Monkey Puzzle Kettering
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Kettering for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2025. Open since 2017, with 65 places.
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 North Northamptonshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in North Northamptonshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
NN16 0BPWhat 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.
Ofsted inspector, 4 September 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children and their parents are welcomed into the setting by kind and friendly staff.
Staff get to know children well, developing trusting bonds. This helps them feel secure, confident and ready to engage in learning.
Leaders have worked closely with staff to develop and implement a curriculum that is ambitious for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff sequence learning so every child can build on the skills they have already achieved. For example, babies use spoons to scoop rice to develop the skills required for using cutlery independently. Children show a positive attitude to learning. They actively explore the nursery and select from the many experiences on offer. Staff plan and join in activities that build on children's development. For example, staff help pre-school children make pretend birthday cakes from dough. They count matchstick candles and match them to number cards. This supports children's awareness of numbers. Toddlers use pipettes to mix coloured water in bowls while staff assist them in observing how the colours change.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to develop their interactions with children to help build on developing a wider vocabulary n help staff to use consistent approaches to support children's behaviour, helping children to recognise the impact of their actions.
- 4 September 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 18 March 2025Inadequate Safeguarding: No
- 27 January 2020Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Monkey Puzzle Kettering
- 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.
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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.