Munchkins Nursery and Pre-School

Munchkins Nursery and Pre-School
Unique reference number (URN): 2777354
Address: 23-25 Church Street, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 7HX
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 27/02/2024
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Munchkins Day Care (Baddow) Limited
Inspection report: 19 March 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Children make sustained progress from their starting points, particularly in communication
and language. Children with little or no English rapidly develop confidence to speak, interact
and express their ideas. Children quickly progress from non-verbal communication to
speaking in sentences and engaging in shared storytelling. Babies and younger children
show secure development as they confidently explore, make choices and engage in
purposeful play.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing additional
barriers make notable progress. For instance, children with delayed physical development
move from limited mobility to crawling, cruising and actively engaging with others. Those
with social and emotional needs learn to regulate their feelings, seek support and re-engage
in play. Children gain independence and emotional security. They engage confidently in
learning and build essential foundations for future development.
All children demonstrate high levels of cooperation and curiosity. They manage self-care,
communicate effectively and sustain engagement in learning. Children are thoroughly
prepared for their next stage, showing the confidence, language and self-regulation needed
for school and future learning.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Staff establish a highly positive and consistent culture where expectations for behaviour are
clear, age-appropriate and embedded across the setting. Warm, respectful relationships
underpin practice. Children actively seek out adults for reassurance and confidently engage
in play, demonstrating they feel safe and secure. Staff model kindness and explicitly teach
positive social behaviours, such as sharing, turn-taking and helping others. As a result,
children are considerate, cooperative and mindful of each other's space when navigating
busy outdoor areas.
Routines are well established and support independence. Children are sensitively supported
by staff to confidently manage self-care, follow hygiene practices and make choices about
their learning. Those who need additional support are helped to regulate through calming
spaces and consistent approaches, enabling them to re-engage positively. This strengthens
their sense of responsibility and pride in their achievements.
Leaders work effectively with families, including those facing challenges, to promote regular
attendance and punctuality through supportive strategies such as telephone wake-up calls.
As a result, children attend consistently, settle quickly and demonstrate positive attitudes to
learning. Children exhibit high levels of engagement and infinite emotional security in this
nurturing and inclusive environment.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Staff create a highly nurturing and inclusive environment where children's welfare and
wellbeing are prioritised. Care practices are tailored effectively to individual needs. For
example, children with medical or developmental needs receive carefully adapted routines,
including safe sleep arrangements and personalised care plans, ensuring they remain safe
and fully included.
Well-established key-person relationships are evident. Children actively seek comfort from
familiar adults, respond to soothing interactions and demonstrate secure attachments. As a
result, children feel extremely safe and emotionally secure, enabling them to confidently
explore their environment.
Staff support children to develop a deep understanding of health and safety through
everyday experiences. They manage hygiene routines independently, learn safe use of tools
such as hammers and scissors, and engage in discussions about healthy practices,
including oral health and nutrition. Mealtimes are well managed by staff, with clear
procedures for allergies and supervision, ensuring children eat safely.
Emotional well-being is a clear strength. Children are supported to recognise and regulate
their feelings through calm, consistent approaches and access to quiet regulation spaces.
Staff respond sensitively to distress, helping children to settle and re-engage. Routines are
thoroughly embedded and responsive, particularly for babies. Sleep, care and feeding are
managed thoughtfully, safely and consistently. As a result, children feel secure, develop
confidence and demonstrate excellent emotional resilience.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders design an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum deeply rooted in children's
communication, independence and emotional security. They demonstrate a clear
understanding of its effectiveness and adapt provision in response to cohort needs. For
example, leaders strengthen staffing and room leadership to support a younger age range.
The curriculum is implemented consistently through a highly enabling environment, where
free-flow access and forest school experiences promote exploration and autonomy. For
example, babies independently choose resources such as musical instruments or books and
bring them to adults to share. Outdoors, they confidently explore the climbing frame and
engage in sensory activities like feeling flower petals. Staff immediately respond, supporting
curiosity and early communication.
Teaching is purposeful and responsive. Staff use secure knowledge of child development to
adapt interactions. They adjust their language carefully during activities and follow children's
interests closely. Communication is prioritised. Staff model, narrate and extend language
using Makaton, songs and rich vocabulary. They embed mathematical concepts naturally
through counting, comparison and problem-solving in play. For example, staff introduce
concepts such as big and small during outdoor exploration.
Assessment is used effectively to tailor teaching. Staff know children very well. They plan
next steps precisely, adapting provision for those with special educational needs and/or

disabilities, or English as an additional language. The flexible teaching results in learning
that is consistently relevant, inclusive and builds progressively on what children know and
can do.
Inclusion Strong standard
Staff create a highly inclusive culture where children's needs are identified early and met
precisely. Robust assessments, individual plans and ongoing observations ensure emerging
needs are quickly recognised. For example, staff swiftly identify delays in children's physical
development and implement targeted strategies alongside physiotherapy and support from
other professionals. Therefore, children make significant progress from limited mobility to
confidently crawling, cruising and engaging with peers.
Leaders take decisive action to remove barriers through well-targeted adaptations and use
of funding. Early years pupil premium is used effectively to provide specialist training,
sensory resources and additional sessions, enabling children to regulate emotions and re-
engage in learning.
Communication is prioritised by staff using Makaton, visual strategies and home-language
support. Children who join with no English communicate confidently, demonstrating rapid
progress from their starting points. Highly effective multi-agency working and essential
parent partnerships underpin support. Staff work closely with therapists, social care and
schools, while maintaining sensitive relationships with families. Children known to social
care attend regularly, feel secure and make sustained progress.
Leaders invest heavily in staff training and monitor the impact of provision closely, adapting
strategies where needed. Consequently, all children, including those with special
educational needs and/or disabilities and English as an additional language, are fully
included. They develop communication and independence, and thrive within this nurturing,
highly responsive environment.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leadership and governance is highly ambitious, extending well beyond the immediate
setting to influence the wider community and early years sector. Leaders place children at
the heart of all decision-making. Children develop confidence, empathy and social
awareness as they join in with acts of kindness and learn about local services such as the
police. This broadens children's understanding of the world and their sense of belonging.
Leaders demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to improving outcomes for all
children, particularly those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs and/or
disabilities or are known to social care. They meet statutory requirements rigorously through
robust safer recruitment, ongoing suitability checks and embedded safeguarding practice.
This ensures children are consistently safe and well protected.
Leaders have an incisive understanding of the setting's strengths and drive continuous
improvement. For example, they have refined school readiness support and strengthened
staff training, resulting in consistently high-quality, well-matched learning experiences. Staff

benefit from sharply focused professional development linked to children's needs, creating a
confident and skilled workforce.
Leaders make decisions firmly in the best interests of children and families. They use
additional funding to provide children with more sessions and focused individual support.
This helps children to regulate their emotions, engage more confidently, and make secure
progress. Effective partnerships with schools and other professionals ensure continuity of
care and smooth transitions, so children feel secure and sustain their progress. Children
experience consistent support across all areas of their learning, and this helps them settle
quickly and make steady progress without disruption.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive confidently and quickly settle into this warm, inclusive environment where
they feel safe and secure. They form meaningful attachments with familiar adults, seek them
out for reassurance and respond positively to nurturing interactions. This security enables
even the youngest children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND) to explore their environment with confidence and engage in learning.
Children enjoy rich, purposeful experiences throughout the day. Staff support them to freely
move between indoor and outdoor spaces, investigate bugs with magnifying glasses, and
experiment with textures, water and natural materials. Children show curiosity and sustained
engagement when they openly discuss big and small worms or talk about changes in
temperature to their hands. As a result, children develop remarkable early language,
mathematical and problem-solving skills.
Children behave exceedingly well and show impressive levels of kindness towards others.
Older children support younger peers to access equipment, share resources and take turns.
Staff professionally encourage children to manage risks safely, such as using tools in forest
school activities, and understand routines and expectations. Children develop confidence,
resilience and positive attitudes to learning.
Staff are enthusiastic and support children to become highly independent. They pour their
own drinks, prepare fruit, manage hygiene routines and make choices about their play.
Children take pride in helping to tidy up and care for their environment, building
responsibility and self-esteem.
All children, including those with English as an additional language and SEND, are fully
included. Staff and children use Makaton consistently to communicate openly. Children
quickly develop confidence and language well from their starting points as a result. Effective,
tailored support from staff and leaders ensures children move from being non-verbal and
anxious to expressive, sociable learners. Consequently, children make impressive progress,
feel a deep sense of belonging and are well prepared for their next stage of learning.
Next steps
Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure
continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on continuing to create a
transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of all children.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator,
apprentices, children and their families during the inspection.

Inspector:
Laura Paternoster
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2777354
Address:
23-25 Church Street
Great Baddow
Chelmsford
CM2 7HX
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 27/02/2024
Registered person: Munchkins Day Care (Baddow) Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Essex
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 19 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

0 to 4
Total number of places
80
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,
please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.
You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium,
under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy
Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email:
psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk.
Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information
and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
T: 0300 123 1231
Textphone: 0161 618 8524
E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
© Crown copyright 2026
© Crown copyright