Banana Moon Day Nursery Mirfield

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and are excited to learn at this warm and nurturing setting. They confidently leave their parents at the door and quickly settle into the routine. Children develop skills in their small muscles through a range of activities. They learn to become coordinated as they carefully pour water into containers. Staff support children to use scissors correctly as they snip fresh herbs and flowers to make potions. Together, they enjoy smelling the fragrant herbs, commenting on those that they like.

Children behave well and are developing a sense of right and wrong. Staff give them gentle reminders of the expectations, for example, to be kind to their friends, to share and take turns. Staff encourage children to talk about their feelings and use words, such as 'happy' and 'sad'. Children develop lots of useful independence skills. Staff carefully teach children how to do things for themselves. They then ensure that children have plenty of opportunities to practise these skills. For example, children try hard when putting on their own shoes. They smile with pride when they succeed.

Children show an interest in creative activities. They are introduced to a range of mathematical vocabulary, including size, shape and length. For instance, children make comparisons about different sizes of gingerbread men they create using play dough.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The management team has a strong vision for the nursery and is committed to providing high-quality care and education. Managers promote an ambitious learning and development programme to help children make the best possible progress.
• On the whole, staff support children's learning effectively. However, on occasions, staff do not successfully support younger children's moves between activities and routines. For example, at times, they are expected to sit for a long periods of time, such as on the carpet and at tables, waiting for lunch. This means that children sometimes spend too long waiting for the next activity to begin, missing out on purposeful interactions and potential learning time.
• Children are developing good communication and language skills. Singing and stories form part of their daily routines. Children's home languages are valued in the setting. This supports a strong sense of belonging. For example, during group time, children are proud to share how they can count and name the days of the week in Spanish and Arabic.
• Children learn about leading a healthy lifestyle and engage in physical activities throughout the day. For example, young children wiggle and twirl as they dance to music. Older children reflect on how physical activity makes their bodies feel. At snack and mealtimes, children have a choice of healthy foods. However, during an activity to promote food choices, children eat crisps, chocolate and sweets. Additionally, at lunchtime, some children eat bowls of prawn crackers without trying other foods. Therefore, children do not receive consistent messages to support healthy food choices.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. The special educational needs coordinator is extremely passionate and knowledgeable. She works very closely with children's parents, other staff and external agencies to ensure children get the support they need. Funding is sharply focused to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged children, and to ensure they are well prepared for school.
• Partnerships with parents are a real strength of the setting. Parents compliment staff regarding how well they supported and settled their children back into nursery life after COVID-19. They meet regularly with staff to discuss children's development. Staff share ideas about how parents can support children's learning at home. Parents attend stay-and-play sessions. This gives them the opportunity to see the activities and experiences that their children enjoy. Parents comment that the staff are 'truly amazing'.
• The management team recognises staff's strengths and areas for improvement. Managers ensure training is purposeful. For example, the manager has recently identified that staff would benefit from behaviour management training. This is to support staff to develop consistent strategies, to manage challenging behaviour positively. Managers constantly evaluate the impact that training has on children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to adapt daily routines and activities, so that staff can maximise their high-quality interactions with children, to extend their learning
• ensure staff give consistent messages to children about healthy lifestyles, to further promote their understanding of healthy food choices.