Childcare in Bedford (Central Bedfordshire)
Bedford (Central Bedfordshire) has 11 day nurseries, 6 pre-schools, 13 school nursery classes, 20 childminders and 12 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 27 of them and rated 25 Good or better, 7 of them Outstanding. 35 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Central Bedfordshire there are 27 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 Central Bedfordshire, 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 68 school nursery classes across Central Bedfordshire, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
12 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 2026Opened Kidz Zone Club - Houghton Conquest Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Kidz Zone Club Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Kidz Zone Club - Houghton Conquest Lower School Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Cranfield University Pre-School Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Opened Junior Adventures Group @ Templefield MK45 Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened John Donne Play Active Club Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Creative Sports Coaching at Flitwick Lower School Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Bedford (Central Bedfordshire)
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Bedford (Central Bedfordshire) take funded hours?
18 of the 62 settings in Bedford (Central Bedfordshire) 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Bedford (Central Bedfordshire) rated Outstanding?
Yes. 7 of the 27 settings Ofsted has inspected in Bedford (Central Bedfordshire) hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Bedford (Central Bedfordshire) take babies?
47 settings in Bedford (Central Bedfordshire) 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 Bedford (Central Bedfordshire)?
Central Bedfordshire has 27 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 Bedford (Central Bedfordshire)
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.