Flying Start Nurseries
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Shaftesbury for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2025. Open since 2006, with 55 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
SP7 8AEWhat 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, 8 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy, joyful and enthusiastic in this setting. They enjoy singing with staff, taking turns to choose their favourite songs. Children join in with the 'wheels on the bus go round and round', eagerly participating, demonstrating their understanding of dynamics by singing softly about babies and laughing together as they sing about dads snoring on the bus.
Staff have good expectations of what children can achieve and provide opportunities for them to apply their skills and knowledge. For instance, children learn woodworking skills with support from staff. They learn safety procedures and confidently explain how rules keep them safe, such as why shoes and safety glasses are essential for protection. This approach fosters children's maturity, as children recall previous learning and attentively follow instructions. Children confidently name tools and use them safely. Staff provide one-to-one guidance as children design, measure and saw wood using appropriately sized tools, further enhancing their focus and motivation.
Structured routines are well-established to support children's well-being and promote smooth transitions between activities. Children form good relationships with staff and peers as they regularly engage in planned activities with their key person. They build good social skills and collaboration among their friends.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to design curriculum-based activities that sharply focus on their intended learning, so children can practise the skills and knowledge they need to make even more progress n strengthen the consistency of staff teaching skills, particularly for reading, so children can elaborate and use the vocabulary they have learned from books.
- 8 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 19 August 2024Needs improvement
- 16 July 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Flying Start Nurseries
- 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.