What makes Redcliffe special

Redcliffe Nursery School is a Bristol City Council maintained setting located in the heart of Redcliffe, close to the centre of the city and only 5 minutes’ walk away from the transport hub of Temple Meads.  We currently accommodate 150 two to five year old’s within key groups of  10-14 children.  The site is a purpose-built, single level building utilizing a large communal central room with safe free flow between the internal and external play areas.  The space is light, airy and has the needs of the child at the heart of its design, enabling a sense of freedom, challenge and accessibility.

First established as a nursery school in the 1960’s, we have been serving the Redcliffe community for over 50 years and, in more recent times, have evolved to be a Centre of Excellence, recognised by the   wider early years teaching community as having an exemplary approach to early years education.  At the end of 2017 we achieved our tenth consecutive Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating due to our consistent delivery of a diverse, teacher led curriculum.  We have an engaged and active  community of parents, teachers and governors and strong links within the local community

Redcliffe’s teaching staff are highly qualified in Early Years education practices and are in close touch with and, in some cases  contributing to, the development of teaching practices for this age group on a National and international level.  Many of our teachers have completed, or are in the process of completing, masters level studies in Early Years education – a fact that displays a deep professional commitment to excellence within their practice. 

With a teaching philosophy rooted in the  importance of play led learning and spending time in the natural environment, we enable children to explore the world safely, at their own pace and according to their individual enquiries.  We believe that the teaching materials we make available are beyond what you would find in an average early year setting, with a focus on enabling children to explore their interests using a wide range of subject matter.  We actively encourage investigation, exploration and creative expression and ensure that opportunities are constantly enabled to allow this.  Particular areas of expertise are maths, literacy and an increasing focus on musical/creative expression.  The interweaving of these subjects allows for a vibrant, often noisy, learning space!

The nursery school is fortunate to have a mini bus, used daily, for trips into the forest

(we often go to Leigh Woods and Ashton Court) so that every child within the setting regularly accesses the benefits of learning within nature.  The positive results of learning in a natural environment are becoming increasingly documented for their powerful impact upon life skills, encouraging physical confidence as well as connection with the wider world and people within it.  Every opportunity is taken to allow children access to experiential learning opportunities. This often takes us to the local city farm, museums, explorations around the harbour area or simply and, on our doorstep, exploring the fascinating space which is St Mary Redcliffe church.

Redcliffe has a progressive food programme, located on site, which provides healthy, home cooked, fresh food on a daily basis. This facility allows children to participate in food creation, learning about nutrition and widens their understanding of how food can help them and their families be healthy.  With an ever-increasing issue of childhood obesity in the UK we believe that this is an important and positive contribution to combatting this issue.  We see early awareness positively impacting future habits and rippling back through families and the wider community

Redcliffe Nursery School is truly rooted in, and serving of, a diverse community.  With over 12 different languages spoken by the children within the setting we are an encompassing space, encouraging uniqueness while celebrating commonalities.  We have in house SEND expertise and work closely with parents to ensure that their children, and they, are receiving the support they need within a caring framework.  With a history rooted in the provision of a wide range of city lead children’s services we feel well placed to provide insight, advice and exceptional support for children of all backgrounds and needs.  Our children are put first and foremost in all we do and we ensure that their rights are upheld to the highest possible level.

We look forward to welcoming you to our special nursery and hope that you will find it a safe, inspiring and warm environment in which to set your child on their life-long learning journey