Until September, the education watchdog inspected schools and nurseries regularly and assigned them one of four different ratings: ‘Outstanding’ is the top rating, followed by ‘Good’, ‘Requires Improvement’ and ‘Inadequate.’
The classification is based on five key categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and either early years or sixth form provisions (depending on whether the school is primary or secondary).
The school regulator has since scrapped single word scores.
Scroll through to learn about the 20 Bristol nurseries which received an Ofsted rating in 2025 so far.
1. Frenchay Pre-School, Frenchay Village Hall, Beckspool Road, Bristol, BS16 1NU
Rating: Good. Published on April 14, the Ofsted report for Frenchay Pre-School reads: "Children are happy, secure, form strong friendships with their peers and enjoy playing together. There is a well-structured curriculum, which the staff implement effectively, preparing children well for their next stage of learning. Staff offer a rich variety of learning experiences, both indoors and outdoors, with a focus on children's physical development, social skills and emotional intelligence. Children have unrestricted access to outdoor play, where they develop their physical strength on balancing equipment, improve their coordination by throwing balls and roll balls down a tube with staff guidance. When the balls get stuck, staff support children in developing their critical thinking to find a solution. Staff build strong bonds with children, making them feel safe, secure and ready to learn. Children of all ages enjoy the reassurance of cuddles from staff. Staff place a strong emphasis on developing children's confidence in mathematics. Older children confidently count up to 10 and understand the difference between left and right. Staff challenge most-able children, helping them to understand subitising and complete simple maths tasks, such as addition and subtraction. Children are supported in recognising and understanding different shapes, including a pentagon, which has five sides." | Google Maps
2. Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bristol, Serbert Road, Gordano Gate, Portishead, BS20 7GF
Rating: Good. Published on April 14, the Ofsted report for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bristol reads: "Leaders welcome children and parents on arrival, so children arrive happy and are confident in the setting. Staff provide an exciting environment, which provokes children's curiosity and engages them in activities straight away. For example, children are eager to plant seeds in pots they have previously made. They understand what the seeds need to grow and discuss what the different seeds will look like. Children use mathematical language and share the resources with their friends. The provider has devised an ambitious curriculum, focusing on embedding children's prime areas of development and promoting their positive attitudes to learning. Overall, staff implement this successfully, providing consistently goodquality teaching. Children have good opportunities for outdoor learning, where they extend their physical development and awareness of the importance of exercise. Children behave well and understand the adults' expectations. From babies, children develop strong bonds with their key person, ensuring they feel emotionally secure. This underpins their ability to learn and develop successfully. Staff get to know the children well, making effective use of children's interests to motivate their learning. They build on what children can already do, enabling them to gain the knowledge and skills they need, ready for school." | Busy Bees in Portishead via Google Maps
3. Partou Little Big Steps Day Nursery & Pre-School, Crossroads, The Park, Daventry Road, BRISTOL, BS4 1DQ
Rating: Good. Published on April 14, the Ofsted report for Partou Little Big Steps Day Nursery & Pre-School reads: "Children are happy and confident in the nursery environment. Staff have good relationships with children that enable them to feel safe and secure. They provide children with a learning environment that is centred around their needs. For example, the youngest children have opportunities to develop their communication skills when they share books with staff and make sounds of animals they see in the book. Older children develop their small physical movements ready for early writing skills when they tip and pour water with jugs, pipettes and large spoons. Staff are close by to support and model play, and they praise children for having a go. The provider and staff develop and deliver a curriculum that promotes children's independence and confidence to ensure children are ready for their next stage of learning. Staff support the youngest children to get ready for the garden, allowing them time to independently have a go at putting on their coats. Older children engage in independent play with confidence. They share ideas with their friends and refer to staff for support when needed. All children show high levels of confidence and engage with play for extended periods. " | Partou Little Big Steps Day Nursery & Pre-school via Google Maps
4. Honey Tots Day Nursery, Redeem Christian Centre, 21-23 Stokes Croft, BRISTOL, BS1 3PY
Rating: Inadequate. Published on April 14, the Ofsted report for Honey Tots Day Nursery reads: "Leaders have not done enough to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and address weaknesses identified at the previous four inspections. Although leaders, with support from the local authority, have designed a new curriculum, staff do not know how to implement this. Staff do not receive the support they need to understand what they teach or how children learn. Staff do not challenge or extend children's learning. Staff do not adapt or tailor their approaches to meet the needs of the children. Staff interactions with children are poor and do not support children's communication and language development. For example, staff do not expose children to enough vocabulary geared at the right level for their stage of development. Staff do not engage in high-quality two-way conversations with children. They often ask children too many questions and do not allow enough time for children to think and respond or initiate communication for themselves. Despite weaknesses, children settle easily as they arrive at the nursery. Staff are friendly and children and families are greeted in their home language which gives them a sense of belonging. Staff get to know children when they first start. Children behave well and are familiar with the routines of the day. They listen and respond to instructions from staff, such as washing their hands before snack and at transitions in the routine. Children have access to a suitable range of resources that interest them." | Google Maps