Sandford St Martin's Nursery School CIC
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Wareham for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 2015, with 35 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
BH20 7AJWhat 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, 29 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive excited and like to get fully involved in the learning activities that staff prepare for them. They work well together to make tall towers out of sponge bricks. They use magnetic shapes to construct their own vehicle designs, and they roll out play dough to make 'pizzas' and have fun inventing their own pretend baking ideas, saying, 'Would you like this sausage cake?' Staff work alongside children to help them articulate and describe their ideas. They provide children with lots of new vocabulary by reading books and singing songs throughout the day.
Staff have developed the curriculum to give children lots of physical activity and opportunities to learn mathematical vocabulary. Children love jumping on trampolines while counting and finding their number on displayed numerals. Once a week, children go on a woodland walk to experience different types of natural materials. Children talk fondly about their time in the woods and recall making mudcakes and stirring leaves with sticks.
Children feel safe and secure. Staff enjoy children's company and develop a friendly rapport with them. They support children in recognising strong emotions that they sometimes feel and help them to manage these feelings by using excerpts from children's books, such as the 'Colour Monster'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- ensure that staff provide children with enough support to practise their next steps in learning, which staff have identified, to help children quickly close gaps in their development.
- 29 February 2024Good
- 24 May 2018Good
- 10 July 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sandford St Martin's Nursery School CIC
- 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.