Childcare in Wakefield
Wakefield has 24 day nurseries, 9 pre-schools, 41 school nursery classes, 26 childminders and 12 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 47 of them, and rated every one Good or better, 7 of them Outstanding. 65 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £45 to £60, typically £53. Across Wakefield 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 Wakefield, 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 100 school nursery classes across Wakefield, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
62 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 Thompson, Joy Isioma
- Jun 2026Opened Premier Education Wakefield Grammar Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Pinders Primary School Tutoring Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened GMI Education Centre Tutoring Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Wildlings Summer Camp Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Wakefield Day Nursery Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Woolley Edge Scout Camp Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed CJ's Playcare (Ledger Lane) Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Thompson, Joy Isioma
What people ask about childcare in Wakefield
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Wakefield?
Of the 5 full-day rates published by settings in Wakefield, the typical price is £53 a day, ranging from £45 to £60. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Wakefield take funded hours?
45 of the 112 settings in Wakefield 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Wakefield rated Outstanding?
Yes. 7 of the 47 settings Ofsted has inspected in Wakefield hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Wakefield take babies?
62 settings in Wakefield 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 Wakefield?
Wakefield 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 Wakefield
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.