Childcare in Bedford
Bedford has 34 day nurseries, 19 pre-schools, 38 school nursery classes, 29 childminders and 25 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 59 of them and rated 58 Good or better, 10 of them Outstanding. 86 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £42 to £85, typically £70. Across Bedford there are 30 places per 100 children under five, about the same as England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Bedford, 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 40 school nursery classes across Bedford, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
99 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 Polam School Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed SS Ltd @ GGA Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened SS Ltd @ Biddenham Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Inn Farm Private Day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Junior Adventures Group @ St John Rigby Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened SS Ltd @ Castle Newnham Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened First Class Learning - Bedford Town Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Keep Guard Day Nursery Ltd Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened HopeWorks Creche (Bedford) Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Opened First Class Learning - Bedford West Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Polam School Nursery Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Football Fun Camp: St Thomas More School Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Bedford
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Bedford?
Of the 5 full-day rates published by settings in Bedford, the typical price is £70 a day, ranging from £42 to £85. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Bedford take funded hours?
50 of the 145 settings in Bedford 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 rated Outstanding?
Yes. 10 of the 59 settings Ofsted has inspected in Bedford hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Bedford take babies?
99 settings in Bedford 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?
Bedford has 30 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
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.