The Academy Nursery School

Gymnastics equipment and a dedicated dance studio give this Portishead nursery a clear physical identity. Based within The Academy of Gymnastics, The Academy Nursery School combines movement classes with storytelling, early mathematics and practical independence. Exercise is part of the learning offer, rather than simply a break between other activities.

The nursery has capacity for 30 children and accepts children from age 2. At its September 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good, recognising learning shaped around children's interests and needs, while identifying improvements to children's opportunities to explain their ideas and to the organisation of group activities. Those findings provide a dated assessment, rather than a description of today's practice.

Term-time nursery days and separately charged extended hours serve different attendance needs. The gymnastics setting is the strongest reason to look closely; the calendar and charge structure deserve equal attention.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the educational foundation: children's days bring together language, physical development, relationships, mathematics and other areas of learning through activities and play. Alongside that foundation, the Academy's group-wide curriculum includes specialist classes and practical experiences. The emphasis is on doing things, talking about them and gradually managing more independently.

Gymnastics is the branch's clearest addition. Preschool gymnastics coaches lead structured sessions, with nursery staff supporting participation; children also have opportunities to explore equipment in less structured sessions. Circuits can involve trampolines and trampettes for jumping, beams and wobble boards for balance, and bars and floor activities for swinging and rolling. That gives movement a much more specific setting than a general promise of active play.

Dance takes place in a dedicated dance studio. Movement games connect actions with language, including interpreting instructions about how to skip or jump, while staff help children join the specialist-led class. Music sessions introduce instruments, differences in pitch and tone, and repeated rhythms that children can clap, tap and develop themselves. These classes give children different ways to participate: through movement, listening and making sounds.

The group-wide language approach includes Dough Disco, a fine-motor activity used to prepare for writing. Singing, stories and rhymes sit alongside introductions to letter sounds; story-making games and drama give children opportunities to invent their own narratives. This is preparation for literacy through several kinds of activity, rather than handwriting alone.

Mathematics combines play and exploration with some direct teaching. The intended learning includes comparing quantities, describing shapes and noticing patterns. In September 2021, children used counting, number recognition and colour matching during everyday activities, and could combine groups of children to work out a total. These examples show how mathematical ideas were being used in familiar situations at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outside play and morning exercise also form part of the physical-development approach. Activities address climbing, balance, coordination and using space, while smaller movements are practised through tools and equipment. The physical offer therefore reaches beyond the gymnastics classes.

The group-wide learning activities include caring for newly hatched ducklings and observing butterflies emerge, bringing animal care and life cycles into children's experience. Baking introduces weighing and mixing; paintings, models and construction provide other ways to explore materials and ideas. Children can encounter cultural celebrations through activities including Diwali paintings. These are concrete experiences to discuss and investigate, rather than abstract topics alone.

Relationships and Communication

Everyday independence receives practical attention. Children are encouraged to change their shoes, put belongings on pegs and take responsibility for serving and tidying at snack time. Staff help them identify feelings, consider other children's emotions and work through disagreements. The implication is useful preparation for managing ordinary routines and relationships as they move towards school.

The group-wide curriculum also gives parents activities to continue at home. Shared reading includes discussing unfamiliar words and predicting what might happen next; making shopping lists or cards connects writing with a real purpose. Suggestions for dressing independently and persisting with puzzles extend the same emphasis on self-care and perseverance beyond nursery hours.

In September 2021, older children managed their coats and wellies, while younger children were willing to try tasks themselves. Staff used praise and maintained calm interactions. These are dated examples of how the approach worked in daily life, and useful subjects to explore during a visit.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well supported, with staff checking whether additional funding was making the intended difference. This is an inspection-time judgement, including scrutiny of the support children received.

Staffing at that visit comprised five practitioners: four held level 6 qualifications and one held a level 3 early years qualification. That describes the team in September 2021. It does not establish today's staffing deployment or the size of a child's group.

Children bring lunch from home, while the nursery supplies morning and afternoon snacks through its additional-services contribution. Shared eating times are used for social interaction, with children encouraged to manage personal care and hygiene independently.

Sessions and Attendance

The Portishead nursery day runs from 8.50am to 4.20pm, Monday to Thursday. Attendance is term-time, across 38 weeks, with the nursery aiming to follow North Somerset's term pattern. This calendar matters for families who need childcare during school holidays or on Fridays.

The funding model describes two days per week for children eligible for 15 hours, and four days for those eligible for 30 hours. Additional hours can be requested for a charge. Separately charged extended hours before and after the nursery day provide another attendance option.

Getting There

The setting is within The Academy of Gymnastics at 1 Harbourmead, Harbour Road Trading Estate, Bristol, BS20 7AY, in Portishead. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, selecting Portishead, or by email to hello@academynurseryschool.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with 15-hour and 30-hour attendance arrangements delivered during term time. Private childcare is also charged by the hour for children without funding, and extra hours are chargeable. Eligibility remains a condition of the funded arrangements.

A separate contribution covers snacks, non-food consumables and specialist curriculum classes; families provide a packed lunch. Funded hours therefore need to be considered alongside these additional services when comparing the total childcare bill. The fee arrangements explain the structure, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Fees are billed in advance each term. Monthly payment carries an administration charge. Applying involves a registration form, terms and conditions and a registration charge; a deposit is due when a placement is confirmed, and allocation depends on that payment clearing.

• Term-time calendar. Nursery days run Monday to Thursday across 38 weeks. Families needing Friday or school-holiday care should weigh that calendar against their working arrangements.
• Youngest children's participation. In September 2021, group activities could run too long or prove too demanding for younger children, and staff did not consistently encourage fuller explanations of children's thinking. During a tour, ask how activities now accommodate younger children and invite them to express their ideas.
• Funding and additional services. Snacks, consumables and specialist classes attract a separate contribution, while lunch comes from home. Compare the written quotation with the attendance pattern you intend to use, including any extended hours.

The Academy Nursery School suits families seeking term-time nursery days or those days with additional extended hours, especially where gymnastics, dance and music appeal to their child. Specialist equipment, a dance studio and practical independence give the offer substance.

The September 2021 assessment was positive, with specific weaknesses around group participation and children's opportunities to explain their thinking. The decision rests on the fit between that activity-led offer, the term-time calendar and the full charge structure.