Bradpole Preschool
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Bridport for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 2007, with 26 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Dorset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Dorset from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
DT6 3DTWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 15 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
All children settle quickly and actively engage in the activities, gaining confidence in the environment. Staff provide good support to ensure all children are included, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Children's thoughtfulness towards those with SEND is exemplary, as they include them in their play and acknowledge their achievements. Children's language and communication skills are quickly improving because staff engage children in meaningful discussions, model language well and add additional vocabulary. They speak clearly and slowly to children, giving them time to think and respond. For example, they give children time to look closely at mini creatures and comment on them before adding additional information.
Staff watch, listen, and respond well to children, enabling them to use resources in their own way. Children enthusiastically sing songs, which helps them to understand about numbers. Older children learn the meaning of zero and hold up the correct number of fingers each time they take one more away, as the frogs jump into the pond. Children improve their hand-eye coordination as they fill containers with rice and then compare who has the most and least.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff in giving children enough time to do as much as they can for themselves to extend their independence even further n help children to know when routines may change, to enable them to complete a task to their own satisfaction and be prepared for them to end.
- 15 March 2022Good
- 16 June 2016Good
- 24 May 2012Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bradpole Preschool
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.