Best Nursery (Shefford)
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Shefford for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2022. Open since 2011, with 64 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Central Bedfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Central Bedfordshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
SG17 5QSWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 12 December 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy their time in this positive environment and are settled and secure.
They approach new experiences confidently and are eager to explore. For example, they look at items and predict which will sink or float. They keep a pictorial record of their predictions, updating this after they have carried out the experiment.
Children respond to staff's high expectations, praise and encouragement, and they persevere at tasks. For instance, children work together to make a castle, trying different ways to do this and sharing their ideas with their friends.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to put their teaching knowledge into practice more consistently, so that they can fully extend children's learning during activities, for example n aid staff to make greater use of outdoor areas to offer children who prefer to be outside further play and learning opportunities.
- 12 December 2022Good
- 16 February 2022Needs improvement
- 5 May 2016Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Best Nursery (Shefford)
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.