The Monkey House

Woodland exploration, a large kitchen for cooking and a weekly programme of visiting specialists give The Monkey House its character. This village-hall nursery in Mapledurwell admits children from two years old and has 24 places in total. Its appeal lies in the combination: room for physical play, practical activities and time spent learning with an adult.

At its 11 December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), were making good progress. There were also improvements to make in hygiene and the teaching of behaviour boundaries. Those matter alongside the positive judgement.

Term-time attendance can combine morning and afternoon sessions or extend to full-time attendance, with a minimum booking of three sessions. The practical attraction is a shorter nursery day with substantial activity built into it, rather than a timetable organised around extended opening hours.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, conversation and purposeful activities, including early number, reading and writing experiences. Here, adult-led activities sit alongside independent play. Children can choose construction toys, dressing up, books or creative materials, while group discussions give them opportunities to contribute their ideas.

Weekly individual time with a qualified teacher adds a more personal strand to that arrangement. Early phonics and reading activities are part of the offer, but the day also makes space for imaginative play and practical exploration. A technology area with a large interactive screen supplies another resource. These are different ways into learning, rather than a day spent on one kind of task.

The weekly timetable has a clear rhythm. Music takes place on Monday, followed by Tuesday dance with EDC Dance company; Wednesday brings football with Little Kickers, Thursday French, and Friday Little Explorers, which combines woodland learning with outdoor exploration, alongside woodwork. The sports sessions give children a structured opportunity to practise movement, while language and music broaden the experiences within an ordinary nursery week.

Specialist-led dance, sport, music and French lessons last 30 to 45 minutes. Their regular place in the timetable means these activities are part of the nursery experience, rather than occasional treats. Baking, crafts and cooking supply further practical work, with a large kitchen available for children’s cooking activities.

In December 2024, children examined objects using a microscope and talked about what it meant to make something look bigger. Bug exploration also became a number activity: children counted legs and sorted creatures according to how they moved. These examples connect conversation, observation and mathematics through something children can investigate directly.

Outdoor and Community Life

A woodland area, playing field and purpose-built playground give outdoor activity several settings. Countryside walks extend exploration beyond the hall, while sand, water, wheeled toys and large-scale mark making provide outdoor play closer to the building. There is space for energetic activity as well as looking closely at living things.

Access differs between the outdoor spaces. Children can move freely to the tarmac area at the front of the hall; use of the larger grass field is occasional. That distinction matters for families who value outdoor time: the offer includes both everyday access and opportunities to spread out for larger activities.

In December 2024, children helped assemble an obstacle course and practised balancing and climbing on play equipment. Swinging and spinning added other movement experiences. Physical activity therefore had concrete forms, from organising equipment together to trying a new movement with adult support.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who observes their learning, records progress and plans next steps with parents. Settling sessions are tailored through discussion with the family, and a familiarisation session gives children time to meet staff and explore before their first booked session. The value is continuity: information about the child helps shape both the settling arrangement and later activities.

Tapestry, the secure online learning journal, gives parents access to their child’s record. Photographs, observations, achievements and next steps can be viewed online, and families are encouraged to contribute. Termly progress reports add a more structured account of development, making communication more than a conversation at the end of a session.

Parents can speak with staff at session boundaries or arrange a private conversation. Half-termly coffee mornings provide another opportunity to talk in a less formal setting. Alongside the online journal, these routes give families different ways to share information, including changes at home that may affect the child’s day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Special Educational Needs Coordinator and a Behaviour Coordinator organise additional support with the child’s key person, family and outside agencies. Individual education or behaviour plans can guide that work; support may involve individual adult help, a small language group or assistance to take part in an activity. The mechanism is specific to the child’s needs, rather than a single arrangement applied to everyone.

Makaton supports communication through signs used with speech, and visual symbols help children understand what comes next or make choices. These tools add ways to participate alongside spoken language. The nursery can also refer children directly to Speech and Language Therapy and seek specialist advice when additional support is needed.

The December 2024 inspection identified inconsistent handwashing practice and insufficient explanation of behaviour boundaries, asking for clearer staff understanding of hygiene procedures and better teaching about how actions affect other children’s safety and feelings. These were practical weaknesses in everyday care, not merely wording to tidy up in a policy.

Cooking includes making Thursday lunch with the children and then eating it together. For the move to primary school, Reception teachers are invited to meet children, and a transition report can pass on progress and interests with parental permission; children with additional needs can have a meeting involving parents and teachers.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Mapledurwell and Up Nately Village Hall, Greywell Road, Mapledurwell, Basingstoke, RG25 2LS. The nursery operates during term time, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm, with full-time attendance also offered.

Bookings start at three sessions. Funded children aged three and four are expected to attend for at least 15 hours each week, so that condition belongs in the family’s attendance planning. The session pattern offers a choice between part-day attendance and a fuller nursery timetable within the term-time calendar.

For enquiries, the daytime telephone is 07542 130912; evenings and holidays use 07778031691. An online contact form provides another enquiry route. The building is on one level, with a sloped alternative to the entrance steps, an accessible toilet and nappy-changing facilities.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes nursery education grants for three- and four-year-olds, Hampshire’s two-year-old funding and the 30 hour funding. Attendance is term-time. Eligibility remains a condition of the relevant entitlement, and the nursery’s minimum attendance rule for funded three- and four-year-olds should be considered alongside it.

A non-refundable deposit is required when registering a child. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Optional logo clothing can be ordered, but uniform is not compulsory; children need indoor footwear, outdoor shoes or wellington boots, and a named drawstring shoe bag. These practical items support the movement between indoor activities and outdoor play.

• Everyday hygiene and boundaries. In December 2024, handwashing routines and explanations of behaviour expectations needed strengthening. On a visit, ask how staff now teach and follow these routines.
• Term-time booking commitment. Attendance starts at three sessions, and funded three- and four-year-olds have a minimum of 15 hours weekly. This suits families able to commit to a regular pattern and plan separately for school holidays.
• The complete cost. Registration requires a non-refundable deposit. Ask for a written quotation showing the treatment of meals, non-food consumables and specialist activities, including any differences during funded hours.
• Support during transitions. Settling is tailored, and additional-needs support can involve individual plans and outside professionals. Use a visit to discuss how your child’s key person and support arrangements would work from the first sessions through to school transition.

The Monkey House suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting full-time attendance during term time. Little Explorers’ woodland activity, Little Kickers football and opportunities to cook make the offer easy to picture. Learning is practical and varied, with individual teacher time adding a more personal element.

The Good judgement from December 2024 provides a positive inspection position, balanced by clear weaknesses in hygiene routines and behaviour teaching. For parents who value outdoor space, a regular activity timetable and several ways to stay involved in their child’s learning, this is a compelling option with specific care questions to resolve on a visit.