Little Monkeys Charlbury

A Georgian townhouse, a walled garden and woodland Wednesdays give Little Monkeys Charlbury a recognisable character. Inside, the nursery occupies two floors, with separate provision for babies, toddlers and preschool children; outside, water play and a mud kitchen give children practical things to investigate. The balance is between a domestic building and space for active play.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 9 February 2022 and found safeguarding effective, with warm relationships between children and staff. That judgement belongs to the inspection date. The current offer includes a separate sleep room for babies, cooking on the premises and a curriculum that links learning across successive rooms.

The nursery accepts children from three months to five years and has 57 places in total. Those places describe whole-setting capacity, rather than the number of children sharing any room. Families can choose a term-time-only or full-year contract, allowing attendance to follow different working and family calendars.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room combines two playrooms with a separate sleep room, while its activities include sensory exploration, singing and messy play. That separation gives rest its own space rather than making sleep another activity in a busy playroom. The curriculum begins with relationships, movement and early communication, including the gestures and sounds that precede spoken language.

Little People serves children approaching their second birthday through to those approaching their third, with language, friendships and increasing independence developed through construction, dressing up, books and mark making. These experiences give toddlers different ways to express ideas as their speech develops.

Preschool has two resource areas, where children choose how to use books, role-play materials and messy-play resources while developing phonics, number knowledge and practical skills. Its school preparation extends beyond letters and counting to making decisions, building relationships and managing more independently. The emphasis is on using skills, rather than simply recognising them.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the shared early-years framework: children develop communication, physical skills, relationships and understanding through connected play experiences. Little Monkeys' own curriculum, Achieve. Belong. Thrive, builds from each child's existing interests and abilities, then links those beginnings to more demanding learning as children move rooms.

The progression is concrete. Filling and emptying containers introduces quantity and space; noticing patterns and amounts comes next; preschool play develops counting and connections between numerals and quantities. Communication follows a similar path from gestures to words and fuller conversations. This gives parents a useful way to understand why an apparently simple activity matters.

At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted identified a need for clearer learning intentions and more consistent teaching, including more conversation instead of time spent on routine chores, and longer pauses for children to answer questions and solve problems. These are substantial points about the adult contribution to play. The current curriculum sets out a progression between stages, but that description does not establish that the earlier teaching concerns have been resolved.

Outdoor and Community Life

A climbing frame, sand pit, water tunnel and mud kitchen make the rear walled garden more than a place to run around. Children can pump water, dig, build and test materials, with bikes and scooters adding movement. Outdoor play continues in wet and cold weather; parents are encouraged to provide waterproof all-in-one suits and wellies, so suitable clothing is part of everyday preparation.

Little Wild Things adds woodland sessions run by a community interest company, with activities encouraging children to explore the natural world. Preschool children attend on Wednesdays during term time, travelling by minibus or nursery car. This is a regular element of Wednesday attendance, with a separate charge, rather than an occasional outing families can assume is included.

In February 2022, children also borrowed books from the nursery library to share at home, and a core collection of 12 titles connected reading with play, including a Gruffalo hunt in the garden. That inspection-time example shows how a familiar story became something children could act out, rather than remaining solely a book-time experience.

Relationships and Communication

Parents have a key-person route for discussing concerns, alongside access to other staff and designated safeguarding leads. Concerns can also be submitted in writing, with procedures for recording them and involving safeguarding professionals where necessary. This gives families several ways to raise something sensitive.

In February 2022, an online parent portal carried updates about activities and events, while parents shared photographs and artwork with staff. The practical value was a connection between nursery experiences and home conversations. It is a dated example of communication, rather than a promise about the current platform.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes SENDCO responsibilities, language leads and behaviour coordinators. The nursery's SEND arrangements include early identification and a response to children's needs, with attention to barriers that can prevent participation. Families can also approach the nursery for Early Help support when difficulties extend beyond the nursery day.

Sleep has a defined place in Baby Room. For older children, the curriculum includes recognising feelings, developing relationships and becoming more independent. Preschool preparation combines these practical and emotional elements with language and early literacy, giving the move towards primary school a broader purpose than rehearsing academic tasks.

Food is cooked at the nursery, using a seasonal menu that rotates over two weeks. Dietary requirements and allergies can be discussed with the team, making individual food needs part of planning rather than something to assume from a sample menu.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Chapmans House, Church Street, Charlbury, OX7 3PP. Opening runs from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with an earlier 7.30am drop-off arrangement. The nursery operates for 51 weeks annually, closing on bank holidays and for approximately a week over Christmas.

Both full-year and term-time-only contracts are offered. Term dates for the latter follow Charlbury Primary School and can change if that school's holiday dates change. This is a calendar arrangement; it should not be read as a school admissions relationship.

Applications for attendance after January 2028 use an availability request form, following the terms and admissions policy. The nursery has stopped operating a waiting list: applications are considered against the requested attendance pattern, rather than carrying an expectation that a place will eventually follow. For starts before January 2028, families can enquire by telephone or email. Visits can be arranged by telephone.

Funding and Paid Extras

Accepted funding includes Working Parent's Funding from nine months, Extended 3 and 4 year Funding, Two Year Funding and Universal Funding. Participation in these schemes is separate from whether an individual family qualifies. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding information identifies the funding routes.

Little Wild Things is charged separately on the nursery invoice. Enrolling in a Wednesday preschool session includes agreement to attend during term time, and children receiving EYPP funding can use it towards the activity's cost. The attendance condition matters as much as the charge: families selecting Wednesdays are choosing this woodland element too.

• Wednesday preschool attendance. Term-time Wednesdays include Little Wild Things, transport by minibus or nursery car and a separate invoice charge. At a visit, discuss how the woodland routine works for your child before choosing this attendance pattern.
• Teaching through conversation. The February 2022 improvement points concerned clear learning intentions, staff interaction and time for children to think. Ask how practitioners now use questions and conversation during ordinary play, rather than looking only at the resources.
• The total cost of attendance. Funding and the woodland charge are separate parts of the offer. Ask one combined question about how your entitlement is scheduled and whether meals, nappies, wipes and other consumables are included, charged separately or supplied from home.
• Application timing. Requests for starts after January 2028 follow the form-based application process, and the nursery does not operate a waiting list. Treat an application as a request for a particular pattern, rather than a place being held in a queue.

Little Monkeys Charlbury suits families seeking either term-time-only attendance or a full-year contract, with different stages of care within one townhouse setting. Its clearest practical attractions are the separate baby sleep space, the usable walled garden and the structured Wednesday woodland experience for preschool children.

The February 2022 Good judgement provides a dated assessment, alongside specific teaching improvements that deserve attention. Families choosing here should weigh the room arrangements and outdoor offer against those questions about everyday adult interaction. Wednesday attendance also brings a defined activity and charge commitment, making the choice of days part of the choice of nursery experience.