Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Solihull

Weekly Zumbini, a garden for everyday play and a dedicated baby sleep room give Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Solihull a recognisable character. Zumbini brings movement, songs and rhythm into the week for every age group.

At its 7 July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with communication and language central to the curriculum. That judgement belongs to that visit. The nursery welcomes children from 3 months to 5 years and has 45 places in total, with separate Baby, Toddler and Preschool spaces at 683-685 Warwick Road, Solihull, B91 3DA.

A key person for each child and updates through Famly connect care with family life. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6.30pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby room combines an open-plan space with sensory equipment, a dedicated sleep room and daily outdoor access, including a covered area, while its learning emphasises movement, communication and emotional development. Home routines inform their care.

Toddlers serves children between 2 and 3 years, with books, a home corner, creative space and child-sized toilets supporting early literacy, imaginative play and growing independence. The discovery garden has an impact-absorbing surface and equipment intended to develop balance and coordination. Handwashing, toilet training and serving themselves at meals build independence.

Preschool begins at around three years, pairing construction, books, role play, music and art with daily free-flow access to the garden and learning across the framework’s areas. Quiet spaces allow time away from busier play.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, covering language, physical and emotional development alongside early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. It is the shared foundation for early years provision. Here, the group-wide curriculum approach places play and children’s interests within that framework, with staff observing development and using those observations to plan activities.

Zumbini adds a specific weekly experience: children move and dance to music while exploring songs and rhythm.

In July 2025, sensory activities included toy cars being rolled through paint and vegetables hidden in mud. Staff also used simple signs to help children communicate feelings and choices, while accessible book displays encouraged children to select stories. These examples show how language can run through practical play and shared reading, rather than being confined to a separate lesson.

There was a clear limitation in July 2025: adult-planned activities left fewer opportunities for children to direct play and pursue their own ideas. Extending that freedom was the improvement priority.

Outdoor and Community Life

Regular walks take babies to the Park and Nature Reserve, where outings include exploring plants and trees; supermarket visits also connect children with buying fruit and vegetables. A six-seater pushchair supports outings.

In July 2025, children visited a local library, park and care home, spending time with residents. The care-home contact gave them experience of relationships beyond their own age group. Local businesses and emergency services are also invited into the nursery to talk about community life and safety.

Relationships and Communication

A dedicated key person provides a consistent contact for each family and maintains the child’s Learning Journey. Famly carries observations and photographs, so parents can see examples of activities and development rather than relying only on a brief account at collection. The group-wide Learning Journey approach also allows this information to be shared when a child moves on to school or another setting.

Settling is organised through three free sessions. The recommended first step is a Teams call with the key person, covering interests, favourite toys and allergies; this is followed by a one-hour session and a two-hour visit. Children experience activities and mealtimes in stages.

The key person attends the settling sessions, shares information with colleagues and prepares a development report every six weeks. In July 2025, daily conversations with parents covered routines and activities, while review meetings brought families into discussions about development and next steps.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Care routines include support with toileting, handwashing and recognising feelings. Preschool children can access toilets and handwashing facilities independently, while younger children receive help as these skills develop.

In July 2025, babies received prompt comfort from staff, and preschool children spoke readily with adults who listened to them. Children practised practical skills at mealtimes, including pouring drinks and clearing plates. Staff recognised kindness and helped children manage emotions, giving social development a place alongside language and physical learning.

The staff team receives regular support, training and development opportunities. In July 2025, leaders provided supervision and helped staff reflect on their practice. In July 2025, staff used training to develop their understanding of children’s needs and put new knowledge into their work.

In its outcome published on 23 July 2026, Ofsted reported that its 22 July visit found a breach of the requirement to keep children safe during sleep. The July 2026 outcome recorded a prompt response: every staff member received further training, and additional plans for safer sleep were introduced for each child.

An in-house cook prepares meals and snacks on site. The group-wide menu approach includes provision for dietary requirements, allergies and cultural preferences; this is a menu policy rather than a guarantee about an individual child’s arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-time childcare is offered, with the nursery open from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks each year. It closes for the week between Christmas and New Year, and bank holidays are also closure days. These dates matter for families arranging care across the working year.

The enquiry form gathers the child’s date of birth and family contact details, after which the team discusses childcare needs and offers a personal tour. Enquiries can also be made by telephone on 0121 238 8023 or by email to manager@monkeypuzzlesolihull.co.uk.

Getting There

The address is 683-685 Warwick Road, Solihull, B91 3DA, close to Touchwood Shopping Centre and Solihull Hospital. There is a large car park, with local bus routes and Solihull train station nearby, giving families options for combining nursery with their regular journeys.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use 15 or 30 hours of funded childcare, and funded hours can be combined with paid hours. Under the group-wide funding arrangements used here, entitlement is stretched across the year; the working-parent offer starts from nine months, subject to eligibility. Families using that entitlement must reconfirm eligibility every three months.

The private fee includes breakfast, lunch, tea, snacks and drinks. Branded nappies and creams are included too, while wipes and formula are provided for babies. Funded hours have a separate charge structure: meals and consumables, including nappies, wipes and sunscreen, attract additional charges, as do trips and hours beyond the funded entitlement.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation; the funding and fees page explains the charge structure.

• Children directing their play. In July 2025, expanding opportunities for children to develop their own ideas was the improvement priority. During a tour, ask how staff now balance planned activities with play led by children.
• Sleep safety. The 23 July 2026 outcome describes a sleep-safety breach and subsequent staff training and safer sleep plans. During a tour, ask how staff implement those plans and supervise sleeping children.
• The funded-hours package. Meals, consumables, trips and additional hours carry charges alongside funded entitlement. Request an itemised quotation for your intended attendance so the full cost is clear.
• Dietary arrangements. The menu approach accommodates allergies and other dietary requirements. Families affected by allergies should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements for their child.

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Solihull suits families seeking full-time childcare across the working year, with a familiar key person, regular updates and everyday access to outdoor learning. Weekly Zumbini and community outings add concrete variety, while the separate baby sleep space and gradual settling plan are relevant to parents choosing care for younger children.

The July 2025 Good judgement provides a dated assessment of quality. The later July 2026 sleep-safety breach merits direct discussion of the training and safer sleep plans implemented. Children’s scope to lead play and the funded-hours charges are further decision points.