All aboutRedcliffe Nursery Schoolin Bristol
Redcliffe Nursery School stands proudly in the Redcliffe area of Bristol, next to St. Mary Redcliffe Secondary School on Ship Lane, where it has served the community for over 60 years. Under the leadership of Headteacher Sam Williams, the nursery inspires, innovates, challenges, and expands horizons for children, parents, staff, and visitors. The school employs highly qualified and experienced teachers and nursery practitioners, all passionate about children’s well-being, progression, and development. Redcliffe’s learning environment is thoughtfully resourced with natural, heuristic, and open-ended materials that encourage exploration, investigation, and hypothesis-making. Though situated in an urban setting, the nursery provides a valuable, dynamic outdoor space, complemented by forest adventures that connect them with the natural world.
Why chooseRedcliffe Nursery School
Rights-Based, Child-Centred Philosophy
Redcliffe Nursery School places children’s rights at the centre of its educational approach, celebrating each child through nurturing relationships, active listening, and authentic, expansive play opportunities. The nursery creates democratic learning spaces where open dialogue and sensitive, responsive interactions enable individualised progression. Children’s voices are genuinely valued, as evidenced by their own statements about their experiences. This rights-based approach has earned recognition from visitors who observe how the setting “provides, supports, meets needs, and gives freedom” to all children, creating an environment where play is celebrated as the most important aspect of early learning.
Research-Informed Practice
Redcliffe Nursery School distinguishes itself through its commitment to research-informed education, welcoming diverse perspectives and enjoying open exchange of ideas to continuously deepen thinking and develop vision. Staff actively participate in reflective research that enhances their professional knowledge and practice. The nursery’s approach is enriched by practitioners pursuing advanced qualifications, including Master’s degrees, which bring new insights and innovative approaches to early childhood education. This research-driven culture ensures children benefit from cutting-edge educational practices while staff continuously evolve their understanding of how young children learn and develop.
Unique Community Connections
The nursery embraces, values, and respects each person, family, and culture within its community, creating a profound sense of trust and belonging. Redcliffe recognises the importance of the knowledge children bring and the crucial role that home environments play in learning journeys. The nursery extends beyond traditional boundaries through its “wild forest adventures,” regular museum visits, and community explorations that provide children with real-world experiences. Parents consistently praise the warm, caring, child-led approach, the wonderful forest experiences, varied food program, and how staff nurture creativity and imagination. Many families choose Redcliffe for multiple children, with former students often speaking fondly of their time there years later.
Redcliffe Nursery Schooloffers
Open: Term-time only
Session Times: 8:55am - 3:05pm (8:55am - 11:25am or 12:25pm - 3:05pm for 15-Hour Places on Wednesdays)
2-Year-Old Provision
3-4 Year-Old Provision
Wraparound Care (Breakfast Club: 8:00am-8:55am, Tea Club: 3:05pm-5:30pm)
Funded 15-Hour/30-Hour Places
Exceptional Outdoor Spaces
Additional Information: We take children with 9-month funding as soon as they turn 2
What people say aboutRedcliffe Nursery School
Our son has had the absolute best time at Redcliffe, they provide so many leaning experiences, fab trips to the forest, good, varied food and a fabulous garden. His imagination and confidence have grown so much, and he is fully prepared for his next adventure at primary school. We will miss this nursery so much!
Wonderful, warm, caring, child-led preschool setting, thoroughly recommended! We have chosen Redcliffe Children’s Centre as the perfect place for our two children since 2015 until now and will certainly send our third child there too when she is old enough. The teachers are fantastic, as are the administration staff and the cooks, in fact everyone is so kind and nurturing to the children and their families. They manage to create and maintain a fun, engaging atmosphere while providing wonderful opportunities for forest experiences and trips out to museums and places of interest, all with very modest means. Both my children have LOVED Redcliffe and my eldest still talks about it fondly despite it being 3 years since he attended!
My son went here from 2017 to 2019, and I cannot rate it highly enough. The staff are absolutely wonderful, they take the children on forest trips, have a great food project that is renowned and the support they give to the children and parents is lovely. Whenever I had something to discuss they were so supportive like when our pet died and our son was upset, the key carer took extra steps to make sure it was talked about but supported with him. The atmosphere is great, it’s got a great free play attitude, and they really nurture creativity and imagination. Go and take a look, have a walk around and speak to previous parents, it’s fabulous.
What's happening atRedcliffe Nursery School
New Website Launches for Bristol’s Maintained Nursery Schools
Bristol's Maintained Nursery Schools are proud to announce the launch of our new website, celebrating nearly a century of exceptional early years education across the city. This new digital platform showcases Bristol's remarkable network of nursery schools, some of...
Spring Learning Adventures at Redcliffe Nursery School – April 2025
As spring blossoms across Bristol, children at Redcliffe Nursery School have been engaging in rich, varied learning experiences that support their development across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. Blackbirds Room: A New Space for...