields@munchkins-nursery.co.uk. Charges are annualised and divided into equal monthly payments, so the payment structure spreads the cost across the year. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both 15 hours funding and 30 hours funding feature in the childcare offer, with funding stretched across 51 weeks rather than taken only during term time. Additional private hours can also be purchased. Funded hours and paid additions therefore need to be considered separately when comparing attendance plans.

The Enrichment Care Package separates food and enhanced services from the funded provision, and parents can opt out of either element. Funded hours can be taken at no additional cost after opting out; the terms also explain that attendance days may change each term and that staff absence can affect attendance where the required staffing cannot be maintained. These conditions deserve attention alongside the headline entitlement.

Within the funded Enrichment Care Package, food is charged separately and includes breakfast, snacks, cooked lunch and afternoon tea; the nursery's food arrangements provide for allergies. Nappies, wipes, creams and suncream are supplied free through the Care Package, including alongside funded hours.

Enhanced services carry separate charges, with cooking, gardening and school preparation among the listed additions. Parents can opt out of these package elements. The important comparison is the complete attendance arrangement: funded hours, any private hours, food and the services a family chooses to retain.

• Half-day fit. Morning and afternoon bookings have different clock windows, and the usual minimum is two full days or two half days. At a showaround, discuss how those patterns would work with your child's routines and your working day.
• Funded package choices. Food and enhanced services can be declined, while the funded-only terms allow attendance days to change each term. Request a written quotation identifying your chosen elements and the attendance conditions attached to opting out.
• Learning updates. In July 2022, some parents needed a clearer understanding of progress and learning at home, and staff feedback also needed sharpening. Ask to see how current updates explain a child's next steps and how practitioners review their teaching.
• Allergy arrangements. Food is provided throughout the day and allergies are catered for within the food arrangements. Families managing an allergy should confirm current meal preparation and handling practice before agreeing their food package.

Dunton Fields suits families considering either full days or morning and afternoon half days, especially those who value early signing, toddler self-care and preschool access to outdoor play. Its room progression gives those priorities a practical shape, from The Nest through The Burrow to The Den.

The July 2022 Good judgement is a useful benchmark, with parent understanding of learning and staff feedback the important improvement points. The funding arrangement offers choices, but the opt-out attendance conditions make the complete written quotation consequential. This is a nursery to assess through both its everyday learning offer and the exact pattern a family intends to book.