Dell Cottage Day Nursery
OutstandingBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Christchurch for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 6 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in April 2024. Open since 2005, with 42 places.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
BH23 5QGWhat 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, 16 April 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive in this warm, welcoming nursery. They are happy, motivated and socially confident. Staff know children extremely well and skilfully plan curriculumbased activities tailored to all children's individual needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with gaps in their learning make rapid progress.
Leaders and staff create a rich language environment. Babies listen intently to staff as they talk with them while they fill buckets with sand. Staff skilfully expand babies' sounds and words and accelerate their use of language. Younger children enthusiastically invent new lyrics to well-known songs such as 'The Wheels on the
Bus' and use pictures of vehicles to generate a range of fun sounds and inspire new vocabulary. Older children sustain their concentration as they play games that help them to recognise the patterns in language. They say, 'Mat, bat and cat all sound the same!'
- 16 April 2024Outstanding
- 28 June 2018Outstanding
- 1 December 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Dell Cottage 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.