Sessional pre-school in Herston, Dorset
Explorers at Herston
St Marks School, High Street, Swanage, BH19 2PH · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted inspection, before November 2025
Good
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
What does this mean?
This grade is from before November 2025, when Ofsted replaced single grades with report cards. The nursery's next inspection will give a report card, with a separate grade for each area instead of one overall grade.
Official records
Fees
Fees, hours and ages: not published yet
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Estimate a monthly cost with the council area's typical day rate
Hours and ages
Opening hours and ages: not published yet.
Getting there
St Marks School, High Street, Swanage, BH19 2PH · More nurseries in BH19
Buses
4 bus stops within 400 m, including The Swanage School and Holmes Road.
Parks and playgrounds
- Playground7 min walk
NaPTAN, Department for Transport, checked 13 November 2026 · © OpenStreetMap contributors, checked 13 November 2026. Walking times are rough, from straight-line distance.
Places and next steps
Spaces: not published yet. Nurseries often fill months ahead, so ask early.
In Dorset there are about 2.8 children under 5 for every registered nursery place. Places are how many children nurseries may care for, not free spaces, so this is a guide to demand. Source: ONS Census 2021.
What parents say
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Write a reviewAbout Explorers at Herston
Explorers at Herston is a sessional pre-school at St Marks School, High Street, Swanage, BH19 2PH, in Herston, Dorset. It is registered for 24 children. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in September 2023, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. It is run by Explorers Childcare Group Ltd.
Run by Explorers Childcare Group Ltd (company), which runs 2 nurseries.
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explorers at HerstonThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | This nursery |
| Explorers Childcare GroupFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.0 miles |
| Little Birds Pre-schoolFull-day nursery | Outstanding | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.1 miles |
| Stoborough NurserySessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 7.1 miles |
| Rock a Tots UK LtdFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 7.1 miles |
| Muddy Boots Nursery SchoolFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 7.2 miles |
| Rainbow Day Nursery School LtdFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 7.4 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- Swanage St Mark's Church of England Primary School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected April 2024 under 0.1 miles
- St George's Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected April 2023 0.8 miles
- Swanage Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected November 2019 1.0 miles
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Goodinspected June 2022 1.1 miles
- The Swanage School Secondaryages 11–16Ofsted: Goodinspected November 2023 under 0.1 miles
Straight-line distances. Places depend on each school's admissions rules. From the Department for Education and Ofsted.
Questions parents ask
Got a question? Ask and get an answer straight away.
What is Explorers at Herston's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Explorers at Herston Good at its inspection on 26 September 2023, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Explorers at Herston take?
Explorers at Herston is registered with Ofsted for up to 24 children at any one time.
Who runs Explorers at Herston?
Explorers at Herston is run by Explorers Childcare Group Ltd, which runs 2 nurseries.
What is the nearest station to Explorers at Herston?
Swanage (Swanage Railway) is the nearest station we know of, 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Explorers at Herston?
You can call 01929 426355 and visit www.explorerswraparoundchildcare.com.
Tools for parents in Dorset
- Childcare cost calculatorMonthly cost with funded hours
- Funded hours checkerWhich schemes you qualify for
- Funded hours start dateWhen your child's hours begin
- Tax-Free Childcare calculatorThe 20% top-up on your bill
- Visit checklist for this nurseryPrintable questions, pre-filled
- Cost of nursery in DorsetFees by age in Dorset
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Schools: DfE Get Information about Schools · 4 November 2026
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Department for Education data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
- Contains Department for Transport NaPTAN data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Last checked 31 October 2026 · Ofsted URN 2653000 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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