NurseryWise Childcare in England
Dorset

Childcare in Blandford Forum

Blandford Forum has 7 day nurseries, 5 pre-schools, 4 school nursery classes and 1 after-school club. Ofsted has inspected 7 of them and rated 5 Good or better, 2 of them Outstanding. 10 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Dorset there are 37 places per 100 children under five, better supplied than England as a whole at 32.

37places per 100 under-fives in Dorset, against 32 for England
71%of the 7 inspected here are Good or better, 2 Outstanding
4 of 17are recorded as taking the funded hours; the rest are unknown, not a no

Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Dorset, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today. It also leaves out the 60 school nursery classes across Dorset, because nobody publishes how many children they take.

Everything 17Day nurseries 7Pre-schools 5School nurseries 4After-school clubs 1
No filterTakes under-twosTakes funded hoursOpen all dayPublishes pricesSortBest ratedCheapestA to Z

11 settings match. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.

Day nurseries 7

Muddy Monkies

Day nursery · The Downwood, The Downwood Vineyard, Blandford Forum, DT11 9HN

OutstandingBirth to 8+07:45 to 17:00, 5 days a week★ 5.0 Google, 630 placesLong established
07544403278Their website

Archbishop Wake Nursery

Day nursery · Archbishop Wake Ce Primary School and Nursery, Black Lane, Blandford Forum, DT11 8SW

Report card Mar 2026Birth to 5Open all day, usually 8am to 6pm57 placesNewly opened
01258453120

Clayesmore Nursery

Day nursery · Clayesmore School, Iwerne Minster, Blandford Forum, DT11 8LL

Not yet inspectedBirth to 5Open all day, usually 8am to 6pm67 placesNewly opened
01747813111

Pre-schools 3

Little Birch Preschool

Pre-school · Blandford St. Mary C of E, Birch Avenue, Blandford Forum, DT11 9QD

GoodTakes funded hours£5.00 a sessionBirth to 8+From 2 years07:45 to 15:30, 5 days a week20 placesOpen for decades
07929363291Their website

Panda Pre School

Pre-school · Panda Pre School, Milldown Road, Blandford Forum, DT11 7SN

Not yet inspectedTakes funded hours£51.00 a dayBirth to 5From 2 years07:45 to 15:30, 5 days a week57 placesNewly opened
01258458151Their website

School nursery classes 1

Tick two or three to compare them.

Recently

What has changed here

Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.

  • Jun 2026Opened Panda Pre School Sessional day care
  • Jun 2026Opened Clayesmore Nursery Full day care
  • Jun 2026Closed Panda Pre-School Full day care
  • Dec 2025Closed Archway Nursery School Full day care
  • Dec 2025Closed Blandford Children Centre Nursery Full day care
  • Dec 2025Opened Archway Nursery School Full day care
  • Dec 2025Opened Archbishop Wake Nursery Full day care
  • Dec 2025Opened Winterborne Stickland Nursery School CIO Full day care
Questions

What people ask about childcare in Blandford Forum

Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.

Which nurseries in Blandford Forum take funded hours?

4 of the 17 settings in Blandford Forum are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.

Are any nurseries in Blandford Forum rated Outstanding?

Yes. 2 of the 7 settings Ofsted has inspected in Blandford Forum hold an Outstanding grade.

Which nurseries in Blandford Forum take babies?

11 settings in Blandford Forum are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.

Is it hard to get a nursery place in Blandford Forum?

Dorset has 37 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.

Nearby

Towns close to Blandford Forum

Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.

Sturminster Newton7 settings · 6.9 milesShaftesbury8 settings · 9 milesWimborne41 settings · 10 milesPoole10 settings · 10.6 milesBroadstone6 settings · 11.3 milesWimborne7 settings · 11.4 miles
All townsDorset