A very warm welcome to The Co-operative Childcare.

Here you will find lots of general information that should be useful in getting a feel for the setting, however every child is individual and you will undoubtedly have lots of questions that relate specifically to your child’s needs, interests and their development. A tour of our quality facilities would be highly recommended in order to fully appreciate how the nursery operates and to see first hand the care and attention that each child receives. To arrange a tour, simply use the contact details on this page or pop in to the nursery itself.

At The Co-operative Childcare we never underestimate how difficult a decision it is to leave your child in the care of others and our aim is to ensure that you have all the information you need to make this very important decision.



“Children respond well to the care and support they are given and achieve well. Activities are interesting and well-organised and staff ensure they are included in activities and treated equally. Staff value children's ideas and use them in the organisation of activities. There are good partnerships with parents, the host school and outside agencies and information is shared effectively. They implement comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure children are kept safe and secure. Children are keen to learn and make good progress. Parents and carers consider that staff have created a very caring, purposeful environment, to which their children enjoy coming.”

Latest Inspection Date 07/07/2011. To view the full report click here


Our nursery team are friendly, approachable, enthusiastic and passionate about the care of our children. There is a dedicated, loyal team of 13 colleagues who help our children to have the best start in life in a brightly refurbished modern nursery setting. All the team have attended numerous training courses to enhance their knowledge, enabling them to provide superior care and enjoyable learning experiences for our children. They are all qualified to NVQ level 3 or working towards their qualifications. Our Nursery Manager Roxanne has worked in childcare for over 7 years and has also completed her BA degree in Early Years.


The Co-operative Childcare nursery is a fun, stimulating, safe and secure environment for your child and we pride ourselves on our warm and welcoming atmosphere.
There are 3 home rooms within our nursery split into the following age groups: one room for 3 months – 2 year olds, one room for 2-3 year olds and one room for the 3-5 year olds. There is also a relaxation room where the children can sleep or just have some quite time. The older children are able to freely access the garden area from their room at any time.


The nursery has its own garden area which has a separate area for the 0-2 year olds. The children have taken part in creating a tranquil area within the garden through planting and growing where they can sit quietly, learn about nature and enjoy the flowers. We aim to provide plenty of opportunities for physical play with a large range of outdoor toys and activities available for our children to access at all times. There is also another garden area that is situated across the car park where a vegetable patch has been created and further opportunities for the children to explore the world around us.

There is a large car park area for parents to drop off and pick up in and the nursery is situated on a bus route to Poole town centre.


There are many activities in addition to the core learning and play that takes place at the nursery and supports the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework. These activities are planned in advance and very often with parent participation.

The nursery is currently involved in projects such as Every Child a Talker (a programme designed to raise children's achievement in early language development from birth to five years of age) and Communication Friendly Spaces (focuses on the role of the environment in supporting speaking and listening skills, emotional well-being and general engagement).

The nursery team also take full advantage of the location and regularly take the children on walking trips to local places of interest including the quay, local museums and the library.


At The Co-operative Childcare we offer a comprehensive package and provide all nappies and food (breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack, tea). Our experienced chef prepares a home cooked lunch every day using fresh produce sourced from local suppliers where possible. This supports our ethics and values of being a co-operative and gives the children the nutrition they need to ensure they grow healthily whilst in our care. We also cater for all dietary requirements, allergies and cultural foods and our food is freshly made on a daily basis. Children always have access to fresh drinking water.


The parents have an information board located in the reception area which has a variety of useful information. In the various 0-3 year olds home rooms they have a feedback sheet which includes the children’s daily information of how they have been, including sleep, food, nappies and anything that they have enjoyed during the day. The 3-5 year olds carers give verbal feedback to the parent on a daily basis. Regular newsletters are sent to parents to keep them updated on up and coming events and we encourage parent participation in many of them. Parent evenings are offered at regular intervals throughout the year where the child’s key person discusses the child’s development with their parents and there is also an annual survey for parents to give structured feedback on all areas of the nursery. We have a parent group which meets once a term and encourages parents to give feedback about various nursery topics of discussion. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child’s learning by informing the nursery team what has been taking place at home and by participating in special events.


“We are a friendly and enthusiastic team who are dedicated to providing the best care for your children. The nursery has a warm and welcoming atmosphere where we work closely with our parents to ensure that our children reach their full potential.

Each child is treated as an individual with exciting and educational activities for them, supporting their development. This includes a detailed development folder completed by their key person on a regular basis which includes photos, artwork and observations. Our nursery and my experienced team provide a very caring and stimulating environment for your child to learn and develop in.”