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Munchkins Nursery and Pre-School

Ofsted: Strong standard·
4.9(57 Google reviews) ·23-25 Church Street, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 7HX · Essex
Number of places
80 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Mar 2026
Local authority
Essex

About this early years setting

Munchkins Nursery and Pre-School provides high-quality childcare across multiple locations in Essex, including Chelmsford. Founded by sisters Jo and Liz, who share a lifelong passion for early years education and have seven children between them, the nursery aims to create a nurturing, inspiring environment where children can confidently explore and engage with the world.

Their curriculum emphasises empathy, kindness, respect for others, and environmental awareness, utilising natural resources to encourage physical engagement and exploration. The nursery believes in supporting the entire family during the settling-in process.

They are committed to continuous innovation in childhood development and learning, incorporating Makaton (signs and symbols) across all settings to support children's communication and self-expression. They offer tours for prospective parents and maintain a waiting list.

', aimed at helping parents maximise their child's early education.

Our ethos

At Munchkins, we fill the nursery full of curious, happy, and adventurous children who can confidently explore our setting and use their full imagination to engage with the world around them. Our curriculum focuses on empathy, kindness, and respect for others and the environment. We believe that the use of Makaton, which refers to the use of signs and symbols to support the development of language, allows children to express themselves more efficiently and supports their communication in several ways.

What it's like

Children arrive confidently and quickly settle into this warm, inclusive environment where they feel safe and secure. They form meaningful attachments with familiar adults, seek them out for reassurance and respond positively to nurturing interactions. This security enables even the youngest children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to explore their environment with confidence and engage in learning. Children enjoy rich, purposeful experiences throughout the day. Staff support them to freely move between indoor and outdoor spaces, investigate bugs with magnifying glasses, and experiment with textures, water and natural materials. Children behave exceedingly well and show impressive levels of kindness towards others. Staff are enthusiastic and support children to become highly independent. All children are fully included and make impressive progress, feeling a deep sense of belonging and being well prepared for their next stage of learning.

Family-runMultiple locationsMakaton friendlyChild-led explorationNatural resources

Pricing & funding

Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

Request pricing →

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 07:30 - 18:00

Registered with Ofsted

2024

Waitlist

Yes, a waiting list is available.

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Strong standard

Last inspected Mar 2026

Headline: Strong standard

Grade summary

Exceptional
—
Strong standard
Expected standard
—
Needs attention
—
Urgent improvement
—

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementStrong standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesStrong standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingStrong standard
Curriculum and teachingStrong standard
InclusionStrong standard
Leadership and governanceStrong standard
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted report for Munchkins Nursery and Pre-School

Last inspected 19 March 2026

What it's like to attend

Children arrive confidently and quickly settle into this warm, inclusive environment where they feel safe and secure. They form meaningful attachments with familiar adults, seek them out for reassurance and respond positively to nurturing interactions. This security enables even the youngest children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to explore their environment with confidence and engage in learning. Children enjoy rich, purposeful experiences throughout the day. Staff support them to freely move between indoor and outdoor spaces, investigate bugs with magnifying glasses, and experiment with textures, water and natural materials. Children behave exceedingly well and show impressive levels of kindness towards others. Staff are enthusiastic and support children to become highly independent. All children are fully included and make impressive progress, feeling a deep sense of belonging and being well prepared for their next stage of learning.

Inspector highlights

  • Children make sustained progress from their starting points, particularly in communication and language.
  • Staff establish a highly positive and consistent culture where expectations for behaviour are clear, age-appropriate and embedded across the setting.
  • Leaders design an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum deeply rooted in children's communication, independence and emotional security.
  • Staff create a highly inclusive culture where children's needs are identified early and met precisely.
  • Leaders and those responsible for governance are highly ambitious, extending well beyond the immediate setting to influence the wider community and early years sector.
  • Leaders demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to improving outcomes for all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs and/or disabilities or are known to social care.

Areas to develop

  • 1Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards.
  • 2They should focus on continuing to create a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of all children.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make notable progress. Staff swiftly identify delays in children's physical development and implement targeted strategies alongside physiotherapy and support from other professionals. Leaders take decisive action to remove barriers through well-targeted adaptations and use of funding, including early years pupil premium, to provide specialist training, sensory resources and additional sessions.

Outdoor space

Outdoors, children confidently explore the climbing frame and engage in sensory activities like feeling flower petals. Staff immediately respond, supporting curiosity and early communication. Children are also supported to use tools safely in forest school activities.

EAL / language support

Children with little or no English rapidly develop confidence to speak, interact and express their ideas. Communication is prioritised by staff using Makaton, visual strategies and home-language support, enabling children who join with no English to communicate confidently and make rapid progress.

Google Reviews of Munchkins Nursery and Pre-School

4.9
(57 Google reviews)
Georgina Fusedale
3 months ago

Munchkins Nursery staff are very professional and polite. They give thorough handovers at pickup. My little one really enjoys her days at the nursery and gets very excited when we drop her off. She has started to learn makaton and this has helped with her communication. Since her starting in November 2025, her confidence has grown and has helped her social skills immensely. The nursery also keeps you updated with regular photos of activities on Tapestry and looking through these really confirms how much she loves being there. Thank you to all the staff for being so welcoming and helping us feel at ease.

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sophia withey
6 months ago

My daughter has come so far since she first started at Munchkins. Her confidence has improved significantly! She has made such special bonds with her peers and her workers, I couldn’t have picked a better place for my daughter to be. Highly recommend to families looking for childcare and may feel anxious like i once did!

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Felicity Gozzett
3 months ago

Our son has been at Munchkins for 5 months now and he has progressed amazingly. He is always excited to see staff in the morning at handover, often giving them cuddles and the staff continue to make him feel safe and secure throughout the day. My son has allergies and Munchkins accommodate these fantastically and I am never worried about them! I can’t recommend Munchkins enough.

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Kayleigh Bayes
6 months ago

My little boy has been at munchkins for just over a year now and absolutely loves it. The staff are so caring and friendly and he loves them all. His speech has come on so much since starting and we’ve noticed such a big difference in his confidence. The activities they do with the children are so fun and creative. We’re so pleased with the progress he’s made and couldn’t be happier with the care and support he receives here. Highly recommend!

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Sophie DH
7 months ago

My little one has been at Munchkins since he was 7 months old, and has loved it from day one! We have been going to munchkins for just over a year now. All staff across the board are wonderful with him, patient, approachable, and know every child. My son is excited to go to nursery in the mornings, has grown so much with his speech, mark making, singing and dancing. It’s lovely to see, and reassuring knowing that I can be at work for a full day and he’s having so much fun!

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Munchkins Nursery and Pre-School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

19 March 2026

Strong standard

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

Frequently asked about Munchkins Nursery and Pre-School

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more