Christ Church Clifton Pre-School

A church crypt, a garden with room to scoot, and woodland learning give Christ Church Clifton Pre-School a character that reaches well beyond its indoor base. Its outdoor provision includes weekly Forest School, an organised woodland learning experience, with Beach School adding coastal exploration during the summer term. For children who enjoy investigating real materials and being outside, these are substantial parts of the offer.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding across all assessed areas and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement matters: children experimented with water, investigated growing vegetables and used practical activities to explore mathematical ideas. Learning had a tangible purpose.

The pre-school accepts children from two and a half to four years old and has 25 places in total. It operates during term time, with a minimum booking of two mornings each week. This is a preschool setting for families whose childcare needs fit the school-term calendar.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, covering language, physical development, relationships and early understanding of subjects such as mathematics and literacy. Here, children's interests help shape those experiences. Staff introduce vocabulary during play, allow time for children to think and encourage experiments with early writing.

Creative work includes dance, music, imaginative play and stories. Books serve both enjoyment and discovery, while opportunities to make marks and form letters build familiarity with writing. These activities connect communication with things children want to do, rather than treating it as an isolated exercise.

In May 2024, practical investigation included shaping clay and sending water along guttering. When water escaped through a gap, children tried a bucket beneath it. Such an activity gives children a problem they can see and a solution they can test; the materials do much of the work.

Everyday routines also supplied mathematical opportunities that month. Fruit cutting introduced parts of a whole, number cards accompanied a vote for a story, and children practised counting in Japanese. The point was to use number and mathematical language within familiar activities, rather than confining them to a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden combines a wooden playhouse and mud kitchen with an outdoor classroom, large planters and bushes children can climb. Space for running and scooting adds movement alongside quieter imaginative play. It gives children different ways to use the same outdoor area, from making pretend meals to investigating plants.

Weekly Forest School takes learning into nearby woodland, with transport organised for the children and activities led by Forest School Leaders. Beach School forms part of the summer outdoor programme. In May 2024, woodland activities included building dens, while coastal exploration involved handling and comparing seaweed, sand and pebbles. The two settings offered different materials and different questions.

Growing food is another practical thread. Children help care for crops from sowing through to harvest, including carrots, beans, beetroot and lettuce. This gives the garden a continuing purpose: children can return to something they have planted and notice changes over time.

Relationships and Communication

Friday Coffee Morning gives parents and carers a regular opportunity to meet one another and talk with staff. Workshops and talks sometimes address subjects including healthy eating and the move to school. Families can also speak privately with a member of staff and contribute interests or traditions from home, bringing children's experiences outside preschool into its activities.

In May 2024, communication included detailed updates about children's development and their next learning steps. Coffee mornings covered practical family concerns such as toilet training and boundaries, and a lending library supported learning at home. These arrangements made contact with parents about more than the timetable.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCo, designated and deputy safeguarding lead roles, and a Family Support Pre-school Worker. These are identifiable responsibilities within the staff structure, giving families a clearer starting point for conversations about additional needs or family support.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that more detailed information about children's worries informed support, that collaboration with outside professionals helped staff use visual timelines, and that children learning English as an additional language developed secure foundations for learning. The practical emphasis was on understanding the individual child and making the next activity easier to anticipate.

Other work that month included translating familiar stories into children's home languages with parents' help. Staff also used predictable routines and boundaries, while older children managed turns with a sand timer. Support for communication and everyday relationships was woven into activities children already recognised.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Crypt, Christ Church, Clifton Park, Bristol, BS8 3BN. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm on weekdays during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm, with a minimum attendance requirement of two mornings per week. The calendar therefore matters as much as the daily opening window for parents arranging work and childcare.

The autumn term runs from 3 September to 23 October 2026, followed by a term from 2 November to 18 December 2026. These dates give families concrete boundaries for their autumn arrangements. Admissions enquiries can be made by telephone or email, and there is also a contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. All three- and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 funded hours a week from the term following their third birthday; qualifying working families can apply for a further 15 hours, bringing the total to 30. For two-year-olds, 15 to 30 funded hours are offered where the family meets the criteria, alongside the pre-school's entry age of two and a half.

Non-funded hours are also offered. Families should obtain a current written quotation for paid childcare, keeping their intended attendance pattern alongside the funding entitlement when considering the overall arrangement. The admissions and funding page sets out the age and attendance conditions.

• Term-time childcare. Weekday opening ends at 3pm and follows the term calendar. Families needing later afternoons or holiday care will need an arrangement that covers those periods.
• Minimum attendance. Children start from two and a half, with at least two mornings each week. At a visit, discuss how settling would work within that minimum pattern for your child.
• Outdoor participation. Weekly woodland learning and the summer Beach School programme are meaningful parts of the experience. Ask how transport, clothing and participation are organised for your child's needs.
• Food and everyday supplies. When discussing your intended attendance, what should families bring for meals and consumables, and how are these treated within funded and paid hours?

Christ Church Clifton Pre-School suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions during term time, with a minimum commitment of two mornings each week. Its strongest practical appeal is the combination of a usable garden, woodland experiences and summer coastal learning, supported by regular opportunities for parents to talk with staff.

The May 2024 Outstanding judgement gives weight to that offer. The timetable is the deciding constraint: families whose needs fit the term calendar and 3pm closing time have a setting with concrete opportunities for outdoor discovery and close parent contact.