Explorers Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Wells for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2022. Open since 2013.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
The Early Years Entitlement for three and four year olds, funded by Somerset County Council for those eligible is available for a set number of hours.
What childcare usually costs in Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Somerset 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
BA5 3LQWhat 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, 6 October 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are calm, settled and enjoy their time in this setting. They separate well from their parents and form good relationships with staff. Staff encourage children to be as independent as possible. Children feel safe exploring their environment and the carefully arranged resources that are easily accessible. They engage well in activities of their choosing, showing a positive attitude towards learning.
Relationships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the nursery and feel well informed about what their children are doing. Children behave extremely well.
Staff encourage them to show respect for one another and the environment around them. Staff use the outdoor area to teach children about planting, growing and harvesting and to develop children's physical skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve staff interactions and modelling of skills with children, to deepen and extend children's learning n adapt daily routines to ensure that they are tailored to the children's needs to maximise children's learning time.
- 6 October 2022Good
- 4 January 2017Good
- 27 January 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Explorers Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.