NurseryWise Childcare in England
Day nursery in Colchester

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stanway

Ofsted report card Apr 2026Takes funded hours★ 4.9 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established

A day nursery in Colchester for babies from 3 months up to 5 year olds, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Inspected under Ofsted's new report card in April 2026. Open since 2018, with 159 places.

Call 01206 234077Their website

Cost

What it costs

Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.

Funded hours

Eligible families can access 15 or 30 hours funded childcare and may also use Tax-Free Childcare.

Worth knowing. Additional charges apply for meals, consumables (such as nappies, wipes, and sunscreen), trips, and any extra hours beyond the funded entitlement.

What childcare usually costs in Essex

£7.00an hour, typical for a 2 years old
£6.50an hour, typical for a 3 and 4 years old

This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Essex from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.

The basics

Places, hours and the day

Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.

Who they can take
Babies from 3 months, up to 5 year oldsRegistered with Ofsted for birth to 5.
When it's open
07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a weekFrom their Google listing
Funded hours
Takes them
Nappies
Included
Outdoor space
Yes
Google rating
4.9 out of 5From 90 Google reviews. NurseryWise has none of its own.
How many children
159 placesVery large for England
How long open
8 yearsLong established
Address
1 Villa Road, Stanway, Colchester, CO3 0RH

Where it is

CO3 0RH
Ofsted URN 2504015On the register since 19 November 2018
Inspected 14 April 2026

What Ofsted found, area by area

Since November 2025 Ofsted gives a standard in each of seven areas rather than one overall grade. Expected standard means it is doing what it should.

Keeping children safe
Met
Including every child
Expected standard
What and how they teach
Expected standard
How children get on
Expected standard
Behaviour and routines
Expected standard
Welfare and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership
Strong standard
Ofsted

What the inspector found

One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.

  • 14 April 2026Report card seven areas graded separately Safeguarding: Met
  • 24 June 2025Needs improvement Safeguarding: Yes
  • 31 January 2020Good
  • 14 October 2019Inadequate

Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 3 graded inspections.

Still missing for Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stanway

  • What it costs
  • Meals
  • Waiting list

No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.

Before you ring

What to ask them

Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.

  • What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
  • How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
  • Do you have a place for a child of my age now? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
  • Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
  • Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Compare

Day nurseries within a couple of miles

This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.

Lexden Lodge Kindergarten

Day nursery · 26 Lexden Road, Colchester, CO3 3QD

GoodTakes funded hours£12.88 an hourBirth to 8+Babies from 9 months07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week★ 4.7 Google, 15125 placesOpen for decades
1.9 mi
5 min drive
01206 574005Their website

Pick two or three to compare.

Everything here comes from Ofsted's published childcare register, under the Open Government Licence. Ratings are quoted exactly as Ofsted gave them, with their dates. Read the full Ofsted reports · How we put this together.

All childcare in Colchester