Abacus @ Baileys Court Activity Centre
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Bristol for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2025. Open since 2015, with 28 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in South Gloucestershire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in South Gloucestershire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
BS32 8BHWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 5 February 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff build positive relationships with children and their families before they start at the setting. Staff get to know what children can already do so they plan successfully to meet their care and development needs from the beginning. This enables children to arrive happy, and those new to the setting soon settle and have fun learning.
Leaders plan a good curriculum to prepare children well for school, focusing on their prime areas of development. Staff encourage children's independence, language skills, relationships and active learning. Children relish being outdoors, where they practise their physical abilities, know how to dress for the weather and learn to make safe choices. Staff enable children to develop their resilience and critical thinking effectively. They encourage children to produce their own ideas and use trial and error to see if they work.
Leaders evaluate their practice effectively and implement new initiatives to benefit the children. For example, they have increased outdoor learning, which has had a positive impact on children's behaviour and well-being. Leaders have helped staff to take responsibility for a specific area of learning each term to ensure a balanced curriculum. They have introduced peer observations and leaders are strong role models to ensure children receive good-quality teaching overall.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staffs' awareness of monitoring all children's engagement, to know when to intervene and move their learning on n ensure staff provide clear instructions in group activities, to support children's understanding more effectively.
- 5 February 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 26 April 2019Good
- 22 March 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Abacus @ Baileys Court Activity Centre
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.