Welcome To Smart Tots Day Nursery Banbury

Dear Parent,

Welcome to Smart Tots Day Nursery. Our nursery has been providing childcare since 1996. We provide all our children with a stimulating, fun and caring environment in which they will thrive and develop their own personalities.

Our care is provided from the homely surroundings of a roomy listed Georgian building on Horse Fair in the very heart of Banbury, in fact it used to be the Horse Fair owner's house. It has been extended at the back of the building, making our nursery much larger inside than it appears from the outside. It’s a real home from home setting and a lovely environment to enjoy days of fun and friendship.

Our Team

Our team is led by Manager Gemma who started working in our Baby room at the nursery in 2000. She moved into 3-5's and worked up to Room Senior, then Assistant Manager and has been the Nursery Manager since Aug 2005. Gemma works hard at her professional development to ensure that the nursery is always providing up to date care and education and is currently working towards her NVQ level 5. Gemma has recently refreshed her training with courses in Safeguarding Children, Paediatric First Aid, the new Early Years Foundation Stage, Food hygiene and Health & Safety. She also has a Diploma in Pre-school practice. Gemma says:

“I love my job and am very passionate about providing a high level of care to give the children the best possible start in life.”

Gemma is supported by Sian Evans her Deputy Manager who has worked in the Nursery since 2002. She also started her career in the Baby room and then joined the 2-3's where she is currently Room Senior for this room as well as Deputy Manager. Sian has a very organized and calm approach to child care which makes her very successful and popular with parents. Sian is also keeping up to date with training courses as Gemma does.

All of our team has regular on the job and external training and development. Each member of staff is trained in policies and procedures, Safeguarding Children, Paediatric First Aid, the new Early Years Foundation Stage, Food hygiene and Health & Safety. A number are undergoing further childcare training. Our preference is that all of our staff are permanent employees and have childcare qualifications.

There are separate, spacious and home-like rooms for each age and stage of development, from birth to 5 years. These are separated into: Baby Room birth-1yr; Bears 1-2yrs; Cubs 2-3yrs; and our Foundation Centre 3-5yrs.

Smart Tots is OFSTED inspected for the educational aspect of the nursery curriculum and have continued to receive successful inspections since they began.

To read more about the activities at Smart Tots Day Nursery, please select from the menu bar on the left

Opening Hours 

Smart Tots Day Nursery is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. Occasionally parents need an extra 15 minutes either side of this to meet their work commitments and we are happy to provide this service by arrangement.

Full-time day sessions operate between 8am and 6pm, including breakfast club, lunch and high tea.

Part-time morning sessions operate between 8am and 1:30pm, including breakfast club and lunch.

Part-time afternoon sessions operate between 1:30pm and 6pm, including high tea.

Baby Room Birth – 1 Year

The Baby Room is spacious and homely and sitting at the back of the nursery offers a quiet yet stimulating place for babies to learn and develop. It has capacity for 12 babies from birth to 1 year on a ratio of care 1:3, with a Room Senior leading the team of staff.

All toys provided are appropriate to the age and development of your baby. The Baby Room has a door to the garden, meaning that fresh air is always part of the daily routine, even in inclement weather. The Garden has undergone a transformation and now has safety flooring suitable for crawling children and a range of Little Tykes play equipment to encourage the development of motor skills, balance and spatial awareness.

There is a sleep room adjoining the Baby Room, allowing staff to follow your baby’s own routine, plus a separate baby changing facility and separate kitchenette for the preparation of baby milks, bottles and weaning foods.

Cubs 1 – 2 Years

The Cubs Area has capacity for 24 young toddlers from the age of 1-2years on a ratio of care 1:3, with a Room Senior leading the team of staff. There is a large and homely room in which your toddler can play with its own home corner and sleep area and a spacious messy room dedicated for their own use for art, crafts, sand and water play and meal times.

All toys provided are appropriate to the age and development of your little Toddler. The Bears room has its own stairway to the Garden that it shares with the baby room, meaning that fresh air is always part of the daily routine, even in inclement weather.

There is a sleep area in the Cubs Room, allowing your young toddler to continue his/her own routine, where applicable, plus a separate baby changing facility.

Bears 1 – 2 Years

The Bears Room has capacity for 24 developing toddlers from the age of 1-2 years.

All toys provided are appropriate to the age and development of your toddler. The Cubs room is bright and spacious, creating a stimulating environment for play and learning. Cubs have two roomy areas, one homely with role play and reading areas and one large messy room for art, crafts and meal times. The Cubs area has its own access to a shared Play Garden meaning that fresh air is always part of the daily routine, even in inclement weather. The Play Garden is equipped with activity play equipment secured on a safety surface, for exploration and adventure, plus many ride-on's to choose from! Cubs also have access to the paved Garden, for a change of scenery for outdoor play and ride on toys.

We encourage communal sleep time in the Cubs Room, enabling your developing toddler to recharge his/her batteries to join in more activities. There is a separate baby changing facility and more grown up dedicated toilet facilities for the developing toddler.

Bears 2 – 3 Years

Bears has capacity for 24 growing children from the age of 2 to 3 years on a ratio of care 1:4, with a Room Senior leading the team of staff.

All toys provided are appropriate to the age and development of your growing child. The Bears enjoy three indoor play and activity spaces, which are bright and spacious, creating a stimulating environment for play and learning. There is the main room for general play, reading, music and movement; the Role Play area for dress up (and doubles as sleep area) plus the Messy Room, which includes tables and chairs for art activities. The Play Garden is equipped with activity play equipment secured on a safety surface, for exploration and adventure! Bears also have access to the paved garden with its planting beds and room for ride on play.

We arrange communal sleep time for those 2-3 year olds who still need to recharge their batteries and also have a separate toilet facility to assist and encourage potty training at their own pace.

Foundation Centre 3 – 5 Years

The Foundation Centre has capacity for 30 maturing children from the age of 3 to 5 years on a ratio of care 1:8, with a Room Senior leading the team of staff.

All toys and equipment provided are appropriate to the age and development of your maturing child. The Foundation Centre enjoys a network of indoor spaces, which are bright and spacious, creating a stimulating environment for play, activity and learning. The main room provides a homely area for reading, general play, role play and home play to encourage the use of imagination; it adjoins a dedicated and large messy room for general play, art and crafts and music & movement to encourage creativity. The Foundation Centre has its own door to a dedicated outdoor play area, equipped with a range of play equipment and a planting area for the children to plant seeds and understand growth. The children also have the benefit of a light and airy computer room with 3 computers all equipped with educational programmes that support the Early Years framework.

The Foundation Centre has an adult-style toilet facility, to further develop maturing skills of our 3 to 5 year olds.

We have recently introduced PE to our curriculum so that your 3 – 5’s can start to get a feel for school life. We encourage each child to change into plimsolls and suitable clothing and to join in with movement to music. This has proved hugely popular!

Catering

Smart Tots Day Nursery has its own chef, who purchases fresh, seasonal, produce daily and prepares and cooks all meals on-site. We take nutrition very seriously and offer 5-a-day for all full-day children.

We operate a breakfast club, serving breakfast cereals, toast and fruit. Lunch consists of a nutritious main meal and dessert. High tea offers a range of healthy, filling snacks. All meals are accompanied by water, juice or milk, upon request. We pride ourselves on being able to cater for all dietary requirements – just let us know when you enrol.

Other Useful Information

Unlike most nurseries, our fees are all inclusive of meals, drinks, baby milk, nappies, wipes and creams so you will be able to budget and plan without any surprises.

As we are nestled in the heart of Banbury, we have great access to People’s park, five minutes walk from the nursery and to the adjoining church hall for our annual nativity play.