URN 2758003 · Inspected 2026-02-17 · Published 2026-03-23 · Inspector: Anna Marshall
Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Timperley Unique reference number (URN): 2758003 Address: 264-266 Stockport Road, Timperley, Altrincham, WA15 7UT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 17/11/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: CC Nursery Ltd Inspection report: 17 February 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 Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders have high expectations of children's behaviour. They provide training to support staff to develop their skills to promote positive behaviour. This has had a positive impact on the respectful culture in the setting. Staff provide children with clear guidelines. Their interactions with children are consistent and focus on redirection, explaining their expectations in age-appropriate ways. Children have a voice and staff listen to them to understand their needs and views. Children play well with each other and work collaboratively in small groups. Staff build positive relationships with children, and the key-person system is highly effective. Staff know all children well and show care and affection for children in their care. Staff have developed routines that are consistent across the setting, which support children's growing independence. They work closely with parents, who understand the importance of their children attending and generally arrive on time. Staff skilfully adapt the routines to accommodate children's needs throughout the day. This includes having longer access to outdoors or having snack in two sittings. Staff help children to be resilient and persist in challenges through their play. Children have a 'can-do' attitude to learning and enjoy trying new activities, particularly those that challenge them. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders consistently support and prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. Leaders and staff give support to children with medical needs to ensure that they can take part safely in the setting. They support children to be independent through care routines such as toileting, wiping noses and handwashing. Staff consistently encourage effective hygiene practices throughout the setting. For example, staff help infants to wash hands while pre-school children confidently do this for themselves. The key-person system is a strength of the setting. Staff know the children well and take time to help children understand their emotions. They talk with children and use children's favourite books as a reference point. Children make connections to how they are feeling and how to manage their emotions. This has been particularly beneficial for older children, who are able to express themselves in positive ways. Leaders and staff support children's understanding of being healthy through serving home- cooked food and planting and growing vegetables. Children enjoy their food at mealtimes. Staff support children's manners and create a calm social time to come together. Leaders and staff have overcome barriers to ensure that children with significant allergies can take part at these times. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and staff are passionate about supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have created an inclusive culture where all children Expected standard develop a strong sense of belonging. Staff are attuned to children's individual needs, which enables them to quickly identify and adapt effective support. Leaders and staff work closely together to plan an ambitious curriculum for children with SEND. Staff provide clear next steps for children's learning. They provide targeted one-to-one time and activities that are tailored to meet children's individual interests and learning needs. Staff use their expertise to plan small steps to support children's progress so that all children thrive. Leaders and staff consistently make a difference to the children attending by removing barriers to learning. For children who speak English as an additional language, this includes using cue cards, key words in their home language and a translation feature to communicate with parents. Leaders and staff skilfully adapt support to meet children's individual needs, such as specific medical needs. They collaborate effectively with parents to ensure that they remove all barriers so that children can meaningfully participate, resulting in them feeling valued. Leaders have robust systems to enable staff to have access to specific training to enable them to meet the needs of all children and work with external agencies when needed. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders have been on a journey to create a culture of inclusiveness. They have built strong positive relationships where their team feels empowered to lead. There is a culture of continuous improvement in the setting. Leaders are proactive in identifying their strengths and areas for improvement. They create clear action plans to support the direction of the setting in continuing to provide high quality care and education. Leaders set high expectations of their team and take time to identify strengths and areas of growth for staff. They create clear development plans and provide regular coaching and mentoring. For example, leaders identify specific training for staff and use supervision and informal check- ins to support ongoing development. Leaders work in partnership with parents and carers. They provide support and share their expertise with parents to ensure children get the best start in life. Parents speak highly of the setting and praise the level of communication and support, particularly during transitions. Leaders consistently reflect on the needs of the children and the community, making changes to ensure that there are no barriers to children's learning. Leaders have a vision to network with other local early years providers to share resources and good practice to further benefit all children within the local community. The planning of a sports day is underway for local early years settings to join together. Achievement Expected standard Children typically achieve well from their starting points. Leaders focus on developing language skills, and building strong relationships ensures that all children have secure foundational knowledge. For instance, children are confident to express their ideas and thoughts and play well together. Children begin to understand about different cultures from connections in the local community, for example visiting a local Chinese bakery to learn about traditional food made to celebrate Chinese New Year. Children are well prepared to transition between rooms and on to primary school. They can persevere when facing new tasks and challenges and have a 'can-do' approach to learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language make progress towards their individual learning milestones. For example, they learn to play with others and begin to build their language skills to express wants and needs. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard The curriculum is designed well overall, so children are supported to develop across all areas of learning. Staff understand children's starting points and plan next steps to support their development. Staff assess children's ongoing progress and tailor their curriculum to meet the needs of all children, both individuals and groups. Staff prepare activities and experiences that interest children and generally support their learning priorities, such as helping children to understand their emotions. Children have opportunities to explore and make connections between language and actions, such as pouring and filling containers or rolling a ball down the ramp. Staff teach mathematics through planned activities where mathematical concepts are introduced to build on children's knowledge. Generally, leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They observe and monitor staff practice and provide ongoing support to help staff improve where needed. For example, leaders recently identified children's language development as a priority and provided training. This has enabled staff to provide lots of opportunities to engage children in conversations, model language and use effective questioning. However, leaders could further enhance the curriculum in the outdoor environment. At times, children outside were disengaged due to fewer interactions between staff and children. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children thrive in the setting, where relationships are at the heart of the curriculum. Children build confidence through secure relationships with their key person and are happy, safe and settled. They have developed a strong sense of belonging and are able to play well with others. Staff share regular progress updates with parents and carers, including children's next steps in learning, so they can further support at home. Staff encourage parents to be Inspector: Anna Marshall involved in the setting by inviting them to read books at group times and celebrating events together. Children are supported to achieve through an ambitious curriculum that meets their individual needs. Staff quickly identify children's starting points and plan next steps that build on children's knowledge. Children experience a language-rich environment, and this helps all children, particularly those who speak English as an additional language or those who have communication barriers, to develop their communication skills. Children are active in their learning. They can concentrate and work together for sustained periods of time. Children have a positive attitude towards learning and staff support children to try new experiences and persist through challenges. Staff are positive, gentle and caring, encouraging children through role modelling problem-solving skills. Leaders help staff to build a calm culture that focuses on positive behaviour and sets high expectations for children. Staff support children to be independent, and children know and are able to follow the daily routines and expectations. Older children confidently serve themselves at mealtimes, and younger children learn the importance of handwashing and how to do this for themselves. Children have access to a large outdoor space that supports their physical development particularly well. Children learn how to grow and harvest their own vegetables and enjoy exploring the natural world. Next steps Leaders should continue to support staff to embed high-quality interactions that fully extend children's learning in the outdoor environment. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and the special educational needs coordinator during the 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. A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection. About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2758003 Address: 264-266 Stockport Road, Timperley Altrincham WA15 7UT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 17/11/2023 Registered person: CC Nursery Ltd Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Trafford Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 17 February 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 10 to 49 Total number of places 56 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. 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