Cheeky Monkeys Childcare

A sensory trail, a bike track and a retreat for the youngest babies give Cheeky Monkeys Childcare a character that goes beyond its community-centre address. At Abbots Vale Community Centre in Barrow-in-Furness, the nursery combines rooms for different developmental stages with access to Abbotsvale Oasis, an attached outdoor space that brings movement and family activities into the nursery experience.

At its 6 September 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, with positive relationships between children and staff. That is a dated judgement, rather than a description of every aspect of care today. There are 52 places in total, distinct from the numbers attending any particular room or day.

The youngest provision, The Hideout, starts at 12 weeks and continues until babies are cruising confidently. Older children have Baby Room, Toddler Room and Preschool provision, while the Holiday Club serves children aged 3 to 11. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays. The appeal is the combination of early-years care, outdoor movement and provision for school holidays.

Rooms and Ages

The room age bands overlap, while The Hideout continues until babies are confidently cruising. The Hideout combines sensory exploration, gentle messy activities and outdoor time for babies from 12 weeks until confident cruising, making movement and exploration part of their earliest nursery experiences.

In the Baby Room, children aged 12 months to 2 years explore instruments, sensory materials and messy activities, with teddy-accompanied stories adding a quieter counterpoint. The Toddler Room covers 18 to 36 months, bringing painting, water activities and garden exploration together so that discovery can continue outside as well as indoors.

Preschool begins at 24 months and continues until children move to school, with storytelling, pretend play and problems to solve supporting independence and learning to cooperate. The Sensory Room provides a calmer alternative, using resources for touch, sound and movement alongside space for a quieter break. These are different experiences, rather than interchangeable room names: the practical question is how the daily routine uses each space for an individual child.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play is also a way to practise communication, movement and getting along with others. Early Learners adds structured sessions centred on literacy, number skills and social development, connecting those everyday experiences with preparation for school.

In September 2022, staff used children's interests to shape activities: babies explored sounds through instruments, younger children improvised pretend food from everyday resources, and older children brought mathematical vocabulary into conversations about a spider they had found. These examples show how an ordinary discovery can become a learning opportunity. They are snapshots from that period, not a timetable of current activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Abbotsvale Oasis gives outdoor activity a concrete setting. Its sensory trail and bike track offer different ways to explore and move, and staff have training in leading balance-bike activities and walks. The nursery's aim is for children to be able to ride a balance bike before leaving for school; that is an aim, rather than a promised outcome for every child.

Activities and events at the Oasis take place weekly, while family walks in local areas happen several times a year. The family element matters: parents can take part alongside their children and meet other families. The Holiday Club also includes community trips, creative projects and games during half terms and summer holidays, extending the offer beyond the youngest age groups.

Relationships and Communication

In September 2022, younger children could speak with older siblings in other rooms using two-way communication devices. This was a small but memorable way of keeping a familiar relationship present during the day. Staff also used sounds and advance explanations to prepare children for changes in routine, giving them time to finish an activity before tidying up.

Home learning bags were another practical link between nursery and family life in September 2022. Their activities supported reading, physical development and self-care, so learning could continue through manageable experiences at home. Families also came together for sports day, and staff kept parents informed about their children's development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received early support, with additional funding used effectively to address learning gaps. Sensory lights and a bubble machine were examples of resources used then to help children engage and sustain attention. The current Sensory Room offers a quieter space with tactile, movement and sound resources, giving children an alternative to busier play.

The September 2022 findings also identified limits in early language practice. Staff sometimes used informal substitutes for words, and younger children were not consistently encouraged to take comfort items out of their mouths when speaking. The required improvement was more deliberate support for pronunciation. Staff development targets also needed to become more precise, so individuals had clearer guidance on how to strengthen their teaching.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 5.30pm. It operates across the year, with bank holidays excluded. Day-to-day childcare and the Holiday Club serve different family needs: the latter is for ages 3 to 11 during half terms and summer holidays, with activities shaped around children's interests.

Those opening hours describe the operating window. Families choosing an attendance arrangement need a booking pattern that works within it, especially where nursery care and school-holiday care form different parts of the same family's plans.

Getting There

The address is Abbots Vale Community Centre, Abbots Vale, Barrow-in-Furness, LA13 9PA. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01229 827722 or by email at manager@cheekymonkeyschildcare.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes provision for children aged 2, 3 and 4, up to 15 hours a week, and provision for working families from the term after a child reaches 9 months. A 30-hour offer also applies to entitled 3- and 4-year-olds from September. The conditions matter: an entitlement is not a blanket promise of the same funded arrangement for every family.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The useful comparison is the cost of the family's intended attendance arrangement, alongside the funded entitlement that applies to them.

• Moves between rooms. The Hideout uses confident cruising as its endpoint, while the Baby Room, Toddler Room and Preschool age bands overlap. During a visit, discuss how a child's development and existing relationships shape a move between rooms.
• Language and staff development. In September 2022, pronunciation support and the precision of individual staff targets needed strengthening. Ask how staff now model words, manage comfort items during conversation and review their teaching targets.
• The attendance package. Weekday opening hours run from 7.30am to 5.30pm, alongside a separate school-holiday offer. Which booking pattern would fit your family, and how would the written quotation treat funded hours, meals and non-food consumables?

Cheeky Monkeys suits families seeking everyday nursery care and those using a Holiday Club during half terms or summer holidays. Abbotsvale Oasis is a compelling part of its character: a sensory trail, bike track and family activities give outdoor play a recognisable setting, while the Sensory Room provides a quieter option within the nursery.

The September 2022 judgement provides a positive inspection foundation, with clear improvements identified in pronunciation support and staff development targets. For a family choosing now, the strongest decision points are the fit between the rooms and their child's stage, the use of those indoor and outdoor spaces, and the attendance package they agree.