Winfrith Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Dorchester for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 to 16:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2024. Open since 1993, with 18 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
DT2 8JLWhat 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.
- 10 January 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 12 December 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are engaged and absorbed in their learning at this setting. Staff actively participate in children's play, offering comments and suggesting new ideas to enhance their imaginative activities. For example, children delve into new concepts through role play, acting as doctors, checking staff's blood pressure and administering 'vaccinations'. Staff foster interactive exchanges, encouraging children to respond with confidence and helping them to maintain concentration.
Children learn to follow instructions and know that rules are there for a reason.
They love riding bikes and following road signs and traffic light signals, which they control. This encourages them to understand traffic rules and negotiate space with increasing control.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to give children time to think and respond with their own ideas when answering questions n ensure assessment information is gathered quickly so that children's needs are identified early, and targeted support can help children close gaps in their learning.
- 12 December 2024Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 7 March 2019Good
- 24 May 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Winfrith Pre-School
- 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.