Atelier Nursery Bath

An indoor beach, a resident artist and a hive of bees give Atelier Nursery Bath a character that extends well beyond conventional nursery toys. The Discovery Room invites investigation, the Studio supports creative projects, and the Cabin connects outdoor exploration with early science. These are learning spaces children can move between, rather than a simple sequence of rooms allocated by age.

Atelier cares for children from 4 months to five years and has 71 places in total, at Dover Place, Bath, BA1 6DX. At its January 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, with equally strong judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. That is a dated judgement; the current attraction is the combination of open-ended play, carefully differentiated spaces and opportunities to pursue an interest beyond a single activity.

Full days, mornings and afternoons are offered across the year, with a minimum booking of three sessions each week.

Rooms and Ages

Children can explore the learning spaces while retaining access to areas designed for the youngest children's needs.

Baby Nest offers babies sensory materials, including treasure baskets, mirrors and lights, alongside an adjoining quiet sleep room, so exploration and rest each have an appropriate place.

The Snug brings construction, imaginative play and clay within younger children's reach, with resources positioned lower and on a smaller scale to support growing independence.

The Discovery Room combines an indoor beach with opportunities to observe tadpoles becoming froglets, giving children practical material for investigating change, quantity and how things work.

The Piazza centres on design and construction using maple blocks, allowing children to represent ideas through building and work through the practical challenges of making them stand.

The Studio supports creative projects with a resident artist, giving children materials and adult collaboration through which to develop and test their own ideas.

The Cabin links the outdoor environment with early science through the mud kitchen and observations of bees, honey and wax, bringing natural processes into children's learning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: play supports communication, physical skills, relationships and understanding of the world. Atelier adds a group-wide Reggio inspired approach emphasising creativity, with space to revisit ideas through different materials.

In January 2022, babies investigated flour through touch, while older children worked on ideas for a tortoise enclosure. Drawing their proposed designs and using a potter's wheel gave those ideas a practical route into making. Cooking also became an investigation: children operated a pasta machine and explained how beetroot changed the pasta's colour. These examples show how conversation, concentration and hands-on work could belong to the same experience.

The Children's Charter groups gave children a say in nursery life in January 2022. Staff discussed what they enjoyed and what they wanted changed. This was participation with a purpose: children practised expressing an opinion about something that affected them, rather than answering questions with an expected response.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden accommodates active and quieter play: children grow and harvest vegetables, perform on the stage, tell stories in the story hut and rest in the wig-loo. Bikes and ride-ons occupy the lower garden.

Children may spend as much time outside as they choose. The garden bedroom adds an outdoor option for sleep, while the Cabin provides another connection between outdoor experiences and the rest of the nursery. Families who value time outside will find that it reaches into both learning and rest.

In January 2022, visits to world art exhibitions also contributed to children's experiences of cultures beyond their own. Staff drew on information from parents about family culture, making children's home lives part of the learning rather than treating them as separate from nursery.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2022, family time let children share home news with their key person and discuss feelings about changes such as moving house, connecting nursery care with family life.

In January 2022, parents received updates about learning and planned next steps, while a clothing donation service supported families facing financial difficulty.

Independence was woven into ordinary routines in January 2022. Children helped prepare tables, poured drinks and cleared plates; babies fed themselves using cutlery. Tidying involved sweeping and cleaning. These were small responsibilities with immediate purposes, giving children opportunities to contribute to shared life as well as practise physical skills.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, making very rapid progress. That assessment belongs to the inspection date. During the same period, staff adapted learning to individual interests and needs, and took children's views seriously when planning activities.

Baby Nest's linked sleep room and the garden bedroom provide indoor and outdoor options for rest, giving babies dedicated sleeping spaces alongside the active learning areas.

The food included with a paid session depends on the attendance pattern: full days include all meals, mornings include Café snacks, and afternoons include light tea. Parents supply formula milk and personal care consumables, including nappies, wipes, cotton wool and cream.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm. A full-day booking runs from 8am to 6pm; mornings run from 8am to 12.30pm, and afternoons from 1.30pm to 6pm. Families can purchase the lunchtime session, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm, to extend a half day.

The three-session weekly minimum makes this a regular childcare arrangement. Full days, half days and purchased lunch extensions offer different ways to fit attendance around family commitments.

Attendance is across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Term-time-only places are not offered. Fees remain payable when a child misses nursery through sickness or a family holiday, so the cost of the booking extends beyond the days actually attended.

Getting There

The address is Dover Place, Bath, BA1 6DX, between London Road and Camden Road. The Bath office can be contacted on 01225 447 992 or at bath.admin@ateliernursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can use funded early years entitlement here. The offer includes 15 hours from the term after a child's third birthday and working parents funding of up to 30 hours, subject to eligibility. Funding is stretched across the year rather than confined to school terms. A declaration form records the hours the nursery will claim for the child.

For funded hours, an additional voluntary charge covers food, activities and consumables. Parents also provide nappies, formula milk, wipes, cotton wool and cream, which are excluded from session fees.

Private sessions and additional hours are paid for separately. There is a non-refundable registration charge, and payment is monthly in advance, due within seven days of the invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the Bath fees and funding page sets out the session and charge structure.

• Three-session minimum. Every weekly booking must include at least three sessions. Families seeking a single morning or occasional care should weigh that requirement against their actual routine.
• Exploration for the youngest children. Baby Nest and the Snug sit within a nursery children can explore. During a visit, ask how a baby's key person supports movement between the quieter spaces and busier learning areas.
• Sleep choices. There is both a linked indoor sleep room and a garden bedroom. Ask how the nursery agrees a child's sleep arrangements with parents and selects the appropriate space during the day.
• Year-round costs. Funding is stretched, term-time-only places are not offered, and fees remain payable during sickness and holidays. A written quotation should distinguish private sessions, the voluntary funded-hours charges and the supplies parents bring.

Atelier suits families who want creative, exploratory learning with substantial outdoor provision, whether they need full days or regular morning and afternoon sessions. The Studio, Discovery Room and Cabin give that approach concrete substance. Its January 2022 Outstanding judgement adds a strong inspection foundation, while the three-session minimum and year-round attendance model require a close fit with family routines. The strongest reason to choose it is the scope children have to investigate, make and revisit ideas across different spaces.