NurseryWise Childcare in England
Dorset

Childcare in Sherborne

Sherborne has 6 day nurseries, 3 pre-schools, 2 school nursery classes, 2 childminders and 2 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 7 of them and rated 6 Good or better, 1 of them Outstanding. 8 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
85%of the 7 inspected here are Good or better, 1 Outstanding
4 of 15are 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 15Day nurseries 6Pre-schools 3School nurseries 2Childminders 2After-school clubs 2
No filterTakes under-twosTakes funded hoursOpen all dayPublishes pricesSortBest ratedCheapestA to Z

15 settings, best rated first. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.

Day nurseries 6

Leweston School

Day nursery · Leweston School, Leweston, Sherborne, DT9 6EN

Not yet inspectedTakes funded hoursBirth to 508:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week25 placesOpen for decades
01963 210790Their website

Pre-schools 3

Harlequins Pre-School

Pre-school · Sherborne Westend Community Association, Littlefield, Sherborne, DT9 6AU

GoodBirth to 8+Sessions in term time, often mornings★ 5.0 Google, 724 placesLong established
01935 812424Their website

Future Roots Farm Club

Pre-school · Rylands Farm, Boyshill, Sherborne, DT9 5PS

Not yet inspected5 and overSessions in term time, often morningsOpen for decades
01963210254

School nursery classes 2

Childminders 2

Only childminders who agreed to be listed publicly appear here. Ofsted holds many more and does not publish their details.

Ellis-Mintern, Trudi Joanne

Childminder · Sherborne, DT9 6DZ

OutstandingBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminder6 placesRegistered for decades

Strickland, Amanda

Childminder · Sherborne, DT9 4ED

GoodBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminder6 placesRegistered a few years

After-school and holiday clubs 2

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 Premier Education - Sherborne Abbey Out-of-school day care
  • Dec 2025Closed Lower Covey Montessori Nursery Full day care
  • Dec 2025Opened Activate Camps @ Sherborne Girls Out-of-school day care
  • Jun 2025Opened Lower Covey Limited Full day care
  • Jun 2025Opened Pear Tree Nursery and Pre-School Full day care
  • Jun 2025Closed Pear Tree Nursery And Pre-School Full day care
  • Jun 2025Closed Super Camps- Sherborne Out-of-school day care
Questions

What people ask about childcare in Sherborne

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

Which nurseries in Sherborne take funded hours?

4 of the 15 settings in Sherborne 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 Sherborne rated Outstanding?

Yes. 1 of the 7 settings Ofsted has inspected in Sherborne hold an Outstanding grade.

Which nurseries in Sherborne take babies?

10 settings in Sherborne 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 Sherborne?

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 Sherborne

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

Yeovil56 settings · 5.6 milesSturminster Newton7 settings · 9.1 milesWincanton4 settings · 9.5 milesCrewkerne6 settings · 11.6 milesSouth Petherton5 settings · 12.5 milesGillingham10 settings · 12.7 miles
All townsDorset