MonkeyMoos Daycare Highdown

In July 2022, a preschool committee choosing topics and requesting favourite lunches gave MonkeyMoos Daycare Highdown a memorable character: children could influence nursery life. In July 2022, that committee met weekly, giving older children a practical opportunity to express preferences and take part in decisions.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 26 July 2022. Its address is Surley Row, Emmer Green, Reading, RG4 8LP, and it has 28 places in total for children aged 0 to 60 months. That whole-nursery capacity is separate from the number attending any particular activity or group.

The strongest examples from July 2022 combine imaginative play with everyday independence. Children staged a pretend wedding, explored books and helped themselves at meals. These are useful details for parents who value learning through conversation, shared experiences and doing things for themselves.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, learning includes language, movement, relationships and early literacy, rather than being confined to formal teaching activities.

In July 2022, children chose their own play alongside activities prepared by staff. Older children explored the sounds in their names and practised forming letters, while stories were part of children's experience across the setting. The emphasis was on connecting spoken language, books and early writing through things children wanted to do.

The reading area provided cosy places to enjoy books. In July 2022, children helped select favourites, retold stories and acted them out, making reading an activity they could shape rather than simply listen to. The pre-school committee added another route for their ideas to influence nursery life: its weekly meetings covered future topics and lunchtime choices.

There was also a clear development point. In July 2022, staff did not consistently identify what they wanted children to learn next, especially when using resources children could reach each day. More precise planning was needed to extend existing skills and knowledge. For parents, the useful distinction is between enjoyable activity and activity that offers the right next challenge.

Outdoor and Community Life

An August 2021 description of Highdown set out an open-plan room with freely accessible resources and an outdoor area supporting movement between inside and outside. That arrangement gave children choices about where and how to play.

Community experiences made everyday tasks part of learning. In July 2022, preschool children followed a map on a shopping outing, responded to road-safety instructions and explored produce, weighing and change. A shopping trip connected number work with a recognisable purpose. The Highdown team also takes children into the local community to feed ducks and make shopping lists for snacks, linking conversation with experiences beyond the nursery.

Relationships and home life mattered in July 2022. After the weekend, children were encouraged to bring a photograph to share, opening conversations about family outings, relatives and special occasions. This gave children something personal to talk about and staff a way to understand their lives beyond childcare.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and recognised support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those learning English as an additional language. The Highdown team includes a co-SENCO role and a designated safeguarding lead role, providing identifiable responsibilities for inclusion and safeguarding arrangements.

Practical independence was woven into care in July 2022. Children practised washing their hands, using the toilet and managing tissues, as well as serving food and helping wash plates afterwards. Group conversations also helped them name emotions and think about what might help when they felt unhappy. These routines gave children opportunities to practise skills they could use at home too.

Communication supported continuity between home and nursery in July 2022. Parents could exchange messages with staff through an online system and receive information about achievements and ideas for learning at home. Key-person relationships formed part of that connection, giving families a familiar practitioner with whom to discuss their child.

The nursery operates from Highdown pavilion on Surley Row, Emmer Green, Reading, RG4 8LP. Families can contact the branch on 0118 334 3000 or by email at caversham@monkeymoos.co.uk.

Opening hours are 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. Care runs across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Those closures matter when matching childcare to working arrangements.

In July 2022, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• The next learning step. In July 2022, planning needed to make children's next challenges clearer, especially around everyday resources. During a visit, ask how staff now decide what to extend for an individual child.
• Care for younger children. The nursery's age range is 0 to 60 months, while the children attending in July 2022 were aged two to four. Families choosing care for a younger child should ask how settling, rest and play are organised for that age.
• Holiday cover. Bank holidays and a week at Christmas are closure periods. Build those dates into your family's childcare arrangements.

MonkeyMoos Daycare Highdown suits families who value children's participation, practical independence and learning connected to ordinary life. The July 2022 examples are persuasive: committee discussions, shared family photographs and shopping experiences give substance to that character. Its weekday opening hours also provide a broad operating window. The balance to explore is how staff turn children's interests into a sufficiently challenging next step in learning.