NurseryWise Childcare in England
Dorset

Childcare in Dorchester

Dorchester has 10 day nurseries, 3 pre-schools, 12 school nursery classes, 1 childminder and 3 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 13 of them and rated 11 Good or better, 2 of them Outstanding. 16 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
84%of the 13 inspected here are Good or better, 2 Outstanding
17 of 29are 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 29Day nurseries 10Pre-schools 3School nurseries 12Childminders 1After-school clubs 3
No filterTakes under-twosTakes funded hoursOpen all dayPublishes pricesSortBest ratedCheapestA to Z

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

Day nurseries 4

Charminster Preschool

Day nursery · St. Marys C of E Vc First School, West Hill, Dorchester, DT2 9RD

OutstandingTakes funded hours£7.58 an hourBirth to 5From 2 years08:00 to 17:00, 5 days a week34 placesOpen for decades
07812 932 745Their website

Pre-schools 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 2026Closed Dorchester Opportunity Preschool Group Ltd Sessional day care
  • Jun 2026Closed PH ActiveEd - Greenford Primary School Out-of-school day care
  • Dec 2025Closed Active Camps at Sunninghill Out-of-school day care
  • Dec 2025Opened PH ActiveEd - Greenford Primary School Out-of-school day care
  • Jun 2025Opened Active Camps at Sunninghill Out-of-school day care
  • Jun 2025Opened Outdoor Adventurers Forest School Out-of-school day care
  • Jun 2025Closed Active Camps at Sunninghill Prep School Out-of-school day care
Questions

What people ask about childcare in Dorchester

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

Which nurseries in Dorchester take funded hours?

17 of the 29 settings in Dorchester 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 Dorchester rated Outstanding?

Yes. 2 of the 13 settings Ofsted has inspected in Dorchester hold an Outstanding grade.

Which nurseries in Dorchester take babies?

17 settings in Dorchester 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 Dorchester?

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 Dorchester

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

Weymouth32 settings · 7.7 milesPortland6 settings · 12.9 milesWareham12 settings · 13.9 milesBridport14 settings · 14.1 milesSherborne15 settings · 14.1 milesBlandford Forum17 settings · 14.7 miles
All townsDorset