Little Monsters Day Nursery

Weekly yoga and two stages of baby care give Little Monsters Day Nursery a character that goes beyond its timetable. This Church Crookham setting has capacity for 65 children aged three months to five years, with separate named rooms carrying children from babyhood into preschool. Practical learning and contact with families are prominent parts of the offer.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying inconsistent support for conversation during child-led play as the improvement needed. That distinction matters: organised language activities were working well, but staff needed to make more of the conversations that arise when children choose their own activities.

Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions give families different ways to use the nursery. Alongside those attendance choices, an online learning journal and opportunities to join activities help parents remain involved in what their child is learning.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room I covers three to 16 months, followed by The Baby Room II for children aged 16 to 24 months. The Toddler Room takes children from 24 to 36 months, while The Pre-school Room covers 36 to 60 months. These age bands make the progression through the nursery easy to understand, especially for families considering care over several stages rather than a single preschool year.

In July 2024, babies had space arranged for crawling, first steps and balance practice. Older children worked together to make dough, following recipe instructions and sharing the materials. Those examples show different demands at different stages: movement and exploration for the youngest children, then practical tasks that bring listening, cooperation and concentration together.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, covering physical development, communication, relationships, creativity and early understanding of words, numbers and the world. It is the common foundation for nursery education, rather than an extra programme unique to Little Monsters.

Here, loose parts and objects from nature and everyday life give children materials they can combine and use imaginatively. Spaces support construction, messy activities and pretend play, alongside quieter places for books and music. The value is in the different kinds of activity: a child can investigate how something fits together, act out an idea or spend time with a story.

Children's interests help shape activities, with seasons and the surrounding world also contributing to learning. Weekly mindfulness and yoga add activities centred on mental wellbeing. These sit alongside the everyday play provision rather than replacing it.

In July 2024, group activities used stories, rhymes and songs to develop language across the nursery. The weaker point was extending that work into children's own play. For parents, the useful distinction is between participating in a planned group activity and having a responsive conversation while absorbed in something personally interesting.

Outdoor and Community Life

The vegetable patch gave children a practical introduction to growing food in July 2024. Staff also explored how ingredients reached the shops from farms, including flour and the foods made with it. Growing and cooking therefore offered connected ways to think about food, rather than treating healthy eating only as a mealtime message.

Outdoor apparatus provided opportunities to slide, climb and balance during that same month. Staff helped children consider risk and encouraged their attempts. The physical challenge had a social element too: children practised trying something difficult with an adult nearby to support them.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with information about the individual child. Families complete forms before the start date so the key person can understand interests and plan suitable activities. Introductory visits allow children and parents to meet that key person, connecting the move from home with a particular adult rather than only a new room.

The communication arrangements extend beyond those first meetings. Monthly newsletters sit alongside regular parent meetings and an individual online Learning Journal, which contains examples of learning and photographs. These provide different levels of detail: general nursery updates, a conversation about progress and a record relating to the individual child.

Blossom, the nursery's communication software, allows parents to read observations, comment on them and contribute examples from home. That two-way exchange matters because staff can use information about experiences outside nursery when planning activities and considering next steps. It also gives parents a way to contribute between meetings.

Stay & Play sessions take place throughout the year, inviting families to join learning activities with their children. They offer a different kind of involvement from reading updates: parents participate in the activities themselves. Together, the journal, meetings and shared sessions create several routes for keeping home and nursery connected.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SEND coordinators work with families, practitioners and outside professionals, with the child's key person involved in identifying possible needs. Ongoing observations and a two-year progress check help inform that process. Where additional support is needed, a meeting brings parents and staff together to discuss strategies or agencies that could help.

An Individual Education Plan can then be prepared with contributions from the key person and parents, and referrals require parental consent. This is a concrete support process, with an identified route from a concern to discussion, planning and contact with other services.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that assessment helped identify learning gaps and support children's progress, including coordinated planning by the SEND coordinator with staff and families. The current support arrangements provide the practical mechanism; that dated judgement describes how assessment and targeted support were working at the visit.

A designated safeguarding lead team receives concerns and leads policies, training and child-protection record handling. Staff development includes safeguarding, special educational needs, risk assessment and paediatric first aid, while enhanced DBS checks apply to staff. These are arrangements for carrying out responsibilities, separate from the dated safeguarding judgement.

In July 2024, dance activities allowed children to express feelings and participate at a level that suited them, including watching before joining. Calm adult responses and praise directed at individual achievements were also part of daily interactions. Those examples make the approach to emotional support more tangible than a general promise of kindness.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 2 Wakefords Corner, Sandy Lane, Church Crookham, GU52 8DB. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, over 51 weeks of the year, with closures on statutory bank holidays and for a week between Christmas and New Year.

A full-day session runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 1pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. Full-time and part-time attendance are offered, so the booking model includes both whole days and shorter sessions rather than treating the opening window as the only attendance choice.

Enquiries can be made on 01252 628111 or through the contact form. Visits can be arranged by telephone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers standard 15-hour and extended 30-hour funding for two- and three-year-olds, with either term-time use or a stretched option; it also accepts funded entitlement for four-year-olds. Support is for eligible families, so the funding offer is not a promise that every child qualifies for every entitlement.

Meals and snacks are included in private fees, while meals during funded hours are charged separately. Morning session fees include breakfast and lunch; afternoon session fees include tea. Extra hours are charged separately, and childcare vouchers and Tax-Free Childcare payments are accepted. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the charging structure.

Meals are prepared fresh each day, with medically supported dietary alternatives including dairy-free and gluten-free options. The nursery publishes a strict No Nut Policy and uses allergen coding on its menu, making dietary arrangements an important part of settling discussions.

• Conversation during play. In July 2024, staff were less consistent in developing language during child-led activities than during organised groups. Ask how practitioners now extend conversations when children are choosing their own play.
• The two baby stages. The Baby Room I and The Baby Room II divide care at 16 months. During a visit, discuss how movement between them is planned around the individual child, and ask about the usual group size in the younger room.
• Funding and food. Funded hours can be term-time or stretched, but meals attract additional charges. Compare the complete written quotation for the attendance pattern you want, including any additional private hours.
• Dietary needs. Medically supported alternatives and a No Nut Policy form part of the food arrangements. Families managing allergies should confirm current preparation and handling practice during settling discussions.

Little Monsters suits families looking for either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, with care spanning babyhood to preschool. Its clearest practical strengths are the staged room structure, several ways for parents to contribute to learning, and a SEND process that sets out who becomes involved and how support is planned.

The July 2024 Good judgement sits alongside a specific language-development improvement point. For families weighing this nursery, the most useful test is how the everyday conversations, room transitions and communication arrangements work for their own child.