Banana Moon Day Nursery Wollaton

A separate room for babies’ naps, a natural adventure area and outings to Wollaton Library give Banana Moon Day Nursery Wollaton a recognisable character. This purpose-built nursery combines practical care arrangements with opportunities to explore beyond the playroom. It has capacity for 70 children, accepting ages from three months to five years.

At its September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, rather than a judgement on today’s provision. The current offer includes age-based rooms, daily outdoor play and a Parent App that connects learning updates with everyday information about sleeps and snacks.

For parents comparing routines as well as activities, the separation between babies who are not yet confidently mobile and those ready for a busier room is useful. Progression is not described solely by birthdays. Full-day and half-day attendance are both recognised in the nursery’s recommended weekly pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Moons starts at three months and continues until children move confidently, with sensory exploration using light, colour, textures and toys alongside familiar home routines; its maximum children-to-staff ratio is 3:1. The next stage, Teenie Moons, serves mobile children up to two years, with planned painting, songs and messy play in bright rooms. Mini Moons covers ages two to three, emphasising independent activity choices and support with toilet training. Full Moons takes children from three years to school age, using play chosen around their interests and observations by a key person to shape individual learning.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the shared foundation for children’s learning and care: here, play, observation and planning around children’s interests help organise the day. Alongside it sits the group-wide Banana Moon Early Learning & Development Programme, which uses children’s fascinations as the starting point for teaching and provides resources that can be explored in different ways. Its emphasis is on staff understanding how each child learns, rather than directing every activity from an adult’s agenda.

The curriculum description connects teaching with communication between home and nursery: families share children's interests, while staff observations shape what comes next.

Interactive screens introduce technology through short learning experiences.

In September 2022, lunchtime also became an opportunity to explore quantities as children served themselves and considered whether enough food remained for others. Books and songs featured in the day, but older children had fewer chances to encounter unfamiliar words. Teaching did not consistently extend what children already understood, and leaders’ checks did not reliably pick up those missed opportunities. Those are material limits to the otherwise positive inspection position.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outside, a secure playground and natural adventure area complement the indoor rooms. Children use the outdoor space daily across the year, making movement and changing seasons part of the routine. This is a practical strength for families who want outdoor activity to be a regular part of nursery life.

Outings have included Wollaton Library, where children shared books and explored the play areas. Books about siblings were chosen in response to a child becoming a big sister, linking reading with a real family change. Another outing took babies and older children to Martins Pond, where they encountered ducks and dragonflies.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is adapted to the child and family, with parent-accompanied sessions providing time to discuss routines and care needs. For babies, staff aim to follow established routines from home. That gives the settling process a concrete purpose: sharing the details that make care familiar, rather than expecting every child to adjust in the same way.

The group-wide Parent App brings daily routines and learning information together. Parents can see records of snacks, naps and activities, follow personalised learning journals, send comments from home and give named relatives access. These updates connect everyday care with the next steps staff are planning.

Full Moons has a key person who records progress, connecting individual observations with planning. As children approach school age, the room’s emphasis on choosing activities and interacting with others provides opportunities to practise independence. This is preparation for the next stage, rather than an admissions advantage.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through work with parents and referrals to other services when needed. In September 2022, staff also gathered information about dietary and care requirements and used reassurance and physical comfort when children were upset by separation. These observations describe practice at that time.

Sleep has its own physical space. The dedicated sleep room contains wooden cots, gentle lighting and individual bed linen laundered on site; staff make regular checks alongside CCTV monitoring and aim to follow established sleep routines. Separating naps from the active play spaces gives babies somewhere designed for rest.

Fingerprint access controls entry for registered parents, while other visitors wait for staff to admit them. CCTV operates within the nursery. These are practical arrangements, distinct from the dated safeguarding judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 205 Russell Drive, Wollaton, Nottingham NG8 2BD, and opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.30pm. It operates throughout the year, closing on bank holidays and for a week between Christmas and New Year. Families therefore need another care arrangement during those closures.

Full-day and half-day attendance are recognised in the recommendation to book at least one full day or two half days each week. This is a recommendation, rather than a compulsory minimum. It allows families to consider a shorter attendance pattern as well as whole days, with settling and continuity central to the nursery’s reasoning.

Enquiries can be made through the callback form or by telephone on 01159 133331. Fees remain payable during a child’s sickness or holiday absence, and the charging terms cover 51 weeks, including bank holidays. Those terms matter when comparing the annual commitment rather than looking only at the days a child attends.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside paid care. The fees page provides a callback enquiry route. The distinction between attendance and the annual charging terms deserves attention when planning a household budget.

Meals are cooked in the nursery’s own kitchen, with two hot meals daily, snacks and a separate weaning menu for younger babies. Menus rotate frequently, and the nursery’s dietary policy provides for allergies and other dietary requirements. Food therefore has a planned place in the day, including provision for children beginning solids.

• Vocabulary and teaching follow-through. In September 2022, opportunities to broaden older children’s vocabulary and checks on teaching needed strengthening. During a visit, ask how staff now introduce new words and use observations to extend learning.
• Settling and room progression. Baby Moons moves towards Teenie Moons when a child is confidently mobile, and settling involves parents. Discuss how that change would work alongside your baby’s sleep and home routines.
• The full cost of attendance. Fees remain payable for sickness and holidays, with bank holidays included in the annual charging terms. Ask for a written breakdown covering funded hours, meals, consumables and any other charges for your chosen pattern.
• Dietary needs. The nursery’s policy accommodates allergies, and younger babies have a weaning menu. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements for their child.

Banana Moon Wollaton suits families considering either full-day attendance or shorter half-day sessions, especially those who value a separate baby sleep space, daily outdoor activity and detailed communication through an app. Its appeal rests on practical detail: age-based progression, an on-site kitchen and outings that connect books and nature with children’s experiences.

The September 2022 Good judgement is a useful starting point, with vocabulary development and the consistency of teaching the main questions to pursue. For parents of babies, familiar routines and the dedicated sleep room are likely to carry greatest weight; for older children, independent choices and visits to Wollaton Library make the offer more tangible.