Childcare in Bideford
Bideford has 6 day nurseries, 6 pre-schools, 9 school nursery classes, 7 childminders and 1 after-school club. Ofsted has inspected 11 of them and rated 10 Good or better, 1 of them Outstanding. 18 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.
10 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.
- Dec 2025Closed Two Rivers Kindergarten Sessional day care
- Jun 2025Opened Little Butterflies After School Club Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed Camp Beaumont - IL North Devon Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed Pop-Up Sports The Big Sheep Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed Camp Beaumont - Skern Lodge Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in Bideford
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Bideford take funded hours?
10 of the 29 settings in Bideford 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Bideford rated Outstanding?
Yes. 1 of the 11 settings Ofsted has inspected in Bideford hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Bideford take babies?
17 settings in Bideford 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 Bideford?
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 Bideford
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.