Cheeky Monkeys Two Day Nursery

A sleep room beside the babies’ play space, a garden with a bug hotel and preschool children finding their banana used for self-registration: Cheeky Monkeys Two Day Nursery has plenty of concrete detail to weigh against a difficult inspection position. Based on Linden Road in Bedford, it takes children from three months to four years and has 51 places in total. Its appeal lies in the practical arrangements for early childhood, but the educational weaknesses deserve equal weight.

At its 16 April 2026 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding standards met but judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to need attention, identifying poorly sequenced learning, inconsistent explanations of behaviour expectations, missed interaction at meals, uneven adaptations for individual needs and insufficient coaching of staff. These concerns reach across the nursery day. They are central to a decision about joining.

Attendance requires a minimum of two sessions, with weekday opening and an extension into the early evening. The details of settling, food and paid extras matter alongside that inspection position.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room serves children from three months to two years, combining daily rhymes, singing games and books with outdoor exploration on blankets and soft mats; an adjoining sleep room contains beds and cots, giving rest a dedicated space rather than making it compete with play. Staff follow each baby’s routine and care plan.

Toddlers, for two- to three-year-olds, brings together construction, role play, puzzles, water and sand activities, messy play and a quiet reading corner, with opportunities to explore indoors and outside. Adult-led activities sit alongside child-led play.

Preschool puts materials within children’s reach and connects learning with practical independence, including finding their banana for self-registration, managing shoes, handwashing and toileting, while access to the garden extends activity beyond the classroom. These are tangible preparations for managing everyday tasks at school. They should be considered alongside the weaknesses in teaching, rather than treated as proof that the whole curriculum is effective.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build language, physical skills and relationships through play, alongside early literacy, mathematics, creative activity and understanding their surroundings. It is the common foundation for nursery education. Here, child-led interests and adult-led activities both feature in the daily approach.

Jolly Phonics adds work supporting reading and writing in Preschool, accompanied by recognising names and practising letter shapes.

In April 2026, children joined repeated phrases in stories, counted dinosaurs in books and explored quantity and space through construction. Babies practised early walking with adult support, while younger children experimented with stacking and making marks in foam. Those examples show the activities children encountered at that point; purposeful progression through them is the issue families need to weigh.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden has upper and lower areas, with a digging pit, sand box, mud kitchen and bug hotel. These give children different materials and spaces to investigate, rather than relying on one outdoor activity. Preschool children can use the outdoor space as well as their classroom during the day.

A six-seater buggy supports outings that include nature walks, the library, parks and feeding ducks along the embankment.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with two introductory play visits, each lasting half an hour, before a child starts. The process can take longer according to the child’s needs, with parents involved in working out the transition. This gives the first relationship with staff time to develop before ordinary attendance begins.

Each child has a key worker linking nursery and home. Baby-room communication combines a spoken handover with a daily written account of sleep, food and nappy changes, while Tapestry, an online learning journal, lets parents follow activities and development. These serve different purposes: the daily sheet covers immediate care, and the journal gives a view of learning over time.

At the April 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that key-person relationships helped children settle, babies received sensitive responses from familiar adults, and parent communication and transition work were effective, while support plans for children facing learning barriers were applied unevenly and staff lacked consistent guidance on adapting teaching. Warm relationships and reliable individual support are separate considerations. Families should give weight to both.

In April 2026, staff exchanged information with parents about sleep patterns and food preferences, and babies sought comfort from familiar practitioners. School staff were invited into the nursery to help children become acquainted with adults involved in their next setting. This is practical transition work, rather than an admissions advantage.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SENDCo roles support staff and families, with referrals to other agencies and Early Help Assessments forming part of the support arrangements. Advice covers matters such as separation anxiety, disturbed sleep, toileting and eating difficulties. These mechanisms provide routes for discussing a child’s needs; in April 2026, however, individual support plans were not consistently put into practice.

Food is cooked on site by an in-house cook using the nursery kitchen, with a new menu each week and provision for different dietary needs. Only Halal meat is served, and breakfast choices include toast, cereals and fruit. That makes food preparation a practical part of the care offer, with the payment arrangements differing between private fees and funded lunches.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 6 Linden Road, Bedford, MK40 2DA. Opening runs Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 5.30pm, with extended hours until 6pm, across 50 weeks of the year. The later finish is an extension to the ordinary opening window, so it matters for families whose working day reaches into the evening.

Both fee age bands require at least two sessions. Admission follows a first-come, first-served rule, conditional on accommodating the child’s age and requested days and sessions within staffing ratios and the permitted number of children.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01234 216147. Enrolment includes an Enrolment Pack containing the terms and conditions, and a deposit is refundable when the child leaves provided six weeks’ notice is given. The notice condition belongs with the refund: families should factor it into the commitment they make.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 2year old funding (15hours) and 3year old funding (30hours). Funded entitlement and privately paid care have different food arrangements, so they should be considered separately when comparing the fees page with a current written quotation.

Meals are included in private fees. For children under two, nappies and wipes are included too, while parents supply formula; for children aged two and over, parents provide nappies.

For funded children, a cooked lunch carries a separate charge, with a healthy packed lunch as the alternative. The choice affects what families need to supply as well as what they pay. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Curriculum and staff development. Actions due by 28 May 2026 required better sequencing of learning, clearer teaching about rules and routines, and targeted professional development. On a visit, ask how these changes now shape planning, staff support and everyday interactions.
• Individual support in practice. The April 2026 findings identified uneven use of support plans, including at mealtimes. Families whose children need adaptations should discuss how their plan would be carried through ordinary routines and shared with staff.
• Settling and the attendance commitment. Settling starts with two half-hour introductory visits, and the process may take longer according to a child’s needs, while paid attendance has a two-session minimum and the deposit refund depends on six weeks’ notice. Consider whether that combination fits your child and your intended booking.

Cheeky Monkeys Two suits families seeking weekday nursery care within the ordinary daytime window or with an evening extension, and who value an adjoining baby sleep room, detailed daily communication and food prepared on site. Its rooms offer concrete activities and opportunities for independence, while the garden and outings broaden the day beyond indoor play.

The teaching and support weaknesses identified in April 2026 must carry substantial weight. The decision rests on more than appealing rooms or warm relationships: families need confidence in how teaching, behaviour guidance and individual support are being put into practice. The required changes provide a specific basis for that conversation.