Monkey Puzzle Greenford

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are highly effective at identifying when children need extra support. They use careful observations, early assessments, and regular conversations with parents to build a detailed understanding of each child. For example, they quickly recognise when children need support with communication or confidence and respond with well-targeted strategies such as one-to-one interactions, visual aids, and familiar songs. They also allow children time to settle before making decisions, ensuring support is based on a secure understanding of their needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from highly personalised approaches, including sensory activities and guidance from specialists such as speech and language therapists, which enables them to access learning alongside their peers. Staff attend relevant training and implement strategies to improve practice to support children with SEND.

Children's progress is closely monitored and reviewed, with staff adapting support promptly to ensure it remains effective. Key persons, supported by leaders, regularly assess what is working well and make changes where needed. This results in clear and sustained progress, with children becoming more confident, developing communication skills, and gaining independence in everyday tasks. Robust partnerships with parents and professionals further strengthen support. Funding is used strategically to provide additional resources and staffing where it will have the greatest impact. Leaders As a result, all children are fully included, well supported, and make robust progress from their starting points.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders design a broad and balanced curriculum that reflects children's interests, developmental stages, and the needs of the cohort. Leaders make deliberate decisions to prioritise physical development, recognising that many children have limited outdoor space at home, and provide regular opportunities for movement, coordination, and sensory exploration.

Staff use their knowledge of child development to deliver engaging teaching through practical, hands-on experiences. They support language development consistently by modelling key vocabulary, using strategies such as sign language, and linking learning to children's experiences. For example, during water play, staff introduce words such as 'squeeze,' which young toddlers repeat and practice. Staff sing songs as children play, linking the lyrics and actions to their current activities and experiences. They also embed early mathematical concepts into play, such as counting scoops of rice, pouring water into different-sized containers, or comparing quantities during snack time. These experiences help children understand numbers, measurement, and problem-solving in meaningful contexts. Assessment is used effectively to identify next steps and adapt teaching. Staff plan targeted activities, such as developing fine motor skills through playdough or extending vocabulary through sensory play, ensuring children build on what they already know. However, in some instances, staff are not fully clear on the intended learning for activities. For example, activities are occasionally planned based on children liking a colour rather than a specific skill.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make good progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. They develop communication skills quickly, including learning English for children who are learning English as an additional language, using new words in songs, stories, and everyday activities. Children gain independence in practical tasks, such as pouring drinks, tidying up, managing personal care, and using tools safely during play and cooking. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive extra support, enabling them to join in with group activities, build confidence, and develop social skills. They make meaningful progress, such as learning to walk and using tools. Generally, children are engaged and develop the ability to focus. They are ready for the next stage of learning, including moving to school, because they learn to work with others, understand routines and grow in confidence in being able to tackle new challenges.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children are supported to develop positive behaviour and social skills in a calm and caring environment. Staff encourage children to share, take turns, and use polite language, modelling actions such as saying 'please' and 'thank you' during everyday routines. Children are reminded to be kind to others and supported to apologise when needed, helping them develop empathy, self-regulation, and positive relationships with peers. Children have warm and trusting relationships with staff, who know their interests and needs well. This helps children feel secure, confident to join in activities, and supported when facing new challenges or transitions.

Children learn to cooperate and collaborate through structured play and group activities. Staff model turn-taking using timers and visual cues, reinforcing positive behaviour and supporting children's focus. However, during some group sessions, expectations are not always made clear to children. Some children are told to sit while others are allowed to stand, and rules are not consistently explained at the start, which affect concentration and engagement.

Leaders prioritise attendance and punctuality, communicating effectively with families to ensure children arrive on time and are able to engage fully with learning opportunities. This approach helps children develop confidence, maintain social connections, and benefit consistently from the experiences offered.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children's welfare and well-being are central to the setting's approach. Staff know each child very well, responding thoughtfully to individual needs, including dietary requirements, sleep patterns, and communication preferences. The key person system ensures every child has a warm, consistent adult who provides emotional security, even when their primary key person is not present, helping children feel safe, valued, and understood.

Practical routines enable children to develop noteworthy independence and life skills from a very young age. Even toddlers confidently pour drinks from jugs, serve themselves snacks, wash hands, hang up coats, and help tidy the room. Staff also support children to brush their teeth once a day at the setting, helping them build healthy habits that become part of their everyday routine.

Children are confidently encouraged to recognise, express, and manage their emotions. For example, babies explore mirrors while staff use a sign system to label expressions and feelings, helping them begin to understand emotions. Older children draw pictures of how they are feeling, and staff engage them in conversations about this. Transitions, such as moving between rooms or responding to family changes, are handled sensitively and thoughtfully with visual aids, roleplay, and familiar routines. Through this nurturing, responsive, and inclusive approach, children thrive emotionally and socially, developing the confidence, independence, and resilience they need to succeed now and in the next stage of learning.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are reflective and review the setting thoughtfully, generally identifying meaningful ways to drive improvement that enhance inclusion, engagement, and children's day-to-day experiences. Since the last inspection, they have strengthened the learning environment and strengthened the quality of staff practice, leading to more consistent, responsive interactions across rooms. Improvements to how staff gather and use children's personal information mean the key person approach is now more securely embedded, helping children feel settled, known, and well supported throughout the day.

Staff benefit from regular supervision, mentoring, and well-targeted professional development. Training includes high quality interactions, speech and language approaches, behaviour management, and modelling high-quality interactions. Leaders have also identified the need for more specialised special educational needs and/or disabilities training to meet the needs of the current cohort and are planning this proactively. This commitment to continuous development means staff are increasingly confident and skilled in meeting children's diverse needs. Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing through flexible arrangements, wellbeing days, and protected reflection time, helping staff sustain high-quality, attentive care.

Parents receive clear guidance on how to support learning at home. Staff take time to explain children's progress in practical, accessible ways, often showing parents photos, videos, or examples of children's play to demonstrate what they are learning. This two-way partnership ensures parents feel listened to, valued, and confident in the support their children receive.