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Nursery at St Bernadette Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Stories give this pre-school its shape: families, animals and minibeasts provided the themes for its 2025–2026 plans. St Bernadette’s nursery belongs to the Catholic primary school on Gladstone Road in Bristol, and its photograph page names the Acorn room. This is a school-attached start to early learning, with faith forming part of the wider setting’s identity.
Children can join through September or April intakes. A paid start before funded eligibility is possible for children aged two years and ten months who meet the specified intake dates, subject to space.
Books provide concrete starting points for learning. The proposed 2025–2026 programme paired All Kinds of Families with learning about children’s own families and families elsewhere. Naughty Bus supported the transport theme; The Woolly Bear Caterpillar introduced minibeasts. These are past plans, but they show how a story can give children a shared subject to explore and discuss.
The curriculum includes the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the framework for early learning and development. Language has a clear place in the nursery day. At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted described pre-school children taking part in storytelling, singing and rhymes to develop vocabulary and understanding. That gives early reading a spoken, shared starting point. The school also lists a Pre School Foundations in Phonics Programme and a pre-school phonics meeting for families.
Exploration extends beyond books. The early-years science approach uses play to help children discover their world, while the nursery gallery records children enjoying snow. These examples connect language and ideas with things children can experience directly.
Qualified early-years practitioners act as key workers for small groups of children. That gives families a specific staff connection within the team. The application timetable allows a home visit or meeting to be arranged before a child starts, alongside completion of the paperwork. This creates an opportunity for contact before the first session.
For additional needs, the school’s support process starts with the child’s teacher, with an appointment through the office available for a fuller discussion with the SEND coordinator. Teaching can be adapted and interventions introduced when that alone does not meet a child’s needs. The school also directs families to Community Children’s Health Partnership speech and language advice.
Breakfast Club includes fruit and toast. It is a separately booked addition to the nursery session, so families using it have a defined food offer at the beginning of the day.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Bristol City Council and meet the council’s closing date. Choosing the pre-school should therefore be a decision about the nursery experience itself.
Where families apply under the relevant faith-based admission criteria, supporting faith documents should also reach the school office before the deadline. This paperwork sits alongside the council application.
The universal funded offer is organised into two fixed 15-hour patterns: Monday and Tuesday, 9am–3pm, followed by Wednesday, 9am–noon; or Wednesday, noon–3pm, followed by Thursday and Friday, 9am–3pm. Wednesday is the dividing point, which matters when arranging work and collection.
Eligible working families can use 30 funded hours across Monday to Friday, 9am–3pm. They need an HMRC code, renewed every three months; the universal 15 hours require no code. Funding begins in the term after a child’s third birthday. A qualifying earlier start carries charges, with a minimum booking of 15 hours and advance payment through Arbor. Refer to the school for current charges.
Breakfast Club runs from 8.30am to 9am, and Extended Day Club from 3pm to 3.20pm. Both require advance booking in Arbor and fall outside funded hours. Extended Day Club has 16 places allocated in booking order. Collection must be prompt, and parents expecting an unforeseen delay must telephone the pre-school.
Send the nursery application form to preschool.stbernadettep@bristol-schools.uk or deliver it to the school office. Prospective parents can also arrange a school visit through the office.
There are September and April intakes. Children meeting the intake age conditions may start as rising threes, aged two years and ten months, subject to availability and charges.
Choose Monday and Tuesday, 9am–3pm, plus Wednesday morning, 9am–noon; or Wednesday afternoon, noon–3pm, plus Thursday and Friday, 9am–3pm.
Yes. The pattern is Monday to Friday, 9am–3pm, for working families meeting the eligibility criteria. An HMRC code is required and must be reconfirmed every three months.
Breakfast Club runs 8.30am–9am and Extended Day Club runs 3pm–3.20pm. Both must be booked beforehand through Arbor and are charged separately from funded provision.
No. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a place. Apply separately through Bristol City Council by its closing date, with any supporting admission documents submitted to the school as required.
