Banana Moon Day Nursery Edgbaston

A dedicated sleep room with natural wood cots, a natural adventure area outdoors and food cooked in an in-house kitchen give Banana Moon Day Nursery Edgbaston a clear practical character. Babies have a separate place to rest; outdoor play and freshly prepared food sit alongside the learning day. These are useful details for families weighing everyday care as closely as the curriculum.

At its 5 July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with the same judgement for education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The setting has capacity for 50 children aged three months to five years, at 14 Highfield Road in Birmingham. Its age groups run from Baby Moons through to Full Moons, with movement out of the youngest group linked to confident mobility.

Full-day and half-day attendance are both offered. The stronger reasons to consider this nursery, however, are the combination of separate baby sleep space, play-led learning and communication that lets parents follow routines as well as developmental milestones.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Moons takes children from three months until they move confidently, with sensory exploration of textures, shapes and colours alongside care that follows their routines at home. Teenie Moons is the next stage for confidently mobile children up to two, using singing, painting and messy play in bright rooms. Mini Moons covers ages two to three, emphasising independent activity choices and support with potty training. Full Moons takes children from three to five, combining play choices, outdoor activity and learning observations by their key person as preparation for school.

The first room transition depends on development rather than a single birthday.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, communication and growing independence belong together rather than being treated as separate tasks. Alongside it sits the group-wide Banana Moon Early Learning & Development Programme, which uses children's interests to plan playful experiences and open-ended resources. Its curriculum approach connects observations of children with information from parents, so learning can build on what a child already knows and enjoys.

Phonics is woven into the Early Learning and Development Plan (ELDP), through rhymes, songs, stories and sensory activities. This means exploring the relationship between sounds and letters through play. Babies take part in sound play and babbling; preschool activities include sorting sounds and recognising early words. Ideas shared with families include rhyming games and sound hunts, giving parents concrete ways to continue the same kind of learning at home.

In July 2023, babies explored coloured rice using kitchen utensils, while older children worked dough with rollers and cutters and practised using scissors. Those examples connect sensory play with increasingly controlled hand movements. The same month's activities included pretending to shop and prepare meals in home-corner play, giving children opportunities to use language with one another in an imagined everyday setting.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space includes a secure playground and a natural adventure area. Children go outdoors daily across the year, so exercise and exploring changing seasons form part of the regular routine. This matters for families who want outdoor activity to be an ordinary part of nursery life rather than an occasional addition.

In July 2023, older children used balls for throwing and catching, balanced with tyres and assembled faces from leaves, stones and twigs. The garden supported both movement and making things. A different part of the day involved learning about Eid al-Adha as some children celebrated it, connecting children's own experiences with conversations about different backgrounds.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is flexible, with parents able to spend time at the nursery with their child before the start date. For babies, home routines are followed and settling sessions give families time to discuss individual needs. That creates a practical link between care at home and care in the Baby Moons group, rather than expecting every baby to fit one timetable.

The group-wide Parent App shares photographs, learning journals and daily information about sleep, snacks and activities. Parents can add comments from home, and named family members can be given access. Its value is the combination: a parent can follow the ordinary care routine as well as see an example of play or a new achievement.

In July 2023, gradual settling involved a key person, while daily conversations and electronic messages supported handovers and learning at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and found that children with SEND were supported through work with outside professionals and targeted plans, making good progress from their starting points. In July 2023, communication support for children learning English included signs, visual cues and words from their home languages. This gives a concrete account of the methods used at that time, especially for families whose child communicates in more than one language.

Sleep has its own physical space. The dedicated sleep room has subdued lighting and natural wood cots, with individual bed linen washed on site; staff make regular checks alongside CCTV monitoring. Established sleep routines are followed where possible, giving parents of younger babies a useful connection with their child's familiar pattern.

Fresh meals are cooked daily in the nursery's own kitchen, with two hot meals and snacks, a separate weaning menu for younger babies and changing menus; the nursery's food policy provides for allergies and other dietary needs. Older children are encouraged to serve themselves, making eating another opportunity to practise independence.

Fingerprint Biometric Access controls entry, with staff admitting unregistered visitors, and CCTV operates through the nursery. The group-wide Little hearts, bright futures initiative has added a CardiAid defibrillator in reception; Big moments, bright futures has added a LifeVac anti-choking device. These are concrete arrangements and equipment, alongside attention to food preparation and mealtime supervision.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 14 Highfield Road, Birmingham B15 3DU. Opening hours are 7am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Full days and half days are offered, and the nursery recommends either one full day or two half-day sessions each week to help children settle and take part in learning. This is a recommendation rather than a stated compulsory minimum.

The nursery opens across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Fees remain payable during a child's sickness or holiday absence. Families therefore need to budget for their usual attendance pattern even when a child misses sessions.

Enquiries can be made through a contact form, callback request, email or telephone. Settling is flexible, and families bring spare clothes for children practising potty training in Mini Moons.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with fee information accessible through its fees page.

• Language teaching. In July 2023, some questions were followed too quickly for children to think and answer, and further staff development was needed to make interactions consistently effective. During a visit, ask how practitioners now give children thinking time and extend conversations.
• Full days or half days. The recommended weekly pattern is one full day or two half days, while absence through sickness or holiday remains chargeable. The recommendation makes regular weekly attendance part of planning your child's settling routine.
• Funding and everyday costs. Funded childcare is offered, and fees remain payable during sickness or holiday absence. Ask which entitlements and delivery patterns apply to your proposed booking, with a written breakdown separating private hours, meals and non-food consumables.
• Sleep and dietary needs. Babies have a dedicated sleep room and a weaning menu, and dietary requirements are catered for under the food policy. Families with allergies should confirm current practice; the separate sleep space and baby weaning menu also matter when planning around familiar routines.

Banana Moon Day Nursery Edgbaston suits families considering either full-day attendance or shorter half-day sessions, with play-led learning and daily outdoor activity across the age groups. For parents of babies, the separate sleep room and attention to home routines are especially useful. For older children, self-selected play, sound activities and growing independence give the nursery day a clear direction.

The July 2023 Good judgement provides the quality context, while the language-teaching improvement point deserves attention when choosing.