Childcare in Swanage
Swanage has 2 day nurseries, 2 pre-schools and 2 school nursery classes. Ofsted has inspected 3 of them, and rated every one Good or better, 1 of them Outstanding. 3 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.
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.
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.
- Dec 2025Closed Mount Scar Cygnets Playgroup Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in Swanage
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Swanage take funded hours?
2 of the 6 settings in Swanage 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Swanage rated Outstanding?
Yes. 1 of the 3 settings Ofsted has inspected in Swanage hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Swanage take babies?
3 settings in Swanage 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 Swanage?
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.
Towns close to Swanage
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.