Our Monkey Club, Swadlincote

Vegetables in a pretend shop, improvised campfire play and older children helping younger ones give Our Monkey Club, Swadlincote its character. These were features of the nursery day in March 2023: practical, imaginative experiences in which children chose materials and learnt alongside their friends. The emphasis was on doing things for themselves.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 24 March 2023 and found that children progressed well towards their next stages of learning. The setting has 30 places in total, with preschool care for children aged two to five and school-age care extending to 12. Flexible paid hours and full-day bookings provide different attendance options.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, with play providing opportunities to practise language, movement and relationships. Here, the concrete examples from March 2023 show how ordinary materials became learning opportunities: children handled vegetables, explored their textures and used the pretend shop to develop vocabulary.

Imagination also shaped construction play. In March 2023, children assembled a pretend campfire and used cotton reels and straws to represent marshmallows being toasted. Staff talked with them about their ideas and encouraged them to notice what friends were doing. Materials could serve a purpose the children invented, rather than dictate a single activity.

Books prompted physical storytelling too. Children acted out an imaginary rescue linked to a water story, while songs and shared reading involved choosing, listening and taking turns. These examples give parents a useful picture of learning through conversation and participation, rather than simply completing a finished piece of work.

Outdoor and Community Life

In March 2023, children could choose between outdoor and indoor play during the day and knew to fetch coats when rain began. That combination gave them choices about where to play alongside practical responsibility for their own comfort.

Children of different ages helped one another during activities. During collage-making in March 2023, older children fetched materials for younger friends and contributed ideas. This was a concrete example of learning together: younger children could seek help from another child, while older ones had a useful role in the activity.

In March 2023, staff helped children recognise their feelings when a task became difficult and praised their attempts to keep going. Snack time also included practical independence, such as persevering with peeling an orange. Care and learning met in small everyday tasks.

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support successful, with adapted activities, sensory experiences and collaboration with other agencies helping children make progress. Scarves used for hiding were one example of the sensory resources involved at that time. The important point for families is the adjustment of an activity to support participation.

Communication was an improvement area in March 2023. Parents received photographs and knew which activities children had enjoyed, but needed clearer explanations of the learning involved and ways to build on it at home. An account of a happy day and an account of development serve different purposes. Families weighing this nursery should consider both.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Unit A1, Robian Way, Swadlincote, DE11 9DH. It opens on weekdays from 7am until 6pm, operating for 50 weeks each year with a two-week Christmas closure. That closure matters for families arranging childcare across the working year.

Paid full-day bookings run from 7.30am until 6pm and must be arranged in advance. Flexible hourly bookings are also made ahead of attendance; an early-start session runs from 7am until 7.30am. The opening window and the standard full-day booking therefore begin at different times, which matters when planning an early work start.

Before- and after-school care includes collections from Church Gresley Primary School. This is a practical school-age service alongside the preschool offer.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. The Swadlincote fully paid booking structure covers placements without funding, with a flat rate and no additional fees for its hourly, discounted full-day and early-start options. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Learning updates. In March 2023, parents needed more help understanding children's learning and supporting it at home. During a visit, ask to see an example of how an activity is explained to families.
• Extending ideas. Questioning in March 2023 sometimes checked existing knowledge rather than developing a new concept. Ask how practitioners build on a child's answer during play.
• Early starts and Christmas. The standard paid day begins at 7.30am, with a separate early-start session and a two-week Christmas closure. Compare those arrangements with your working hours and holiday cover.
• Food and everyday supplies. When discussing a booking, ask how meals and non-food consumables are handled for your chosen paid or funded pattern.

Our Monkey Club suits families seeking child-led preschool experiences alongside either flexible hourly attendance or a full-day booking. Its March 2023 examples make the approach tangible: imaginative construction, shared storytelling and children helping one another.

The two improvement areas deserve attention alongside the Good judgement. For parents, the useful test is whether everyday play is extended through thoughtful conversation and then explained clearly enough to continue learning at home.