Banana Moon Day Nursery Rothwell

Separate outdoor areas for babies and older children, a dedicated sleep room and play built around children's own ideas give Banana Moon Day Nursery Rothwell a clear character. This Springhead Road nursery takes children from three months to five years. Its strongest practical features address different needs: somewhere quiet for a baby to sleep, space for active play and ways for parents to follow the day from home.

At its 21 April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made excellent progress with prompt access to professional support. That is a dated judgement. The current facilities and parent communication arrangements provide the more immediate picture of what families can expect to use.

Full-day and half-day attendance are offered, with a recommended weekly pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Moons, Teenie Moons, Mini Moons and Full Moons are Banana Moon's group-wide age labels, not a promise of four separate physical rooms. That distinction matters. The labels explain the progression of activities, while the actual arrangement can put more than one age group in a room.

Baby Moons begins at three months and emphasises sensory exploration; confidently mobile children progress towards Teenie Moons, which extends through the period before their second birthday with painting, songs and messy play. Mini Moons covers ages two to three, encouraging children to choose activities and practise independence, while Full Moons takes children from three to five towards school through play and individual learning recorded by a key person.

Babies have their own outdoor area, separate from the space for children over two, allowing outdoor provision to suit different ages.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the statutory foundation for learning through play and children's development. Alongside it sits the group-wide Banana Moon Early Learning & Development Programme, which starts planning from children's interests and uses resources that can be explored in different ways. The curriculum description explains that approach through observation, communication with parents and playful experiences.

Loose parts play makes the approach tangible. In a Rothwell activity account, children extended their interest in marble runs by building with cardboard tubes, wooden planks, blocks and cable reels. They could change the construction, test an idea and introduce other objects. The practical value is the opportunity to solve a problem together rather than complete something with a single predetermined result.

Process art follows the same logic: the child's decisions shape the picture or card instead of everyone reproducing an adult's model. The making matters as much as the finished piece. That gives children's marks and choices a purpose of their own, rather than judging the activity by whether the result resembles a seasonal decoration.

In April 2023, babies exercised their hands through material play in preparation for pencil use, while counting accompanied scooping and lunch. Story discussions introduced emotional vocabulary, with children expressing anger through movement. Learning reached into everyday care and helped children describe feelings.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor play uses the secure playground and natural adventure area for movement and exploration. Interactive screens provide another resource indoors.

Rothwell's bean game links spoken bean names to movements, combining physical activity with listening and recall. Children contribute their own actions too.

A 2023 collection for Leeds South and East foodbank gathered essentials during October and November for Christmas delivery, bringing families together to support a local cause.

Relationships and Communication

Flexible, parent-attended settling sessions cover each child's needs and home routines, helping staff plan continuity before regular attendance begins.

The group-wide Parent App shares sleep, snacks, photographs and individual learning journals, with access for nominated relatives and parent feedback. Adults sharing childcare can follow both development and daily routines.

In April 2023, the key-person arrangement connected staff's knowledge of children with support for families. Books about toilet training or a new sibling helped home and nursery take a consistent approach, and parents' evenings provided time for fuller developmental conversations. These are examples from that period, rather than a current schedule of meetings.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In April 2023, a special educational needs coordinator organised support and referrals to other professionals. Staff also used knowledge of children's backgrounds and interests to identify gaps in learning and plan their next steps. The mechanisms matter as much as the role title: noticing a need, discussing it and arranging outside help are concrete parts of support.

Sleep has its own physical provision. Babies use individual linen, washed on site, in the dedicated sleep room; staff make regular checks alongside CCTV monitoring and work towards familiar home sleep routines. For families with a child who still naps, rest is an explicit part of the arrangements rather than an incidental pause in play.

Meals are freshly cooked in the nursery's own kitchen, with two hot meals daily, snacks and a separate weaning menu for younger babies. Menus rotate, and the nursery's dietary policy covers allergies and other requirements.

Fingerprint access controls entry, with unregistered visitors admitted by staff, and CCTV operates around the nursery. These are access arrangements, not a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement. These arrangements control access for parents and visitors.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is on Springhead Road, Rothwell, Leeds, LS26 0EX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, with operation across the year and closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

The recommended attendance is either two half-day sessions or one full day each week. This is a recommendation, not a requirement. Both patterns allow families to think about a recurring routine, while the opening hours describe the wider operating day rather than the clock times of each half-day booking.

Fees are payable for 51 weeks, including bank holidays, and continue during sickness or family holidays. A missed day does not remove the charge.

An online contact form and callback request provide enquiry routes. Car parking is available at the nursery, which is close to major routes. For school preparation, the emphasis is on children's growing independence and communication between their key person and family, including sharing worries about the change ahead.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare opportunities and private fees form part of the offer. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Age groups and physical rooms. The Moons labels can share a room, while babies and children over two have separate outdoor areas. At a visit, ask how the age groups are arranged and where your child would spend their day.
• Recommended attendance and paid absences. Two half-days or one full day weekly is the recommendation, and sickness or holidays remain chargeable under the payment terms. Consider how that fits your usual week and time away.
• The funded-place quotation. Funding opportunities sit alongside private fees. Ask for one written quotation covering your intended pattern, with the treatment of meals, snacks and non-food consumables itemised.
• Dietary needs. The nursery's policy accommodates allergies and other dietary requirements, with a separate weaning menu for younger babies. Allergy-affected families should confirm current preparation and serving arrangements before starting.

Banana Moon Rothwell suits families seeking either half-day attendance or full-day care, with particular practical appeal for those balancing a baby's sleep needs with an older child's appetite for active play. Separate outdoor provision, a dedicated sleep room and the Parent App make that offer concrete.

The learning approach gives children room to make decisions: loose parts construction and process art are stronger illustrations than a curriculum name alone. The Outstanding judgement belongs to April 2023, while today's choice should also account for the room arrangement, the attendance recommendation and the payment calendar. Families who value play led by children's interests and detailed communication have clear reasons to consider it.