Sticky Fish Pre-School

Daily garden play and a smaller Wild Garden give Sticky Fish Pre-School a clear outdoor identity. This Christian pre-school welcomes families of all backgrounds at Fishponds Baptist Church in Bristol, with play and children's own interests shaping its approach. Nature is part of the ordinary day, rather than an occasional outing.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 23 November 2022. Its capacity is 27 children in total, while its current age offer runs from 2.5 years to school leavers. That age range makes this a preschool choice rather than care starting in infancy.

Attendance is term time, with morning and whole-day options. The strongest reasons to consider it are the daily outdoor offer, settling that allows parents to stay alongside their child, and a key worker who gets to know each child's interests.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: children develop language, physical skills, relationships and early mathematical understanding through play. Sticky Fish places children's interests within that framework, using open-ended experiences and adult support to help them explore an idea further. The balance is between making discoveries themselves and receiving help when a new challenge needs it.

Books and oral storytelling supply starting points for conversation and further activities. Children can express ideas through building, drawing, singing or dance, so spoken language is one route into participation rather than the only one. The curriculum also introduces mathematical and scientific concepts and encourages children to care for themselves, each other and their surroundings.

In November 2022, children made up stories and performed them with friends. Older children practised the first letters in their names, while younger children developed coordination through bigger movements. Staff supported conversation by speaking clearly, listening and allowing children time to answer. Those examples show how communication and early writing fitted into play at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children use the garden or Wild Garden every day. The larger garden has spaces for different kinds of play, while natural materials including bark, stones, leaves and mud give children things to investigate and use imaginatively. This makes outdoor learning a substantial part of the offer for families whose children enjoy movement and hands-on exploration.

In November 2022, outdoor activities included obstacle courses, wheelbarrows and mixing materials in a play kitchen. Adults encouraged children as they tried physical challenges. The wild garden also supplied opportunities to explore nature, linking movement and sensory play with attention to the living world.

A Summer Walk was scheduled for 6 June 2025 and a Wild Place Trip for 9 July 2025.

Relationships and Communication

Settling can proceed at the child's pace. Parents are encouraged to remain for as long as they feel their child needs, giving children time to try activities and become familiar with the setting with a parent nearby. Each child has a key worker responsible for helping them settle and learning about their needs and interests. That gives families a specific relationship around which to build communication.

Parent involvement extends beyond settling. Families can contribute by reading a story, sharing an interest or playing an instrument. Sharing information about a child's current interests also helps staff plan experiences that connect with life at home.

In November 2022, communication included everyday conversations, newsletters and an online application carrying photographs and developmental updates. Children also practised independence through ordinary routines: changing footwear, clearing toys and washing their snack equipment. These were practical opportunities to take responsibility, rather than separate lessons in self-care.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes designated safeguarding lead and SENCO roles, and the team undertakes training in child protection, first aid and food hygiene. These are arrangements families can discuss alongside their child's individual needs.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described how the SENCO, manager and staff planned targeted support for children with SEND. Current settling arrangements offer a useful starting point for discussing how that support would fit an individual child.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, and whole-day sessions from 9am to 3pm; since September 2026, children aged 2.5 can also stay all day. Afternoon-only attendance is not offered.

Morning children can add lunch club from noon to 12.30pm. The fee structure also includes additional extended hours for children over three from noon to 3pm, an extension to the morning rather than an afternoon-only booking. These choices serve different routines, but the term-time calendar remains central to planning childcare.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, WhatsApp or email through the contact route. For reservations for the following year, families are directed to email or call while the reservation form is being updated.

Getting There

The address is Fishponds Baptist Church, Downend Road, Bristol BS16 5AS, with free onsite parking for a small number of cars. Bus services 48, 48a and 49 connect Easton with nearby Straits Parade in Fishponds.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and private paid attendance form part of the offer, with Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) information linked from the fees page. Term fees apply to children who are not eligible for government funding; families should obtain a current written quotation covering their attendance pattern.

Lunch club is charged separately for morning children, whereas the additional extended-hours charge for children over three includes the lunch-session fee. Additional charges also cover foods and cooking materials, personal care items, specialist craft supplies, outdoor resources, administrative costs and events, so both food and non-food extras belong in the budget.

• Term-time mornings or whole days. The day ends at 3pm and afternoon-only attendance is excluded. Match those boundaries and the term-time calendar to your family's working hours.
• Adapting activities and sharing information. In November 2022, planned activities sometimes needed greater adjustment to sustain involvement, and information exchange with other childcare settings needed strengthening. During a visit, ask how staff now adapt activities and coordinate with another provider your child attends.
• Staffing across the age range. The staffing description uses a whole-setting example of six children per adult, while children can start at 2.5 years. Ask how adults are deployed specifically for the youngest children rather than treating that example as an age-specific ratio.
• The complete charge structure. Morning lunch club, the lunch-session fee within extended hours, and additional food and personal care charges have different arrangements. A written quotation should distinguish funded attendance, private hours and each extra before you choose a pattern.

Sticky Fish suits families seeking either term-time mornings or whole-day preschool attendance, with daily outdoor play and space for children to pursue their interests. The garden and Wild Garden give that approach a concrete setting; parent-supported settling makes the start adaptable to the child. Its Good judgement dates from 2022, and the activity-planning and information-sharing improvement points remain useful questions for a visit. The practical fit depends on a 3pm finish, term-time operation and a clear understanding of extras.