Banana Moon Day Nursery Wollaton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this happy, diverse nursery. They form strong attachments with staff, who take time to build trusting relationships with children and their families. Babies swiftly settle in the arms of nurturing staff. Children who are unsettled by the departure of their parents are immediately comforted with lots of cuddles and calm reassurance. Staff meet children's individual needs well. They gather important information about children's dietary and care needs. They use this to ensure children receive individual care that promotes their health and well-being. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.

Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with parents to assess which individual children need to make progress. They make effective referrals to other services where necessary. Children begin to learn to manage their feelings and behaviours, as staff implement consistent and effective behaviour management strategies. Children who find this more tricky receive sensitive support to help them to learn to play cooperatively with their friends. Children become deeply involved in their play, as they independently access resources. They become confident and motivated learners who are ready for the next stages in their learning.

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

• Leaders and managers are very ambitious for their nursery. They implement a curriculum that is designed to assess and build on what children already know and can do. Information gathered from parents when children start is used to swiftly plan for children as individuals. Leaders and managers conduct regular supervisions and observations to check the quality of teaching and learning. New staff have robust inductions and mentoring designed to ensure they become effective practitioners. The well-being of staff has a high priority. Staff report that they enjoy working at the nursery. Consequently, they provide a happy and nurturing environment for children.
• Leaders and managers prioritise partnership with parents and families. They swiftly reintroduced an open-door policy for parents as soon as COVID-19 restrictions allowed. Parents are welcomed into their children's rooms and are encouraged to talk to staff. They are supported to share their cultures, food and traditions. Staff provide home-learning packs and information about children's next steps so that parents can support their children's learning at home. This ensures a joined-up approach to children's learning.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn mathematical concepts through play and routines. For example, at lunch time, children learn to independently judge quantities as they self-serve their food. Staff teach them to calculate how much they need and check that there is enough for everyone else. Children are encouraged to judge for themselves when they are full. They independently wash their hands and check for germs. They learn important skills for later life.
• Children regularly share books with staff and each other. Young children present books to staff, confident they will be read to. Staff in the baby room sing rhymes and talk to babies frequently. When children are learning to speak, staff ensure that they speak clearly and maintain eye contact. All children have a drive to communicate and make progress with their speaking and listening. However, opportunities for older children to hear and use new words are less frequent. This means that not all children receive the teaching necessary to develop a broad vocabulary.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. They learn to use scissors with confidence, and explore a range of arts and craft materials that develop muscles in readiness for later writing. Children climb, balance and enjoy plenty of outdoor play in all weathers in the charming garden.
• Leaders and managers have correctly identified some priorities for improvement through their monitoring activities. However, they do not always identify where staff teaching is inconsistent or where there are missed opportunities to extend children's learning. Consequently, although all children make sustained progress, they do not consistently build on what they know and can do.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve opportunities for children to hear and use a wider range of vocabulary consistently across the nursery
• strengthen leaders and managers monitoring and assessment of teaching, and support staff to further identify opportunities to extend children's learning and development.