Childcare in Manchester
Manchester has 94 day nurseries, 24 pre-schools, 136 school nursery classes, 65 childminders and 71 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 137 of them and rated 127 Good or better, 18 of them Outstanding. 253 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £16 to £95, typically £50. Across Manchester there are 23 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 Manchester, 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 142 school nursery classes across Manchester, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
195 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 Old Moat Childcare Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Crossacres After School Club Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Honeybear Nursery ltd Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Moston Methodist Church Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Blossom Tree Edventures Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed LSC @ St Margaret Marys RC Primary Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Activate Camps @ Withington Girls' School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Premier Sport Wraparound Abbey Hey Primary Academy Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Clubhouse @ Chorlton CE Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed The Den Holiday Club Ltd Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Little Angels day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Manchester Learning Zone Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Manchester
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Manchester?
Of the 10 full-day rates published by settings in Manchester, the typical price is £50 a day, ranging from £16 to £95. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Manchester take funded hours?
157 of the 390 settings in Manchester 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Manchester rated Outstanding?
Yes. 18 of the 137 settings Ofsted has inspected in Manchester hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Manchester take babies?
195 settings in Manchester 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 Manchester?
Manchester has 23 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 Manchester
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.