Cheeky Monkeys Day Nursery

An allotment, a large garden and music-and-rhyme sessions give Cheeky Monkeys Day Nursery a character that reaches beyond indoor play. This Edgbaston setting has capacity for 45 children aged two months to five years. Its outdoor space includes AstroTurf and climbing equipment, with fruit and vegetables grown on site: practical resources for movement, exploration and learning about food.

At its August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall and found that children made rapid progress, with strong language development and independence. That judgement is dated; the concrete examples remain useful for understanding the nursery's educational character. Children were doing things for themselves, from looking after belongings to preparing a snack, rather than simply following adult instructions.

Family involvement also has a tangible shape here. Tapestry records children's learning, while an annual trip and family workshops create opportunities to share nursery experiences. These are different ways for parents to connect with the day: one through updates, the others through taking part.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, this brings communication, physical development and growing independence into everyday play and routines, rather than treating learning as a separate lesson.

In August 2022, staff responded to babies' early sounds and helped toddlers extend their sentences; older children practised explaining ideas and asking questions. Resources for developing hand control included dough, paint and chalk, used outside as well as indoors. The link was practical: manipulating materials gave children opportunities to develop the movements later used for writing.

Mathematics also entered play in August 2022. Children explored how smaller quantities combine and worked through simple subtraction and addition. Independence had equally concrete expressions: younger children cared for their belongings, while older children washed fruit and carefully used knives to make snacks. Learning included managing a task, not just knowing its answer.

Current activities include PE-inspired sessions from mini athletics and sessions built around music and rhyme. These add movement and sound to the nursery day. Startwell, a health programme, contributes characters and messages woven into learning, alongside free fruit, vitamins, tooth-cleaning packs and advice for families.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden gives children several kinds of outdoor experience. Climbing equipment supports active play, the AstroTurf area provides another play surface, and the allotment introduces growing food. These features make the outdoor offer more varied than a single space for running around.

In August 2022, children cared for pet guinea pigs, showed the potatoes they had grown and talked about foxes living behind the garden. Those examples connect the natural world to something children could observe and care for themselves. They are a dated picture of nursery life, rather than a promise that the same animals remain today.

Celebrations include a Chinese New Year workshop and an Eid party, with crepe-making used to explore French culture. Family activities also include Christmas parties, workshops around Mothers Day, Fathers Day and Grandparents day, and Cheeky Monkey's annual trip. Visits involving alpacas, a magician and minibeasts add encounters beyond the usual play resources; their frequency is not part of the offer described here.

Relationships and Communication

Tapestry documents children's learning, giving parents a way to follow what their child has been doing. Family workshops and shared experiences complement those updates: communication is supported by opportunities to participate as well as to read about learning.

In August 2022, staff listened to children's views and acknowledged effort, kindness and achievement. Children also practised consideration for others, including offering another child a turn first. The emphasis was on everyday interactions, where being heard and recognising someone else's needs could become part of the same routine.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support exceptionally strong, with the special educational needs coordinator working with parents and other agencies to plan support and make activities inclusive. This provides a dated assessment of both protection and individual support, rather than a general assurance about current practice.

In August 2022, staff recorded and examined accidents, and children participated in checks for potential dangers around the premises. Targeted work also addressed confidence and speech needs identified among children attending at that time. Together, these examples show how care and learning were connected through observation and a response to individual needs.

Startwell brings health messages into current learning, and families can receive fruit, vitamins and tooth-cleaning packs free of charge. This is a concrete health initiative, separate from the nursery's attendance and funding arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 23 Spring Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2HA. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with weekends and Bank Holidays excluded; the nursery operates across 52 weeks of the year. The year-round calendar matters for families whose childcare needs continue through school holidays.

Enrolment enquiries are best sent by email, with telephone contact also offered. Enrolment paperwork includes child-information forms and contracts, providing a practical starting point for joining.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 hour/30 hour funding. Funding delivery and pricing are covered in its Information and Contract paperwork, with a separate funded-only contract. Families should use the nursery's current written quotation for prices and the contract for the terms attached to their chosen arrangement.

• Attendance and total cost. The nursery opens across the year and offers 15 hour/30 hour funding. At a visit, ask which booking patterns fit your week, how funded hours are delivered, and what the written quotation covers for meals and non-food consumables.
• A dated quality judgement. The Outstanding judgement dates to August 2022. Use the specific strengths described here, including independence and individual support, as topics for discussing how the nursery works now.
• Shared family experiences. Cheeky Monkey's annual trip, celebration workshops and visiting animals are part of its family-facing offer. Consider whether you want opportunities to participate alongside routine learning updates through Tapestry.

Cheeky Monkeys suits families seeking year-round weekday childcare with outdoor growing, movement, music and opportunities to join in nursery life. The allotment and Startwell health activities give that offer a practical identity; Tapestry provides a separate connection to children's learning.

The August 2022 Outstanding judgement adds weight, but should be read with its date attached. For parents who value children's independence and learning woven into ordinary tasks, the examples of snack preparation, conversation and gardening make this a setting worth considering.