The Nursery

A therapy dog, professional-led ballet and science inspired by a dinosaur story give The Nursery a recognisable character. These were part of daily life in April 2022, combining imaginative activity with practical ways to help children manage their feelings.

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The setting at 8-10 Combe Road, Bristol BS20 6BJ, now has capacity for 127 children and accepts ages from 2 to 59 months. Capacity is a whole-setting measure, rather than the size of an individual group.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children's learning, development and care. In April 2022, learning included language through discussion, movement and imagination through drama and ballet, and early reading through phonics and wordless books.

In April 2022, a story about volcanoes and dinosaurs prompted an experiment with vinegar, baking soda and food colouring. Children handled pipettes, watched the reaction and described what happened, while staff extended the discussion through questions. It brought language, practical exploration and a story together in one activity.

Professional-led drama and ballet also featured that April, giving children opportunities to use movement and imagination. School preparation included phonics and an early reading scheme. Wordless books encouraged children to construct stories from pictures, making the starting point their own interpretation rather than printed text.

In April 2022, settling was tailored to each child, with both a primary and a secondary key person. That arrangement gave families a second familiar contact when the primary practitioner was absent. An online learning portal helped staff share progress with parents.

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found exceptional SEND support, with assessments involving families and outside professionals, individual learning plans and small-group intervention in a dedicated teaching room. The practical detail matters: support was organised around individual needs, with a separate space for targeted work.

Bilingual practitioners used French and Italian with multilingual children that April, allowing home languages to be part of nursery conversations. A trained therapy dog also supported emotional wellbeing; staff had observed children becoming calmer while spending time with it.

Staff support in April 2022 included supervision meetings, counselling access, mindfulness sessions and an on-site wellbeing officer. Recruitment checks, induction and staff knowledge of reporting welfare concerns formed the safeguarding arrangements at that time.

The address is 8-10 Combe Road, Bristol BS20 6BJ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Thursday, across the year, with closure on Fridays and bank holidays. Opening hours describe the operating window rather than a particular booking pattern.

In April 2022, the nursery received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated account of participation, rather than a promise of a funded place for an individual child.

• A four-day working week. Friday closure makes the nursery's operating pattern a material consideration for families arranging care across the working week.
• Care from early infancy. The accepted age range starts at 2 months, while the detailed account of settling and key-person care dates to April 2022. How would settling, attendance and a written quotation covering funded hours, meals and consumables work for your child now?

For families whose childcare needs fit Monday to Thursday, The Nursery merits consideration for its April 2022 combination of creative activity, individual support and carefully organised relationships. The strongest detail is practical: two key people for continuity, picture-led storytelling and a dedicated space for targeted teaching. The Outstanding judgement belongs to April 2022; families should weigh that dated assessment alongside their child's present care needs.