Monkey Puzzle Epsom

Monkey Puzzle Epsom
Unique reference number (URN): 2793973
Address: 16 Church Street, Cedars Cottage, Surrey, KT17 4QB
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 01/07/2024
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Hala Zidan Ltd
Inspection report: 9 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
Expected standard
Inclusion Strong standard
Staff successfully use their secure knowledge of each child to assess their developmental
stages and plan meaningful next steps that precisely target what they need to learn next.
This enables staff to promptly identify any emerging delays in development and ensure that
personalised support is put into place quickly. Leaders regularly spend time in each room to
give staff support and ideas for how they can further build on children's progress. This is
particularly beneficial for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND), and those who face barriers to learning. For example, staff focus on using
children's interests to support those who speak English as an additional language to develop
their range of words and their confidence to share their thoughts and ideas. This ensures
that children are actively engaged in learning new knowledge and skills.
Leaders ensure that staff are fully equipped with the skills they need to continually assess
children's progress and implement highly effective strategies to enable them to close any
gaps in their development. They demonstrate thorough knowledge of how to use additional
funding to successfully build on children's continued learning. Leaders build strong
partnerships with parents, and they have developed a secure two-way flow of information.
This ensures that children who have SEND or face barriers to learning receive consistent
support in their development.
Achievement Expected standard
Gaps in children's learning close quickly and they promptly catch up with their peers. As
such, children generally progress well from their starting points. They develop the
knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of development, including moving to the
next room in the setting and starting school.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face barriers to
learning, make steady progress. For example, children with delays in their physical skills
enjoy time holding the hands of staff so that they can confidently walk around the room.
Children develop their core strength to pull themselves up to standing, using the low-level
furniture in the room.
Children continue to develop their speaking and communication skills. For instance, children
who speak English as an additional language show their increasing confidence to share
their thoughts and ideas during group activities, speaking to their friends and staff about
what they are doing.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Staff generally support children well to understand how they behaviour expectations. For
example, they have 'golden rules' that they share with children during group activities. They
also set clear expectations from when children are very young. This includes praising babies
for listening and joining in when they take part in song time routines. When staff notice that
children need support, they swiftly step in. However, at times, staff do not fully consider
ways to support children to regulate their emotions. For instance, when children both want
the same toy, staff do not always give children opportunities to work out how they can
resolve the situation. At these times, children struggle to show positive behaviour.
Overall, children behave well, and they enjoy opportunities to take part in activities with their
friends to achieve a shared goal. For example, when children unwrap a new resource, they
work out how to fit it all together. Children show kindness as they encourage their friends
and reassure them that they are doing it right. This helps children to continue with their task
and engage in purposeful play.
Leaders monitor any absence carefully. They share relevant information with parents,
including the importance of punctuality and attendance.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders and staff prioritise developing strong bonds with children, which enables them to
quickly settle. New children spend time having cuddles with staff if they are upset, before
soon finding activities to focus their attention on, such as the push along cars and looking
through different coloured screens. Staff support children to begin to talk about their
feelings. For example, they ask children to choose a picture that best reflects how they are
feeling. Staff use these opportunities to encourage them to talk about why they are feeling
that way. This helps children to begin to understand why they are feeling certain emotions.
Staff implement effective care practices that overall meet children's needs. For example,
they follow younger children's and babies home care routines for sleeping and feeding. Staff
teach children how to take care of their own bodies, such as reminding them to finish eating
their food before they leave the table. This helps children to learn about safe eating habits.
All children have opportunities for regular exercise as they move in different ways to explore
their surroundings.
Children learn to become independent. For example, older children begin to meet their own
care needs. This includes being able to use the toilet independently and knowing to wash
their hands afterwards. Staff also encourage children to take part in the daily routines, such
as putting away their things after they have finished eating. This supports children to
complete tasks themselves.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders are highly ambitious for all children to succeed in their learning. They have effective
oversight of the quality of the curriculum. As a relatively new team, leaders have focused
their attention on implementing a broad curriculum that supports all children to progress in

their learning. Leaders recognise that although the curriculum is typically delivered well,
there is still some further work to be done to ensure that it is firmly embedded within all
staff's practice. However, children do generally benefit from effective teaching and support
that enables them to reach the next stage of their development. Staff use their knowledge of
children and assessment effectively to monitor what they know and can do. This enables
staff to plan for children's continued learning.
Overall, staff arrange the learning environment well, which supports children's ongoing
development. Children confidently explore their surroundings and enjoy the range of
learning opportunities. However, at times, staff do not make best use of all available spaces.
At these times, the learning environment does not fully meet children's needs. This results in
either noise levels being too loud or children not able to access activities that interest them.
Staff implement different strategies to build on children's communication and language skills.
This includes using visual prompts as they engage with younger children or with those who
have delays in their speech. As staff sing songs to babies, they point to the pictures of the
animals around the room. Children show fascination as they look at the pictures and attempt
to say the names of the animals. Staff talk to children as they play, which encourages them
to engage in back-and-forth conversations.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have effective oversight of the setting and accurately identify their strengths. This
includes how well staff work together as a team, and the secure bonds that leaders and staff
have formed with parents. Staff report that they enjoy working at the setting and feel well
supported by leaders. They complete relevant training to help them in their role. Parents are
highly complementary of leaders and staff. They appreciate the teaching and care that they
provide for their children. Their children enjoy attending and progress well in their
development.
Leaders recognise that although staff know and understand the curriculum, there is some
further work to be done to ensure that it is implemented to a consistently high standard.
Leaders continue to support staff to help them to strengthen their practice further.
Leaders ensure that they have a secure overview of children's development within the
setting. They regularly speak to staff about children's progress, and they spend time in the
rooms observing children and supporting staff. This enables them to take prompt and
decisive action when there are any delays in children's development so that children receive
the support that they need.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Staff enable children to feel welcomed and valued as individuals. They show warmth and
kindness towards children, which helps them to quickly settle and actively engage in their
learning. For example, babies enjoy playing peekaboo with staff using see through scarves.
Babies beam with delight when staff 'find' them, which further strengthens secure bonds and
helps babies to feel safe to explore and learn. As such, children form positive relationships
and develop a sense of belonging.
Overall, all children are supported well in their development, and they achieve well. They
show curiosity as they explore their learning environment, such as testing out their ideas of
what will happen when they push things down the slide, repeating the activity to watch what
happens and building early problem-solving skills. Staff build on children's confidence by
giving them appropriate praise as they engage in their play.
Children benefit from opportunities to develop their imaginative skills. For example, staff
provide them with age and stage appropriate support to extend their activity of making
'cakes' in the water tray. Staff successfully weave in other areas of learning, such as
mathematics, by encouraging children to consider how much they have got as they measure
out their 'ingredients'. Children confidently share their thoughts and ideas in a group, which
further builds on their social skills.
Staff support children's growing independence skills from a young age. For example, young
children are given opportunities to do things for themselves, such as cleaning their own
hands before eating, helping them develop self-care skills and resilience. Older children are
encouraged to put their things away after they have finished eating. Staff sensitively reduce
barriers to learning by adapting support and the environment so every child can succeed.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to make best use of available spaces and activities to meet
children's learning needs.
Leaders should support staff to consistently implement effective strategies to enable
children to begin to regulate their own behaviour.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents
and children 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

Inspector:
Hayley Kiely
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2793973
Address:
16 Church Street
Cedars Cottage
Surrey
KT17 4QB
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 01/07/2024
Registered person: Hala Zidan Ltd
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Surrey
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 9 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
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.

Total number of places
64
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.
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