Childcare in Barnstaple
Barnstaple has 16 day nurseries, 2 pre-schools, 14 school nursery classes, 9 childminders and 6 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 23 of them and rated 22 Good or better, 2 of them Outstanding. 24 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Devon 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 Devon, 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 184 school nursery classes across Devon, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
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 2026Opened Little Butterflies Ashleigh ASC Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Little Butterflies Roundswell ASC Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Primary Sports and Education ( North Devon) Ltd Activity Days Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Bright Start Early Years Ltd Full day care
- Jun 2025Closed Pop-Up Sports - The Park Community School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed Sporty Stars - West Buckland School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed Pop-Up Sports TARKA Leisure Centre Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Barnstaple
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Barnstaple take funded hours?
16 of the 47 settings in Barnstaple 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Barnstaple rated Outstanding?
Yes. 2 of the 23 settings Ofsted has inspected in Barnstaple hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Barnstaple take babies?
30 settings in Barnstaple 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 Barnstaple?
Devon 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 Barnstaple
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.