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Banana Moon Nursery Bishops Stortford

Ofsted: Expected standard·
3.7(12 parent reviews)
·Apton House, 13 Apton Road, Bishop's Stortford, CM23 3SP · Hertfordshire
Number of places
135 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Mar 2026
Local authority
Hertfordshire

About this day nursery

Banana Moon Nursery Bishops Stortford, located in Bishop's Stortford, CM23 3SP, is a childcare setting for children aged 0-4 years. It has been operating since 2024, providing care for 51 weeks a year, Monday to Friday, from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm.

The latest Ofsted report, dated 19 March 2026, rated the nursery as 'Inadequate'. While safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture, there are significant weaknesses in leadership and management.

The environment is not consistently set up to encourage curiosity and exploration, and staff do not always have the necessary knowledge to implement a well-structured and ambitious curriculum. This can lead to children disengaging or wandering aimlessly, particularly after outdoor play.

Furthermore, there are noted deficiencies in the support provided for children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), with staff lacking sufficient knowledge to create timely and ambitious plans for these children. The provider is working to strengthen the quality and consistency of children's experiences, and despite the identified weaknesses, leaders have a clear vision for continuous improvement.

The nursery offers government-funded places, ensuring accessibility for families.

Our ethos

Banana Moon Nursery Bishops Stortford is committed to seeing everything from a parent's perspective, using the Banana Moon Early Learning & Development Programme that emphasises playful provision and a holistic approach to development. They focus on children being active learners and exploring their curiosity through play-based opportunities.

What it's like

There are significant weaknesses in the leadership and management in the nursery, which impact on the well-being of all children. Staff lack the necessary knowledge and skills to implement a well-structured and ambitious curriculum, leading to accidental learning. The environment is not arranged to excite children to be curious, take appropriate risks and explore, and staff do not adequately support children's positive attitude to learning. Children enjoy positive relationships with staff and a calm, well-organised environment. However, because the provider is not yet confident in making consistent decisions, the systems that support children's daily experiences are not always reliable.

Inadequate ratingWeak leadershipEffective safeguardingLimited SEND support

Pricing & funding

Fees are structured around session times, with separate charges applied for hours outside standard funding windows. Overall costs include childcare hours, meal packages, and essential consumables such as nappies and wipes.

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
  • Additional hours£8.64 / hour
  • Meals/Snacks for Full Day Sessions£17.00 / day
  • Consumables-Nappies,Wipes,Cream£8.00 / day

Good to know

  • Standard funded entitlement hours run from 8.00am to 6.00pm.
  • Additional hours are charged for early arrivals (7.30am-8.00am) and late departures (6.00pm-6.30pm).
  • Separate daily charges apply for meals and snacks.
  • Consumables including nappies, wipes, and creams are billed separately.
  • Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit payments are accepted.

Key facts

Opening hours

7.30am - 6.30pm

Age range

0 to 5 years

Term time / All Year

All_year

Food

Fresh food prepared and served daily

Established

2024

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Expected standard

Last inspected Mar 2026

Headline: Expected standard

Grade summary

Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementExpected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesExpected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
InclusionExpected standard
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Banana Moon Nursery Bishops Stortford

Last inspected 19 March 2026

Safeguarding effective

Actions the provider must take

  • ensure the provider has the knowledge, understanding and oversight to carry out their role successfully

What it's like to attend

There are significant weaknesses in the leadership and management in the nursery, which impact on the well-being of all children. Staff lack the necessary knowledge and skills to implement a well-structured and ambitious curriculum, leading to accidental learning. The environment is not arranged to excite children to be curious, take appropriate risks and explore, and staff do not adequately support children's positive attitude to learning. Children enjoy positive relationships with staff and a calm, well-organised environment. However, because the provider is not yet confident in making consistent decisions, the systems that support children's daily experiences are not always reliable.

Inspector highlights

  • Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
  • There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.
  • The setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
  • The setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register.
  • Children enjoy positive relationships with staff and a calm, well-organised environment.
  • Children are encouraged to lead their learning, explore their interests and develop their independence.

Areas to develop

  • 1ensure the provider has the knowledge, understanding and oversight to carry out their role successfully
Inspection #10420195 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff do not have the knowledge to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and, as a result, plans are not put into place in a timely manner. The arrangements in place to support children with SEND are not sufficient; children with SEND do not access an ambitious curriculum. Staff do not know the individual targets for children with SEND. Staff work closely with parents, carers and other professionals to support children's progress. They manage children's individual needs with sensitivity, giving families reassurance and trust in the setting. This promotes inclusion and helps children to feel a sense of belonging.

Outdoor space

When returning from the garden area the inside environment is not set up appropriately. As a result, children wander aimlessly or remain at the table with minimal activities. Outdoor experiences allow children to explore natural materials and take age-appropriate risks in their play.

Parent Reviews of Banana Moon Nursery Bishops Stortford

3.7
(12)
Jo Cox
9 months ago

We’ve had such a wonderful experience with Banana Moon Bishop Stortford for our one-year-old. The staff are incredibly caring and attentive, always taking the time to make sure our child feels safe, happy, and engaged. The environment is bright, clean, and full of age-appropriate toys and activities that spark curiosity and learning. Communication is excellent—we get regular updates and photos, which means so much to us as parents. Our little one has developed new skills, made friends, and genuinely looks forward to going each day. We couldn’t be happier with the loving and supportive atmosphere they provide.

Read on Google
Ada Ozge
9 months ago

Banana moon has truly become a second home for Leon. Even though it’s only been around 8 months, he has settled in so happily. It’s the only nursery he has ever gone to without tears, which says it all! 🌟 The teachers are caring, the atmosphere is warm, and they genuinely value the children. Leon comes home every day full of joy and with something new he’s learned. As parents, having this peace of mind and seeing him so happy is priceless. We highly recommend this nursery! 💛

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Sophie Leelee
a year ago

Banana Moon at Bishops Stortford is such a wonderful nursery, all the staff have been absolutely brilliant in helping my son settle in and creating an environment I know he’s happy and safe in. The atmosphere is always welcoming, I’m kept up to date with everything my son does during his day and I couldn’t ask for more out of a nursery. Clean, friendly and caring. The management and staff are top tier, communication skills 10/10 and highly recommend to any parent whose child isn’t used to social environments yet as my son now understands what it is to have friends. Thank you for everything you do and keep up the good work, Sophie x

Read on Google
Suzanne Alder
a week ago

I would recommend this nursery 100%, the staff are fantastic, hard working, nurturing, kind and beyond caring. They all work exceptionally hard, from the owner, nursery practitioner and chef. If you want a nursery thats not just committed to your children's wellbeing, education and happiness then this one is for.

Read on Google
Elyonany- اليوناني
a month ago

I would not recommend this nursery based on my experience. The nursery closed for more than two months without any prior notice, which left me scrambling to find alternative childcare at the last minute. This caused significant stress, disruption to my work, and financial loss. There also appeared to be a high turnover of staff during our time there, which made it very difficult for my kid to settle and maintain any sense of stability. Although my baby initially struggled, i invested a lot of time and effort working with staff to help her adjust. We became increasingly concerned about the overall environment and management approach. We were later made aware of behaviour by some staff towards my child that we found completely unacceptable. This was deeply concerning and ultimately led us to remove her from the nursery. For any parent, trust, consistency, and a safe, supportive environment are essential. Unfortunately, my experience did not meet these basic expectations.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Banana Moon Nursery Bishops Stortford. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: September 2025

The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Inadequate). We're re-checking it against the original report.

  • November 2025Inadequate
  • September 2025Inadequate

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more