Banana Moon Day Nursery Longford

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy in the nursery. They receive a warm welcome from staff on arrival and settle quickly in to play with their friends. Children regularly go to staff for comfort and reassurance and receive lots of cuddles.

This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care. Children access resources from the low-level shelving and engage well with the activities that are prepared for them. For example, babies enjoy exploring objects, such as a range of vehicles.

They watch closely as staff run these along the floor, lifting them up to show how the wheels turn. Children behave well. Staff help children to wait an...d take turns.

Older children learn the behaviours that are expected of them, following the nursery's 'golden rules', for instance to be kind and use 'kind hands'. They respond well to staff's gentle reminders to be gentle and careful. Staff model their use of manners well with children and encourage children to use their manners.

As a result, the youngest children learn when and how to use manners. All children, including those needing additional support, gain the knowledge and understanding they need to make consistent progress and prepare them for their next stages of learning.

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

The provider has developed an ambitious curriculum for all children to achieve during their time at nursery.

Managers and staff adapt and implement the curriculum with specific consideration for the children attending.Managers and staff gather information from parents when children first start, and they use this to decide what to plan for children to learn next. However, although key persons are assigned, this information is not always gathered by the assigned key person, who should begin to build the relationship with parents and be their first point of contact from the start.

When children are ready to make the transition to the next room in the nursery, key persons share some information to help the new key person get to know each child. However, this information is not consistent, as it does not always include key information to enable each child's learning to continue seamlessly from room to room.Independence is promoted well throughout the nursery.

For example, babies learn to feed themselves with little support. Toddlers learn to manage their personal care needs and dress themselves. Pre-school children put on their coats and serve their meals with increasing competence at mealtimes.

Staff promote communication and language well. They repeat new words for babies to understand and use in their interactions. For example, babies say 'touch' as staff encourage children to feel the fur on a page.

Staff repeat words such as 'soft' and 'fluffy' to build on their vocabulary. Older children are keen to respond to questions with their ideas during stories. All children have fun and engage in signing and following the actions of familiar songs.

Children have opportunities to develop their physical skills both indoors and outdoors. For example, they build walkways and practise their balance and coordination. They take turns to enjoy riding a range of wheeled toys.

Others use a range of mark-making tools, play dough and other malleable substances to experience different textures while strengthening their smaller hand muscles.Staff promote diversity well in this nursery. Children access resources that depict a range of cultures, and they learn about the similarities and differences in others through stories, reference books and discussion during play.

This helps children to develop tolerance and understanding of how others in our communities can differ from their own experiences.Leaders and managers ensure that staff receive the support they need. Staff attend regular meetings to discuss their training needs and the quality of their work practice.

This helps them to continue their professional development and enhance the provision for children.Parents say their children are happy attending. They report that the nursery is organised and the staff are professional and friendly.

They say that they are happy with the progress their children are making and value the information they receive about their child's care and learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All managers and staff have a robust knowledge and understanding of signs that indicate a child may be at risk of abuse.

They know the local procedures to report their concerns, including where an allegation is made against a person in a position of trust. They know how to escalate their concerns if they are required to do so. Procedures for recruitment are robust.

This includes the background checks carried out to continually ensure that staff are suitable to work in the nursery. The premises are routinely checked to ensure that it is safe for children to attend.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: namend the arrangements when children first start so that the assigned key persons gather the information from parents to build a relationship with parents and be their first point of contact strengthen the arrangements for when children transition between rooms so that the learning information is shared consistently between key persons to enable the plans for learning to continue seamlessly for children.