Ferndown Day Nursery

A former HSBC bank with a rooftop play space gives Ferndown Day Nursery an unusual setting for early childhood. Inside, the practical distinction is between the youngest children's Nursery Room, capped at 12, and a Pre-school Room with separate spaces for art, imaginative play and sensory exploration. Those arrangements give families more to weigh than the overall size of the nursery.

At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children needing additional help received targeted support through work with parents and other agencies. That is a dated assessment. The same visit identified improvements needed in outdoor hygiene, sunhat use and the ability of activities to stimulate curiosity.

Children are accepted from three months to five years at 501 Ringwood Road, Ferndown, BH22 9BG. Attendance choices include morning and afternoon sessions, a preschool session and longer days, alongside flexible hours subject to staffing ratios.

Rooms and Ages

The Nursery Room takes children from three months to two years, with a maximum of 12 at a time; its carpeted and wipe-clean play sections, sleeping area and own garden support a day combining treasure baskets, messy play, small-hand activities and quieter moments with books.

For children aged two to five, the Pre-school Room combines self-chosen activities and adult-led learning across a self-contained art room, a role play room, a sensory room, spaces for construction and mathematics, a cosy reading area and a large roof top garden. The physical layout gives different kinds of play their own spaces. Accessible toilets also make independent toileting part of the room's everyday arrangement.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and development: here, children learn through play, conversation, exploration and activities organised by adults. Resources are within children's reach, so choosing materials is part of the day rather than something that always requires an adult to hand them out. Staff introduce fresh activities linked to seasons and events, while balancing children's choices with planned learning.

In September 2023, staff used questions about throwing a ball and comparing the sounds of pans to build on children's play. An interest in puppets prompted an impromptu performance. These examples show how an ordinary activity could become a conversation or a shared piece of imaginative play.

In September 2023, children also discussed emotions using pictures, and staff introduced vocabulary during sand play. Learning to communicate was woven into practical experiences rather than confined to one formal activity. However, the improvement request on curiosity is relevant alongside those examples: activities needed more excitement and invention to take learning further.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space is divided by age, with a side garden for the under-twos and an upstairs area for preschool children. The youngest children can reach their dedicated space through a rear door. This gives their room a direct outdoor connection rather than making every change of activity depend on an outing elsewhere.

Pushchairs are used for community walks and visits to a local park. These extend the youngest children's experiences beyond the nursery building.

Settling sessions are free and shaped around each child's needs before the agreed starting date. They introduce children to the room, the staff and their key person, while giving families time to discuss familiar routines, preferences and dislikes. This is a practical bridge between home and nursery. It also gives staff information that can help them organise care around the individual child.

The Nursery Room follows children's individual routines rather than imposing a rigid timetable. Parents contribute through all about me documents and regularly reviewed care plans. A sleeping area sits to one side of the room, so sleep has a designated place within its layout; it is not described as a separate sleep room.

Relationships and Communication

Parents of the youngest children receive a daily sheet covering sleep, meals, nappy changes and other useful details. That makes the handover useful for organising the rest of the day at home. Verbal conversations sit alongside the written record, allowing immediate information to be shared directly.

Tapestry, the online learning journey app, carries observations and activities that parents can view at home. Both room descriptions include it. Its role is different from the baby room's daily care sheet: one records learning experiences, while the other provides practical information about that day's care.

In September 2023, staff gathered information about children's existing abilities when they started and used subsequent assessments to plan their next steps. Parents also received ideas for continuing learning at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In September 2023, staff used advice from speech and language therapists when supporting children who needed help with communication. The work involved parents and other agencies, rather than treating extra support as something that happened entirely within the nursery.

Outdoor wellbeing needed closer attention at that visit. Staff ensured children wore sun cream and brought them indoors when it became too hot, but did not consistently ensure sunhats were worn. Hand cleaning after wiping noses in the garden also needed attention. These were specific practice concerns, and they deserve a direct place in a family's assessment of outdoor care.

Sessions and Attendance

The Early Start Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm, while the Day Session runs from 8am to 6pm. Shorter choices are the Morning Session, 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon Session, 1pm to 6pm. The Preschool Session runs from 9am to 3.30pm. These are separate booking patterns, giving families choices beyond a single all-day arrangement.

Flexible hours can also be arranged, subject to staffing ratios. The nursery encourages attendance for at least two sessions each week to help continuity and settling; that is a recommendation, rather than a compulsory minimum booking. Families considering shorter attendance therefore have a stated rationale to weigh alongside their own weekly pattern.

The nursery operates for 50 weeks annually, closing for two weeks over Christmas and on bank holidays. Term-time attendance is also offered. The difference between the session schedule and the daily closing time is addressed below because it matters for collection planning.

Getting There

The address is 501 Ringwood Road, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 9BG, in the former HSBC bank in the town centre. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01202 855839 or by email to ferndowndaynursery@hotmail.com, and appointments to see the nursery can be booked directly.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-year-olds, alongside the 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements for three- and four-year-olds. Funding can be used during term time or stretched across the year.

Private hours are also offered. Fees are paid monthly in advance and remain payable during absences. A booking deposit applies unless attendance uses government funding only; it is held until the child leaves for school, or until four weeks' notice has been given and the final fees paid. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the charge structure outlined on its sessions and fees page.

• Outdoor care and activity planning. The September 2023 improvement points covered sunhats, hand hygiene in the garden and more stimulating activities. During a visit, ask how these are handled now, including how adults extend children's chosen play.
• Collection times. The daily childcare hours end at 5.30pm, while several named sessions finish at 6pm. This difference affects working-day arrangements, so establish the agreed collection time before booking.
• The full funding quotation. Funded attendance and private hours have different deposit arrangements. Ask for a written breakdown covering meals, snacks, nappies and other consumables, together with any activity charges, so the complete cost of the chosen pattern is clear.

Ferndown Day Nursery suits families comparing morning or afternoon attendance with longer days, and those considering the separate preschool session. Its strongest practical details are the youngest room's stated cap, age-separated outdoor areas and the preschool's multiple activity spaces. Individual settling arrangements and two forms of parent communication add useful substance to the care offer.

The September 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the outdoor wellbeing and activity-planning concerns remain part of that assessment. Families who value child choice, flexible attendance and clear daily care information have concrete reasons to consider it, with collection times and the complete funded-hours quotation requiring attention before a booking.