Childcare in Bristol
Bristol has 83 day nurseries, 32 pre-schools, 51 childminders and 95 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 127 of them and rated 121 Good or better, 20 of them Outstanding. 135 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £45 to £101, typically £72. Across Bristol 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 Bristol, 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.
95 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 Shine @ Clifton High School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed uKids at Collegiate School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Premier Education At Fishponds C Of E Academy Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed The Hive Preschool Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed Premier Education At Horfield Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Premier Education At Sefton Park Infant School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Mama Bear's Day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Premier Education At Fairlawn Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Premier Education at Fishponds CofE Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Premier Education at Horfield Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Premier Education at Sefton Park Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened The Outdoors Project Bristol St Ursulas Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Bristol
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Bristol?
Of the 8 full-day rates published by settings in Bristol, the typical price is £72 a day, ranging from £45 to £101. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Bristol take funded hours?
30 of the 262 settings in Bristol 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Bristol rated Outstanding?
Yes. 20 of the 127 settings Ofsted has inspected in Bristol hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Bristol take babies?
213 settings in Bristol 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 Bristol?
Bristol 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 Bristol
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.