Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Astwick

Tree climbing, mud pies and campfire cooking give Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Astwick a clear outdoor identity. Its converted barn at Church Farm places countryside exploration alongside nursery care, with gardens that children can move between and indoor corners for quieter play. The farm is part of the learning environment, rather than simply the backdrop.

Children attend from 3 months to 5 years. Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 5 July 2022, with effective safeguarding, while identifying improvements needed in younger children's language support and the noise affecting older children's concentration. That dated judgement gives families both a positive starting point and specific questions to pursue.

Forest School adds practical outdoor experiences, while a key person and an individual learning record connect each child's day with home. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings serve different attendance needs. The appeal is strongest for families who want countryside experiences to be a substantial part of nursery life.

Rooms and Ages

Age-related spaces include provision for babies who are mobile and those who are not yet moving independently. That distinction matters: a crawling child and a younger baby have different ways of exploring their surroundings. Cosy corners and gardens accessible from the indoor spaces provide different settings for activity and quieter moments.

An April 2022 snapshot gives a useful picture of how the named rooms organised learning at that time. Tulips, for 3–15 months, explored transport through painting, water play and vehicle sounds; Daisies, for 15–24 months, used planting and discussions about growth; Lilies, for 2–3 years, combined transport activities with spotting vehicles around the farm; Bluebells, for 3–5 years, explored countries through foods, books and creative work. These are dated examples of the nursery day, rather than a current timetable.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supplies the framework for learning, development and care: children build communication, movement and relationships through play, alongside early experiences of number, books, creativity and the world around them. It is the common foundation for early years provision. Astwick's practical addition is its farm setting and outdoor learning.

The group-wide curriculum descriptions place communication, physical development and emotional development first for babies, then extend opportunities for early mathematics, literacy and creative work as children grow. The curriculum guide also connects learning with children's individual interests. For parents, the useful distinction is between the shared framework and the experiences through which this branch puts it into practice.

In July 2022, stories were supported with puppets and objects, and older children chose books for adults to read. Other activities included cutting felt with scissors and finding small objects with tweezers. Those examples show how a familiar nursery activity can involve several skills at once: following a story, controlling a tool or handling small materials precisely.

Everyday mathematics also had practical forms in July 2022. Children weighed vegetables during pretend play, added candles to play dough cakes and heard words describing direction while playing with miniature vehicles. These examples put number and language into things children were already doing, rather than treating them as separate lessons.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School means learning through outdoor exploration and practical activity. At Astwick, children climb trees, make mud pies and cook over campfires, with sessions led by a Forest School Leader and shaped by children's interests. This gives families a concrete sense of what outdoor learning involves here: active participation, handling materials and exploring the countryside.

Church Farm also supports regular outings into the natural surroundings. The nursery's outdoor ambitions include kite flying, fruit picking and visits to lambs or piglets. Wellies are part of the expectation. Families choosing this setting should expect outdoor clothing to matter to the child's day.

Seasonal plans make that farm connection tangible. In April 2026, activities were planned around arriving lambs and duck eggs, with children following the ducks' development from hatching onwards. This was a dated spring programme, but it illustrates how the surroundings can supply a subject for learning that children can observe directly.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who maintains a Learning Journey, an individual record of development that parents can discuss and contribute to. Experiences from home can therefore become part of the nursery's understanding of a child, rather than sitting apart from the nursery day. Learning-journal updates also give families information during their child's time at nursery.

In July 2022, children sought familiar staff for comfort, and settling arrangements included support when moving between rooms. Parents took part in stay-and-play visits and received information about daily experiences and learning. These dated examples help explain the relationship-based side of the provision alongside its outdoor character.

Communication with home has also included invitations to share photographs through Famly. In April 2025, families were invited to contribute pictures of their Easter activities, and parents' evenings formed part of that month's plans. Sharing a child's experiences gives practitioners material for conversation that the child already recognises.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role provides a specific point of responsibility for special educational needs support. The team also includes responsibilities for outdoor learning and language, while professional development is supported from apprenticeship through to degree study. Whole-team training has included sign language and outdoor first aid. These are concrete arrangements; how they apply to an individual child belongs in the discussion before joining.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and additional funding used effectively for individual development needs, with recruitment checks, staff training and risk assessment supporting the safeguarding arrangements. The finding belongs to that inspection date.

Current first-aid arrangements include Tigerlily First Aid Accreditation and a partnership with Tigerlily Training, with drills every six months and annual refresher training for designated first aiders. In a setting using farm surroundings and practical outdoor activities, these are relevant details about preparation and training, rather than a substitute for an inspection judgement.

The kitchen team includes a nursery chef and an assistant chef, and the nursery places emphasis on seasonal and local produce. In July 2022, babies practised feeding themselves with spoons while older children served themselves at lunch, making mealtimes part of learning everyday independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Full days run from 7.30am to 6.30pm; mornings run from 7.30am to 1pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6.30pm. Opening days are Monday to Friday. The fee tables cover full-day bookings from two days and morning or afternoon bookings from three days, with tailored quotations for combinations outside those tables.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks, closing between Christmas and New Year, on bank holidays and for up to two staff-training days annually. Families need to accommodate those closures alongside their chosen weekly pattern. A full calendar month's written notice applies when reducing sessions or ending a place.

Getting There

The address is The Old Granary, Unit 3 Church Farm, Astwick Road, Stotfold, Hitchin, SG5 4BH, beside St Guthlac church. Visitor parking is in the left-hand car park at Church Farm; Arlesey Train Station and Letchworth Train station are the named rail connections nearby.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible working families can access the 30-hour entitlement from the term after their child turns nine months. Universal 15-hour funding starts from the term following the child's third birthday. Funding is stretched across the nursery year, and additional private hours can sit alongside it. The weekly funding applied depends on the booking pattern, so the headline entitlement and a particular weekly schedule need to be read separately.

Private fees include meals, nappies and wipes, together with activities except excursions and extra classes. For funded hours, meals and non-food consumables are charged separately through a consumable fee described as voluntary; the funding package also includes charges for additional activities. The funding and fees guide explains the structure, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

A non-refundable registration charge applies. Payments are monthly in advance, using direct debit or Tax-Free Childcare, and monthly invoices spread the annual booking cost across the year. These terms make the written booking quotation important for understanding the complete arrangement.

School preparation included information sharing and invitations for teachers to meet children at the nursery in July 2022. That is transition support, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Language and quieter play. The July 2022 improvement points concerned expanding younger children's language and reducing noise that disrupted older children's listening. On a tour, ask how practitioners extend conversation and organise quieter learning today.
• Outdoor participation. Forest School includes tree climbing and campfire cooking, and wellies are expected for farm exploration. Discuss how your child's age, confidence and support needs fit these activities.
• Funding and the whole booking. Funded hours carry separate meal, consumable and activity charges, while excursions and extra classes sit outside the private package. Request a written quotation for the exact full-day or half-day combination you intend to use.
• Closures and changes. Bank holidays, the Christmas closure and staff-training days affect attendance; reducing sessions requires a full calendar month's written notice. Consider how these terms fit changing work arrangements.

Astwick suits families seeking either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, with outdoor exploration a clear priority. Church Farm, practical Forest School activities and individual learning records give the offer a recognisable shape.

The July 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, balanced by specific concerns about language teaching and noise. For families attracted by the farm environment, the decision turns on how comfortably their child will participate outdoors and how the complete booking and funding structure fits family life.