Childcare in Bolton
Bolton has 71 day nurseries, 11 pre-schools, 65 school nursery classes, 36 childminders and 32 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 91 of them and rated 84 Good or better, 9 of them Outstanding. 125 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £44 to £81, typically £70. Across Bolton there are 26 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 Bolton, 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 67 school nursery classes across Bolton, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
216 settings, best rated first. 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 Y2K Kidz Klub UK - St Matthews Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened THE KIDZ ZONE LTD Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Y2K Kidz Klub UK - St Stephens Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Moon Star Academy Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Premier Education WAC @ St Thomas Halliwell Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Adventure Garden Children's Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened The Base Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Y2k Kidz Klub Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Y2K Kidz Klub Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Haven Daycare Limited Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Haven Daycare Limited Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Nexus Learning Ltd Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in Bolton
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Bolton?
Of the 7 full-day rates published by settings in Bolton, the typical price is £70 a day, ranging from £44 to £81. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Bolton take funded hours?
73 of the 216 settings in Bolton 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Bolton rated Outstanding?
Yes. 9 of the 91 settings Ofsted has inspected in Bolton hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Bolton take babies?
133 settings in Bolton 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 Bolton?
Bolton has 26 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 Bolton
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.