Report card Feb 2026
80 placesBH31 7PG01202 820124
South West
Childcare in Dorset
297 registered providers with 5,571 places, up 1.3% since December 2021.
96day nurseries
115childminders
23after-school clubs
125newly registered since 2021
63.3%rated Good or better
157closed since 2021
Childminders are disappearing here. Numbers are down 18.4% since December 2021, against a national fall of about 24%.
Towns
Where to look
Pick the place you actually live.
Wimborne (Dorset)28Weymouth19Dorchester16Blandford Forum13Sherborne11Ferndown8Wareham8Bridport7Portland6Gillingham (Dorset)5Poole (Dorset)5Shaftesbury (Dorset)5Verwood5Ringwood (Dorset)4Swanage4Beaminster3Sturminster Newton2Blandford1Bovington1Corfe Mullen1Fordingbridge (Dorset)1Near Askerswell1Nr Wareham1Spetisbury1Stalbridge1Upton (Dorset)1
Highest rated
Settings across the council
The sixty largest and best-rated. Childminders are not named, because Ofsted withholds them.
Outstanding
64 placesBH16 6JE01202 622337
Outstanding
45 placesSP7 8PZ01747 859116
Outstanding
42 placesDT10 2LP01963 364 723
Report card Jan 2026
40 placesBH24 2DH01425206444
Outstanding
37 placesBH21 1EE07721500399
Outstanding
34 placesDT2 9RD07812 932 745
Outstanding
32 placesSP7 0PF01747812773
Outstanding
30 placesDT11 9HN07544403278
Outstanding
27 placesDT8 3NX01308862879
Outstanding
27 placesBH22 8QE01202 897677
Outstanding
26 placesDT2 0JY07985 435 958
Outstanding
26 placesDT11 7BU01258456187
Outstanding
26 placesBH19 1QE01929289223
Outstanding
25 placesBH21 4EE01202 883008
Outstanding
22 placesBH22 9FB01202 893272
Outstanding
21 placesDT8 3BY01308 863959
Good
170 placesDT1 3WA0345 88 88 123 (
Report card Dec 2025
135 placesBH20 6FD01929 403602
Good
121 placesDT4 9PJ01305 760060
Good
92 placesSP8 4FA01747 835533
Good
86 placesBH21 3HD01202 603051
Report card May 2026
80 placesDT4 9TH01202 942630
Report card Dec 2025
78 placesBH21 6RS01202822338
Good
78 placesDT3 5AJ01305813038
Good
77 placesDT4 0QF01305 782727
Good
70 placesBH21 1NN01202 028598
Good
68 placesBH22 8XH01202875559
Good
66 placesDT9 4EQ01935 810112
Good
59 placesDT4 9SY01305 761232
Report card Jan 2026
59 placesDT4 9TT01305 783886
Good
59 placesDT11 9LB01258857922
Good
58 placesBH22 0JW01202978899
Good
55 placesBH21 3LB01202695328
Good
55 placesSP7 8AE01747 852666
Good
52 placesSP6 3DN01425 656451
Good
49 placesBH19 2PW01929 426355
Good
47 placesBH20 4AX01929 555051
Good
46 placesDT9 5LP01963 23368
Good
45 placesBH22 9BG01202 855839
Good
42 placesDT11 8EL01258 861007
Good
42 placesDT4 0HS01305778615
Good
40 placesBH21 3PX01202690800
Good
40 placesDT5 2BD01305822625
Good
40 placesBH31 7HE01202 820679
Good
38 placesBH16 5JA01202621570
Good
38 placesDT5 1JN01305 821976
Good
36 placesDT6 3BJ01308 458151
Good
35 placesBH20 7AJ01929 558122
Good
35 placesDT1 2ET01305 257756
Good
34 placesBH16 5NN01202 631915
Good
32 placesBH21 4AY01258 858 395
Good
32 placesDT1 1QA01305 265140
Good
32 placesDT4 7LQ01305 764836
Good
32 placesDT4 0RH01305750444
Good
31 placesSP8 4AZ01747 824998
Good
31 placesBH16 6FE01768489307
Good
30 placesBH20 7BD07988228632
Good
30 placesDT3 6BH07826018677
Good
30 placesDT2 0HG01935 83177
No longer open
Settings that have closed
Worked out by comparing consecutive Ofsted releases; the closure falls in the six months before the date shown.
| Setting | Town | Places it had | Last rating | Gone by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panda Pre-School | Blandford Forum | 45 | Good | Jun 2026 |
| Humptys house pre-school and Kool kids after school club | Weymouth | 30 | Outstanding | Jun 2026 |
| Bourton and Zeals Preschool | Bourton | 21 | Needs improvement | Jun 2026 |
| Dorchester Opportunity Preschool Group Ltd | Dorchester | 20 | Outstanding | Jun 2026 |
| Jumping Beans Pre-School Portland | Portland | 16 | Good | Jun 2026 |
| Jsc Colehill First | Wimborne | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2026 |
| Premier Education - Sherborne Abbey | Sherborne | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2026 |
| Premier Education - Shaftesbury Primary | Shaftesbury | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2026 |
| Activate Camps @ Dumpton School | Wimborne | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2026 |
| Edubox at Stalbridge Primary | Sturminster Newton | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2026 |
| PH ActiveEd - Greenford Primary School | Dorchester | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2026 |
| Active Camps at Sunninghill | Dorchester | 100 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| Archway Nursery School | Blandford Forum | 90 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| Lower Covey Montessori Nursery | Sherborne | 63 | Outstanding | Dec 2025 |
| Blandford Children Centre Nursery | Blandford Forum | 48 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| Wonderland Nursery | Bridport | 41 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| Sunny Day Nursery | Bridport | 40 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| Sunbeams Day Nursery | Portland | 40 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| Topsie Gillingham | Gillingham | 36 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| PH Camps - Stoborough Primary | Wareham | 30 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| Little Acorns Pre-school | Shaftesbury | 28 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| Mount Scar Cygnets Playgroup | Swanage | 26 | Outstanding | Dec 2025 |
| Wool Pre-School | Wareham | 25 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| Foundation Sports And Play | Wimborne | 20 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| PESSPA Wraparound Care | Ferndown | 18 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| Primary Forest School Weymouth | Weymouth | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| The Ranch | Weymouth | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| Active Camps at Sunninghill Prep School | Dorchester | 80 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2025 |
| Super Camps- Sherborne | Sherborne | 54 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2025 |
| Bizzybeez Childcare Ltd | Poole | 48 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2025 |
| Corfe Castle Community Pre-School | Wareham | 30 | Good | Jun 2025 |
| Pear Tree Nursery And Pre-School | Sherborne | 30 | Outstanding | Jun 2025 |
| Rodwell Pre-school | Dorset | 26 | Good | Jun 2025 |
| PH Sports - Wyke Primary School | Gillingham | 20 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2025 |
| Lytchett Matravers Pre-school Ltd | Poole | 50 | Outstanding | Dec 2024 |
| PH Sports - St Andrew's Primary (Weymouth) | Weymouth | 30 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2024 |
| St James Cottage Nursery & Out Of School Club | Wimborne | 24 | Good | Dec 2024 |
| St George's Pre-school | Swanage | 20 | Good | Dec 2024 |
| Muddy Monkies Pimperne | Blandford Forum | 20 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2024 |
| Golden Acorns | Gillingham | 30 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2024 |
| Milborne Ladybirds Playgroup | Blandford Forum | 24 | Good | Jun 2024 |
| Blossom Childcare | Wareham | 16 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2024 |
| Stickleberries | Blandford Forum | 52 | Inadequate | Dec 2023 |
| Little Gems | Gillingham | 42 | Good | Dec 2023 |
| Southwell Smiley Faces | Portland | 26 | Good | Dec 2023 |
| Stepping Stones Pre-School | Bridport | 26 | Good | Dec 2023 |
| Little Acorns Pre-School | Shaftesbury | 26 | Good | Dec 2023 |
| Longham Community Preschool | Ferndown | 24 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2023 |
| DTCA | Ferndown | 14 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2023 |
| Activate Camps@Weymouth College | Weymouth | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2023 |
| Capers | Blandford Forum | 72 | Good | Jun 2023 |
| Mini Munchkins Day Nursery | Wimborne | 56 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2023 |
| PH Sports - Milldown Primary School | Blandford Forum | 20 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2023 |
| PH Sports - St Andrew's Primary (Weymouth) | Weymouth | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2023 |
| Activate Camps @ Sherborne Prep School | Sherborne | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2023 |
| Sunbeams Okeford Fitzpaine | Blandford Forum | 42 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2022 |
| Frome Valley Preschool | Dorchester | 27 | Good | Dec 2022 |
| Smarties Pre School | Weymouth | 26 | Good | Dec 2022 |
| Explorers Holiday Club | Swanage | 18 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2022 |
| Energy Kidz Out of School Club - Wyke Primary School | Gillingham | 40 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2022 |