Elephant Moon Day Nursery

A tall tube filling with lentils gives a useful picture of Elephant Moon Day Nursery: children talking through a problem, sharing equipment and explaining their ideas. In October 2022, this was learning through practical exploration.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective, with learning planned around individual children’s needs. That is a strong dated assessment of both education and care.

Elephant Moon has capacity for 57 children, accepting ages from three months to five years, at Ivanhoe House in Cheltenham.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the October 2022 examples included hands-on exploration, conversation and opportunities for children to make choices about their activities.

During that month, preschool children used lentils and a tube to explore filling and pouring. They discussed what was happening as the tube filled, worked alongside other children and shared the tools. A simple resource gave them something concrete to reason about and explain.

October 2022 activities also explored languages, cultural traditions and celebrations. Visits took children beyond the nursery to a church, a library, shops and local parks, alongside participation in community events. These experiences connected nursery learning with people and places outside it.

In October 2022, key people built detailed knowledge of children and their wider families, including their interests, beliefs and backgrounds. Planning linked successive learning experiences to individual needs, while children were encouraged to express their thoughts and try unfamiliar activities.

Communication had a practical structure that month. A secure online platform connected parents, key people and managers; staff shared developmental milestones, and parents could contribute their own observations. This gave home and nursery a shared channel for discussing a child’s learning.

The October 2022 account also described staff modelling respectful behaviour and children taking turns with peers. Leaders reviewed practice and supported relevant training. Annual safeguarding training and recruitment checks formed part of the arrangements assessed at that visit.

The address is Ivanhoe House, St. James Square, Cheltenham, GL50 3QG. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

Those hours give families a substantial weekday opening window. They describe when the nursery is open rather than a particular booking pattern.

• A dated quality assessment. The Outstanding judgement dates to October 2022. Read the detailed examples as a picture of practice at that time when weighing the nursery today.
• Starting with a young baby. Children can join from three months. On a visit, how would settling, sleep and the key-person relationship work for your baby?

Elephant Moon suits families seeking care from babyhood into the preschool years, with weekday opening extending into the early evening. Its strongest inspection-era examples are concrete: children explaining a practical problem, exploring other cultures and sharing learning between home and nursery. The October 2022 assessment provides substantial support for considering it, while the age range and opening hours give families a clear starting point for judging practical fit.