The Ark Child Okeford

Six babies, a garden of their own and a charity governed by parents: The Ark Child Okeford has a clear community character. Sharing a site with Child Okeford's St. Nicholas Primary School, it combines early-years rooms with The Raft, a separate base for school-age clubs. Parents can contribute to its direction through an elected trustee committee, as well as through fundraising and practical help.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 26 February 2025, finding that children were settled, engaged in activities and supported well in developing language, while identifying mathematics for younger children as the area needing improvement.

The early-years age range is three months to five years, with capacity for 64 children across the setting; those places are separate from the smaller caps for individual rooms. Full days and shorter morning or afternoon sessions are offered, alongside school-age provision.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room takes up to six children under two, pairing sensory experiences such as treasure baskets and cornflour play with daily use of a purpose-built baby garden.

Up to eight children can attend each Toddler Room session, where gardening, music and movement sit alongside practical independence, with a garden shared with preschool children.

In the Pre-school Room, children can move between indoor activities and the garden, with construction, painting and role play largely directed by their interests, supported by small-group work on communication, early reading and number skills.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care: children learn through play, with activities planned around their development. It is the common starting point for early-years provision.

In February 2025, older children made play dough using colours connected with a favourite superhero and selected music from a film they liked. Staff also used children's interests shared by parents when planning activities.

At that time, preschool children voted for stories with block towers, comparing height and quantity. Younger children had fewer opportunities to explore number and shape.

Outdoor and Community Life

Babies take village walks and visit the park with written parental permission, while toddlers also have village and park outings.

In February 2025, children practised balancing on outdoor planks and discussed hazards such as wet grass and larger puddles. Visits to local shops and a care home also featured, giving children opportunities to talk with people beyond the nursery.

The Raft serves school-age children, primarily aged five to eleven, with its own garden and separate facilities. Swings, a climbing frame and space for building dens support outdoor play, while cooking projects, crafts and books offer quieter choices. During school holidays, themed days and organised trips add variety to the club programme.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key worker plans around their development and interests. Babies' daily updates cover sleep, food, nappies and activities through conversation, diaries and Tapestry, an online journal combining photographs, videos and entries with parents' contributions.

Settling is intended to proceed at the child's pace. Parents stay initially and can remain for further sessions while their child becomes comfortable; for a child new to nursery, the suggested start includes at least two sessions together before a short separation.

Moving between rooms is gradual too. Babies and toddlers can see each other through the connecting gate, and children approaching preschool make short visits with their existing key worker when ready. Families meet the new key worker and receive updates.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Two trained SEND Coordinators organise support, with individual plans where needed and involvement from Portage, speech and language professionals and physiotherapists. Staff use Signalong to support communication for children with language difficulties.

Physical adaptations include adjustable tables, a wheelchair-accessible toilet, a level main entrance and ramp access to the garden. The setting also has facilities for intimate care for older children with additional needs.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding arrangements effective and found that staff responded attentively to babies' needs. Current sleep arrangements include cots and mats, with individual bedding supplied and washed by the nursery; bottle feeding follows each baby's needs, with babies held by the same carer throughout a feed.

Food is prepared on site by a cook, using fresh ingredients where possible, and hot lunches and tea carry separate charges. The Safer Eating & Nutrition Policy covers allergy arrangements; families affected by allergies should discuss the current practical arrangements before attending.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. Nicholas Primary School, Station Road, Child Okeford, Blandford, Dorset, DT11 8EL. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, for 50 weeks annually, with a week closed at the end of August and another at Christmas; bank holidays are also closure days. Baby Room bookings are year-round; Toddler and Pre-school Room bookings may be term-time only.

All Day sessions run from 8am to 6pm. Babies' mornings run from 8am to 12.30pm and afternoons from 1.30pm to 6pm; toddler and preschool mornings run from 8.45am to 11.30am, with afternoons from 12.45pm to 3.15pm. Breakfast and lunch-hour bookings can extend the shorter sessions.

For toddlers and preschool children, late-day bookings include a full 3.15pm to 6pm period or shorter blocks ending at 4.15pm, 5.15pm and 6pm. School-age care in The Raft follows a different finish: Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 8.45am, After School Club from 3.15pm to 5.45pm in term time, and Holiday Club from 8am to 5.45pm, with half-day holiday options too.

Attendance can be flexible, although starting with at least two sessions each week is recommended rather than imposed as a minimum. Bookings normally open no more than nine months before the start, with exceptions where the next opening falls later or a sibling will remain at The Ark throughout the intervening period.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2025, the nursery received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. Paid childcare is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Parents supply nappies, wipes and labelled bottles of milk for babies. A booking deposit is returned when the child leaves, but is forfeited if the booked place is not taken up or commencement is postponed for more than four weeks; postponement can also attract a retainer; fees are paid monthly in advance, and reducing hours or cancelling requires one month's notice.

Getting There

Disabled parents and carers can use parking at the front of the school; other families must avoid the staff car park between 8.15am and 4pm during term time. Limited parking at the neighbouring recreation ground connects to the school by a footpath.

Moving on to School

Children who will join St. Nicholas School in September make weekly summer-term visits to its Reception class, spending an hour there with a preschool staff member. Development information is also passed to the child's next setting or school, helping the receiving staff understand their starting point.

Attending The Ark does not guarantee a Reception place at the school. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Mathematics for younger children. In February 2025, number and shape experiences were less developed for younger children than for preschool children. On a visit, ask how counting, comparison and shapes now enter baby and toddler play.
• Settling and room changes. The start can involve several sessions with a parent present, followed by gradual separation. Discuss how this will fit your work commitments and how the key worker will plan your child's move between rooms.
• The complete childcare bill. Hot lunch and tea are separate charges, and parents bring babies' nappies, wipes and milk. Ask for a written quotation showing your chosen sessions, any funded hours, associated charges and deposit terms together.
• Allergy arrangements. Meals are cooked on site and the Safer Eating & Nutrition Policy addresses food allergies. Confirm the current handling of your child's allergy, including snacks and food prepared during activities.

The Ark suits families seeking full days or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, especially those who value small youngest-room caps, regular outdoor access and parent involvement in how the setting is run. Tapestry and gradual room transitions make communication and continuity concrete parts of the offer.

The February 2025 mathematics concern remains the clearest point to explore for younger children. Alongside that caveat, the separate baby garden, practical SEND arrangements and The Raft's school-age provision give families several reasons to consider this community setting across different stages of childhood.