Childcare in Bournemouth
Bournemouth has 51 day nurseries, 20 pre-schools, 16 childminders and 18 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 71 of them and rated 65 Good or better, 12 of them Outstanding. 34 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £42 to £89, typically £76. Across Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole there are 33 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole, 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.
67 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 Teamtheme Sports & Activity Camp Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened St Nicholas Pre-School Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed St Nicholas Pre-School Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Horizons Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Beaufort Community Association Childcare Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Closed The Sparrow's Nest Preschool Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed East Cliff Pre-School Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Closed 115 Club St Luke's Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Bearwood Pre-School Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Corpus Christi Pre-School Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Corpus Christi Premier Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed East Cliff Pre-School St James' Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in Bournemouth
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Bournemouth?
Of the 29 full-day rates published by settings in Bournemouth, the typical price is £76 a day, ranging from £42 to £89. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Bournemouth take funded hours?
22 of the 105 settings in Bournemouth 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Bournemouth rated Outstanding?
Yes. 12 of the 71 settings Ofsted has inspected in Bournemouth hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Bournemouth take babies?
94 settings in Bournemouth 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 Bournemouth?
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole has 33 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 Bournemouth
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.