Merry Poppets Nursery Ltd
GoodTakes funded hours★ 3.9 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Bedford for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2023. Open since 2013, with 65 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Up to 30 hours* free childcare and funded childcare sessions.
Worth knowing. *Qualifying criteria.
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
MK45 1BPWhat 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, 7 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thoroughly enjoy attending this nursery. They arrive confidently, settling quickly in play and activities of their choosing. Staff get to know children well from the start. They adapt the environment to ensure it is welcoming to all. Children build strong bonds with staff. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. For example, they confidently share with staff what they have done at home. Babies are well settled and keen to explore.
Staff show respect towards children and encourage them to make choices. This helps children to feel valued and build good levels of self-esteem. Staff seek children's consent before changing nappies or helping to wipe their noses. Children have time to explore to their satisfaction, such as when they look for plastic insects in mud. Children listen to staff and follow simple instructions. Staff help children to learn about their emotions and acknowledge how they feel. Children are building the vocabulary they need to express their needs and wants. This helps them to consider the needs of their friends as they learn to share and take turns. Staff read stories and sing songs with children throughout the day. They understand that repetition helps children to learn. However, sometimes, staff do not demonstrate high ambition for children to broaden their vocabulary widely.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff deepen their understanding of typical child development and use this to extend children's learning to the highest level - broaden opportunities for children to explore the natural world.
- 7 March 2023Good
- 25 July 2017Good
- 21 January 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Merry Poppets Nursery Ltd
- What it costs
- 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
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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.