Chipmunks Day Nursery
Needs improvementBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Dorchester for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Needs improvement by Ofsted in September 2025. Open since 2012, with 153 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
DT1 2BSWhat 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.
- 1 July 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 8 March 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 24 September 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The provision requires improvement
Leaders have addressed some of the weaknesses from the last inspection and are committed to making further improvements. For instance, there is now a broad curriculum that is aimed at improving outcomes for all children. However, although children appear settled and happy to attend, they do not benefit from consistent high-quality interactions from staff to extend their learning.
Additionally, staff do not consistently consider the organisation of the environment to ensure that all children can actively engage in activities. For example, children are keen to learn how to use hoops in the playground. They watch staff and are eager to copy. However, the hoops are too big for young children to manage and manipulate. This leads to frustration and children lose interest. Overall, the quality of education that children receive is not yet good.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: ensure that staff focus their interactions on supporting what they plan and intend for children to learn, so all children engage in purposeful learning (by 14/11/2025)
strengthen arrangements for individual staff supervision sessions to support consistently high-quality interactions for all children. (by 14/11/2025)
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: - strengthen the organisation of the environment and activities to fully promote children's engagement in meaningful learning.
- 24 September 2025Needs improvement Safeguarding: Yes
- 24 June 2025Inadequate
- 31 January 2025Inadequate Safeguarding: No
- 6 September 2022Good
- 26 October 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 5 graded inspections.
Still missing for Chipmunks Day Nursery
- 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.