Childcare in Barnsley
Barnsley has 41 day nurseries, 9 pre-schools, 51 school nursery classes, 47 childminders and 18 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 71 of them and rated 67 Good or better, 15 of them Outstanding. 95 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £35 to £70, typically £60. Across Barnsley there are 29 places per 100 children under five, worse supplied than England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Barnsley, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today. It also leaves out the 60 school nursery classes across Barnsley, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
110 settings match. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.
What has changed here
Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.
- Jun 2026Closed Grimethorpe Family Centre Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed Core Training And Development Barnsley Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Curiosity Cottage (Athersley) Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Cool Kidz St Helen`s Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Wakitu Kids - Laithes Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Little Cobs Daycare Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Railway Children Nursery Jump Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Cool Kidz Meadstead Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Marys Little Lambs Wombwell Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Opened Groots Childcare Hub 5 (Dodworth St Johns Primary) Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Farmspace Barnsley CIC Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Groots Childcare Hub 6 (Oakhill Primary) Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Barnsley
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Barnsley?
Of the 14 full-day rates published by settings in Barnsley, the typical price is £60 a day, ranging from £35 to £70. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Barnsley take funded hours?
63 of the 166 settings in Barnsley are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.
Are any nurseries in Barnsley rated Outstanding?
Yes. 15 of the 71 settings Ofsted has inspected in Barnsley hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Barnsley take babies?
110 settings in Barnsley are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.
Is it hard to get a nursery place in Barnsley?
Barnsley has 29 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.
Towns close to Barnsley
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.