Jumping Jacks Childcare
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Bedford for babies from a few weeks old up to school age, open 8am to 6pm. £26.00 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 2004, with 52 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
September 2025 – August 2026 Hourly rate : £26.00 per hour
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Funded hours
15 hours and 30 hours funding.
Worth knowing. We do not offer any completely free (no cost) spaces of childcare. We only provide “15 hours” or “30 hours” funding with parents taking responsibility to pay for additional hours. We only offer all-year-round care-and-education and do not offer term-time only places. Our childcare sessions can only be taken in full sessions i.e. Full-day (8.00am – 6.00pm) or Half-day (8.00am – 1.00pm or 1.00pm- 6.00pm). We offer the “15 hours” funding, only for children attending a minimum equivalent of 2 days p.
What childcare usually costs in Bedford
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Bedford 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
MK40 2BBWhat 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, 8 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and excited when they arrive at nursery. They are confident to say goodbye to their parents. Staff are warm, welcoming and nurturing towards the children and greet them with enthusiasm. Children are encouraged to be independent. This is reflected in children's engagement in the activities the staff provide for them. Staff support children's emotional well-being and give them encouragement and praise.
Children are very well behaved. Children play together purposefully and show great consideration for their friends. They are kind, polite and friendly to their friends and those who care for them. Children independently share, take turns and make sure their friends are happy. For example, when a child drops his model of a dinosaur, his friend stops his play and helps him to rebuild it.
Children benefit from high quality teaching in most planned focussed activities. For example, when planting sunflower seeds, children recall prior learning about how the sun helps flowers grow. Staff are quick to introduce new vocabulary such as photosynthesis to extend children's learning. Children are confident to take risks and can independently manage their safety; for example, independently riding balance bikes and confidently climbing on the outdoor play equipment.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff knowledge and skills to effectively deliver high quality interactions across all parts of the setting n support staff to develop their understanding of the early years curriculum and how to sequence children's learning to build on what children know and can do.
- 8 March 2022Good
- 16 February 2016Outstanding
- 14 February 2011Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Jumping Jacks Childcare
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £26.00 an hour still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.