Tops Day Nurseries - Corfe Mullen
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Wimborne for children from birth to 8+, open 06:00 to 20:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2024. Open since 2013, with 86 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
BH21 3HDWhat 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.
- 20 August 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 26 August 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 22 March 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 25 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy and keen to attend. Staff provide a warm welcome and the effective key-person system helps children to develop close and loving bonds with them. Babies cuddle into their key persons and older children race in to hug and share news with their key persons. Staff provide respectful care, such as asking children before changing their nappies or wiping their noses. Children benefit from a safe and secure environment. Babies enjoy nurturing spaces to explore materials, look at books and develop their mobility. Older children investigate activities and create their own ideas in lively playrooms and the garden. Staff help all children to learn about keeping safe, such as road safety on outings and using tools safely in forest school sessions.
The provider delivers a well-planned curriculum. This has a focus on fostering the skills children need to develop in preparation for their future learning. Staff are clear of what they want children to learn and provide experiences to help them achieve well. They have high expectations of children, such as encouraging babies to feed themselves and find their water bottles, toddlers to wash their hands themselves and older children to change their clothes. Children develop good resilience and confidence. They enjoy challenges and overcome problems, such as completing puzzles and constructing secure models.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the organisation of group activities to ensure all children gain from the learning opportunities n include the voices of quieter children more effectively to encourage their communication even further.
- 25 November 2024Good
- 2 July 2024Inadequate
- 10 January 2023Good
- 15 February 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 4 graded inspections.
Still missing for Tops Day Nurseries - Corfe Mullen
- 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.