Puss N Boots Day Nursery

Tree-based climbing and balancing, a play house and a tool shed give Puss N Boots Day Nursery's garden a clear identity. Outdoor play here includes investigating bugs and riding bikes and cars, alongside space for make-believe. For families weighing the physical setting as carefully as the daily timetable, that is a substantial part of its appeal.

At its August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall and found that children made excellent progress across their learning and development. That judgement is a dated assessment, rather than a description of today's daily practice. The current age range runs from three months to five years, with babies and older children using different indoor arrangements.

The nursery is in Branksome Park, Poole, and opens on weekdays across 51 weeks of the year.

Rooms and Ages

Children aged two to five use an open-plan setting, with resources they can choose independently and opportunities to share their play with others. Babies aged three to 23 months have their own environment for activities. This separation gives families a useful distinction between the youngest children's provision and the more independent choices offered to older children.

In August 2022, the nursery occupied two floors, with a separate baby unit upstairs. Babies practised movement through music and imitation, while stories encouraged them to join familiar phrases. Those examples connect physical activity with early communication rather than treating them as separate parts of the day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play, conversation and practical experiences contribute to their development. It is the common foundation for nursery education, rather than a special programme unique to this setting.

In August 2022, staff planned activities around children's interests and their next learning steps. Drawing and other mark-making, phonics activities and books in a quiet space supported early literacy. A child's curiosity could also change the direction of an activity: interest in an identification badge led to children making badges themselves.

Another August 2022 example involved hide-and-seek, bringing counting, turn-taking and understanding rules into the same game. The practical value is straightforward: learning could happen through something children wanted to do, with adults extending the experience through conversation, questions and demonstrations.

Outdoor Life

The garden offers different kinds of activity rather than one dominant piece of equipment. The play house and tool shed support role play; climbing and balancing among the trees provide physical challenges. Bug hunting gives children something smaller and quieter to investigate, while bikes and cars bring movement into outdoor play.

In August 2022, babies explored changes in surface and slope outdoors, as well as natural materials. Older children used the garden for more challenging play. These dated examples help explain how the outdoor space served different stages of development, rather than functioning solely as a break from indoor activities.

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged support for children with additional needs outstanding, with the SENCo and staff drawing on advice from the area SENCo and health visitors. That combination matters because specialist advice was connected to children's care and learning, with families involved in the process.

In August 2022, settling included home visits and time spent getting to know families before children became familiar with nursery life. Babies' relationships with their key persons featured in music and imitation activities. Staff also shared children's progress and planned learning with parents, giving communication a purpose beyond a description of what had happened that day.

Practical independence featured in care routines in August 2022. Babies practised handwashing and using cutlery, while older children explored tooth-cleaning activities and sorted meal leftovers into recycling bins. These are small tasks with a clear place in nursery life: children were taking part in looking after themselves and their surroundings.

School transition also had an emotional dimension in August 2022. A puppet helped children express feelings and worries about starting school. This was preparation for a change in their lives, rather than a claim about admission to any particular school.

The nursery has safeguarding officer roles and a SENDco role. In August 2022, staff received supervision and training, and the team included practitioners with relevant early-years qualifications. Those staffing observations belong to that period.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 2 Lindsay Road, Branksome Park, Poole, BH13 6AR. Opening hours are 8.30am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks each year. The nursery closes over Christmas and on UK Bank Holidays, so families need care arrangements that accommodate those breaks.

Admissions materials include a Welcome Pack, a Registration & Enrolment Form, a Settling In Policy and a Child Information Form. Together, these cover the practical starting point and the information needed to introduce a child to the setting. Enquiries can be sent through the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• The youngest children's setting. In August 2022, the baby unit was on the first floor. On a visit, how do settling, movement between floors and the current funding, meal and consumable terms work for your child's proposed attendance?
• Holiday cover. The 51-week opening year includes Christmas and Bank Holiday closures. Families whose work continues through those periods need to plan around them.
• Age-stage fit. Babies have a separate activity environment, while children aged two to five use an open-plan setting with independently accessible resources. Consider which arrangement best matches your child's stage and preferences.

Puss N Boots Day Nursery suits families seeking weekday childcare from babyhood through the preschool years, with a substantial garden and a separate environment for the youngest children. The open-plan provision for older children adds opportunities to choose resources and share play. Its Outstanding August 2022 judgement provides a strong dated assessment; the garden, age-stage arrangements and weekday opening hours give families concrete reasons to consider it now.