Little Blossoms Nursery School

A church hall, a mud kitchen and trips to Bath City Farm give Little Blossoms Nursery School a recognisable character. Children can move between indoor play and a large garden, while adults build learning around whatever has caught their interest. The emphasis is on choosing, exploring and doing.

Based at St Barnabas Church Hall in Southdown, Bath, the nursery has capacity for 32 children aged one to five. Ofsted rated it Good at its May 2021 inspection. That is a dated judgement, rather than a description of today's staff practice.

Term-time attendance includes all-day, morning, afternoon and preschool sessions. This gives families several ways to organise childcare around the school calendar, rather than a single attendance pattern.

Rooms and Ages

The main hall provides space for indoor activities, with a protected area for younger children and a quiet room used for smaller groups, rest and sleep. That quieter space gives children somewhere to pause while play continues elsewhere. BUDS caters for children aged one to two.

Outside, children have a mud kitchen, a log circle, equipment for play and an area where they grow vegetables and plants. These are practical resources for messy exploration, conversation and watching change over time. Indoor and outdoor play run alongside one another through the day, so outdoor activity is part of ordinary nursery life.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the early-years framework: children learn through play, with adults observing their development and supporting their next steps. Little Blossoms adds planning in the moment, an approach in which practitioners respond to children's existing interests rather than relying mainly on activities planned ahead. Adults decide when to extend an idea and when to let exploration continue.

Loose parts and natural materials are accessible for children to select themselves. Instead of having every resource chosen by an adult, children gather what they need for their own activity. Practitioners document the learning afterwards, using observations and sheets that are shared with families.

Letters and Sounds provides the phonics programme. Preschool children start with Phase 1, developing attentive listening before moving towards learning letter sounds; progression to Phase 2 depends on readiness. This gives the listening work a clear purpose without treating every preschool child as ready for the same next step.

The day also makes room for stories, songs and optional music or dancing. Children help prepare snacks, then choose and serve food at lunchtime. Learning is therefore threaded through everyday tasks as well as play: handling food, making choices and joining shared conversations all have a place.

Outdoor and Community Life

Bath City Farm extends exploration beyond the garden. Visits involve animals, plants and minibeast habitats, alongside play and picnics. The Egg Theatre in Bath is another outing destination, bringing performance into children's experiences beyond the nursery.

Local parks are visited regularly, giving children opportunities to use play equipment and explore their surroundings. A local care home receives a visit once each half term. That recurring connection introduces children to people outside their immediate family and nursery groups.

Within the setting, outdoor activities include gardening, den building and searching for minibeasts. Yoga and gym activities add other ways to move. The appeal is the variety of practical experiences, rather than a day dominated by seated tasks.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key worker who gets to know their interests and supports their play. Families can talk with their child's key person daily, and termly meetings provide a more structured opportunity to discuss development. Settling sessions can take place before a child's first birthday, ahead of joining from age one.

Tapestry is the app used to exchange photographs and observations between nursery and home. Parents can contribute information about their child's experiences, helping practitioners choose resources connected to current interests. WOW stickers and slips provide another way to share learning or significant events from home.

Parents can also contribute skills or join outings. Sports day and maths/reading weeks invite families to participate, making communication more than a stream of updates sent home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role supports children with additional needs. Bespoke plans monitor progress, with parents, relevant professionals and supporting organisations involved when needed. The shared space has wheelchair access, and adaptations can be made. These are specific support mechanisms for families to discuss in relation to their child's needs.

Regular Theraplay sessions and language support groups form part of the support offer. Staff undertake further training, and paediatric first aid and child protection training are part of the nursery's arrangements. Those arrangements describe preparation and support, rather than providing a current inspection judgement on their effectiveness.

An on-site chef prepares meals and snacks from fresh ingredients, while children eat with their key workers and receive help with serving themselves. The nursery permits packed lunches only when it cannot cater for a child's specific dietary need, so dietary arrangements matter before choosing a place.

Sessions and Attendance

Attendance follows Bath and North East Somerset term dates, with closure during school holidays. For families whose work continues through those breaks, holiday childcare needs to be part of the overall plan.

The all-day pattern runs from 8am to 4.30pm, with an 8am to 4pm Friday session. Morning sessions run from 8am to 2pm, preschool sessions from 9am to 3pm, and afternoon sessions from 10am to 3.45pm. Additional hours can be added at the nursery's hourly rate.

Joining involves an application form and a non-refundable registration charge, which includes a Little Blossoms t-shirt. The nursery maintains a waiting list and encourages early applications. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07497391917.

Getting There

The address is St Barnabas Church Hall, Mount View, Southdown, Bath, BA2 1JX. Its south Bath position has links to the town centre and the A4.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered during term time. The entitlements described are up to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks per year and, for eligible children, 30 hours; Little Blossoms accepts the full 30 funded hours. Funding is used between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday, and attendance outside that window is paid privately.

Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen attendance pattern. Separating funded hours from additional private hours makes the actual booking easier to understand.

• Term-time coverage. The nursery closes during school holidays. Families needing continuous childcare should consider how those breaks fit their working year.
• Friday timing. The afternoon session ends at 3.45pm, the Friday all-day session ends at 4pm, and Friday opening hours also appear as 3.45pm. Confirm the collection time attached to your chosen booking.
• The quotation. Ask how meals, snacks and non-food consumables are charged for your funded and private hours, so the written quotation covers the whole arrangement.
• Settling and dietary needs. Visits can be booked, and settling sessions can precede a first birthday. Use that conversation to discuss the younger-child area, rest arrangements and any dietary requirements, including whether the nursery can cater for them.

Little Blossoms suits families seeking term-time all-day care or shorter morning, afternoon and preschool sessions, with outdoor play and child-led exploration forming much of the day. Bath City Farm, Letters and Sounds and two-way communication through Tapestry give the offer useful substance. The practical decisions are holiday coverage, the precise Friday collection time and the full quotation for the chosen pattern.