URN 2778722 · Inspected 2026-05-01 · Published 2026-06-17 · Inspector: Kelly Lane
Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Guildford Unique reference number (URN): 2778722 Address: 2 Denmark Road, Guildford, GU1 4DA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 08/03/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries (Guildford) Limited Inspection report: 1 May 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 Leaders and staff provide a welcoming and nurturing environment where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who face other barriers to their learning, thrive and make progress. Staff are experts at ensuring that observations are completed when children start at the nursery, with ongoing, regular assessments. This enables staff to swiftly identify children's specific needs. Leaders carefully identify precise training opportunities to enhance staff knowledge and teaching skills. Following professional development, staff have successfully created and adapted the resources used during group times, to better meet children's needs. As a result, children are increasingly able to sustain their concentration and continue to make strong progress in their communication and language development. Staff have developed strong relationship with parents. This helps them to continually discuss children's progress and plan interventions to support children's learning and development. Furthermore, leaders build exceptional connections with professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to address children's learning gaps. They ensure that children who may be eligible for any additional funding are supported to ensure that they can access any additional support they may need for their eventual move to school. Achievement Expected standard Typically, children make steady progress from their starting points and develop the knowledge they need for future learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children develop their language and communication skills. Babies babble as they turn the pages of their familiar stories. Older children are articulate and have meaningful conversations as they play. Children demonstrate their mathematical knowledge and show a sense of pride and achievement. For example, they proudly count the seeds as they plant carrots. Children develop their physical skills and have plenty of opportunities to develop both their small and large muscles. They grow in independence, confidently serving their food and pouring drinks, and show increasing autonomy as they choose activities and shape their play. Children know that they need to wash their hands before mealtimes, showing they understand the hygiene routines. As a result, children become increasingly independent, confident and ready for their next stage of education. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Children enjoy attending the nursery and generally engage well with the activities available. They show curiosity and interest in their play. Staff help children to develop independence through daily routines. Babies are learning to feed themselves, toddlers are confident at pouring their drinks and older children are keen to help staff set the table ready for their lunches. Children know the routines well across the nursery. Staff have developed caring and respectful relationships with the children. Typically, staff address incidents of poor behaviour promptly, but their responses are not yet consistent. Although some staff have completed behaviour training, this is not yet fully embedded across the nursery. For instance, some staff overlook unwanted behaviour, such as children snatching toys or if there is a minor dispute. This means that staff do not typically support children to understand how their actions may affect others. Leaders recognise this as an area of development and how the staff's approach to support children's behaviour is not yet consistent across the nursery. Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance. They monitor attendance patterns and work with families to support children's consistent routines. This helps to promote a positive attitude to future attendance at school. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders and staff know the children and families who attend the nursery very well. Staff share daily feedback and find out about children's lives outside of nursery. They use this information to adapt children's care routines to align, as much as possible, with routines at home. This helps to provide continuity of care for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As such, babies regularly check-in with their key person when they need a little reassurance. Toddlers and older children are settled and happy in the nursery environment. Leaders provide children with healthy and balanced meals to develop their overall physical health. Staff actively encourage children to make healthy choices. They discuss with children the positive impact that food has on their bodies, developing their interest and desire to make healthy choices. Staff manage dietary needs and allergies carefully. Older children recognise individual place mats as they help to set the tables and understand that some foods are not safe for everyone. Staff further teach younger children how to stay safe in the sun in hotter weather. This helps children to develop healthy habits for later life. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have created a ambitious curriculum that focuses on children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff use assessment well to identify the skills and knowledge that they want children to learn. Overall, the curriculum is well taught and learning is well sequenced to build on what children already know and can do. Typically, this helps all children to make progress from their starting points. Staff incorporate regular singing and story time into daily routines, enabling children to have regular exposure to different vocabulary and build on their mathematical and literacy skills. Babies wiggle and babble as they listen to familiar songs. Older children are absorbed in various stories and listen intently. This helps children to develop their expanding vocabulary. Staff weave in opportunities for children to count and compare sizes as they play. This promotes children's understanding of early mathematics in readiness for later learning. Babies have ample opportunities to develop their physical development as staff encourage them to stand and cruise around the furniture. Staff plan activities that are engaging. They introduce new concepts to children, such as colouring mixing and planting. However, sometimes, routines take precedent over children's learning. This means that children do not always benefit from the intended learning. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders maintain a clear focus on communication and language and inclusion in the nursery. They are highly reflective and committed to ensuring that all children access a curriculum that is ambitious and broad. Leaders plan training that is specific to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps all children to make progress in their learning. Leaders prioritise staff's wellbeing by providing staff with professional development opportunities that help them to develop their practice. They ensure that any staff who are training have additional time to complete course work. Leaders are aware of how staff can become overloaded with paperwork and ensure that they have regular feedback meetings and supervision to identify any concerns. As a result, staff report feeling supported and confident in their roles. Leaders are committed. They are highly reflective of what the nursery does well and have identified the next priorities for improvement. They recognise that the teaching is not yet consistent across the nursery, particularly in some adult-led activities. Leaders have developed secure relationships with parents. Parents praise all staff for the care they provide to their children. The comment on how the regular communication helps them to support their children's learning at home. What it's like to be a child at this setting Babies and children arrive happy and eager to start their day at this welcoming nursery. They are greeted with smiles by the nurturing staff, who know them well. As such, even the youngest children leave their parents with ease, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure. Parents comment on how quickly their children settle and grow in confidence, particularly their development in their speech and communication skills. Staff work closely with parents to promote children's attendance. As such, children maintain regular patterns of attendance. Leaders have developed a fun and meaningful curriculum. Staff are very knowledgeable on how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They use their knowledge from training to implement targeted inventions. This helps children to make rapid progress from their starting points. Babies explore water with joy as they watch water dripping through holes in containers. They start to recognise characters in the familiar stories, such as the 'giraffe'. Staff are animated and use facial expression to help children learn about their emotions. Older children explore the wealth of activities outside. Children have ample opportunities to develop their physical skills as they build and scoop sand in various containers. Babies are developing the muscles in their hands as they dab with paint brushes. Mostly, adult-planned activities are well taught. Children watch with curiosity as different-coloured paint mixes with water. They learn about the world around them as they plant carrot seeds. Typically, staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Staff model turn taking to younger children. This helps children to play well together. However, sometimes, staff's approach to older children's behaviour is inconsistent. That said, overall, children make friends at the nursery and play well together. Staff promote children's independence well through daily activities, supporting children in managing their own self-care in time for starting school. Next steps Leaders should give further consideration to daily routines so that they do not interrupt children's learning. Leaders should support staff to implement consistent strategies to help children manage and develop their positive behaviour. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents 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: Kelly Lane About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2778722 Address: 2 Denmark Road Guildford GU1 4DA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 08/03/2024 Registered person: Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries (Guildford) Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30 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 1 May 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 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. 82 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