First Friends Nursery

Practical independence gives First Friends Nursery much of its character: in March 2022, children prepared snacks, poured drinks and helped wash up, while older children explored how rain forms through a large painting on tarpaulin. Everyday tasks became opportunities to learn. This Kingswood setting at Bridge House has capacity for 48 children, with a current age range of six months to six years.

At its 4 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and personal development Outstanding, while identifying improvements needed in staff feedback and the time children were given to answer questions. Those findings give parents both a positive assessment and specific points to explore.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions sit within an opening day running from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care, connecting play with communication, physical development and growing independence. Here, the March 2022 examples show how children's interests could become practical investigations rather than simply occupy their time.

An interest in cars led children to build ramps from tubes and blocks, then develop a cardboard-box garage. Drawing doors and windows was only part of the task: children considered whether the structure would hold together and whether the openings would work. It brought making, discussion and problem-solving into the same activity.

The rain-cycle painting offered a different kind of exploration. In March 2022, older children discussed evaporation and precipitation while watching paint move across tarpaulin. Scientific ideas were connected to something children could manipulate and explain. These are dated examples of the nursery day, rather than a timetable of current activities.

Younger children's experiences in March 2022 included natural materials and sensory resources, alongside support as babies pulled themselves upright and began taking steps. Language also featured in shared activities: younger children exchanged greetings in several languages. Words from children's home languages connected nursery experiences with family life.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making good developmental progress, with staff identifying learning gaps and discussing them with parents. This supports the positive assessment of care at that visit; it does not turn a dated judgement into a present-day guarantee.

Relationships were built through information about each child's home life. In March 2022, staff gathered starting-point information from parents, and babies sought support from familiar adults as they moved around the room. For a young child, that connection between home knowledge and daily care matters as much as the activity itself.

Communication with parents had a practical mechanism too. In March 2022, a parent board allowed families to contribute children's interests for staff to develop, alongside parent conversations at both ends of the nursery day. Parents could contribute ideas, rather than only receive updates.

Independence extended into health and hygiene. During March 2022, younger children washed play utensils, while older children cleaned plates and cups after eating. Preparing fruit and vegetables and pouring drinks gave children purposeful jobs with visible results.

Sessions and Attendance

First Friends Nursery is at Bridge House, Bridge Road, Kingswood, BS15 4FN. It opens on weekdays from 8am to 6pm and operates for 51 weeks a year, giving families an attendance option that extends beyond school terms.

The booking patterns are a morning session from 8am to 1pm, an afternoon session from 1pm to 6pm, and a full day from 8am to 6pm. The separate morning and afternoon options matter for families whose working hours or childcare arrangements do not require a whole day. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 0117 957 3799.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is accepted through the government two-year grant and the universal and extended grants for three- and four-year-olds, subject to eligibility. Hours beyond grant funding are invoiced, so funded entitlement and additional paid attendance should be considered separately. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the session structure.

Fees include milk, fresh-fruit snacks and toast as a late-afternoon snack. Sun cream is also included in the fee, giving families a clear position on that particular non-food consumable.

• Teaching feedback and conversation. In March 2022, staff did not consistently receive sufficiently precise feedback, and some questioning moved on before children could respond. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how staff development and conversational pacing work now.
• Matching the session to family life. Morning sessions finish at 1pm, when afternoon sessions begin. Consider which pattern fits work and other care commitments before choosing attendance days.
• Meals and funded attendance. Snacks, milk, toast and sun cream are included in fees, while extra hours beyond funding are invoiced. What would the written quotation include for meals and consumables under your intended funded attendance pattern?

First Friends suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with care extending across 51 weeks of the year. Its March 2022 examples give the review substance: children made working structures, explored the rain cycle and took responsibility for everyday tasks.

The balance is clear. The dated inspection assessment was positive, but feedback to staff and space for children to answer needed attention. Families who value practical independence and a choice of session lengths have concrete reasons to consider it.