Kings Castle Lodge

Iford Scout Hut, Iford Lane, Bournemouth BH6 5NE
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9.8 10 Reviews
  • Kings Castle Lodge, Bournemouth
Kings Lodge Nursery is a nature-based nursery with a Montessori ethos. Kings Lodge is run in association with Kings Castle Montessori and the older children at Kings Castle (aged 2+) attend Kings Lodge for 1-2 sessions per week to enjoy lots of nature-based activities including exploring the local Iford meadows, river and fields.

The Kings Lodge curriculum is nature-focused and helps the children forge a love of nature and a respect for the natural world. The curriculum encourages the Montessori principles of independence, individual learning and grace and courtesy, all of which are excellent preparation for school.

Kings Lodge has a unique location; the Iford playing fields, Iford meadows and the River Stour are “on the doorstep” so the children have amazing opportunities for exploring and doing outdoor activities. The children have daily outings to explore the Iford playing fields and Iford Meadows where they enjoy picnics, games, nature trails, bug hunts, puddle jumping, den building, kite flying, botany, bird watching and lots more exciting activities!

Kings Lodge has excellent indoor and outdoor facilities. The large indoor hall offers opportunities for drama and role-play, arts and crafts, music and movement, cooking, sport and games, ball games, trikes, etc. The Lodge also has a secure playground which offers yoga, den building, mud kitchen, water play, sensory activities, ball games, trikes, garden games, mark-making and of course outdoor maths and language activities. There is a herb and vegetable garden where the children practise botany and growing "soil to table" herbs and vegetables.
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Funding & Fees

RATES 2026:
We offer funded and non-funded places.
Our FULL-TIME rate for non-funded children is £8.75 per hour.
Hot Lunch (Optional) - £4.90 per day (Main and Dessert)
A consumables charge of £1.75 applies to funded hours (For more information about the consumables charge see below)


PREMIUM OPTIONS - ALL-INCLUSIVE PACKAGES WITH DISCOUNT AND 2 WEEKS’ HOLIDAY
Kings Castle Lodge Nursery offers a range of simple, all-inclusive premium packages for children attending 36. 40. 45 or 49 hours per week.


We offer a sibling discount on request.

The nursery offers funded and non-funded places.
Please contact us to discuss availability and prices in more detail.
We offer in person show-arounds year-round and we welcome new children year-round (subject to availability).


Consumables charge – A non-mandatory consumables charge of £1.75 applies to each funded hour. The consumables charge allows us to provide your child with an environment, experiences and services which are above the normal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) or which are not covered by Early Years Funding for example activities such as cookery, gardening, music & movement, yoga, weekly sessions at Kings Lodge Nature Nursery (for over 2’s), outings and special cultural, seasonal and celebratory events, snacks, sun cream, wipes, nappy bags, blankets, face cloths, downloadable learning / photo journal, in person parents’ evenings. Please note that the consumables charge does not apply to paid hours.

Contact Kings Castle Lodge to get a personalised quote.

Contact Kings Castle Lodge to get a personalised quote.

Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Amanda Preston (Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 8

Total Places for Children

  • 25

Age Range

  • from 2 years 0 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Opening Times

  • Monday 08:00-17:00
    Tuesday 08:00-17:00
    Wednesday 08:00-17:00
    Thursday 08:00-17:00
    Friday 08:00-17:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Parking

  • There is ample free parking at the Iford Playing fields and by the Scout Hut

Kings Castle Lodge Reviews (10)

9.8

Kings Castle Lodge has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.750) out of 10, based on 10 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Kings Castle Lodge has 10 reviews.

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Total of 10, showing 1-10
Review from E E (Father of Child) published on 24 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child was 2 days at the lodge and thrived in the forest setting style. Calum was an amazing communicator and so nice to my son really made him feel like he was with family all the time. The whole team were great there and we are really sad that its now come to an end with our son going onto big school.
Reply from Mandy Preston, Manager at Kings Castle LodgeThank you so much for your lovely review. We wish him all the very best in this next chapter at school and were delighted to be part of his early years education. Good luck to you all.
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Review from Tom C (Father of Child) published on 24 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Kings Castle and the Lodge have always been fantastic with our daughter and with us as parents. We are kept fully up to date with her progress on a daily basis, and encouraged to join the community through being invited to coffee afternoons, mothers/fathers day walks, and the Summer Fete.
They have
really come into their own this past month with the arrival of our second daughter. Staff have ensured that our daughter at nursery is encouraged to talk about her sister without being over pressurising, and therefore made nursery a safe environment and a break from the very different space a home.
A HUGE thanks to all staff and management.
Reply from Mandy Preston, Manager at Kings Castle LodgeThank you for your lovely review. We are delighted to be part of her very important early years and look forward to seeing her grow and develop further. Thank you for your continued support.
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Review from Victoria D (Mother of Child) published on 12 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Highly recommend Kings Castle Lodge, our daughter has been going for about 2 years and she absolutely loves it. The staff are brilliant and there's a really low turnover so we know everyone there and they build brilliant bonds with the kids. They always go out and about on walks and adventures and do
a real variety of activities both indoors and outdoors. We've been invited to some lovely stay and play sessions there too - they just create a brilliant environment for the whole family. We are really grateful to have been able to send our daughter here and highly recommend it
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Review from K B (Mother of Child) published on 9 September 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter spends a day at the King's Castle Lodge each week, alongside two other days at the main nursery.
The day at the lodge is such a great extra opportunity for her, they spend lots of time in nature and practicing physical skills. It's in a great location and feels like a forest school almost
as they get to go out on walks, learn about nature and wildlife etc. She loves attending the Lodge, the team there are wonderful and she has such happy days!
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Review from Helen B (Mother of Child) published on 30 August 2024 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child has loved Lodge since it opened. The team there really teach children how to look after our planet Earth. The tree climbs, nature walks and exploring outdoors have been a big favourite for her. She will definitely miss the Lodge when going to school in September. Thank you all.
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Review from L T (Mother of Child) published on 13 August 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our child is thriving thanks to Kings Castle Montessori Day Nursery and its offsite Lodge. He attends the lodge once a week and is always happy and excited to get there in the mornings. The staff are extremely friendly and interested in my child's well-being and developing his skills.
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Review from O S (Mother of Child) published on 8 August 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I can't recommend Kings Castle enough. Both my children have attended from the ages of 1 to school leavers. I have always been confident that my children are happy, safe and creatively stimulated. It is a wonderful welcoming setting and all staff members are absolutely fantastic with the children. Warm
and professional. Would 100% recommend this setting.
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Review from Rebekah A (Mother of Child) published on 25 July 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Really happy with my child's time spent at Kings Castle Lodge. Focus is on nature and learning, being outdoors, there are activities within the garden area, as well as nature, walks once/ twice a day to the surroundings. Lots of learning about insects, birds, trees, flowers etc. I believe there are
herbs/ strawberries etc that have been planted that the children are involved with. Staff are very approachable, caring and involved in their roles, and provide updates in person at pickup as well as updates through the day on the app - photos/ posts. Very happy, and thoroughly recommend it. Healthy snacks are provided that the children are involved with preparing.
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Review from Victoria D (Mother of Child) published on 25 July 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter loves her days at the Lodge and wants to go everyday! They put on a really good selection of activities and we all love that she's outside a lot, adventuring! We get good feedback at the end of the day and love seeing the photos of the fun they have.
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Review from Leanne H (Mother of Child) published on 24 July 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son loves spending time the Kings Castle. They go on walks in the surrounding area, learn all about nature and do lots of fun activities. The staff there are great, they always give a lot of detail of how the day went and what they did when we picked him up. He's always very happy to spend the day
there and seems to learn a lot, sometimes coming home with facts that teach us a thing or two!
We would definitely recommend the lodge and Kings Castle to anyone!
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Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.750)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.750) out of 10 for Kings Castle Lodge is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 10 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.8 out of 5 from 10 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 5.000 for Kings Castle Lodge is calculated as follows: ( (119 Excellents x 5) ) ÷ 119 Ratings = 5
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 4.75 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Kings Castle Lodge is based on 10 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 20 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews, 0.05 Points for the next five Positive Reviews, and finally 0.025 Points for the next ten Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.050, 7th = 0.050, 8th = 0.050, 9th = 0.050, 10th = 0.050, 11th = 0.025, 12th = 0.025, 13th = 0.025, 14th = 0.025, 15th = 0.025, 16th = 0.025, 17th = 0.025, 18th = 0.025, 19th = 0.025, 20th = 0.025) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 = 3.75
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 25 number of registered child places is 5, which has been reached with 10 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (2)

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Frequently Asked Questions about Kings Castle Lodge

What is the Age Range of Children that Kings Castle Lodge accepts?

Kings Castle Lodge accepts Children aged from 2 years 0 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Kings Castle Lodge Open?

Kings Castle Lodge is open: Monday 08:00-17:00, Tuesday 08:00-17:00, Wednesday 08:00-17:00, Thursday 08:00-17:00, Friday 08:00-17:00.

How many Children does Kings Castle Lodge have capacity for?

Kings Castle Lodge has capacity for a total of 25 Children.

How far is Kings Castle Lodge to the centre of Bournemouth?

3.7 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Kings Castle Lodge to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Kings Castle Lodge has an Enhanced Service - more info.