Combe Down Nursery

A purpose-built nursery in a village setting gives Combe Down Nursery its physical character; individual interests give its learning a more personal shape. Children attend from three months to five years, with a key person who gets to know their experiences and adapts activities around them. That relationship is the practical centre of the offer.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 29 November 2022 inspection. The detail matters more than the label: fossil exploration prompted questions, everyday play became an opportunity for mathematical language, and children practised doing things for themselves. These are dated examples, rather than a description of today's timetable.

Full-day, school-day, morning and afternoon sessions provide different ways to organise attendance. The choice between them belongs alongside the choice of payment package, because food and supplies are handled differently under all-inclusive and funded-only arrangements.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday activities support communication, physical skills and growing independence. It is the baseline for provision here, rather than an extra programme. The useful question is how those aims become real experiences for each child.

In November 2022, practitioners built on children's interests by bringing in local museum staff when fossils caught their attention. Exploring a fossil gave children something concrete to investigate and discuss. Learning followed an interest that children already had, with adults extending the conversation rather than simply introducing a topic.

Language also grew out of handling materials. In November 2022, children explored objects that stretched, flashed or made sounds, while adults introduced descriptive vocabulary. Some signing helped children understand routines and important words. For a parent, those examples show how communication could be supported through both speech and practical cues.

Mathematics was woven into play in November 2022 through counting and discussion of colours and shapes. Scissors and glue sticks gave children opportunities to practise small hand movements, while sensory objects concealed in a bucket encouraged listening and attention. These were everyday resources used for specific learning purposes.

There was a limitation. In November 2022, adults sometimes controlled craft activities too closely, leaving children less room to develop their own ideas. The improvement point was about ownership: a finished piece of work should not take precedence over a child's choices and exploration.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2022, children spent time outside regularly and went on outings around the local area. Parents also contributed natural objects gathered during walks to an autumn topic. That connected learning with experiences beyond the nursery and gave families a concrete way to participate.

The same month's practice gave children opportunities to understand one another, but exploration of communities beyond their immediate surroundings needed more attention. Local outings and a broader understanding of society are different things. Both matter, and the latter was an explicit improvement priority.

Relationships and Communication

The Bath Nursery Company's group-wide key-person arrangement operates here: practitioners take responsibility for getting to know a small group of children and their families. Activities are adapted to children's interests and experiences, and information is shared regularly with parents. This gives families an ongoing relationship through which to discuss their child's day and development.

In November 2022, practitioners shared learning ideas with parents as well as updates about development. The autumn collections were one practical example of that exchange. Communication therefore extended beyond describing what had happened at nursery to giving families something they could contribute at home.

Independence took a tangible form in November 2022. Toddlers served their own drinks, while preschool children tidied their crockery after eating. Adults also used coaching approaches to help children work through their feelings. These examples describe children taking an active part in routines, with support rather than everything being done for them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), supported by individual support and resources sourced using additional funding. That is a dated judgement; its practical detail is the use of resources to meet particular children's needs.

In November 2022, the nursery employed 28 staff. This is a whole-setting staffing snapshot, not a room size or a statement about how many adults work with a child today.

A chef prepares fresh meals on a three-week menu rotation, with menus reviewed twice yearly. The nursery aims to accommodate medical, religious, cultural and ethical dietary needs, and its menu policy includes allergen information.

Sessions and Attendance

Combe Down Nursery is on Combe Road, Bath, BA2 5HY. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm from Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Opening hours and booked sessions are separate considerations.

The charging policy provides four session patterns: Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm, School Day from 8.30am to 4pm, Morning from 8am to 12.30pm, and Afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. The school-day option ends earlier than a full day, while morning and afternoon sessions provide shorter attendance patterns.

Families can enquire by telephone on 01225 840575 or through the nursery's contact form. A viewing request form also accepts a preferred date and time.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds receiving low-income or other-benefits funding, and 30 hours for eligible working families with children aged nine months to four years. Funded hours operate between 8am and 6pm, with delivery over 38, 39 or 51 weeks, allowing term-time or stretched arrangements within the nursery's operating model.

Eligible families can request entitlement-only attendance without compulsory charges for the funded provision. Additional private hours and extra services can be purchased separately. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

All-inclusive fees cover meals, snacks, activities and consumables. Under funded-only arrangements, parents supply food, snacks, nappies, wipes and sun cream; another package includes nursery supplies and services while leaving food to parents. Packed food must remain cool without nursery refrigeration, and individual meals cannot be heated there.

Trips and additional activities carry separate charges when families choose them under funded-only arrangements. A non-refundable registration charge may apply to paid-hours bookings once a place is confirmed, but is not a condition of entitlement-only attendance. A deposit is credited to the final invoice when the relevant termination notice has been given.

Reducing booked days or sessions requires one month's notice. Switching from an all-year contract to term-time attendance requires a full term's notice. These conditions make the contract part of the childcare decision, especially where work patterns may change.

• Creative freedom. Adult direction sometimes constrained craft activities in November 2022. During a visit, ask how practitioners now balance teaching a skill with letting children choose what to make.
• A wider view of community. November 2022 practice needed more opportunities to explore communities beyond children's own surroundings. For families who value learning about different communities, this improvement priority matters alongside the regular local outings.
• Food and supplies. Funded-only attendance involves food and consumables from home, including keeping packed meals cool. Families managing allergies should confirm current dietary practice and how their chosen package will work.

Combe Down Nursery suits families seeking either full-day or school-day attendance, as well as those wanting morning or afternoon sessions. Its purpose-built setting, key-person arrangement and chef-prepared menu cycle offer concrete reasons to consider it.

The November 2022 examples show learning rooted in children's interests and everyday independence, alongside clear priorities for more creative choice and a broader understanding of community. The payment package deserves equal attention: an all-inclusive arrangement and a funded-only place bring different responsibilities for food and supplies.