Why choose our nurseries

Small
Bristol Childcare is a family run business with three nurseries across Bristol: The Court House in Knowle, Mornington House in Clifton and The Priory in Filton. We have over 48 years of running nurseries and our core values remain the same. Our ethos is small, homely and flexible and we achieve this through our focus on child-led care.

Homely
Our nurseries feel like home from home with cosy rooms and the welcoming smell of meals cooked on the premises using homegrown fruit and veg; we promote life skills using traditional arts and crafts; we choose natural resources, encourage a love of the outdoors and champion a focus on the traditional ways of doing things to reduce our environmental impact.

Flexible
With us you don’t have to do fixed sessions; hours are booked at times to suit you. All we ask is that your child attends for a minimum of eight hours over at least two days, as it is our experience that any less makes it difficult for a child to settle. Fees are calculated on a sliding scale so the more hours you do the less we charge per hour.
Why come to Bristol Childcare?
The Court House – “couldn’t recommend them enough”
“Both of my children have been to/currently attend this nursery and they have both loved it, as have we as parents. The staff are so kind, friendly and caring. Never had any complaints whatsoever which I think is rare! The food is lovely too. The outside space isn’t fantastic but there is a park nearby that they regularly visit. I couldn’t recommend them enough! Review from C, mum
The Court House – “It feels like a little family”
“My son moved from a previous setting to The Court House and the staff were extremely accommodating to us, especially considering the timeframe we were working with. My son has settled in very quickly and is extremely happy to go off to nursery every time, I believe this is a massive reflection on all of the staff who have obviously made him feel very welcome and at home when he is there. The staff are all very friendly, approachable and welcoming! It feels like a little family”. Review from P, mum
The Court House – “We feel really lucky to have such a great nursery to rely on”
“We’ve been so impressed and pleased with the quality of care that our son receives at The Court House Day Nursery. The staff all seem to love what they do, and where they work, and that is clear in the excellent retention and the close bonds between kids, peers, and carers. The culture of The Court House is lovely and that comes through in the quality of care. It’s all particularly impressive given the challenges of the sector/policies. Our little one has been there since 9 months and absolutely flourished, often teaching us all sorts of new games and…
The Priory – “Her development has come on so much being there”
“The nursery is absolutely amazing with our daughter. She has such a fun time and she loves to be there. They are very good at keeping us informed about her day, her development has come on so much being there. All the staff are so lovely and I feel very comfortable leaving her there.” Review from N, mum
The Priory – “Our son loves the food that is cooked”
“Nursery with a homely feel and friendly staff. Our son started going to The Priory Day Nursery about 6 months ago. He really enjoys the outside space and all the various creative activities and messy play staff do with the children. Caring and friendly staff, who all know him, no matter which room they work in. We especially appreciate how nursery accommodates his food allergy and he loves the food that is cooked.” Review from V, mum
Mornington House – “Would highly recommend”
“A really friendly caring nursery. Excellent staff. Well organised. Good food. Regular feedback to parents. Children all very happy. Nice outside space despite the city location. Nice culture/values. Would highly recommend.” Review from T, dad
Mornington House – “Children are learning through play and are fully prepared for starting school”
“My two sons have attended Mornington House from baby room to pre-school with one still currently in preschool. We can’t rate the nursery highly enough. All the staff are amazing. They are friendly, attentive and caring. The lovely Manager and her team in preschool provide exciting, engaging and fun activities ensuring the children are learning through play and are fully prepared for starting school. The fabulous Louise provides nutritious and varied meals. The brilliant manager ensures everything runs smoothly and parents are kept informed about everything that is going on. The communication between nursery and home is excellent. We love…
Mornington House – “Every drop off and pick up there is a smile and a hug”
“My son has been with Mornington House Day Nursery for just over 2 years. I’m so grateful for the support and confidence they have given my son and myself as a single parent mother. My son has blossomed and has experienced all the love, fun and great memories from Mornington. The manager leads a great team. I am always informed and all milestones are discussed and monitored. The staff are wide range of ages so I always feel there is a multitude of experiences that can help support and look after my son. Every drop off and pick up there…
Mornington House – “A small nursery with a family vibe”
“Incredibly kind staff who really care for the children. I have a child in both the baby room and preschool. They love attending and their confidence has come leaps and bounds in the past few months” Review from C, mum
The Court House – “Our children have thrived”
“Our children have thrived at The Court House Day Nursery. The staff are very friendly and care for our children so well. The nursery are constantly making improvements including upgrading the room environments and investing in natural, open ended materials and toys. We appreciate the regular photo updates via the app. The preschool room offers lots of enrichment activities to help prepare the children for school. The food is excellent and prepared on site. Review from E, mum
Mornington House – “A family environment, not a corporate operation”
“Mornington House look after my 1 year old daughter and previously looked after my son who was in pre-school. I honestly can’t fault the nursery, the care they have given both of our children has been exceptional. They are lovely to deal with, genuinely care for the children and are very fair when it comes to drop off/pick up. It’s a family environment, not a corporate operation.” Review from M, dad.
The Priory – “A strong culture of helping children learn and develop through expressive play”
“The team provide a warm, welcoming and family friendly setting for our children. Activities such as circle time have had a noticeable effect on our children’s interest in stories, expressing themselves and expanding their vocabulary. Regular trips to the library have opened up a whole new world for them to explore. A strong culture of helping children learn and develop through expressive play is apparent at all stages. A first-rate team” Review from L, dad
The Priory – “The staff are lovely, caring and friendly”
Absolutely fantastic nursery and highly recommended. The staff are lovely, caring and friendly. The manager is great also, she has been great sorting out the hours, always present and friendly. The nursery is really great on flexible hours which was key for us. They are always outdoors all year round which my son loves and have different activities each day. They serve lovely food to the children in a family environment. Review from L, mum
The Court House – “Attention is paid to the little details”
“We have been delighted with the level of care our daughter has received at The Court House Day Nursery. She has been there for almost a year and she has flourished and really grown in confidence. She loves the staff and talks about them often at home, along with making lots of friends. Staff always seem to be on top of things like dietary requirements, belongings don’t get lost, and there’s always a good handover at the start and end of day – it shows attention is paid to the little details. It has also been great to see effort…
The Priory – “A real family like atmosphere”
“We have been sending our children to this nursery since 2020, starting with our eldest, and we couldn’t be happier with the care they’ve received. The positive experience with our first child led us to send our two younger children there as well. The staff are absolutely brilliant, offering incredible support to children, parents and each other. There’s a real family like atmosphere. From helping tiny little ones settle during those tricky first few weeks of separation, to helping toddlers develop independence and new skills, the nursery staff are warm, kind and proactive. Our kids love all the activities, stories,…
Mornington House – “Our daughter is safe, healthy and happy there”
“It’s an excellent team at Mornington House. We selected Mornington because the staff gave us a strong sense of confidence that our child would be safe, healthy and happy there. Our daughter has now been there since she was 6 months old, all the way to preschool, and we look back and think that we’re so glad we chose Mornington. Our daughter is so happy there that she frequently asks, on her own accord, to go to preschool. Every time we drop her off we have total confidence she will be safe. We have come to know she’ll be learning…
Latest News

Science Week at The Court House
It’s Science Week! Baby Room at The Court House have enjoyed exploring the weather and seasonal elements as we discuss changes, growth, and decay in the environment (which is part…

Hygienist Visit
A parent, whose children used to attend Mornington House, is a Dental Hygienist and she visited us with one of her colleagues. She asked us what type of toothbrush we…

Sound Therapy at The Court House
We were lucky to have Juliana come into nursery and play and care for the children at The Court House. She brought in her singing bowls and did a session…

Visiting our pen pals
The Court House pre school recently made our first trip to Stokeleigh Lodge Retirement Home! The children all had a wonderful time. At first the children were a little nervous…

Safer Internet Day
At Mornington House we talked about Safer Internet Day. We looked at the book ‘Once Upon a Time Online’ which explores the perils of the internet, sharing technology and how…

Chinese New Year at The Court House
At The Court House we recently celebrated Chinese New Year. We talked about the celebration and looked at the animals that represent the years. This year is the year of…

Weather watching at The Court House
At The Court House, the Baby Room participates in morning group time in which we sing ‘hello’ to everyone. We also look at the day of the week and the…

Children’s Hospital visit
We have been talking in Preschool at Mornington House about people who are kind and some of the children remembered when they had to go to hospital and how kind…

Woodland Makery at The Priory
Recently at The Priory we had another visit from Elise at Woodland Makery. The theme for this session was winter. We rescued pompom birds, made wild bird feeders and birds…