Noah's Ark Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Bristol for babies from 9 months up to 5 year olds, open 8am to 6pm. £65.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2024. Open since 1997, with 26 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £65.009am - 3.30pm | £30.009am - 12.00pm or 12.30pm - 3.30pm, 3 hrs | £10.00 |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £1.50 Morning snack
- £1.50 Afternoon snack
- £2.50 a week Weekly music sessions
- £2.50 a week Additional consumables
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
9 Month old funding (working parents), 2 Year old funding, 3 and 4-year-old funding: 15 hours per week term time, 30 per week term time for eligible working parents.
Worth knowing. Early Years entitlement hours are funded by the government rate which does not cover snacks or consumables we charge for these additional items.
What childcare usually costs in Bath and North East Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Bath and North East Somerset 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
BS39 7LWWhat 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, 6 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff are nurturing and form strong bonds with children in this welcoming preschool. Children are greeted individually and warmly welcomed by staff, who prioritise their emotional well-being. This helps all children feel safe and secure.
Staff find out detailed information about children and their families and provide settling in periods, helping children new to the pre-school to settle quickly. Children respond well to routines. For instance, when staff indicate it is group time, children confidently move to the area. Children show enjoyment as they actively join in when staff encourage them to shake their bodies. This helps children to develop their physical skills.
The committed staff team ensures daily that the layout, use of the environment and the resources provide a range of learning experiences and opportunities for children to develop their independence. Children show delight as they play outdoors. They demonstrate physical dexterity when they access a complex obstacle course. Staff provide appropriate support for the younger or less confident children. Staff help children to understand the pre-school's expectations. For example, they give clear and consistent messages to children by modelling good manners and behaviour.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve the ongoing coaching and support for staff to further develop their teaching skills n develop ways to share information with all parents about children's next steps and ideas of how they can extend children's learning at home.
- 6 September 2024Good
- 13 November 2018Good
- 25 March 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Noah's Ark Preschool
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £65.00 a day still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.